Is a 4-Day Therapy Intensive Right for You? Here’s What to Expect.
Photo by Lina Trochez on Unsplash
If you’ve hit a plateau in your healing journey, or you’re craving a reset in a shorter period of time, a 4-day therapy intensive might be exactly what you need. Designed to help you move through long-held trauma patterns, a therapy intensive offers a focused, immersive space for deep inner work using approaches like IFS-Informed EMDR, somatic processing, and attachment-based care.
Let’s break down what a therapy intensive is, how it compares to weekly trauma therapy, and how you’ll know if this format is right for you.
What Is a Therapy Intensive?
A therapy intensive is a concentrated healing experience, typically spanning multiple days (in our case 3-4 days) that allows you to engage in extended therapy sessions and multiple sessions in a day without the interruptions of daily life. Rather than 50-minute sessions spread out over years, intensives provide several hours of therapy each day in a safe, supportive environment.
These extended sessions allow for:
Deeper emotional and somatic processing without being “cut off” at the 50-minute mark
Faster breakthroughs in healing trauma, especially complex or developmental trauma
Greater integration of therapeutic modalities like IFS-Informed EMDR, somatic regulation, and inner child work
Therapy intensives can be done virtually, though many clients choose to attend a therapy intensive in-person in an office or in an immersive retreat setting, which provides the added benefit of nature, quietude, and fewer distractions.
“Therapy intensives often help clients process years of trauma in just days, rather than months or years.”
Photo by Defrino Maasy on Unsplash
Therapy Intensives vs. Weekly Therapy
While both weekly sessions and therapy intensives have their place in trauma healing, they serve different needs and timelines.
Weekly Therapy:
Typically 50-minutes
Spread out over months or years
Offers long-term, gradual support
Ideal for ongoing integration and day-to-day life support
Less intense emotional activation
Best for clients new to therapy or working on present-moment challenges
Easily disrupted by life stressors
Therapy Intensives:
Full day uninterrupted therapy
Typically 4-5 hours a day over 3-5 days
Ideal for clients feeling stuck in traditional therapy or who crave more dedicated time
Supports deep dives into complex trauma or past pain
Often used to address root issues in a focused, efficient way
Accelerated progress
Clients who have already been in therapy and want to accelerate their healing often turn to intensives as a way to complement or deepen the work they’ve started.
What Happens During a 3-5 Day Therapy Intensive with Our IFS-Informed EMDR Therapists?
Intensive therapy will differ by therapists. We recommend having a few consultations to learn more. Here we will share what happens during an 3-5 day therapy intensive with our IFS-informed EMDR therapists.
A typical 3-5 day IFS-Informed EMDR intensive starts with a 30-minute video consultation to ensure fit and to answer any questions you have. Following the consultation and scheduling your intensive, we schedule a virtual 90-minute preparation appointment 2-6 weeks before your intensive to meet with your therapist, identify your intensive goals, and to provide the therapist with the information needed to create your customized intensive workbook to help you prepare for your intensive. Your intensive therapist also begins to collaborate with your primary therapist to ensure continuity of care.
Each day of your 3-5 day therapy intensive is customized to your unique nervous system and therapeutic goals. The actual intensive days may include:
Initial nervous system regulation and safety-building
Extended sessions using IFS-Informed EMDR
Somatic practices for grounding and integration
Guided inner child or parts work
Bilateral Stimulation (BLS) to Desensitize or Reprocess traumatic memories
Rest periods, nature time, or journaling for integration
Sessions are intentionally designed to be spacious and unhurried, allowing you to go at your own pace. Whether you’re working with trauma from childhood, cultural or generational wounds, or more recent experiences, this container is crafted for deep healing.
Is a Therapy Intensive Right for You?
A 3-5 day intensive may be a good fit if:
You like your current therapists but you feel stuck or plateaued in weekly therapy
You have a busy life and want to take extended time for yourself and your healing
You’re working with complex trauma or dissociation
You’re seeking a trauma therapy approach that goes beyond talk therapy
You want to do focused work away from daily stressors
You’re a therapist, healer, or caregiver seeking space for your own care
Many clients report that an intensive feels like “months of therapy in just a few days.” It’s not easy work—but it’s often transformational.
How to Prepare for a Therapy Retreat or Intensive
Before attending, you’ll have a 30-minute video consultation and 90-minute preparation appointment to determine your readiness, goals, and plan for your intensive. Generally, it’s also helpful to:
Discuss your intention to do an intensive with your existing therapists.
If you don’t have an existing therapist, plan to arrange for post-retreat integration support in the form of weekly therapy for at least a short period of following your intensive.
Prepare emotionally and physically (consider the timing of your intensive to ensure you have time to take off full and taking some time off after to rest).
Set aside some time in the weeks leading up to your intensive to complete the pre-intensive workbook and practice any grounding exercises identified in your intensive preparation session.
Healing doesn’t have to take years or feel hard to find time for. With the right environment designed to help you feel safe, supported, and seen, a 3-5 day therapy intensive can help accelerate change.
Ready to Schedule Your Free Intensive Consultation?
If you’re feeling the pull toward deeper healing, a 4-day therapy intensive might be the next right step. Whether you’re navigating complex trauma, feeling stuck in weekly sessions, or simply craving uninterrupted space to heal, this experience is designed for transformation.
→ Book a free consultation to explore if an intensive is the right fit for you.
👉 Schedule Your Free Call Today
Authorship: This blog was written by Morgan Levine, LCSW (licensed in MD, DC, VA, PA, and CO). Morgan specializes in intensive EMDR therapy and IFS-Informed EMDR therapy offered in-person in her office or in Immersive Intensive Retreats, as well as virtually. Morgan is passionate about working with adults who want deeper healing and are ready to get unstuck from patterns of perfectionism, overworking, anxiety, depression, PTSD, ADHD, obsessions and compulsions, relationship issues, CPTSD, use of substances or people, attachment wounds, and specific trauma events.
Disclaimer: The information in this blog is provided for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for mental health care nor a recommendation or endorsement for any particular treatment plan, organization, provider, professional service, or product. The information may change without notice. No claims, promises, or guarantees are made about the completeness, accuracy, currency, content or quality of information linked. You assume all responsibility and risk for any use of the information.
