intensive EMDR therapy in ConnecticuT
When healing needs more space.
EMDR intensives for adults who have a particular pattern, experience, or area of their life they want to understand and work with more deeply with a clear beginning, middle & end.
You’ve done the work to understand yourself. You see the patterns you’ve been cycling through for years. You hold it together and do what you need to do, but you know life doesn’t have to look this way or feel this exhausting. You want to be able to send the text without rewriting it five times, you want to be able to breathe before you snap at your partner, you want to stop turning into someone you don’t recognize.
You need time, space and support to go deeper.
Introducing: EMDR Intensives
How is an emdr intensive different?
A defined arc of work.
An EMDR intensive is a focused course of therapy with a clear beginning, middle and end. Rather than meeting week after week without knowing how long therapy will continue, we choose an area of focus and build a container around that work.
The extended sessions aren't about trying to fit as much therapy as possible into three hours. They're about having more room and space to go deeper within the work.
With more time we get to breathe and notice what emerges. We can follow connections without immediately having to stop because the hour is ending. We get to work with different parts of the self, slow down when we need to, engage in EMDR processing and leave space for reflection and integration along the way.
You don't need to come in knowing exactly which memories we need to work on. You may simply know that you want to explore something like abandonment, people-pleasing, perfectionism, over-responsibility, a relationship pattern, or an experience from your past that still feels present.
We start there and let the work unfold from what we find.
IS AN EMDR INTENSIVE FOR ME?
This format works well when:
You have a sense of what you want to work on and you want dedicated space to explore it more deeply.
You want something contained and intentional. A defined period of work, not indefinite ongoing therapy.
You're working with another therapist and want to add a focused piece of EMDR work alongside your existing care.
Consultation Call | 25 minutes
We'll meet for a complimentary 25-minute consultation to talk about what you're hoping to work on, previous therapy experience and whether an intensive format seems like a good fit
How it works.
Preparation & planning | 2 hours
Before we meet, you'll complete a guided workbook that helps us begin identifying the experiences, patterns, beliefs and parts of yourself that may be connected to what you're carrying. I review the workbook carefully to prepare before we sit down together.
During our two-hour planning session, we'll take time to understand the larger picture together. You don't need to arrive with everything figured out. Part of my role is helping us explore where the work may need to go.
The deeper work | Three 3-hour sessions
We'll have three extended sessions dedicated to the area we've chosen to focus on.
These sessions may include EMDR processing, parts work, somatic awareness, reflection and integration. We aren't racing through a predetermined list of memories or trying to accomplish as much as possible. The longer format gives us room to follow the work as it unfolds while staying connected to the larger focus that brought you in.
(Intensive sessions may be scheduled closer together or spaced over several weeks depending on the work, your schedule and what feels supportive.)
Integration & closing | 1 hour
We'll meet once more to reflect on the work we've done, notice what has changed or continues to need attention, and think together about what comes next.
Sometimes a focused course of work feels complete. At times intensives bring clarity to another area someone wants to continue to explore. We may determine that ongoing therapy is the right next step. The closing session gives us space to make that decision intentionally and collaboratively.
EMDR Intensive Investment
2-hour preparation and planning session
Personalized intensive workbook
Three 3-hour intensive therapy sessions
60-minute integration and closing session
Clinical preparation and treatment planning throughout the series.
Total Investment: $3,750
EMDR intensives are a fully private-pay service as they fall outside of what insurance companies consider medically necessary treatment, particularly when it comes to session length and structure. Keeping this work private pay allows us to work outside of those constraints.
It also means the details of your intensive work remain private rather than being shared with an insurance company to justify coverage. Instead of spending time and energy documenting why an insurance company should pay for a particular structure of treatment, that attention can stay where it belongs: on you, what you're working on, and creating the space for the kind of depth work that doesn't always fit neatly within an insurance model.
MEET YOUR INTENSIVE EMDR THERAPIST
I’m Laura DeCapua, LMFT, an EMDRIA-Certified EMDR therapist in New Britain, Connecticut. I’ve been practicing EMDR for more than a decade, with additional training in ego-state/parts work, complex trauma and somatic therapy.
I approach intensive work with both depth and curiosity. You don’t need to come in knowing exactly which memories we need to process or having your experience neatly organized into EMDR “targets.” You may simply know there’s a pattern, relationship dynamic, experience or part of your story you’re ready to spend some focused time with.
Part of my role is helping us understand the architecture underneath old patterns. We look to see what experiences shaped the pattern, what your nervous system learned along the way and what may still be keeping it in place today. From there, we use EMDR, parts work and somatic awareness to follow the work where it needs to go.
One of the things I value most about intensive work is having enough space to stay curious. I tell clients we are not trying to jam as much healing work as we can in 3 hour sprints. We work with intention, take time to follow a connection when it emerges, slow down when something needs more attention, work with a protective part rather than pushing past it, or change direction when the work takes us somewhere unexpected.
An intensive gives us a larger container for the work, not a mandate to accomplish as much as possible within it. Depth doesn’t have to mean rushing.
A place to land.
My office is located within Green Lotus Salon and Wellness in New Britain, Connecticut.
Green Lotus Salon & Wellness
If you're looking to make more of your intensive experience, Green Lotus offers a range of spa and wellness services you can book independently through their website, including massages, facials, spa journeys and Reiki.
Green Lotus prioritizes a holistic approach prioritizing clean, cruelty-free products and green business practices.
New Britain Museum of American Art
Directly across the street is the New Britain Museum of American Art, which has a café with grab-and-go options from local establishments and an outdoor terrace overlooking Walnut Hill Park. A good place to land before or after a session.
Walnut Hill Park
Less than 1 minute on foot is Walnut Hill, a large park designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, who also designed Central Park. Walking paths, sculptures and a memorial garden all provide a way to connect to nature and ground.
A note on fit:
An intensive is not crisis intervention and not meant to be a shortcut to healing. It works best when there's enough stability to go deeper and when the nervous system has some foundation to work from.
If you're in an acute crisis or have never done any therapeutic work, a different starting point is likely a better fit. We'll talk through that on the consultation call and explore options.
FAQs:
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All intensive EMDR sessions are held in person at my office in New Britain, CT.
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Nope! EMDR is not only for people who identify with having trauma or a difficult childhood. While EMDR was originally developed to treat PTSD, it works by supporting how the nervous system processes experiences, not by labeling events as traumatic.
Many people who had generally supportive upbringings still feel stuck, anxious, or overwhelmed in certain areas of life. Stress, pressure, relationship patterns, or experiences that felt manageable at the time can still shape how your nervous system learned to respond. Part of my role is to help uncover those patterns and gently support your system in responding with more ease, even when there is no single event you would call “trauma.”
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EMDR Intensive are a fully private-pay service. I do not submit claims to insurance or provide superbills for any portion of the intensive series.
This allows the series to be structured around the work we're doing together rather than insurance requirements related to session length, frequency or medical necessity.
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Weekly therapy and intensive therapy offer two different structures for doing meaningful work. Weekly therapy provides regular, ongoing support and allows the work to unfold over time. An intensive creates longer stretches of uninterrupted therapeutic time within a defined course of treatment.
Neither is inherently better or deeper. For some people and some kinds of work, having more time within each session allows them to stay with what is emerging rather than repeatedly opening and closing the work within a traditional therapy hour.
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That's exactly what the consultation is for. Intensives aren't the right format for every person or every season of therapy.
Generally, this work is best suited for people who have some stability in their day-to-day life, have experience using resources to manage difficult emotions, and have a particular area they feel ready to explore.
You don't need to know exactly what the EMDR targets are, that's something we figure out together.
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Yes! I am happy to collaborate with your current clinician to support your healing in an intensive.
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Readiness looks different for everyone. Key indicators include:
Emotional stability in daily life
Support system in place
Familiarity with using coping skills effectively
Time and space for the intensive
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You won’t be left alone in the middle of big emotions. EMDR intensives are designed to be deeply supportive, with plenty of time for grounding, breaks, and processing. You are always in control, and we go at a pace that feels safe for you.
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I welcome collaboration with fellow practitioners ! If you have a client who might benefit from Intensive EMDR work, I'm happy to discuss whether my approach would be a good fit. You can reach out directly through my contact page.
I offer consultation calls with referring practitioners to discuss treatment approaches and coordinate care when helpful.
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Let’s chat next session to explore how an intensive may support you! I find that intensives are a great addition to work we are already doing in the traditional weekly format especially if we dedicate the time to working on a stuck point!
NEXT STEPS
Ready to talk through if an EMDR intensive may be right for you?
The first step is a free 25-minute consultation, no pressure, no commitment. We'll talk through what's bringing you in and whether this feels right.