Am I Ready for EMDR Therapy Intensives?
You know what it feels like…
You’ve been doing the work. Showing up in therapy. Maybe even doing EMDR. You’re inching closer to something important—some deep truth, a stuck memory, the root of an old pattern. And then... time’s up.
The clock runs out just as things start to open.
Week after week, it can start to feel like you’re circling something important, but never quite landing. Not because you’re avoiding the work—but because there’s just not enough time to do it the way your nervous system needs.
That’s where EMDR therapy intensives come in.
While the 55-minute therapy session has become the standard, that standard often has more to do with insurance systems than what best supports meaningful healing. I am an EMDR therapist in Farmington, CT who started offering intensives when I started to notice that just when clients tarted to touch the deeper layers of their experiences — the session had to end. Asking someone to pause powerful, vulnerable work and wait another week to pick it up again began to feel more disruptive than helpful.
While 55-minute sessions have become the norm, much of that is shaped by insurance-driven models, not necessarily by what best supports deep, lasting healing. As an EMDR therapist in Farmington, CT, I started offering intensives because I kept seeing the same pattern: just as clients were beginning to access the deeper layers of their experiences—the real core of their trauma or stuck patterns—the session time would run out. Pausing that kind of vulnerable, powerful work and shelving it for another week often felt more disruptive than supportive. I wanted to create a space where we could honor your nervous system's natural rhythm without constantly battling the clock.
What Are EMDR Therapy Intensives?
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) intensives are extended therapy sessions—often 3 to 6 hours long—designed to help you process trauma, grief, anxiety, burnout, and stuck patterns more efficiently. Instead of spreading the work over months, EMDR intensives allow us to go deeper in a shorter period of time while still honoring your pace and readiness.
But when people first hear about intensives, a very normal question comes up:
"Wow… 3 hours? 6 hours? That’s a long time! Am I really ready for that?"
How to Know If You’re Ready for an Intensive
If you’re wondering the same, here are some helpful things to consider:
Are you in active crisis?
Intensive trauma therapy is not usually the best fit if you're in the middle of an active crisis, such as severe destabilization, overwhelming emotional dysregulation, or immediate safety concerns. If that’s where you are right now, the priority is finding stability and safety first—and there is absolutely no shame in that. Once your feet are more firmly under you, we can explore whether intensive work feels appropriate.
Do you have general stability in your life?
You don't need to be "perfectly fine" to benefit from an intensive—if that were the case, you wouldn't be seeking therapy. But having enough stability to tolerate emotional work, reflect, and stay present during longer sessions is important.
Have you done some prior therapy or personal work?
Many clients who pursue EMDR intensives have already done some therapy in the past. They may have developed awareness about their patterns but feel stuck in fully shifting them. Trauma healing intensives can be especially powerful when you're ready to go deeper into the material you've already identified.
Are you feeling stuck despite your best efforts?
If you find yourself saying, "I understand where this comes from, but I still feel stuck," or "I keep repeating the same patterns even though I know better," an EMDR intensive might offer the kind of concentrated focus that can help you move forward.
Do you have support outside of therapy?
Having a few trusted people in your life who can support you emotionally as you process your work can be helpful after an intensive. This doesn't mean you need a huge network—even one or two supportive connections can make a difference.
Are you ready to be curious and open?
Intensive work is collaborative and paced with care. You don't need to have all the answers or be perfectly prepared, but a willingness to explore, feel, and gently challenge old patterns is part of what allows EMDR intensive therapy to be effective.
Is Intensive Trauma Therapy Right for You?
You don’t have to keep circling what you’re ready to shift. If part of you feels pulled toward this kind of work—even if you’re still unsure—that’s worth listening to. Reach out anytime to schedule a free consultation. Together, we can create space for real, lasting change.
Learn More About EMDR Intensives
Curious to explore whether this might be the right next step for you? Reach out anytime to schedule a free consultation.