Aug 3, 2026 · 37 min · 12 segments
In this episode, Sarah discusses EMDR therapy and its intensives, explaining the types of EMDR therapy, the benefits of EMDR intensives, client and therapist capacity, and the structure of EMDR…
Sarah WillsHost
So let's start with what is an EMDR intensive or what is EMDR? EMDR is a type of therapy.
And trust me, that is the only time I'm gonna say that because it sounds so complex and a little bit wanky, to be honest, [chuckles] compared to what it actually is.
EMDR is a type of therapy that has been designed, it is evidence-based, and it is well known to be effective in treating trauma.
So if you have been through a traumatic incident, then EMDR is usually the go-to that most psychologists or therapists will use to help desensitize how that trauma is stored in your system, in your body, and in your memory network.
Now, a question that gets asked all the time is do I have to have one specific trauma? You know, does that-- do I have to have been in a car accident or had someone pass away or been abused or neglected? And the answer is absolutely not.
I would say that most of the people I do EMDR intensive work with have experienced more of a complex trauma, and what we mean by that is in their childhood or in previous relationships or in previous environments, they have had multiple, multiple, multiple events or times when their needs weren't met or when they were unsafe or they were scared, and the impact on the brain is significant.
So if you are raised or exposed to environments that aren't safe or your needs aren't met time and time again, your brain will wire to that and might start to develop coping mechanisms or beliefs about yourself that then become maladaptive when you're an adult or right now, um, or they can just feel really terrible, right? You might be having panic attacks.
You might know, "Here are my values, and here is the type of life I want to live, but every time this happens," maybe conflict or setting a boundary, "I get pulled right back into this version of me or these parts of me that were affected by the trauma or conditioning that I've been exposed to." So that is what EMDR is.
So let's start with what is an EMDR intensive or what is EMDR? EMDR is a type of therapy.
And trust me, that is the only time I'm gonna say that because it sounds so complex and a little bit wanky, to be honest, [chuckles] compared to what it actually is.
EMDR is a type of therapy that has been designed, it is evidence-based, and it is well known to be effective in treating trauma.
So if you have been through a traumatic incident, then EMDR is usually the go-to that most psychologists or therapists will use to help desensitize how that trauma is stored in your system, in your body, and in your memory network.
Now, a question that gets asked all the time is do I have to have one specific trauma? You know, does that-- do I have to have been in a car accident or had someone pass away or been abused or neglected? And the answer is absolutely not.
I would say that most of the people I do EMDR intensive work with have experienced more of a complex trauma, and what we mean by that is in their childhood or in previous relationships or in previous environments, they have had multiple, multiple, multiple events or times when their needs weren't met or when they were unsafe or they were scared, and the impact on the brain is significant.
So if you are raised or exposed to environments that aren't safe or your needs aren't met time and time again, your brain will wire to that and might start to develop coping mechanisms or beliefs about yourself that then become maladaptive when you're an adult or right now, um, or they can just feel really terrible, right? You might be having panic attacks.
You might know, "Here are my values, and here is the type of life I want to live, but every time this happens," maybe conflict or setting a boundary, "I get pulled right back into this version of me or these parts of me that were affected by the trauma or conditioning that I've been exposed to." So that is what EMDR is.
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