Counseling & Coaching Intensives

EMDR Intensive
Written By Bill Bradley

What is a Therapy or Coaching Intensive?

close up of tree trunks in forest

Meeting weekly with your therapist can be a helpful resource, but sometimes, when you’re in a tough situation, going through a big transition, or ready to dive into more concentrated healing or self-growth work, you want more support. That’s when a therapy or coaching intensive can help.

When you work with a therapist or coach for several hours or days in a row, you have the time to truly reflect and reset, or work through traumatic events or life changes without distraction.

Read on for reasons to consider a therapy or coaching intensive, and for what the science says on how effective intensive therapy can be.

Are You Ready for a Therapy or Coaching Intensive?

Intensive coaching or intensive therapy may be for you if:

  • You’re facing transition and want support to prepare for or navigate the change

  • You’re ready to kickstart a particular therapeutic or life goal

  • You want to focus on deeper therapy or coaching in a concentrated amount of time to work through trauma or roadblocks

  • You want to take time out of your daily routine to focus on YOU and your wellbeing

The Research on Intensive Therapy

Intensive therapy can look a lot of different ways, and use several different modalities. You may be in the wilderness and focus on parts work [link] or creating ceremony and ritual, or you may meet in an office or via telehealth every day to work through a traumatic event. There is research to back both of these models.

A recent study published in the Journal of EMDR Practice and Research suggests that intensive EMDR therapy can help clients find relief for complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD). Study subjects experienced just two back-to-back days of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), with four 90-minute sessions a day, and reported a lasting reduction in C-PTSD symptoms. Researchers have seen similar results with intensive EMDR therapy for PTSD.

If you’re feeling called to spend healing time in nature, research shows that spending multiple days interacting with the natural world can have lasting effects, lowering stress and cortisol levels. Nature therapy can be a great complement to many forms of therapy, including EMDR, parts work and somatic therapy. It can help to calm your nervous system.

The Intensive Process

The format of therapy or coaching intensives may vary depending on who you do them with. While the Somatic Nature Therapy Institute customizes each intensive experience, we will always follow this general structure:

1. A free 30-minute discovery session — in person or online — will assess if this is the right structure for your needs and goals.

2. If this format appears to be a good fit, we’ll schedule a follow-up one- to two-hour session to gain more clarity about:

  • Your goals and desires

  • The duration of your intensive

  • A logistical plan to best support your process, which includes timeframe, location, therapeutic and coaching modalities, and cost — based on the logistics

3. We’ll then schedule one to three additional preparation sessions to support you in getting the most out of your intensive. These may include sessions to continue learning more about your current situation, past influencing factors, and goals for the intensive. They may also include preparation exercises.

4. The next step is the intensive itself. Therapeutic or coaching intensives will address your goals, and will also include a plan for next steps as you transition back to your daily life.

5. Depending on your current situation and the support structures in your life, we typically meet one to three more times for follow-up sessions. Again, these may take place in person or online. The goal of this step, and the integration work you do during your intensive, is to help you create a personal integration plan and explore the best ways you can continue unfolding the impacts and results of your intensive.

Intensives at the Somatic Nature Therapy Institute

We provide support and guidance tailored toward your unique intentions and goals, offering intensives from two to five days at a variety of locations in Colorado.

If you want to be outside, connecting with nature, we will facilitate that. If you want to feel cozy indoors with home-cooked meals and structured self-care time, we will facilitate that. You may also choose to secure your own accommodations and meet with us for a determined amount of each day. We create a comfortable container so you can focus on feeling resourced.

During an intensive with an SWTI therapist you could practice any of the following modalities or techniques, depending on your goals, comfort level and the amount of time you have:

  • Grounding

  • Mind-body awareness and connection

  • Breath work

  • Relaxation techniques

  • Visualization

  • Expressive arts

  • Culturally relevant ceremonies

  • Interactions with the natural world

  • EMDR

  • Other somatic trauma skills

  • Parts work

  • And more

The essence of the work we do with you during an intensive is to help you find greater wellness and groundedness. You’ll leave your intensive with a toolkit and practices to help you stay rooted and regulated as you return to your day-to-day life.

Somatic Nature Therapy Institute Therapists and Coaches Who Host Intensives

There are several therapists at the Somatic Nature Therapy Institute who are available to host therapeutic intensives, including:

Take Your Next Step

We look forward to talking with you about a therapy or coaching intensive and helping you take the next step toward greater groundedness, ease, clear direction and satisfaction in your life.

The first step is talking to us to see if an intensive might be right for you. 

For general inquiries or more information about trainings, supervision, and mentorship, email us or call 720-507-6247.

Bill Bradley