Frequently Asked Questions

There are several benefits to an EMDR Intensive, including: Intensive Support - With more frequent and longer sessions, there is less time between sessions for you to manage any intense feelings from processing on your own for long periods. Focused Time - Often in weekly sessions, we do a check-in and sometimes events have arisen in the week which need our attention but can draw us away from your goals around the trauma(s). But when we work intensively we can stay focused on the main reason you came to therapy more effectively. Accelerated Healing - EMDR intensives allow you to delve deep into trauma and work through it intensively over a shorter period of time compared to traditional therapy. This can lead to accelerated healing, more rapid insights and faster progress. It can feel like multiple weeks of therapy just in a few days. Comprehensive Treatment - During EMDR intensives, you have the opportunity to address multiple aspects of your trauma or mental health concerns in a focused and customized manner. This can lead to more profound insights and breakthroughs, without the time constraints of a typical 50-minute session. Immersive Experience - By dedicating 2-3 days to EMDR therapy, you can immerse yourself fully in the process without the distractions of daily life, or worrying about using your lunch break to attend therapy. This framework can be useful for busy professionals, parents, or students who have a rigid schedule and may not have the flexibility to take off an hour each week for therapy. While you may have to take a few days off work, the EMDR Intensive is booked in advance with plenty of time to plan for time off. Decreased Symptoms - After an intensive, many experience a significant decrease in the symptoms that brought them in which allows for a reduction of the time in traditional therapy, and in some cases, eliminating it completely.

An Intensive is a premium concierge service, similar to buying a fast pass at an amusement park. Less wait time, more rides in a shorter period of time but with maximum benefit and in premium time slots like weekends.

If you add up the weekly cost of therapy over several months or even more for some clients, you may be surprised to find intensives are more cost effective. Weekday intensives are $4,500 and weekend intensives are $6,000 this is equal to nearly 5 months of therapy or 6.5 months of therapy respectively at my market rate.

I cannot make any promises or guarantees. (This is true of any therapy modality or technique no matter how it is offered). Each client has a different background, different experiences, and different kinds of coping skills, different support systems and resources that may or may not be as helpful. Some people may feel that one Intensive is sufficient for their concerns. Others may choose to come back for another Intensive later on, or continue their work with myself or another therapist in a more traditional model. Either way, what I can be certain of is that no matter what, we will work through many weeks or months worth of therapy in just a few days.

Typically the Intensive will start with a brief check-in, review of coping skills, resourcing, target review and reprocessing. Breaks are taken as needed (for a snack or quick lunch, coffee/tea/water, fresh air, stretching). During a 3-hour intensive processing is often limited to no longer than 90-minutes. No time is wasted in an intensive.

You can target a one-off highly traumatic event or some embedded memories of more hidden traumas, which can be the basis of depression, anxiety, relationship challenges, or fears. No one type of trauma is “worse” than another. The event’s magnitude does not define traumatic memory but how the body processes and stores the memory. You can experience the same type of trauma—or even the same event—as someone else and have different reactions to it. If something hurts you, it hurts, and your natural emotional response is valid. In an EMDR intensive, we can address several types of traumas.

Intensive application of trauma-focused therapy seems to be well tolerated in patients with PTSD, enabling faster symptom reduction with similar, or even better, results, while reducing the risk that patients drop out prematurely. Learn more here and here. Intensive EMDR treatment is feasible and is indicative of reliable improvement in PTSD symptoms in a very short time frame. Learn more here. An intensive program using EMDR therapy is a potentially safe and effective treatment alternative for complex PTSD. Learn more here. The economy is compelling: even compared to other trauma therapy, the intensive format may decrease treatment time, because of time not spent on a) checking in at the beginning of each session, b) addressing current crises and concerns, c) focusing on stabilizing and coping skills that the client won’t need after trauma healing, or d) assisting the client in regaining composure at the end of the session. Learn more here.

Intensives are held at my Dupont Circle office, located at 2000 P St. NW, in the building that houses Second Story Books.

Some clients can complete an intensive and then return to their lives ready to move forward. Others benefit from an ongoing relationship with a therapist following the intensive. This can be an established therapist if doing adjunct EMDR work or a new therapy relationship. I will assist you with referral options if needed at the end of the intensive. Clients with a more complex trauma history will likely need to schedule additional intensives or 90-minute session to fully process and heal.

Yes. We will identify your goals and coordination of care needs during the consultation call. A release of information is required to provide adjunct therapy. In some cases, a coordination of care call may be required prior to scheduling to further determine candidacy for an intensive.

The insurance code 90837 is for 53+ and beyond. Some insurance providers accept this code and others do not. If you are seeking reimbursement from an Intensive check with your insurance provider first to see what they will cover and what insurance codes, if any, are accepted for extended sessions.

EMDR is an evidence-based body and mind therapy that can help heal past, recent, and present-day experiences causing distress. EMDR empowers you to tap into your body’s natural healing processes in order to integrate and move beyond traumas and disturbing life experiences. As life happens, our body and brain work together to organize the information we receive. The brain-body duo uses what we’ve learned along the way to make sense of what's happening to and around us. But when a person is overwhelmed, the brain cannot process information in the way it is intended to, and an event can become “stuck in time”. The way we make meaning of the event becomes distorted which then influences how we process new information and can interfere with the way a person sees the world and relates to other people in the present. With EMDR a person is able to reach a healthier and more adaptive resolution of the event(s) by processing the information like it was a normal memory. EMDR techniques also work to strengthen internal resources by pairing BLS with images and ideas with positive messages, such as safety, courage, confidence, love, and forgiveness. It is your brain’s own ability to heal that will be doing all the work and you are in control. I am with you as a guide and support.

There are 8 phases of EMDR that happen over a handful of sessions. They include: History & Treatment Planning Preparation Assessment Desensitization Installation Body Scan Reevaluation Learn more about each of these phases here.

Yes, EMDR can be administered virtually so long as you have access to stable internet; a safe and private space with limited distractions for therapy. BLS can be administered using self tapping (i.e. using your hands to administer consistent tapping on your legs or arms or linking your thumbs to make a butterfly with your hands and tapping above your chest) or through a tactile buzzer that you would purchase.

EMDR utilizes visual, audio or tactile bilateral stimulation (BLS) to activate the left and right hemispheres of the brain and reprocess these memories much like we do during Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep cycles to process the day’s events. This facilitates the processing and integration of distressing memories, emotions, and experiences and allows individuals to target and reprocess past memories in order to find relief from the negative messages, emotions, and body sensations associated with the trauma. This process offers the opportunity for individuals to process experiences without the distress tied to the past trauma.

BLS calms the amygdala, enhances neuroplasticity and engages both the mind and the body. The amygdala is considered the fire alarm of the brain that activates fight/flight/freeze responses and it is responsible for processing emotions. It is often hyperactive in individuals who have experienced trauma or are struggling with anxiety. BLS can reduce the amygdala's reactivity, thus promoting a sense of calm and a reduction in emotional distress. Neuroplasticity refers to the brain's ability to adapt and reorganize itself by forming new neural connections. BLS is believed to enhance neuroplasticity. This happens by allowing the brain to process and integrate distressing memories and emotions more effectively. By engaging both hemispheres of the brain, BLS helps integrate emotional and cognitive processes. This integration fosters a more balanced perspective. This makes it easier to cope with challenging emotions and memories.

BLS is used in EMDR in the following ways: Dual Attention - In EMDR therapy, attention is intentionally directed to a bilateral stimulus while simultaneously, recalling distressing memories or experiences. Adaptive Information Processing Model - EMDR is guided by the Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model. This posits that trauma-related disturbances result from unprocessed memories. These remain stored in the brain in their raw, emotionally charged form. BLS helps access these memories while providing a safe environment for reprocessing and integration. Bridging the Gap - BLS helps unite the emotional and cognitive aspects of a memory. By engaging both hemispheres of the brain, EMDR therapy allows individuals to gain new insights and perspectives on their traumatic experiences. This leads to more adaptive and healthy ways of coping. Targeting Specific Memories - During the EMDR therapy process, the therapist and client collaboratively identify specific traumatic memories or distressing beliefs that the client wishes to target. Bilateral stimulation is then used to facilitate the processing of these targeted memories. Installation of Positive Beliefs - As part of EMDR therapy, positive beliefs are introduced and "installed". This replaces negative or maladaptive beliefs associated with traumatic memories. BLS helps integrate these positive beliefs into the client's belief system. Body Sensations and Emotions - In addition to targeting specific memories, EMDR also addresses body sensations and emotions associated with trauma. BLS helps individuals process and release the emotional and physiological distress stored in their bodies.