Healing from trauma isn’t as simple as “letting it go.” 

Trauma can leave deep imprints, affecting our day-to-day lives in ways we may not immediately connect to past events. 

If you’re struggling with symptoms like heightened stress and anxiety, sleep disturbances, flashbacks, or persistent negative beliefs (“I’m not good enough” or “I’m not safe”), trauma could be a component.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) has emerged as a powerful approach for trauma recovery. 

With either  weekly EMDR therapy or  EMDR intensives, clients at Beach Cities Psychotherapy can experience healing and relief in a highly effective format that moves beyond traditional talk therapy. 

Let’s explore how EMDR transforms trauma into healing and growth.

Understanding EMDR and How It Reprocesses Trauma

What is EMDR?

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, a trauma-focused therapeutic approach that effectively re-processes traumatic memories without retraumatizing the individual. 

EMDR therapy is recognized as a highly effective treatment for anxiety, depression, relationship challenges, PTSD, and complex trauma—conditions that are often rooted in unresolved trauma.

This highly-effective therapy combines bilateral stimulation to the brain, either with eye movements or with alternating tapping, with very structured talk therapy that allows individuals to process the images, sensations, emotions and negative cognitions that are connected to the trauma.  

EMDR effectively changes the neural wiring to traumatic memories, reducing the disturbance level and replacing the Negative Cognition associated with it with a Positive Cognition.

EMDR is recommended by the Department of Defense, the International Society for Trauma Stress Studies, and the American Psychiatric Association as a treatment for trauma and PTSD. 

How Trauma Affects Us and Why Recovery Can Be Difficult

Trauma affects us on many levels—mentally, emotionally, and physically. 

The impact of trauma is sometimes misattributed to external factors beyond our control when in reality, external factors trigger trauma memories that interfere with functioning, a sense of safety, and self-esteem. Individuals may feel persistent sadness, irritability, or hopelessness without understanding the connection to past experiences. 

Trauma can lead to:

• Increased stress and anxiety
• Disturbed sleep patterns or nightmares
• Negative self-beliefs like “I’m not good enough,”  “I don’t deserve love” or “I am not safe.”
• Flashbacks or intrusive thoughts
• Detachment or numbness
• Physical symptoms like a racing heart or sweating when recalling traumatic events
• Disproportionate reactions to situations in the present

One of the main challenges in trauma recovery is that these effects are stored in our brain differently than other memories, making it difficult to “just get over it.” 

The images, sensations, emotions and negative beliefs about ourselves can be debilitating when triggered.  This is why reprocessing the trauma and shifting the way the trauma is stored in the brain can be incredibly healing and transformative.

The Benefits of EMDR and EMDR Intensives for Trauma Recovery

Traditional weekly EMDR therapy sessions are highly effective.  However, some people prefer EMDR intensives as they offer a more accelerated approach to trauma healing and do not require weekly sessions.  

EMDR intensives at Beach Cities Psychotherapy consist of a 90 minute EMDR prep session, three 3-hour processing sessions, and 30 minute post-session and usually extend over the course of one or two weeks.   This structure allows for focused, uninterrupted trauma reprocessing. In an EMDR Intensive, it is possible to target about as much trauma as we might process in 2-3 months of weekly EMDR therapy.  

Here’s a comparison of EMDR in weekly therapy vs. EMDR Intensives:

• Intensive Focus Long-term vs. Short-term: EMDR in weekly therapy offers progress over time.  With EMDR intensives, clients can make significant strides in a concentrated setting over a short period of time.  This is the primary distinction between EMDR in weekly sessions and EMDR Intensives.  For clients who want to spend a week or two reprocessing their trauma in longer sessions, EMDR Intensives are the way to go.  For clients who prefer to address their trauma in weekly one-hour sessions over time, weekly EMDR is ideal.    
• Safe, Structured Approach: In both weekly EMDR and EMDR  intensives, we create a safe space to explore and heal traumatic memories. At Beach Cities Psychotherapy, therapists are trauma-informed and understand the inherent vulnerability involved in reprocessing trauma.  
• Effective Reprocessing Without Retraumatization: One of the unique strengths of EMDR is its ability to help clients reprocess trauma without retraumatizing them. Both EMDR in weekly sessions and EMDR intensives allow individuals to “digest” traumatic memories safely, transforming the emotional weight they carry.
• Deep, Lasting Impact: Clients who have tried EMDR in weekly EMDR sessions or in EMDR Intensives often report profound changes in how they view and respond to present stressors and reminders of past traumas. 

For those feeling overwhelmed by recurring fears, persistent feelings of unworthiness, PTSD symptoms or lingering emotional wounds, both EMDR in weekly sessions and EMDR intensives offer a path to meaningful and lasting change.

What to Expect in an EMDR Session at Beach Cities Psychotherapy

Our therapists understand the vulnerability inherent in EMDR work.  Before diving into any reprocessing, we get to know our clients and make sure they feel safe. 

EMDR is not just about the EMDR processing.  One of the first phases of EMDR  is focussed on resourcing which means creating coping skills to manage the trauma so that clients are able to self-regulate between EMDR sessions.  In this phase, we help our clients build healthy coping skills.

Another component of the preparatory phases of EMDR is building a healthy therapeutic relationship with our clients, understanding our clients’ trauma symptoms and their impact, identifying targets for EMDR processing which may include small developmental traumas as well as the more easily identifiable trauma, and preparing our clients for what to expect when we begin re-processing.  

We do not take trauma work lightly and we move through all of the phases of EMDR to insure both our client’s well-being and the effective reprocessing of trauma.

FAQs About Trauma Recovery and EMDR Intensives

1. Why is trauma so hard to get over?

Trauma is stored in our brains differently than other memories because when we feel traumatized, the prefrontal cortex which is the rational reasoning part of the brain, goes off-line.  Thus, the memory is stored without the benefit of the part of the brain that helps us conceptualize the world in a rational way.   That maladaptive processing can  keep us feeling “stuck” in the past. EMDR processing allows us to bring in all of our present resources in a grounded, calm place to change the way the memory is stored.  

3. How do you overcome trauma response?

Therapies like EMDR are highly effective for overcoming trauma responses. They help reprocess traumatic memories, allowing individuals to replace automatic, fear-based reactions with calm, empowered responses.

4. What is an EMDR intensive?

An EMDR intensive is a condensed form of therapy where multiple longer EMDR sessions are scheduled within a short period (usually 10-11 hours of therapy over the course of 1-2 weeks).   It allows clients to focus intensively on trauma recovery, often leading to faster healing.

Reclaim Your Life with EMDR or EMDR Intensives

Recovering from trauma is not only possible, but it’s also within reach with the right support. 

EMDR intensives offer an innovative and impactful approach, allowing individuals to work through deep-seated trauma without feeling retraumatized. 

At Beach Cities Psychotherapy, we believe in the power of trauma-informed care and in providing a safe, effective path to healing for every client.

If you’re ready to take the next step in your trauma recovery journey, EMDR or EMDR Intensives could be the answer. 

Reclaim your peace, reprocess your past, and take a step towards a future where trauma no longer controls your life.