EMDR Intensive
Loosening what’s compacted.
Tending to what’s ready to transform.
Trusting your system’s innate regeneration.
Why EMDR Intensive?
Trauma therapy is like restoring a neglected garden—and at the heart of that is your compost heap: the place where what’s been heavy, tangled, or long-stuck has the potential to begin breaking down—feeding the soil so something new and of your choice can take root.
In weekly EMDR, you tend the garden gradually. You might clear a patch, plant seeds, gently turn part of the compost. It’s steady, thoughtful work. For many people, this rhythm provides the safety and space their system needs.
Frequently, however, what would be most efficient is a chance to stay with the work longer, without interruption. An intensive is dedicating a stretch of time to stay with the work while the ground is loosened and responsive. With the right tools and support, you can help long-compacted material begin to breathe, transform, compost.
Both weekly EMDR and intensives support growth. An intensive accesses the memory network while open and active for longer, instead of pausing and reactivating it each week. You stay with the material while the compost is aerated and shifting—giving your system the best conditions to transform what’s stuck into something that can be integrated and used.
This can mean:
staying with a memory or pattern long enough to reach resolution,
building momentum that’s often hard to hold in weekly slices,
and giving your system time to settle and absorb the work in a more contained arc.
When an intensive is unlikely to fit
You may need more time to prepare the soil—focusing on safety, stability, and nervous system regulation before moving into more intensive work. An EMDR intensive may not be suitable if you:
Are currently in acute crisis or at risk of harm
Struggle to manage intense emotions without external support
Have had recent hospitalisation or major medication changes
Are new to therapy and learning to tolerate distress
Need longer-term, open-ended support
Are currently affected by substance use that impacts functioning
Weekly therapy vs EMDR intensive
Weekly EMDR is like checking in on your garden regularly—pulling a few weeds, tending what’s growing, and giving yourself time to recover between sessions. It’s steady work, especially useful when you’re building safety or navigating daily demands.
An EMDR intensive is setting aside time to fully work the soil—turning the compost, clearing space, and staying with what’s ready to shift. It offers momentum that’s difficult to replicate in smaller slices.
Both formats support growth. One is slower and ongoing, the other more focused and immersive. What matters is finding the rhythm that suits you.They can also often be combined.
Curious if an intensive could help? The first consult is a chance to explore that together.
