EMDR Intensive Therapy in San Diego
You may be successful and capable, yet still carry memories, emotions, or patterns that have never had enough space to be fully processed. EMDR Intensive Therapy offers a focused, uninterrupted space for deeper trauma work—at a pace that respects your readiness and capacity. In-person in San Diego and online throughout California.
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What EMDR Intensive Therapy?
EMDR Intensive Therapy is an accelerated, focused format of EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy that provides more uninterrupted time for trauma processing. While traditional EMDR sessions are typically 50–90 minutes, an intensive session allows us to work for a longer, concentrated period within a safe and supportive therapeutic environment.
Rather than spreading trauma-processing work across many shorter appointments, an intensive creates space to focus more deeply on trauma-related memories, beliefs, emotions, body responses, and present-day patterns—while maintaining a thoughtful, individualized pace.
Research on intensive trauma-focused treatment, including programs incorporating EMDR, is growing. Studies have found significant reductions in PTSD symptoms, with many participants maintaining their improvements at follow-up. Research also suggests that intensive treatment can produce outcomes comparable to traditionally spaced trauma therapy for some clients, while allowing meaningful therapeutic work to take place within a shorter period of time.
Intensive does not mean rushed. Your safety, readiness, and capacity guide the pace of our work.
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What is the difference between Traditional EMDR vs EMDR Intensive Therapy?
While traditional EMDR AND EMDR Intensive Therapy both use the same protocol, preparation, resourcing, and bilateral stimulation methods, there are various differences.
Session Length
An EMDR therapy session is typically 50–90 minutes per session.
An EMDR Intensive therapy session is typically 2–96 hours, depending on the individual’s needs and treatment plan. Longer uninterrupted time can help maintain continuity and focus on the identified treatment goals. It provides more time for processing, reflection, grounding, and integration within the session itself.
Frequency
An individual usually attends EMDR therapy sessions once or twice a week. Between sessions, it gives them more time for reflection, practice, and follow-up between appointments. This is best for people who prefer a gradual pace and can commit to a regular weekly therapy schedule.
An individual usually doing EMDR Intensive may be scheduled weekly with longer sessions or concentrated over several extended days.
Healing process
While the healing process is different for everyone, there are differences between these two types of therapies.
For traditional EMDR, trauma work unfolds gradually across weekly sessions. Sometimes the events or emotions of the week become the focus, which may shift attention from the original treatment target.
For EMDR Intensive, this provides a more concentrated period of trauma-focused work within a shorter calendar timeframe. It works best for people with busy schedules who prefer a focused, concentrated format and want to dedicate intentional time to their healing.
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Who is the best fit for EMDR intensive work?
Everyone’s healing journey is different, and we cannot know exactly what your mind and body need until we begin exploring together.
An EMDR intensive may be a good fit for you if you:
Have already experienced some therapy and have a basic understanding of your trauma or emotional patterns. You may have done some therapeutic work before and feel ready to explore deeper healing.
Have some ability to regulate and shift your emotions. When strong emotions come up, you are able to use grounding skills, take a pause, and gradually return to a more settled state. You don't have to feel perfectly calm—you just need some ability to come back to yourself with support.
Have positive or supportive experiences you can connect with. These might be people, places, memories, faith, accomplishments, or moments when you felt safe, loved, capable, or at peace. These resources can help provide a sense of grounding during the intensive.
Have some coping and stabilization skills. You have ways to care for yourself when emotions feel intense, such as breathing, mindfulness, movement, journaling, connecting with supportive people, prayer, or other grounding practices.
EMDRIA Certified EMDR Intensive Therapists in San Diego
Founder and lead therapist, Angel Chou is an EMDR-trained and EMDRIA Certified EMDR Therapist, and Consultant-in-Training. She views EMDR as a collaborative process, working with patients to identify the memories, current triggers, and negative beliefs that are most connected to their concerns.
Rearrange the State of Mind Therapy offers in-person EMDR therapy in San Diego and online EMDR therapy for clients throughout California.
Approaches
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What Does an EMDR Intensive Therapy Session Look Like?
1. Initial Consultation — 15–20 Minutes
Start with a brief discovery call to learn more about EMDR Intensive Therapy and share what you are hoping to work on. We will explore your goals, current needs, and whether traditional weekly EMDR or an intensive format may be a better fit for you.
2. Initial Intake & Preparation — 90–120 Minutes
Once we decide to move forward, I will send you the EMDR intake forms and schedule your initial session. During this session, we will:
Learn about your history, including both challenging and positive life experiences
Review your assessments and treatment goals
Learn how EMDR works and what you can expect
Identify and strengthen your positive resources
Practice calming and grounding techniques
Begin mapping the areas you would like to work on, including past experiences, present-day triggers, and future goals
Discuss your readiness and the level of support you may need during trauma processing
3. Create Your Personalized Intensive Plan & Begin EMDR - 3hr+
After the initial session, we will collaborate to determine the intensive format that best fits your needs. We will consider your emotional regulation skills, the complexity of your trauma history, your treatment goals, schedule, and the amount of support you may need.
Together, we will decide on the length and structure of your intensive and identify the initial target(s) to focus on. During your EMDR intensive, we will move through the appropriate phases of the EMDR protocol, with time for preparation, processing, and integration. We will close the session with grounding and calming exercises to help you transition back into your day.
After your intensive, give yourself permission to slow down. Rest when possible and choose gentle, non-stressful self-care activities that help you feel grounded and supported.
4. Evaluation & Skill-Building Session — 30–45 Minutes
After your intensive, we will schedule a 30–45 minute follow-up session to check in on how you are doing and how the EMDR work may be showing up in your daily life.
Together, we will explore any changes you have noticed, identify areas where you may still need support, and practice or strengthen skills that can help you continue moving toward greater emotional well-being and quality of life.
We will also evaluate your progress and collaboratively decide what comes next—whether that means continuing to work with the current target, allowing more time for integration, scheduling another intensive, or choosing a different target when you feel ready.
Curious About EMDR intensive Therapy? Let's Talk
If you have a busy schedule and feel that a weekly 50–90 minute session may not provide enough space for the trauma work you want to do, an EMDR Intensive may offer a more concentrated and uninterrupted way to dedicate meaningful time to your healing.
Schedule a 15–20 minute discovery consultation to learn more.
常見問題解答
1. What does EMDR stand for?
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It is an evidence-based trauma therapy that helps the brain process distressing experiences that may continue to affect your emotions, thoughts, body responses, and behaviors in the present.
2. How does EMDR Intensive Therapy work?
EMDR Intensive Therapy is an extended and concentrated format of EMDR therapy. Instead of limiting the work to a traditional 50–90 minute session, an intensive provides a longer period of uninterrupted therapeutic time for preparation, trauma processing, integration, and grounding.
3. How is EMDR Intensive different from traditional EMDR?
The EMDR protocol and therapeutic approach are the same. The primary difference is how the therapy time is structured.
Traditional EMDR typically takes place in 50–90 minute sessions, usually on a weekly or regular basis. EMDR Intensive provides longer sessions—often 2–6 hours—allowing more concentrated time for processing and integration.
Intensive does not mean rushed. Your pace is still guided by your readiness, emotional regulation, and therapeutic needs.
4. What is EMDR Intensive Therapy used for?
EMDR Intensive Therapy may be used to address trauma-related concerns such as:
PTSD and trauma symptoms
Childhood or developmental trauma
Complex or repeated traumatic experiences
Relational trauma
Distressing memories
Present-day triggers connected to past experiences
Negative beliefs about yourself, such as “I am not good enough” or “I am not safe”
Anxiety, shame, guilt, or emotional responses connected to traumatic experiences
Your individual treatment goals and readiness will determine whether an intensive approach is appropriate.
5. Do I have to talk about my trauma during EMDR Intensive Therapy?
You will need to share some information about your experiences so that we can understand what you would like to work on and develop an appropriate treatment plan.
However, EMDR is different from traditional talk therapy. You do not have to tell every detail of your trauma story repeatedly. We focus on the information needed to identify and process the experiences, beliefs, emotions, body sensations, and triggers that are relevant to your treatment goals.
6. What happens during an EMDR Intensive session?
During an intensive, we may work with:
A past traumatic or distressing memory
Negative beliefs connected to the experience
Positive beliefs you would like to strengthen
Current situations or triggers that continue to affect you
Body sensations and emotional responses
Future situations you anticipate may be difficult
We will also include grounding, calming, reflection, and integration throughout the session. The goal is not simply to process as much as possible, but to help you move through the work in a way that feels safe, focused, and manageable.
7. How long does EMDR Intensive Therapy take?
There is no one-size-fits-all number of intensive sessions.
The amount of therapy you may need depends on your trauma history, treatment goals, emotional regulation and stabilization skills, current life circumstances, support system, and how your mind and body respond to processing.
After your initial assessment, we can provide a framework and discuss a possible treatment plan based on the goals you would like to work toward. We will continue to evaluate your progress together rather than assuming that everything needs to be completed within a predetermined number of sessions.
8. How do I know if EMDR Intensive Therapy is right for me?
An intensive may be a good fit if you:
Have a busy schedule and prefer a concentrated format
Want more uninterrupted time for trauma-focused work
Have some experience with therapy or have developed basic coping and grounding skills
Feel ready to explore deeper trauma processing
Have enough stability and support to engage in focused trauma work
Most importantly, you do not have to determine this on your own. During your consultation and initial assessment, we will explore together whether traditional weekly EMDR or an intensive format better fits your needs.
9. Can insurance cover EMDR Intensive Therapy?
EMDR Intensive Therapy is generally offered as a private-pay service and may not be covered by insurance.
Insurance plans have different rules regarding covered psychotherapy services, session length, billing codes, and medical necessity. Because an intensive involves extended sessions, your insurance plan may not reimburse the full intensive format.
For this reason, please check with your insurance provider before scheduling if you are hoping to use insurance benefits. We can discuss the payment options available for your intensive during your consultation.
10. Do you offer payment plans, and what is your cancellation policy?
We understand that committing to an intensive is both a therapeutic and financial decision. Payment options may be available depending on your individual circumstances, and we can discuss them during your consultation.
A 24-hour cancellation policy applies to the initial session and EMDR intensive sessions. Cancellations made with less than 24 hours' notice or missed appointments may be charged at the applicable session rate. Please review your service agreement for the specific cancellation and payment terms that apply to your treatment.