IFS-Informed EMDR Intensives
You’ve done therapy. You Have the coping skills. You understand your history. Now you’re ready to Heal beyond the roles that helped you survive.
Five-day experiential trauma therapy intensives for people who already Have a strong therapeutic foundation and are ready for deeper processing.
In-person in Chester County, Pennsylvania | Clients travel from across the U.S.
Explore Whether an Intensive Is Right for You
Schedule a complimentary consultation to talk about your therapy history, what still feels unresolved, and whether an intensive format is clinically appropriate for you.
You may know “why” you feel this way—and still feel it.
You understand your history. You’ve developed insight. You’ve learned how trauma shaped you. Maybe you’ve already done EMDR, IFS, somatic therapy, or years of other meaningful therapeutic work.
And still, certain memories, emotional responses, relationship patterns, or protective parts may respond as though the past is happening now.
Insight and understanding matter. Sometimes the next layer of healing requires enough time and space to stay with what arises—not just understand it.
A five-day IFS-Informed EMDR Intensive offers sustained time to work experientially with the emotions, body sensations, memories, beliefs, and protective responses connected to healing beyond the roles that helped you survive in a dysfunctional family or culture.
Who tends to benefit most from an intensive?
This work is designed for people who already have a foundation for going deeper.
You may be a strong fit if:
You have already participated in meaningful therapy or trauma treatment.
You are able to reflect on your internal experience including emotions and body sensations and remain present with some discomfort.
You understand that trauma healing involves experiencing, not only intellectually understanding, what happened.
You recognize protective patterns with curiosity rather than simply wanting to eliminate them.
You are willing to participate actively and collaboratively rather than looking to a therapist to provide the answers.
You have insight into your patterns but recognize that insight alone hasn't fully changed them.
You want concentrated time to work with developmental trauma, attachment wounds, generational trauma, or experiences that remain unresolved despite previous therapy.
You are ready to dedicate five consecutive days to this work and allow time afterward for integration.
Explore Whether an Intensive Is Right for You
Schedule a complimentary consultation to talk about your therapy history, what still feels unresolved, and whether an intensive format is clinically appropriate for you.
You may recognize yourself here.
Many of the people we work with have spent years becoming capable, insightful, responsible adults—and are now discovering what it means to live beyond the roles they learned to survive within their families.
You may recognize yourself as:
The high performer learning that your worth doesn’t have to come from productivity and rediscovering rest, play, creativity, and childlike wonder.
The scapegoat who chose a different path from your family of origin and is learning to trust yourself without needing their understanding or approval.
The golden child who became capable, responsible, or successful—and is beginning to put down the responsibility of rescuing, fixing, or carrying everyone else.
The lost child who learned to disappear, stay quiet, or need very little—and is discovering greater safety in being seen, heard, known, and connected.
Or perhaps no single role fits. You simply know that growing up in a dysfunctional family or culture shaped the way you learned to relate to yourself, other people, responsibility, rest, belonging, and safety.
An intensive can offer concentrated time to work with the experiences underneath these patterns—not only through insight, but through IFS-informed EMDR, trauma processing, intuitive drawing and creative parts expression, nature, sensory resourcing, and intentional rest.
What is an IFS-Informed EMDR Intensive?IFS-Informed EMDR Intensives are FULL-day, in-person trauma therapy intensives in Chester County, Pennsylvania for adults who have meaningful therapy Experience and are ready for deeper trauma processing.
Integrating EMDR, Internal Family Systems (IFS), somatic awareness, and nervous-system-informed care, intensives provide sustained time to work with complex and developmental trauma, attachment wounds, generational trauma, effects of growing up in a dysfunctional family, and patterns that remain unresolved despite previous therapy.
“I came into the intensive with years of therapy behind me and all the insight, but I still felt disconnected, reactive, and stuck in patterns I couldn't shift.”
— Former Intensive Client
About Morgan Levine, LCSW
Morgan Levine, LCSW, is an EMDRIA Approved Consultant and Certified IFS-Informed EMDR + Imago Relationship Therapist specializing in intensive trauma therapy. Her specialties include Intensives and Intensive Retreats for fellow therapists and adults healing from childhood trauma, attachment wounds, and complex PTSD. She offers 5-day EMDR intensives in-person in Chester County, PA that integrate EMDR, Internal Family Systems, Intuitive Creative Expression, somatic sensory resourcing, and attachment-focused approaches for adults seeking deeper trauma processing after previous therapy.
About Katy Levine, LCSW
Katy Levine, LCSW, is an IFS therapist trained through the IFS Institute. She is also an EMDRIA Certified EMDR Therapist and trained IFS-Informed EMDR therapist specialized in supporting women heal from trauma, CPTSD, anxiety, perfectionism, over-functioning, and dysfunctional family dynamics. She offers virtual 1/2-day and 1-day intensives scheduled over 6-12+ weeks that integrate EMDR, Internal Family Systems, attachment-focused and somatic approaches for adults seeking deeper trauma processing after previous therapy.
EMDR Intensives FAQ
What is an Intensive, and how is it different from weekly therapy?
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An Intensive is a highly focused therapy experience. We offer intensives in two formats:
INTENSIVE OPTION 1) 4–5 consecutive days in-person, with extended daily sessions over 4-5 hours.
INTENSIVE OPTION 2) Ongoing biweekly or weekly 1/2-day to 1-day virtual intensives for clients located in DC, MD, VA, and PA at the time of treatment.
Unlike weekly therapy, which often gets interrupted by life in between sessions, intensives create the time and space for deeper accelerated healing to unfold.
Do I need previous therapy before an EMDR intensive?
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Usually, yes. Our intensives are designed primarily for people who already have a foundation in therapy and are ready for deeper experiential trauma work. The intensive is generally not the best place to begin learning basic emotional regulation, body awareness, or trauma education.
Do I need previous EMDR experience?
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Not necessarily. However, you should have enough emotional and somatic capacity to notice difficult internal experiences without immediately becoming overwhelmed or needing to escape them. During consultation and preparation, we will assess whether intensive EMDR is an appropriate next step.
I've done years of therapy but still feel stuck. Can an EMDR intensive help?
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This is actually common among the people who seek my intensives. You may understand your history and patterns very well while still noticing that certain responses feel automatic, embodied, or unresolved. Intensive work allows us to spend sustained time with those deeper patterns rather than repeatedly opening and closing the work within weekly sessions.
Will I feel better after five days?
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There is no responsible way to guarantee how you will feel immediately following trauma processing. Some people experience relief, clarity, or increased spaciousness. Others experience grief, fatigue, vulnerability, or continued integration. The goal is not simply to feel better for five days—it is to support meaningful processing and greater flexibility over time.
Can I fix my trauma in five days?
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An intensive is not a five-day cure for trauma. It is a concentrated period of therapeutic work that can allow us to access and process material with more continuity than weekly therapy often provides. We have seen many clients arrive with meeting high diagnostic PTSD scores on the PCL and at follow-up they fall below diagnostic levels. However, it is important to understand your healing existed before the intensive and will continue afterward.
Who is a good fit for an Intensive?
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Intensives are ideal for people who:
Have tried talk therapy, self-help, or even EMDR/IFS before but still feel stuck
Are navigating grief, relational loss, betrayal, or childhood wounds
Want relief and results faster than traditional therapy offers
Desire a therapist who is flexible, attuned, and skilled at guiding deep healing
If you resonate with this, a free consultation can help us explore whether an intensive is right for you.
CAn I do an Intensive if I already have a therapist?
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Yes, many of our clients have tried EMDR in the past. Some had success and want to try it again in a different kind of format. Others have found past EMDR too rigid or activating.
Our IFS-informed EMDR style creates the safety, pacing, and personalization needed for real transformation.
There are many ways to combine EMDR treatment with other modalities to enhance effectiveness. This is why Morgan integrates EMDR with IFS, Polyvagal Theory, and attachment work. She also uses many creative strategies for bilateral stimulation and taxing your working memory which has been shown to increase effectiveness. Lastly, EMDR processing when done in multiple consecutive sessions in the same week, like an Intensive format, have also been shown to enhance effectiveness.
What can an EMDR intensive help with?
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EMDR intensives can be helpful when you’ve already done meaningful therapy and have insight into your history, but certain experiences still feel unresolved.
You may understand why you respond the way you do and still notice old patterns showing up in your body, emotions, relationships, or nervous system. An intensive provides sustained time to work experientially with what remains—rather than only talking about or understanding it.
People may choose an intensive to work with Developmental or complex trauma, Attachment and relationship wounds, Generational or family trauma, Difficult or traumatic memories that still carry emotional charge, Protective patterns that no longer feel helpful, Emotional or body-based responses that feel connected to the past, Patterns that have remained despite previous therapy, EMDR, or IFS, A specific area where they feel stuck or want deeper processing
The goal isn’t to eliminate difficult emotions or “fix” your trauma in five days. It’s to create enough time, continuity, and support to process what is ready to be worked with and expand your capacity to experience difficult feelings without becoming overwhelmed or disconnected from yourself.
Will this be too intense for me?
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Intensives are powerful — and yes, intense — but they are always tailored to what feels safe and manageable for you.
We build in preparation, resourcing, and grounding so you’re supported every step of the way. You’ll also continue integrating the work with your primary therapist afterward.
Can I do an EMDR intensive if I've already tried EMDR?
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Yes, in fact, unless you have done extensive EMDR and somatic trauma therapy prior to your intensive, we require all intensive clients to have a primary therapist they can return to after the intensive.
This ensures you have ongoing support to continue integrating the changes from our work together. If you don’t have one or you don’t have one that you feel can support your post-intensive processing, I can help connect you with a trusted provider.
Who is an EMDR intensive not appropriate for?
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An EMDR intensive may not be appropriate for someone who is just beginning trauma therapy, has significant difficulty remaining present with emotions or body sensations, is experiencing poorly managed symptoms that interfere with trauma processing, or is looking for a quick or guaranteed resolution.
What dates are available for your Intensives?
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Because of the depth and focused time of intensives, I intentionally schedule the multi-day intensives I offer each year so I can remain fully present and resourced for my clients.
I typically schedule 3–6 months in advance, and sometimes further out.
My availability may change up until your consultation is completed, the intensive is confirmed, and a deposit is received.
What are your fees?
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How do I get started?
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The first step is to schedule a free 30-minute consultation. We’ll talk about your goals, answer your questions, and see if an intensive is the right fit for you.
Testimonials
Learn More About Intensives
In this 4-part series, Morgan shares more on commonly asked questions about her therapy intensives. If you’ve ever wondered, “what happens in an EMDR Intensive?”, these videos are for you.
Watch more videos here
What Happens in a Therapy Intensive? Structure and Flow of an Intensive with Morgan
What Happens in a Therapy Intensive? Safety, Pacing, and Resourcing in an Intensive with Morgan
What Happens in a Therapy Intensive? How I Weave EMDR, IFS, and Somatic Supports in an Intensive
What Happens in a Therapy Intensive? Integration and Support After an Intensive with Morgan
Explore Whether an Intensive Is Right for You
Schedule a complimentary consultation to talk about your therapy history, what still feels unresolved, and whether an intensive format is clinically appropriate for you.
An Immersive Setting for Intensive Therapy
An intensive format offers something weekly therapy often can't: sustained, uninterrupted time to stay with meaningful therapeutic work as it unfolds.
For people who already have a strong therapeutic foundation, that continuity can create opportunities for deeper processing, increased emotional flexibility, and movement around patterns that have remained unresolved.
We offer five-day EMDR intensives in Chester County, Pennsylvania for adults seeking concentrated trauma therapy for complex PTSD, developmental trauma, attachment wounds, and patterns that remain unresolved after previous therapy.
Our intensives are available to all clients willing to travel to Chester County, PA where we offer intensive trauma therapy surrounded by nature, peacefulness, and calm.
Intensive Packages include preparation, daily 4-5 hours of onsite intensive treatment with Morgan Levine, follow-up, and collaboration. Accommodations are extra and a list of options will be provided. We also offer optional add-on daily somatic practices such as massage, yoga, acupuncture, or sound healing and private chef or catering (all available for additional fees). All accommodations are private stays owned by outside entities that you will book directly.
Explore Whether an Intensive Is Right for You
Schedule a complimentary consultation to talk about your therapy history, what still feels unresolved, and whether an intensive format is clinically appropriate for you.
What does research say about intensive trauma therapy?
A growing body of research suggests that trauma-focused therapies can be effectively delivered in intensive or condensed formats rather than being limited to traditional once-weekly sessions. Intensive treatment can produce substantial reductions in PTSD symptoms over a shorter treatment period, although research has not established that intensive treatment is superior for every person. We screen to ensure fit and recommend using your discernment based on the information we share, your own knowledge of yourself, and the opinions of your existing providers.
Intensive trauma treatment can accelerate symptom improvement
A systematic review of intensive evidence-based treatments for PTSD found large reductions in PTSD symptoms across studies, with a pooled dropout rate of approximately 5.5%. The authors concluded that intensive treatment can be an effective alternative to standard weekly delivery and may help patients achieve meaningful improvement over a shorter period of time.
Read the systematic review → PubMed: Systematic Review of Intensive PTSD Treatment
EMDR can be delivered effectively in an intensive format
Research specifically examining intensive EMDR is smaller but growing. Studies have found that EMDR delivered over consecutive days is feasible, generally well tolerated, and associated with meaningful reductions in PTSD symptoms.
In a five-day intensive EMDR program, most participants experienced reliable improvement in PTSD symptoms within weeks of treatment. More recent research has continued to find significant reductions in PTSD symptoms following intensive EMDR-based treatment, including improvements maintained at follow-up.
Explore the research on intensive EMDR → PubMed: Five-Day Intensive EMDR Study
Intensive treatment has also been studied with severe and complex trauma presentations
Importantly, intensive trauma-focused treatment has not been studied only with uncomplicated or single-event PTSD.
Research involving hundreds of people with severe PTSD, multiple traumatic experiences, significant comorbidity, and symptoms consistent with Complex PTSD has found substantial reductions in PTSD and Complex PTSD symptoms following intensive treatment programs incorporating EMDR and other trauma-focused interventions.
In one large study of 308 participants, symptoms of both PTSD and Complex PTSD decreased significantly following an eight-day intensive trauma-focused program. Other intensive programs have reported similarly meaningful improvement with very low dropout rates and few serious adverse events.
Read the Complex PTSD research → Full Open-Access Article: Intensive Treatment for Complex PTSD
A separate four-day intensive program found significant reductions in PTSD and Complex PTSD symptoms that were maintained through six-month follow-up.
Read the six-month follow-up study
What we know—and what we are still learning
The evidence for intensive trauma treatment is promising, but the research is still developing. It’s important to note that Intensive programs vary considerably in their structure, duration, setting, and combination of interventions, and the existing literature does not establish that an intensive format is superior to weekly therapy for every person.
Emerging research supports delivering EMDR more frequently than the traditional once-weekly model. Studies have successfully delivered EMDR twice weekly, and intensive EMDR studies have condensed trauma processing into consecutive days, with significant reductions in PTSD symptoms. Researchers are also still directly investigating whether increased session frequency may improve treatment response.
That is the foundation of our IFS-Informed EMDR Intensive model: concentrated time for assessment, preparation, trauma processing, integration, and reflection, with the pacing individualized to you throughout 5-consecutive days or in consistently stacked sessions weekly for a period of time.