When Healing Happens in One Day: The Power of a Child-Focused EMDR Intensive
by Kristina Silvestry, MA, NCC, LPC, ACS, CCTP, RYT-500
Some moments stay with a child long after the world assumes they should be “fine.” Even in the most loving, supportive families, the kind with grandparents who show up, parents who listen, and aunts and uncles who care, certain experiences can land so hard in a child’s nervous system that they become stuck.
Recently, I had the honor of working with a young client who endured a distressing incident at home. Nothing dramatic. Nothing chaotic. Just one of those moments that felt overwhelming to their small body and young brain. Their world tilted, and despite the steady, incredible support of their family, something inside remained unsettled.
Their sense of safety shifted.
Their confidence wobbled.
School, which once felt predictable and familiar, suddenly became a place their body no longer trusted.
This is what perceived trauma does, especially for children:
It’s not the size of the event.
It’s the way their nervous system experiences it.
Why a One-Day EMDR Intensive for Kids?
When a child’s worry grows quickly or begins to take over daily life, we sometimes need more than weekly therapy sessions spaced out over time. A one-day EMDR intensive creates a soft, contained space where a child and their parent can slow down, breathe, and gently move through the stuck pieces without rushing, forcing, or the pressure of “holding it together” for school or activities.
During this intensive, we spent the morning exploring the thoughts that had taken root after their experience. We named them slowly: the fears, the assumptions, the “what ifs,” the body sensations that showed up the moment they imagined walking back into school.
Then, piece by piece, we began to challenge those beliefs and build new ones.
Ones rooted in truth, safety, and self-worth.
The Bravery Children Bring into the Room
This child worked incredibly hard. Trauma work is challenging even for adults, and yet this child showed a level of courage I wish the world could witness.
They pushed through tears.
They pushed through a queasy stomach.
They pushed through the instinct to retreat.
And in that brave space, their brain began to reach for something new. The child created the most beautiful, strong, self-loving statements, truths that belonged to them all along but had been temporarily overshadowed by fear.
To witness this shift is one of the most sacred parts of this work.
A Moment of Family Healing
During lunch, I wrote a personalized meditation tailored to the child’s needs, something soothing, grounding, and empowering. Another one of our staff members delivered the meditation while both the child and their mother were present.
What happened next felt like a moment of collective healing:
A child’s nervous system settling.
A mother absorbing the peace in her child’s breath.
A shared experience of safety returning.
These are the moments that stay with families forever.
What One Day Can Do
A few days later, I received a few messages from the mother, the kind that makes this work feel like the greatest privilege of my life. At the end of all of it she relayed she felt like she had her child back.
The spark.
The resilience.
The ability to bounce back from distress.
And most importantly, her child’s genuine laugh.
There is nothing in the world that compares to seeing a child reclaim themselves after fear has taken hold.
Nothing.
Will a One-Day EMDR Intensive Work for My Child?
So many families arrive carrying worries, the sudden anxiety that seems to take over mornings, the school refusal that wasn’t there last week, the stomach aches or headaches that show up like clockwork, the overwhelm during transitions, the perfectionism, the fear of getting sick, the shutdown moments, the clinginess after something stressful, or that one experience that didn’t look traumatic to adults but landed hard in their child’s small body.
During a one-day intensive, a child receives something truly restorative: a full day off from school, a day where they can breathe without pressure or expectations, a day where they sit in my office with their favorite snacks while we gently tend to everything their nervous system has been carrying.
And throughout this slower, softer day, we work through the struggles that have been weighing them down, including:
Anxiety, “what if” spirals, and panic sensations
School avoidance and transition challenges
Stomachaches, nausea, headaches, or fear of getting sick
Emotional overwhelm, shutdown, or big feelings that feel like “too much”
Separation anxiety and fear of being alone
Grief, medical trauma, sensory overload, bullying, or peer distress
Moments that felt tiny to adults but enormous inside a child’s nervous system
For so many children, this single day creates the shift their parents have been desperately hoping for. I always say we are not out of the weeds; ongoing support through weekly therapy to sustain the shifts is crucial to maintaining the newfound healing.
Why Intensives Work So Well for Kids
EMDR intensives are effective for children because they:
Provide uninterrupted time for the nervous system to settle and process.
Offer deep emotional support without the pressure of weekly time limits.
Help kids process stuck experiences in developmentally appropriate ways.
Include parents in the healing, strengthening connection and co-regulation.
Create momentum, accelerating healing that might otherwise take months.
Trauma doesn't need to be dramatic or huge to be real.
And healing doesn’t always need months to unfold.
Sometimes, with the right support, the right structure, the right people in the room, and the right people at home, it can happen in a single day.
If your child has experienced a moment that changed the way they see themselves or the world, they don’t have to carry it alone. One-day EMDR Intensives are designed to restore safety, confidence, and emotional ease, gently, deeply, and compassionately. Reach out to us to discuss what it could look like for your child.
And witnessing that transformation will forever remain one of the greatest honors of my work.
FAQs About EMDR Intensives for Kids
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A one-day EMDR intensive is a full-day therapeutic model that allows a child to process anxiety, fear, or distress in a calm, uninterrupted environment using EMDR therapy and supportive activities.
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Of course a parent is always involved, which is the biggest difference. Otherwise, they are much like adult sessions. We explore thoughts that have taken root from a traumatic event or life experience. We work through them slowly and with intention — naming them — the fears, the assumptions, the “what ifs,” and the body sensations that arise at key times. Then piece by piece, we began to challenge those beliefs and build new, healthy ones.
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If anxiety escalates quickly, school refusal appears suddenly, or your child seems stuck despite support, an EMDR intensive can create faster, deeper progress.
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Yes. EMDR is developmentally adaptable, gentle, and evidence-based for treating anxiety, trauma, and overwhelming experiences in children.
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No. The intensive jump-starts healing. Weekly therapy afterwards helps maintain and deepen the progress.
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Many parents notice significant shifts in emotional ease, confidence, and regulation within days. Ongoing therapy strengthens the change.