MORE TIME. MORE CONTINUITY.
EMDR Intensives in New York City
Focused time for work that needs more room
Extended EMDR therapy sessions for assessment, preparation, and trauma processing when a traditional session feels too compressed.
Sometimes a weekly session ends just as you are beginning to reach the heart of what brought you to therapy. You spend time checking in, settling into the work, and reconnecting with the material, only to have to pause and wait another week.
EMDR intensives offer a different rhythm. Instead of fitting complex trauma work into a traditional session, we reserve a longer block of time for careful assessment, preparation, target planning, or focused reprocessing. The work remains collaborative and paced around your needs. There is simply more uninterrupted space to follow what emerges.
An intensive may be especially helpful if you travel often, have a demanding schedule, want to focus on a specific experience or pattern, or feel that stopping and restarting each week is interfering with the work.
An intensive creates a different rhythm for trauma work
Longer does not mean faster at any cost. EMDR intensives involve the same thoughtful assessment, preparation, attention to safety, and responsiveness that guide effective trauma therapy.
For some people, the most valuable first step is not reprocessing. It is having enough time to understand the larger picture, identify the experiences and beliefs connected to current symptoms, and develop a treatment plan that makes sense. For people who have already completed this preparation, an intensive can provide sustained time to work with a clearly defined target without repeatedly closing the process after 55 or 60 minutes.
Together, we will determine what kind of intensive fits your goals, history, and current capacity. My approach may integrate Internal Family Systems, Brainspotting, and somatic interventions when they support the work.
An intensive creates a different rhythm for trauma work
How intensives work
The intensive is organized around a defined clinical purpose. That may include comprehensive assessment and target planning, preparation and resourcing, or focused EMDR processing. We clarify the purpose before the appointment so the time has structure without becoming rigid.
What to expect
The reserved time includes check-in, reassessment, focused work, breaks as needed, and enough time for grounding and closure. A three-hour or four hour appointment does not mean three uninterrupted hours of bilateral stimulation. We adjust the pace throughout the session.
How it can help
The extended format can create more continuity for a specific target, make room to organize a complex trauma history, and reduce the repeated opening and closing required in weekly sessions. The goal is to support focused work with sufficient time and care.
I want you to know:
An intensive is not about rushing your healing. It is about giving the work enough time to unfold without forcing it.
You do not have to tell your entire story in one day or push past your limits to make the time worthwhile.
IS AN EMDR INTENSIVE RIGHT FOR YOU?
An intensive may be a good fit if you...
Want more uninterrupted time than a weekly session allows
Travel frequently or have a schedule that makes consistent weekly appointments difficult
Have a specific trauma, trigger, relationship pattern, or negative belief you want to address
Have done significant talk therapy but still feel emotionally or physically pulled into the same reactions
Need time to organize a complex trauma history and develop a clearer treatment map
Are already engaged in EMDR and want a longer session for focused assessment, preparation, or processing
Have a primary therapist and want adjunctive EMDR with collaboration between providers
What we’ll work on
What you can take away from an EMDR Intensive:
With focused, uninterrupted time, you can...
Understand how present-day triggers connect to earlier experiences and long-standing beliefs.
Create a clearer map of what needs attention instead of feeling overwhelmed by everything at once.
Build preparation and regulation skills that support deeper trauma work.
Work with a defined target with more continuity while still allowing time for breaks, pacing, and closure.
Questions?
FAQs
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A regular session gives us time for meaningful work, but it also requires time to reconnect, assess what has happened since the previous appointment, and close safely. An intensive provides a longer, protected block for a defined clinical purpose. That may be assessment and target planning, preparation, or processing. The additional time supports greater continuity while still including breaks, pacing, and closure.
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We begin with a free phone consultation to discuss what you hope to address and whether the format may be appropriate. For many new clients, the next step is assessment and planning. We explore current concerns, relevant history, patterns, protective responses, strengths, and possible EMDR targets. Preparation may occur during the assessment or across regular sessions. When there is enough readiness, we schedule a processing intensive focused on an agreed-upon target or target cluster. Afterward, we review what shifted and decide whether the next step is weekly therapy, another intensive, or continued work with your primary therapist.
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Not necessarily. For many clients, particularly those with complex trauma or multiple potential targets, the first intensive is devoted to assessment, treatment planning, and preparation. Reprocessing begins only when we agree that there is enough understanding, stability, and readiness to proceed.
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No. You will have choices about what you share and how much detail you provide. EMDR can work with memories, images, emotions, body sensations, beliefs, and present-day triggers. We will gather enough information to guide treatment without requiring you to disclose every detail.
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Possibly. EMDR intensives can sometimes be provided as an adjunct to ongoing therapy. With your written permission, I would coordinate with your primary therapist so the work is aligned, roles are clear, and you have appropriate support before and after the intensive.
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They may be, but the format must be individualized. Complex PTSD and dissociation often require more extensive assessment, careful sequencing, and sufficient preparation before trauma processing. An assessment intensive can be useful for developing that map. It does not mean that reprocessing will happen immediately or that every part of the history should be addressed at once.
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Intensives are available in several lengths based on clinical need: three hours for $1,000, four hours for $1,250, five hours for $1,500, and six hours for $1,800. We will discuss the most appropriate length after the consultation and assessment. The reserved time includes check-in, focused work, breaks as needed, closure, and planning for what comes next.
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EMDR intensives are private-pay services and are not guaranteed to be covered by insurance. I can provide a superbill upon request for possible out-of-network reimbursement. Coverage varies by plan, and many insurers reimburse only a portion of an extended session. You are responsible for confirming your benefits directly with your insurance company.
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EMDR intensives are offered in person on Mondays or select weekends. Availability is limited because each appointment reserves an extended block of time. Current options can be discussed during the free consultation.
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Plan for a relatively quiet period afterward whenever possible. Avoid placing the intensive immediately before a flight, major work obligation, or another demanding event. Eat beforehand, bring water and a snack, wear comfortable clothing, and arrange any support that may help you feel grounded afterward. We will discuss recommendations specific to you during preparation.
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Completion is never forced. We monitor what is happening throughout the intensive and leave adequate time for closure. If a target remains incomplete, we will identify what you need between sessions and determine whether to continue in a regular appointment or another intensive.