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What to Expect in the EMDR Intensive Program

The EMDR Intensive consists of three parts: An Assessment Appointment, an Intensive Processing Session, and a Follow up Appointment.

The Intensive Program begins with a 2 hour Assessment Appointment the week before the Intensive Processing Session. This appointment time is used to discuss the concerns bringing you to treatment, address your questions, and identify the negative belief systems that have reinforced the old patterns of thinking and feeling. You are given access to your treatment workbook at this appointment. 

Intensive Processing Sessions are available on Fridays in your choice of either half-day or full-day formats. The half-day appointment is from 8:30am-12:30pm, while the full-day format is 8:30am-3:30pm with an hour break for lunch. Your Intensive Processing Session begins by developing resources to increase your sense of calm, security, and control, allowing you to more confidently examine your trauma. The initial 45-90 minutes will be spent creating these resources to support you both in and following your Intensive Treatment Program. Reprocessing the trauma with EMDR will last for 2 to 3 hours in the half-day format, and 4 to 5 hours in the full day format, with breaks for self-care as needed. The remaining 15-30 minutes are spent closing the session and assessing for additional needs.

The Intensive Program concludes with a 2 hour follow up appointment the week after your processing session.

Additional EMDR therapy appointments may be necessary to achieve your treatment goals. Note: additional sessions beyond the Follow-up Appointment are not included in the Intensive Program fee; recommendations are individualized based on your specific needs. In complex cases, especially with multiple traumatic events, additional intensive work will be recommended.

EMDR Half-Day Intensive Program 
Includes 8 hours of individualized treatment, assessment, and treatment workbook, Fee $1600

EMDR Full-Day Intensive Program 
Includes 10 hours of individualized treatment, assessment, and treatment workbook, Fee $1950


A 50% deposit is due at the time of scheduling the appointment and the remaining balance is due at the time of your first appointment. 

*Insurance is not accepted for ​Intensive Programs
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The research on the use of Intensive EMDR Therapy is extremely positive.

"Intensive application of trauma-focused therapy seems to be well tolerated in patients with PTSD, enabling faster symptom reduction with similar, or even better, results, while reducing the risk that patients drop out prematurely.” (European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 2018).
"The economy is compelling: even compared to other trauma therapy, the intensive format may decrease treatment time, because of time not spent on a) checking in at the beginning of each session, b) addressing current crises and concerns, c) focusing on stabilizing and coping skills that the client won’t need after trauma healing, or d) assisting the client in regaining composure at the end of the session.” (Trauma Institute & Child Trauma Institute, 2015). 
"Intensive EMDR treatment is feasible and is indicative of reliable improvement in PTSD symptoms in a very short time frame.” (European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 2018). 
Learn More about EMDR research results here and here.

How Does EMDR Help?

EMDR is an 8 phase, research-based, treatment approach proven to reduce the symptoms of PTSD.  Through treatment, you reduce the dissonance, or disagreement, between your logical and emotional perceptions of both the past and current events. When you have finished EMDR you will be able to recall the traumatic event with an awareness that it was traumatizing, but no longer experiencing the emotional or physical reactions along with that awareness. 

The 8 Phases of EMDR


Phase 1: History Taking and Assessment

Treatment begins the same way that many treatment approaches do, with information gathering. Your therapist will collect an extensive history, looking for significant life events and drawing connections between the events from your past and the symptoms that brought you to treatment today. A treatment plan is then developed, with your EMDR therapist, to identify (1) the current situation(s) causing you distress, (2) the memories from the past that created the current distress, and (3) the skills and beliefs needed to be successful in future situations. The process of history taking and assessment typically takes place in the assessment appointment of the EMDR Intensive Program or two to three, 55-minute appointments and is revisited throughout treatment as new information arises, and additional history taking or treatment planning is warranted.

The 8 Phases of EMDR

Phase 2: Preparation       


During the preparation phase you will learn more about what to expect in your desensitization sessions. Additionally, you will develop resources to increase your confidence and sense of calm. These resources can be utilized both in and out of sessions to reduce distress in overwhelming situations. Finally in this phase you will learn visualizations and physical techniques to utilize between sessions to reduce distress and contain the upsetting memories. The preparation phase typically takes place during both the assessment appointment and the initial 45 minutes of the processing appointment with the EMDR intensive program or one to two, 55-minute appointments, but can take longer for individuals working to increase their emotional stability prior to beginning EMDR.

The 8 Phases of EMDR

Phase 3: Assessment 

In this phase you will access your traumatic memory. You will start this process by recalling specific or symbolic images of the selected memory.  You will then work with your therapist to identify the negative belief about yourself, as you recall the trauma. Often people find that they logically know the negative belief is untrue, but they experience an emotional reaction to the belief, indicating unresolved feelings. After identifying the negative belief, you will notice the emotions and physical sensations that arise when thinking of this memory and belief. You will rate the intensity of these reactions on a scale of 0-10. You then chose a positive belief that you would like to replace the negative one. It is important that the positive belief be a realistic reflection of present day circumstances. For example, the negative belief may be “I'm not safe” while the positive belief could be “I am safe now.” Once identified, you will rate the positive belief on a scale from completely false to completely true. The assessment phase typically takes 10-30 minutes and will be revisited for any additional memories that need to be targeted. 

The goal of your EMDR treatment is to reduce the negative emotional and physical response to 0 and increase strength of the positive belief to completely true. 
The 8 Phases of EMDR
Phase 4: Desensitization
Desensitization is the work of your brain reducing the distress and increasing the positive belief for the identified trauma. This shift is done through the use of bilateral stimulation (BLS). BLS can be done by having you follow back and forth with your eyes, holding tapers that buzz back and forth in your hands, or even wearing headphones that beep on alternating sides. This stimulation of the brain allows you to make significant changes in the way you think and feel about your trauma, in a very short amount of time. These changes are similar to the changes that you might have the morning after an argument. There are likely times you have woken up and noticed a sense of calm or understanding that you did not have the night before. Logically however, this change does not make sense. You didn't get new information or have a conversation with the person who upset you; nothing changed. But while you slept your brain took the information that you already had, and used it to create new perceptions of the already completed situation. This allowed you to develop new insights and reduce the negative emotions attached to it.  Through EMDR you will attain similar results; shifting your perceptions and reducing your distress. Clients coming to treatment with a single-event trauma often are able to complete phases 4-8 in 4 to 6, 55-minute sessions and have the possibility of completing it in a single, half-day Intensive processing session.
The 8 Phases of EMDR
Phase 5: Installation
Once your distress about the past trauma has been eliminated you will work with your therapist to increase the strength the positive belief. BLS is continued in this phase while focusing on the memory and the new positive belief.
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Phase 6: Body Scan
Once you have completely installed the new positive belief you will scan your body for any physical reactions or distress. Even when we logically have moved past a trauma and believe the positive belief, it is not until the physical reactions are resolved that we are truly able to move past the traumatic event.

Phase 7: Closure
At the conclusion of each session, time is dedicated to returning to a state of calm in your thoughts and body so that you can return to your day. The closure process will take 5-10 minutes at the end of each session.
The 8 Phases of EMDR
Phase 8: Reevaluation
At the beginning of subsequent sessions your therapist will begin by reassessing your treatment goals, noting any insights or effects following your previous session and revisiting your target memory assessing for any changes since the last session. 


Future Templates
Following the completion of a target memory you will use the newly strengthened positive belief(s) to build your skills and confidence in difficult future situations. Often 3-5 future templates can be completed in a single session. The 3-prong approach of EMDR includes the Resolution of distress around the memory from the past; resolving the symptoms currently experienced; and increasing your sense of capability in future situations with future templates. Addressing all three areas allows you to move forward without the negative impact of the events from your past dictating your emotional experience or decision making. 
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Adjuct EMDR

If you are already working with your own therapist and don't want to make a change to start EMDR, you don't have to. I offer Adjunctive EMDR Collaboration for clients to add to their current therapy progress. 
​I will collaborate with your current therapist to ensure the best results.

At times, in traditional talk therapy, we find “stuck points” that we are unable to move past. It can feel like our logic and gut reactions are at odds, arguing and keeping us trapped in our old patterns. And we find ourselves repeating the same negative self-talk or harmful behaviors. In these situations your primary therapist may recommend Adjunct EMDR. Adjunct EMDR is not a replacement for your primary therapy. Rather, it is a goal specific treatment to help initiate change around an identified memory or intrusive thought. In Adjunct EMDR targeted thoughts do not have to be tied to a highly traumatic memory. In the Assessment Appointment we will work to identify the underlying memories or relationship dynamics that “birthed” this pattern of thinking. Treatment is often brief and is most effective in the EMDR Intensive Program. Success of your treatment depends on clearly defined goals for your EMDR therapist, created in collaboration with you and your primary therapist.

Schedule a 15-minute consultation today!

I would love to connect with you in-person, online, or over the phone to answer your questions about EMDR to help you decide whether EMDR is the right step for your treatment. 

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