Why EMDR Intensives Work Best Alongside Ongoing Therapy
Intensives Are Not a Replacement — They’re a Complement
One of the most common misconceptions about EMDR intensives is that they replace weekly therapy. In reality, intensives are most effective when they work alongside ongoing therapeutic support.
An intensive is a focused container — a place to work deeply with specific targets, patterns, or stuck places — while weekly therapy provides continuity, relationship, and long-term integration.
This isn’t an either/or. It’s a both/and.
What Intensives Add That Weekly Therapy Can’t Always Offer
Weekly therapy is powerful — and it also has limits. Time constraints, competing life demands, and the need to stay regulated between sessions can slow momentum, especially for complex trauma.
An intensive can offer:
Sustained focus without weekly interruptions
Deeper access to core material with adequate support
Relief from the pressure to “make progress” in one hour
A clearer roadmap for ongoing therapy afterward
Rather than compressing healing into fragments, intensives allow your nervous system to stay with the work long enough for something to shift.
Why This Combination Supports Complex Trauma
For people with attachment wounds, developmental trauma, or long-standing patterns, safety and relationship are essential. Ongoing therapy provides that relational anchor. An intensive adds depth and efficiency without destabilizing the system.
When therapists collaborate — aligning language, pacing, and aftercare — clients often experience:
More integration and fewer emotional crashes
Increased trust in their internal system
Greater clarity about what they need going forward
An intensive doesn’t replace the therapeutic relationship. It often strengthens it.
Planning an Intensive With Integration in Mind
When you plan an intensive in advance — you give yourself the gift of time:
Time to prepare
Time to integrate
Time to rest afterward
Healing doesn’t require urgency. It requires time and space.
If you’re reading this and something inside you says “Yes, this is time”, then you’re likely ready to explore an EMDR intensive. If you’re not quite ready for an intensive or you want to work with someone ongoing and do an intensive, we also offer weekly therapy with Katy Levine and outside referrals.
Reach out today to schedule for free consultation:
Learn more about our EMDR Intensives: www.ifsemdrtherapy.com/emdr-intensives
FAQs: https://ifsemdrtherapy.com/faq
About the Author
This post was written by Morgan Levine, LCSW a licensed trauma therapist in Maryland, Washington DC, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Colorado. Morgan is a Certified EMDR Therapist specializing in IFS-Informed EMDR and EMDR Intensives—including in-person immersive retreats and virtual multi-day formats.
She helps adults who feel “stuck” in therapy find deeper, lasting change by addressing the roots of perfectionism, overworking, anxiety, depression, PTSD, ADHD, obsessive or compulsive patterns, attachment wounds, and complex or single-incident trauma.
Learn more at ifsemdrtherapy.com/emdr-intensives
