EMDR Intensives
&
Ketamine-Assisted EMDR
What are EMDR Intensives?
Who Can Benefit From EMDR Intensives?
Why Choose an Intensive Format?
What Is the Structure of an EMDR Intensive With Dr. Montalvo?
How is Fit Determined?
What is Ketamine-Assisted EMDR ?
Who Can Benefit From Ketamine Assisted EMDR?
Why Combine Ketamine with EMDR?
What is the Structure of Ketamine-Assisted EMDR with Dr. Montalvo?
How is Fit Determined ?
Additional Questions ?
Sometimes you know you want to heal, but the week to week pace of therapy can feel slow, hard to schedule, or like you are spending most of the session just catching up. EMDR Intensives offer a more focused option. They are extended sessions designed to create meaningful momentum in a shorter period of time, with more continuity and dedicated space to do deeper work. Instead of weekly 50 minute appointments, an intensive provides a longer block of time to help you settle in, stay with the process, and leave with a clearer sense of closure and direction.
EMDR Intensives can be a strong fit for clients who want structured, thoughtful support and are ready to work more directly with specific triggers, memories, or patterns that keep showing up in daily life. Some people are highly functional on the outside but feel internally overwhelmed, reactive, or stuck in cycles of anxiety, self doubt, shutdown, or burnout. Others know exactly what they want to target, such as a distressing event, a recurring fear response, a relationship trigger, or a difficult life transition, and want dedicated time to move through it with more depth and continuity than a weekly session allows.
While EMDR is well known for treating trauma and PTSD, intensives can also be helpful for concerns like anxiety and panic, chronic stress and burnout, grief, and periods of major change. This format often works well for people with demanding schedules, frequent travel, or limited availability for weekly therapy, as well as those who feel they have gained insight in talk therapy but are still carrying the emotional or body based charge of past experiences.
Longer sessions provide time to settle in, clarify what is most important to target, and move through the work at a steady pace within the window of tolerance. Many clients find that intensives reduce the start and stop feeling that can happen from week to week and allow for a more complete closing, including grounding and a plan for aftercare. For some clients, intensives can also be a way to make meaningful progress without needing to extend therapy over a long period of time, especially when schedules are demanding or consistent weekly sessions are difficult.
Dr. Montalvo offers EMDR Intensives as a structured process with support before and after the intensive session. Preparation and integration sessions are scheduled separately to help clients feel grounded, clear, and supported throughout the work.
Preparation Session (50 minutes): Focuses on resourcing, stabilization skills, and collaborative planning. Time is spent identifying targets, clarifying goals, and ensuring the intensive session is paced in a way that feels manageable and effective.
EMDR Intensive Session (2 hours): The focused reprocessing session, with enough time for continuity, deeper work, and a thorough close.
Integration Session (50 minutes): A follow up session to support reflection, nervous system regulation, and integration of insights into daily life, with attention to aftercare and next steps.
An intensive is not automatically better for everyone. The right pace depends on stability, current stressors, available supports, and the nature of what is being worked through. A brief consultation and assessment helps determine whether an intensive is a good fit and what approach will be most supportive.
Ketamine Assisted EMDR combines a low, psycholytic dose of ketamine with EMDR reprocessing to support deeper trauma and nervous system work. For some clients, ketamine can help quiet habitual thought loops, soften avoidance, and increase emotional tolerance, making it easier to stay present with difficult material. The goal is not to push faster, but to create conditions where the work can feel more accessible and better contained. Sessions are paced carefully, with an emphasis on safety, grounding, and nervous system regulation throughout.
Ketamine Assisted EMDR may be a good fit for clients who feel stuck in patterns that do not shift through insight alone, or who notice that talking about the past does not change how their body reacts in the present. It can be especially supportive for trauma work, including PTSD and complex trauma, and may also help clients navigating depression, anxiety, or persistent shutdown and overwhelm. This approach can also be helpful for people who have tried EMDR before but found it difficult to access emotions, stay within the window of tolerance, or move through avoidance.
Ketamine may support EMDR by increasing flexibility in the nervous system and creating a wider window of tolerance. Many clients describe feeling less guarded, more able to observe thoughts and emotions without getting pulled under them, and more capable of staying connected to the process. When paired with EMDR, this can help trauma related material be processed with steadiness, while still honoring pacing, consent, and the client’s internal readiness.
Dr. Montalvo offers Ketamine Assisted EMDR as a structured process with support before and after the ketamine session. Preparation and integration sessions are scheduled separately to help clients feel grounded, clear, and supported throughout the work.
Preparation Session (50 minutes): This session is conducted via telehealth and focuses on assessment of fit, informed consent, and collaborative planning. Time is spent reviewing resourcing and stabilization skills, clarifying intentions and target areas, and creating a personalized plan for the ketamine session, including pacing, safety, and aftercare.
Ketamine Assisted EMDR Session (1.5 or 2 Hours): This is the reprocessing session, using a low, psycholytic dose of ketamine alongside EMDR. Dr. Montalvo is present either in person or telehealth throughout to provide structure, grounding, and clinical support, with ample time for a thorough closing.
Integration Session (50 minutes): This follow up session is done via telehealth and supports processing insights, tracking shifts, and translating the work into daily life. Time is spent reinforcing regulation tools, addressing new material that may arise, and creating a clear plan for ongoing integration and next steps.
Ketamine Assisted EMDR is not appropriate for everyone. A consultation and assessment are used to determine safety and fit, including review of mental health history, current stability, and medical considerations. If it is a good match, the process is tailored to the client’s needs, with careful pacing and ongoing support.
Additionally clients must complete a medical evaluation with a psychiatrist or qualified medical provider who will determine medical eligibility and prescribe the ketamine if appropriate. The psychiatric evaluation and medication are provided by the prescribing clinician and are billed separately from Dr. Montalvo’s psychotherapy services.
If you have any questions that haven’t been answered here, feel free to reach out. Whether it’s about the therapeutic process, safety, scheduling, or anything else, I’m here to provide clarity and support. Don’t hesitate to contact me directly to discuss how EMDR Intensives or Ketamine-Assisted EMDR might be a fit for you.