Do EMDR Intensives Actually Work?
By Alli Christie Disney, LPC
If you are considering an EMDR Intensive, it is normal to ask whether it actually works.
You aren't being "doubtful." You aren't being "negative." You are being smart.
You are asking the question that every high-achiever asks when they look at the price tag: "Is this thousands of dollars that I am about to invest actually going to result in relief?"
It is a fair question. Trauma work asks a lot of you. It asks for your time, your energy, and your nervous system’s capacity. It asks you to take time away from your career or your family. And yes, it asks for a significant financial investment.
So, it makes perfect sense that you want to know if this approach is truly supported—not just by trends, but by hard data. You need to know if the Return on Investment (ROI) is real.
So, let’s talk about what we know.
The Science: It’s Not Just a Trend
EMDR therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) has been studied for decades. It isn't new, and it isn't experimental. Over and over again, research shows that it helps people reduce trauma symptoms and feel less impacted by painful past experiences.
More recent studies from the last five years continue to confirm the same thing: EMDR helps reduce PTSD symptoms, anxiety, depression, and trauma-related distress.
And crucially: The improvements tend to last. This is the metric that matters most to me. We aren't just seeing a "band-aid" effect where relief shows up right after treatment and then fades a month later when life gets stressful again. When researchers follow up with people a year or two years later, they still feel better. The things they processed remain processed. The brain has physically changed how it stores those memories.
How It Works: The "Skinned Knee" Metaphor
What matters here isn't just that EMDR works, but how it works.
Clients often worry that "processing trauma" means we are just going to talk about the past until they are exhausted. But EMDR is different. It helps the brain and body finish processing experiences that were overwhelming at the time they happened.
Instead of just talking, the nervous system actually updates. The goal is for the memory to lose its "emotional charge."
Think about it this way:
I used to fall and skin my knees as a little kid. I have the memory of it. I can picture the pavement. I can remember crying.
But when I think of that memory now, it doesn’t have a charge. I don’t feel physical pain in my knees. I don’t feel the emotional panic of being hurt. I don’t feel a clench in my gut.
That is what happens with EMDR. Right now, your trauma memories don't feel like "past" memories. They feel present. When you get triggered, your body reacts as if the event is happening right now.
EMDR moves that stuck memory through the processing channel so that it becomes just like the skinned knee.
The memory still exists (we don't erase history).
But the charge is gone.
You don't have to "convince" yourself that you are safe now.
Your body just knows that you are safe now.
But What About the Intensive Format?
This is the specific question I get asked: "I know EMDR works, but does it work when we do it all at once? Is it safe to speed this up?"
The Intensive format—where EMDR is done in longer blocks (3-6 hours) rather than weekly sessions—has historically had less research simply because it hasn't been as prominent until the last 10 years.
But in the last five years, we have seen more research looking at this exact question. Here is what the data shows:
1. Strong Drops in PTSD Symptoms
When EMDR is delivered in an Intensive format, people often see significant, rapid drops in symptoms. In fact, many participants in these studies didn't even meet the criteria for a PTSD diagnosis anymore after their Intensives. They went from "clinical diagnosis" to "healthy functioning" in a matter of days, not years.
2. Less Distress Between Sessions
This is a critical finding for anyone with a busy career or family life. With Intensives, people often experience less distress between sessions than they do in weekly therapy.
Why? Because in weekly therapy, we often have to "open" a wound, work on it for 20 minutes, and then "close" it up so you can drive home. That leaves you feeling raw. You carry that open loop with you all week.
In an Intensive, we don't have to stop. We support the nervous system to process and settle within that short amount of time. You aren't leaving the office raw; you are leaving resolved.
The ROI of Your Mental Health
Let's go back to your original question: "Is this thousands of dollars worth it?"
If you view therapy as a never-ending subscription service, then yes, an Intensive looks expensive upfront. But if you view it as "Therapy Surgery"—a focused intervention designed to fix the root cause so you can move on—the math changes.
The Cost of Weekly Therapy: Years of co-pays, years of lost time driving to appointments, and years of continuing to struggle with symptoms that impact your earning potential and relationships.
The Cost of an Intensive: A significant upfront investment, but one that buys you time and resolution.
Research supports that Intensives are safe, effective, and often more efficient than the traditional model.
The Verdict
So, does EMDR Intensive therapy actually work? Yes.
Research supports EMDR as an effective trauma treatment, and the emerging studies on the Intensive format specifically show strong outcomes, good safety, and lasting improvements.
You don't have to carry the past forever. If you are ready to see if this format is the right container for your healing, let’s talk.
