EMDR INtensives in Galloway, NJ
If you’ve been struggling with the symptoms of trauma for a long time and feel as if nothing is working, an EMDR Intensive might be right for you.
What Is an EMDR Intensive?
An EMDR Intensive is a focused, accelerated form of trauma treatment designed to help you make meaningful therapeutic progress in a short amount of time. Instead of weekly 50–90 minute sessions, an intensive gives you multiple hours of EMDR in a single day or over several consecutive days, allowing your brain to process and resolve the memories, patterns, or symptoms that are keeping you stuck.
Why Choose an Intensive Instead of Weekly Therapy?
EMDR Intensives are ideal when:
You’ve been carrying something for a long time and want relief sooner
You’re stuck in patterns you intellectually understand but can’t change
You have limited time for weekly therapy
A recent event has overwhelmed your usual coping
You prefer a concentrated, transformative experience
What Happens During an EMDR Intensive?
Your intensive is customized to your goals and may include:
A comprehensive assessment
EMDR resourcing and stabilization
Extended EMDR reprocessing sessions
Closing integration work, grounding, and a clear follow-up plan
What is EMDR?
Maybe someone told you that EMDR might be able to help you but you aren’t exactly sure what it is. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an evidence-based therapy designed to help your brain heal from the impact of trauma, stress, or painful life experiences. Instead of deeply analyzing the past to develop insight, EMDR works by helping your nervous system reprocess the memories, sensations, and beliefs that keep you stuck within unhelpful and painful symptoms that are disrupting your life.
During EMDR, we use bilateral stimulation (eye movements, tapping, or sound) to activate the brain’s natural healing pathways. As your brain reprocesses old material, the emotional charge decreases and new, healthier beliefs take hold.
Many clients describe EMDR as finally being able to let go of something they’ve carried for far too long.
EMDR can help with:
Trauma (big or small)
Anxiety and chronic worry
Phobias
Relationship wounds and attachment distress
PTSD and acute stress
Self-esteem and negative self-beliefs
Grief
People-pleasing, perfectionism, or emotional reactivity
EMDR is transformative because it targets the root of the trauma holding the symptoms in place, not just the symptoms.
Research Spotlight: EMDR Intensives
While we’ve seen the results firsthand with our own clients, it can be reassuring to know that research also supports the effectiveness of EMDR, especially in intensive formats. Multiple studies have shown that EMDR Intensives not only reduce trauma symptoms, but also help clients complete treatment rather than discontinue early, before treatment goals are met.
Here are just a few examples from the research:
A study conducted in the Netherlands found that intensive trauma therapy provides outcomes similar to, or in some cases better than, traditional weekly therapy for reducing PTSD symptoms. Importantly, the study also highlighted lower dropout rates. Many people leave weekly therapy when progress feels slow or discouraging; intensives help bypass this by creating meaningful change within a shorter period of time.
Another study examining individuals with Complex PTSD (CPTSD) showed that EMDR Intensives can be effective even for those with long-standing, chronic trauma. This research reinforces what we often see in practice: concentrated EMDR work can support deep, sustained healing, even when symptoms have been present for years.
In short, research shows three major benefits of EMDR Intensives:
PTSD Effectiveness
CPTSD Effectiveness
Dropout Prevention
These findings mirror the improvements we’ve seen in the clients that have been guided through EMDR intensives at both our Center City and Galloway location.
Deirdre Cosgrove, LMFT
Deirdre Cosgrove, LMFT, is a Licensed Therapist and the Clinical Director of A Better Life Therapy in Galloway, NJ.
Following completion of her Master’s degree and becoming a licensed therapist in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Deirdre completed advanced training in EMDR with The Maiberger Institute. Deirdre also specializes in perinatal mental health challenges, family trauma, and infidelity, and relationships.
To learn more about Deirdre click the button below.
Scheduling an EMDR Intensive in Galloway
If you’re curious about whether an EMDR Intensive is right for you, the first step is to set up a consultation. It’s important for Deirdre to have a conversation with you before scheduling to ensure that the Intensive format will be safe and effective for you. If she believes that the format seems appropriate, you will work together to find a time to meet. If she does not believe the format is appropriate, she will recommend other treatment options and help you get that set up as well.
To set up a consultation email out intake coordinator, Joe Scheller at Joe@abetterlifetherapy.com.
Our Galloway, NJ Office
If you decide that an EMDR Intensives is right for you, you will meet with Deirdre in our Galloway, NJ office. This office is close to Cape May, Atlantic City, Brigantine, and other New Jersey Shore towns. If you’re not from the area, there are plenty of places that you can comfortably stay.
The office has on site parking and an elevator for accessibility. It is designed with your comfort in mind so that you feel safe and at home.
A Better Life Therapy: Galloway | Office Address:
634 E Lost Pine Way Rd, Galloway, NJ 08205