What to Expect When Preparing for an EMDR Intensive: A Guide for Young Adults and Parents

If you're considering an EMDR intensive, you might be at a point where traditional weekly therapy feels too slow or feel you are in need of something more concentrated. EMDR intensives are becoming more popular for teens, college students, and young adults who want to work through trauma without spending months or years in weekly sessions or speaking directly about their issue.

What happens in an EMDR intensive and how do you prepare? Whether you're a young adult considering this for yourself or a parent researching options for your child, here's what you need to know.

What Is an EMDR Intensive?

An EMDR intensive is exactly what it sounds like: concentrated EMDR therapy that happens over multiple hours in one day or across a few days, rather than spread out over weeks. Instead of 50-minute weekly sessions, you might have 3-6 hour sessions (with breaks) focused entirely on processing specific traumas or overwhelming experiences.

For example, if regular therapy is like taking a college course over a semester, an intensive is more like a weekend workshop where you dive deep and come out with real progress.

Who Are EMDR Intensives For?

EMDR intensives work well for people who:

• Have specific traumatic events they want to process (assault, accidents, sudden loss, hospitalization)

• Feel stuck in traditional weekly therapy

• Need faster relief before a major life transition (going to college, starting a job, moving)

• Live far from their therapist or have scheduling challenges

• Want to address trauma without it taking over months of their life

They're not for everyone. If you're in crisis, actively self-harming, or dealing with severe instability, weekly therapy with regular check-ins is usually a better fit. As your therapist, we would determine together what makes sense for your situation.

How to Prepare for Your EMDR Intensive

Preparing for an intensive isn't about having everything figured out - it's about setting yourself up to do deep work. Here's what actually helps:

Before the Intensive:

Get clear on what you want to work on. You don't need all the details, but having a general idea helps. Maybe it's processing a specific event, or working through anxiety that's been showing up since something happened.

Make sure your basic needs are covered. Seriously, this matters. Eat well the days leading up to it, get decent sleep, and clear your schedule so you're not rushing from one thing to the next.

Have a support person on standby. This could be a parent, friend, partner, or someone you trust. Processing trauma is hard work, and having someone to check in with afterward makes a difference.

Plan for downtime after. You're not going to want to jump into a packed schedule. Give yourself space to rest and process.

During the Intensive:

Bring water and snacks. You'll have breaks, and keeping your blood sugar stable actually helps your brain do this work.

Wear comfortable clothes. You're going to be sitting for a while, and the last thing you need is to be distracted by uncomfortable jeans.

Be honest with your therapist. If something isn't working, if you need a break, if you're feeling overwhelmed, say it. This is your session.

After the Intensive:

Expect to feel tired. Processing trauma is exhausting, even if you don't feel emotionally drained right away. Your brain did a lot of work.

Give yourself a few days before deciding how you feel about it. Sometimes relief hits immediately. Sometimes it takes a few days for things to settle. Both are normal!

Follow up with your therapist. Most intensives include a check-in session afterward to see how you're doing and what, if anything, still needs attention.

What Parents Should Know

If your teen or young adult is doing an EMDR intensive, your role is support, not intervention. They might not want to share all the details of what they worked on, and that's okay. What helps more is:

• Being available if they want to talk

• Not pushing for information they're not ready to share

• Helping them protect their downtime after the intensive

• Noticing positive changes without making a big deal out of it

Is an EMDR Intensive Worth It?

For the right person at the right time, yes. EMDR intensives can create big shifts in a short period. The best way to know if it's a good fit is to talk with a trained EMDR therapist who can assess your situation and help you make an informed choice.

Healing doesn't have a timeline. Whether you choose weekly therapy, an intensive, or a combination, what matters is finding the approach that works for you.

There's no commitment, pressure, or obligation. Schedule your free 15-minute consultation.