If weekly therapy hasn’t fit your schedule, or you keep talking about the same problem or memory session after session without anything changing, an intensive may be worth considering. Here’s how to tell whether it fits, and when standard therapy is the better choice.
Signs an Intensive Might Fit
1. Standard therapy is hard to fit into your life
Work, kids, or caregiving make a standing weekly appointment hard to keep. An intensive puts the work into a few set hours or days, including weekends.
2. You’ve stalled on something specific
You’ve been in therapy a while, and the same memory or belief keeps coming back unchanged. A longer session gives it room to move, instead of stopping at the 50-minute mark just as it opens up.
3. You know what you want to work on
Intensives work best with one or two clear targets: a specific event, harsh self-criticism, or shame that shows up the same way every time.
4. You can keep the days after light
Processing keeps going for a few days. It helps to have room to rest.
When Weekly Therapy Is a Better Fit
An intensive isn’t the right starting point for everyone. Weekly therapy is usually a better fit if:
You’re currently in crisis or having thoughts of harming yourself
You’re not safe right now, for example, someone in your life is hurting or threatening you
You often lose time, feel detached from your body, or check out under stress
You don’t yet have people or ways of coping you can count on if big feelings come up afterward
You’re probably ready if:
You’re safe right now, even if a lot is changing
You have at least one person or some other support
You know what helps you get through it when big feelings hit
You can take a day or two afterward to rest
You’d speak up if it got to be too much
You’re nervous, but willing
We’ll talk about fit during your free consultation. If an intensive isn’t the right starting point, I’ll suggest weekly sessions or a referral.
What If It Just Happened?
If you’ve recently been through something traumatic, an intensive can help, but timing matters. In the first few weeks, distress often eases on its own, and the priority is safety, sleep, and the people around you. If you’re still struggling after that, or the event is stirring up older experiences, we can talk through whether an intensive makes sense during your consultation.
Getting Started
A free 20-minute consultation call: We talk about what you want to work on, answer your questions, and decide together whether an intensive fits.
An intake questionnaire: Background on your history and what’s bringing you in, so we can spend the planning session on the work itself.
A short standard questionnaire about dissociation: Standard questions about things like spacing out or losing time. It helps me pace the work and decide what the best format may be. It isn’t a test you can pass or fail.
With your permission, a conversation with your current therapist: With your permission, I check in so we’re working together. If you don’t have a therapist, we skip this step.
Your planning session (see below)
What a Half-Day Intensive Looks Like
A half-day intensive is three appointments: a planning session, the intensive itself, and an integration session.
Appointment 1: Planning session (90 minutes). One to two weeks before your intensive, we choose what to work on and build your grounding tools. You’ll leave with a workbook and a few exercises to do beforehand.
Appointment 2: The intensive (3 hours). This is the treatment itself, where the reprocessing happens. We check in, review your grounding tools, and choose where to start. Then we spend 90–120 minutes reprocessing, using tapping in short sets. (Eye movements or audio tones are available if you prefer them.) After each set I ask, “What are you noticing now?” Your brain does the work. I help it stay on track. We take breaks when you need one, or when your body tells you it’s time.
It isn’t linear. You might move through several memories or stay with one. You might cry or feel very little. Neither means it isn’t working.
We don’t rush, and we end on time. More time makes it more likely a memory gets fully processed. It doesn’t guarantee it. If we’re in the middle of something, we slow down and close it out so you’re clear-headed before you leave.
Appointment 3: Integration session (90 minutes). It’s hard work, and you’ll likely be tired afterward. Processing continues for a few days: dreams, memories, fatigue, mood shifts. Some people feel lighter right away; others feel raw first. One to two weeks later, we meet to go over what’s changed and decide whether to do more, move to weekly sessions, or stop there. With your permission, I’ll also check in with your current therapist.
See the full day, including what to bring, on my EMDR intensives page. (link)
Questions to Ask Yourself
What specifically do I want to work on?
If big feelings come up in the days after, do I know what helps me get through them?
Is there at least one person I could call after a hard day?
Can I be “off” for a day or two afterward, or am I the one keeping my family and job running?
If something felt like too much, could I say “I need to stop,” or would I push through?
Questions to Ask in Your Consultation
Based on what I’ve shared, is an intensive a good fit for me right now?
Would you recommend a mini, half-day or 3-day intensive for what I’m working on?
What happens if I get overwhelmed or want to stop partway through?
What if the issue doesn’t fully resolve in one intensive?
How do you handle it if I go numb or check out during processing?
Will you coordinate with my current therapist?
The most important question: “Do you think this is the right fit for me, and if not, what would you recommend instead?” A good therapist will tell you honestly if weekly therapy, a different approach, or waiting would serve you better.
Why Work With Me
Certified EMDR therapist with advanced training in Attachment-Focused EMDR through the Parnell Institute
Level 1 trained in Internal Family Systems (IFS) through the IFS Institute
17 years in practice
Experience with early intervention after workplace violence
Intensives in Murrieta or online, including weekends
Not Sure Yet?
Book a free 20-minute consultation and we’ll talk through whether an intensive, weekly therapy, or both make sense for what you’re working on.
