Long-Term Benefits of EMDR Intensive Therapy
Measuring the Success of EMDR Intensive Therapy
When considering EMDR Intensives, one of the most important questions clients and clinicians alike ask is: How do we know if it's working? Unlike traditional weekly therapy, EMDR intensive therapy is structured to accelerate healing over a shorter period. This concentrated format often leads to quicker breakthroughs, but it also requires a thoughtful approach to measuring success. In this section, we’ll explore how progress is tracked and how feedback plays a role in tailoring each intensive experience.
Because the work done in EMDR Intensives is so focused, the outcomes can be both immediate and long-term. Some clients notice shifts in their emotional responses after the first day, while others experience a gradual unwinding of symptoms over the weeks that follow. Either way, evaluating success involves more than just symptom relief; it also means considering improvements in overall well-being, emotional regulation, and daily functioning.
Tools and Metrics for Assessing Progress
During EMDR Intensives, clinicians use a variety of tools to assess client progress. Pre- and post-intensive assessments often include standardized symptom checklists such as the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7), or the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). These provide measurable data points to track changes in distress levels and identify emerging patterns.
Therapists may also utilize the Subjective Units of Distress Scale (SUDS) throughout the EMDR process to monitor how clients respond to different targets. For example, if a client enters the intensive with a SUDS rating of 9 when recalling a traumatic memory, and ends with a 2 or lower, that’s a clear sign of progress. This kind of real-time data can demonstrate the effectiveness of EMDR Intensives in resolving stuck points that might have taken months to shift in weekly sessions.
Another key metric involves qualitative feedback. Clients are often invited to reflect on how they feel in their bodies, how they’re sleeping, and whether they're noticing changes in how they react to stressors in their lives. These subtle but powerful shifts are often the best indicators that the nervous system is integrating the work.
Feedback and Adjustment of Therapy Plans
A major strength of EMDR Intensives is the flexibility to adjust the therapy plan in response to real-time feedback. Because the sessions are longer and more immersive, therapists can pivot quickly—whether that means spending more time on a particularly charged memory, incorporating additional resourcing strategies, or pausing for integration.
Client feedback is essential to this process. Clinicians frequently check in between sessions to see how the client is doing emotionally, cognitively, and physically. If a client is feeling flooded, the therapist may build in more grounding exercises. If a client reports feeling “clear” or resolved around a target memory, the focus can shift toward deeper integration or exploring new targets.
Ultimately, the success of EMDR Intensives is not just about symptom reduction; it’s about restoring a sense of self, agency, and resilience. When tracked thoughtfully and paired with client input, the intensive format becomes a powerful container for long-term healing.
Aftercare and Long-term Benefits of EMDR Intensive Therapy
One of the most powerful aspects of EMDR Intensives is not just the immediate relief clients often experience, but the enduring changes that can unfold in the days, weeks, and even months afterward. While the concentrated nature of the therapy accelerates healing, what happens after the intensive plays a crucial role in sustaining and deepening that progress. Aftercare is an essential part of the EMDR Intensive model, designed to support long-term integration and continued growth.
Because EMDR works at the level of the nervous system and memory networks, the shifts it produces often ripple outward. Clients may start sleeping better, feeling less reactive, or noticing new thoughts and insights. These changes aren’t always linear—but they are meaningful. Without an intentional aftercare plan, though, some of the emotional gains from EMDR Intensives may feel incomplete or difficult to hold onto.
After an intensive, the nervous system continues to process. This is why the days following are often referred to as the “integration period.” During this time, clients are encouraged to go gently—getting plenty of rest, limiting external stressors, and focusing on nourishment. It’s also helpful to journal, take walks, and avoid making major life decisions immediately after the experience. This period isn’t about productivity—it’s about allowing the healing to settle in.
What to Do After Completing an Intensive Therapy Program
After completing an EMDR Intensive, having a thoughtful aftercare plan is key. This can include follow-up sessions with your therapist, check-ins via email or phone, or even engaging in somatic practices like yoga, breathwork, or grounding techniques. Some clients return to weekly or biweekly therapy to continue building on the insights that emerged. Others may take a break, allowing the work to marinate before deciding on next steps.
Supportive routines can also help stabilize the gains made during an intensive. Practices like mindfulness, journaling, or gentle movement offer daily anchors that remind the body and mind of the safety and clarity uncovered in therapy. It’s common for clients to develop new self-awareness and coping strategies that continue to support them long after the formal work ends.
In some cases, therapists who offer EMDR Intensives provide personalized aftercare guides or offer booster sessions for ongoing support. These are designed not just to maintain progress, but to honor the deep work that was done and ensure that clients feel held even after the structure of the intensive concludes.
Long-term Effects and Sustaining Improvement
The long-term benefits of EMDR Intensives are often what make them such a valuable investment in mental health. Clients frequently report not only reduced symptoms of anxiety, depression, or trauma, but also improved emotional regulation, stronger boundaries, and a clearer sense of identity. Many feel more in tune with their intuition and better able to respond to stress without becoming overwhelmed.
Over time, these benefits can lead to stronger relationships, more fulfilling work, and an increased capacity for joy. Because EMDR helps reprocess painful memories at their root, the relief tends to last. Rather than just learning to “manage” symptoms, clients are often surprised by how much has actually shifted on a core level.
To sustain this growth, some people choose to return for additional EMDR Intensives down the road—especially when new life challenges arise or old patterns resurface. Others simply incorporate what they’ve learned into their daily lives, trusting the changes that have already taken root.
In either case, the goal is not perfection—it’s integration. And with the right support, the healing from EMDR Intensive Therapy can continue to evolve long after the sessions are over.
Legal and Ethical Considerations in EMDR Intensive Therapy
When participating in EMDR Intensives, it’s important to understand the legal and ethical framework that protects you as a client. The immersive nature of intensive therapy—often involving multiple hours of work in a single day—requires special attention to informed consent, confidentiality, boundaries, and professional responsibility. While the format differs from traditional therapy, your rights and the therapist’s obligations remain firmly in place.
High-impact modalities like EMDR Intensives can evoke vulnerable emotions and deep processing. Because of this, ethical considerations aren’t just important—they’re essential. Reputable clinicians offering intensives are trained not only in EMDR but also in how to create a safe, contained environment where clients feel respected and empowered throughout the process.
Therapists who provide intensives must adhere to state laws and the ethical codes of their licensing boards and professional associations. Whether you're seeing a licensed professional counselor, social worker, psychologist, or marriage and family therapist, they are all expected to uphold specific standards—especially when working in extended, high-intensity formats.
Understanding Your Rights as a Patient
Before starting any EMDR Intensive, clients must be given clear, written information about what to expect. This includes the structure of the sessions, fees, cancellation policies, and the scope of care. Informed consent is more than just paperwork—it’s a conversation. You have the right to understand the nature of the therapy, the methods used, and any risks or benefits involved.
In addition to informed consent, you also have the right to confidentiality. Just like in traditional therapy, what you share in an EMDR Intensive remains private, with a few legal exceptions (such as threats of harm or mandated reporting of abuse). Therapists are responsible for creating a secure space—physically, emotionally, and legally—for you to do your work.
You also have the right to ask questions, request breaks, and opt out of certain parts of the process. Intensive therapy can be emotionally demanding, and ethical providers will respect your pace and autonomy throughout. This is part of what makes EMDR Intensives so effective—they’re collaborative, not prescriptive.
Ethical Standards in High-Intensity Therapeutic Settings
Therapists who offer EMDR Intensives must be mindful of power dynamics, professional boundaries, and the emotional intensity of extended sessions. Ethical care means recognizing that longer sessions require different kinds of attunement and pacing. Providers must be equipped to assess when a client needs more resourcing or when it's appropriate to pause or end a session early.
Boundaries are especially crucial in intensives. A skilled clinician will structure the day in a way that balances depth with containment, offering breaks, grounding exercises, and clear session endings. If you’re working with a therapist who provides lodging or retreat-style experiences as part of the intensive, ethical standards also require clarity around dual relationships, expectations, and scope of support outside session hours.
Another layer of ethical responsibility involves ensuring that the therapist is properly trained and certified in EMDR and in delivering intensive formats. It’s well within your rights to ask about their credentials, training history, and supervision. Quality matters—and your emotional safety depends on it.
In the end, EMDR Intensives should never feel like something being done to you—they should be an experience created with you. Ethical, legal, and professional standards are what make that collaborative healing possible.
Costs and Insurance Coverage for EMDR Intensive Therapy
When considering EMDR Intensives, one of the first questions that comes up is cost—and understandably so. Unlike traditional weekly therapy, intensives involve extended, focused sessions over a condensed timeframe. At Two Rivers Therapy, EMDR Intensive Therapy is billed at $225 per hour. This rate reflects the depth of preparation, customization, and support that goes into creating a powerful and effective experience.
All EMDR Intensives begin with a 90-minute intake session, billed at $300. This session allows us to gather your history, clarify your goals, and begin building the resourcing and safety needed for deep trauma work. From there, clients can choose an intensive format that best fits their needs and availability. Common package lengths include:
5.5-hour intensive: $1,537.50 (plus $300 intake)
11-hour intensive (typically split over two days): $2,475 (plus $300 intake)
15-hour intensive (often completed in 2–3 days): $3,375 (plus $300 intake)
Each intensive is tailored to you. Sessions often include extended EMDR processing, resourcing and regulation work, breaks as needed, and integration time. The immersive nature of this work allows clients to move through material at a pace that’s not possible in a weekly format—often making it a cost-effective option in the long run.
Navigating Financial Aspects
While EMDR Intensives are not typically covered by insurance up front, we aim to make the billing process as transparent as possible. We are a private pay practice, meaning clients pay directly for services. However, many clients with out-of-network benefits are able to receive partial reimbursement by submitting a superbill to their insurance provider.
Because intensives are billed hourly, clients have flexibility in designing a structure that works with both their clinical needs and their budget. For some, a shorter half-day experience (such as the 5.5-hour intensive) is a good fit for focused work around a specific trauma or emotional block. Others may choose a longer 15-hour format to address multiple memory targets or more complex trauma histories.
We understand that this is a significant investment. That’s why we provide clear expectations around what’s included, offer thorough preparation beforehand, and support integration afterward—so you get the most out of your experience.
Tips for Dealing with Insurance and Funding Options
Because insurance companies don’t currently recognize a unique billing code for EMDR Intensives, reimbursement depends on how your provider structures documentation and whether your insurance allows multiple sessions in one day. That said, there are several strategies that can help you access financial support:
Request a superbill – We provide detailed documentation including CPT codes, provider credentials, and diagnostic information so you can submit for out-of-network reimbursement.
Check with your insurance – Call your provider and ask about your out-of-network mental health benefits. Be sure to ask if they cover multiple sessions in one day or extended session lengths.
Use HSA/FSA funds – If you have a Health Savings Account or Flexible Spending Account, you can often use these pre-tax dollars to cover the cost of EMDR Intensives.
Explore employer wellness benefits – Some employers offer wellness stipends or professional development funds that can be used for therapeutic services.
Investing in an EMDR Intensive can be a turning point in your healing journey. We’re here to make the process as smooth and transparent as possible—so you can focus on the work that matters most.
Resources and Further Reading on EMDR Intensive Therapy
For those curious about diving deeper into the world of EMDR Intensives, there’s a growing body of resources designed to educate, inspire, and support both clients and clinicians. Whether you’re preparing for your first intensive or looking to integrate what you’ve already experienced, continued learning can deepen your understanding of trauma healing and the power of EMDR.
The field of EMDR therapy has evolved significantly in recent years, with new research, models, and adaptations making it more accessible and effective than ever before. EMDR Intensives are part of that evolution—offering a focused, accelerated format that works with the brain and body’s natural capacity to heal. Exploring resources related to trauma, memory, and nervous system regulation can help you make the most of this powerful work.
Books, Journals, and Online Resources
Several books offer insight into the theory and practice behind EMDR and its use in intensive formats. For clients, titles like Getting Past Your Past by Dr. Francine Shapiro (the founder of EMDR) or The Body Keeps the Score by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk can provide a helpful foundation. These texts explain how trauma is stored in the body and why methods like EMDR Intensives can create such lasting change.
If you're looking for something more specific to intensives, some clinicians have written about the structure and benefits of intensive EMDR in professional journals. While peer-reviewed literature on this specific model is still growing, articles in The Journal of EMDR Practice and Research occasionally explore variations in EMDR delivery, including intensive models and retreat-style therapy formats.
Online, the EMDR International Association (EMDRIA) is a great place to start. Their site includes directories, position papers, and updates about training and ethical standards. Some clinicians also share blog posts or videos about what to expect in EMDR Intensives, offering behind-the-scenes glimpses into how they structure sessions and support integration afterward.
Workshops and Additional Training for Patients and Therapists
For therapists interested in offering EMDR Intensives, several advanced trainings focus on how to structure, pace, and ethically deliver this format. These often include modules on intensive case formulation, working with complex trauma, and supporting nervous system regulation during extended sessions. Trainings by Craig Penner (Natural Processing), Deany Laliotis, or those hosted through EMDRIA-approved providers can be particularly helpful.
For clients, some therapists and wellness centers offer psychoeducational workshops or group sessions that complement EMDR work. These might include body-based practices like somatic experiencing, yoga for trauma, or breathwork—all of which can support integration after an intensive. In some cases, therapists may also provide pre-intensive or post-intensive group support to help clients feel prepared and connected.
Whether you’re just beginning your journey or continuing to process past work, engaging with resources around EMDR Intensives can provide context, clarity, and confidence. Healing is not a one-size-fits-all experience—but with the right tools and support, it can be transformative, empowering, and deeply restorative.
Conclusion: Is EMDR Intensive Therapy Right for You?
Choosing to invest in your mental health through EMDR Intensive Therapy is a deeply personal decision—one that requires courage, clarity, and a willingness to do meaningful inner work. Unlike traditional weekly sessions, EMDR Intensives offer a focused, accelerated path toward healing. This format is especially powerful for those who feel stuck in therapy, are navigating complex trauma, or want to address significant issues in a condensed, supportive timeframe.
At Two Rivers Therapy in Fort Collins, CO, we believe that therapy should meet you where you are—and sometimes, that means creating space for deep work over the course of a few hours or days. Our EMDR Intensives are designed to be client-centered, trauma-informed, and highly customizable, allowing you to move at a pace that feels right for your nervous system and your goals. Whether you're working through childhood trauma, grief, anxiety, or burnout, this format can create powerful shifts that ripple across your entire life.
Clients in Colorado and beyond have found EMDR Intensive Therapy to be a game-changer—especially when they’ve previously struggled to make progress in more traditional formats. The combination of longer sessions, structured pacing, and targeted processing creates a unique opportunity for transformation. In many cases, what might take months or even years to unpack in weekly therapy can be addressed more efficiently in an intensive format.
But healing doesn’t stop when the intensive ends. As we've explored, aftercare is essential to sustaining the gains you've made. That's why we include integration planning, follow-up support, and ongoing communication with our clients. You're not just signing up for a few sessions—you're entering into a process that’s designed to support long-term growth and resilience.
If you’re located in Fort Collins, CO or anywhere in Northern Colorado, and you’re looking for a therapy option that helps you feel unstuck, EMDR Intensives might be the right fit. Our practice offers half-day, full-day, and multi-day options, all tailored to meet your individual needs. Whether you're looking to dive deep into one issue or explore a broader healing journey, we'll collaborate with you to create a plan that feels supportive and empowering.
Still unsure if this is the right step? We get it. That’s why we offer a free consultation to explore whether an EMDR Intensive is aligned with what you’re hoping to heal or resolve. We’re here to answer your questions, help you understand the process, and guide you toward the therapeutic format that best fits your needs.
Healing takes time, but it doesn’t always have to take forever. If you’re ready to feel more present, less reactive, and more connected to your authentic self, EMDR Intensive Therapy can offer you a path forward—one grounded in compassion, clinical skill, and deep respect for your inner wisdom.
Ready to get started? Contact Two Rivers Therapy in Fort Collins, CO to learn more about availability, scheduling, and how to begin your journey with EMDR Intensives. We’re here when you’re ready.
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Other Services Offered at Two Rivers Therapy
At Two Rivers Therapy, we understand you may be struggling with multiple problems. To best support our clients in achieving optimal mental health and well-being, we offer anxiety therapy, depression treatment, trauma therapy, therapy for teens, and therapy for the overwhelmed and overworked. In addition to these services, we also offer clinical supervision to receive guidance and support from someone who has more experience than you may. To learn more, check out our blog or About Us!
