Warm, sunlit psychotherapy office in Arlington MA for EMDR therapy
BILATERAL STIMULATION • ADAPTIVE INFORMATION PROCESSING • EMDR THERAPY
Arlington • Cambridge • Greater Boston

EMDR Intensives for Trauma & Complex Trauma

When 50 minutes at a time isn't enough.

Focused 2-, 3-, and 4-hour EMDR sessions provide extended time for deep, uninterrupted work involving trauma, complex trauma, painful relationships, attachment wounds, grief, shame, and unresolved experiences. Offering specialized EMDR therapy for Arlington, Cambridge, and Greater Boston clients.

"EMDR does not erase what happened or ask you to excuse the people who hurt you. Instead, it helps reduce the fear, shame, guilt, hypervigilance, and emotional pain that may still be living in your body."

Schedule a Free 15-Minute Consultation See Intensive Options
Christina Carlson, LMHC, PhD • EMDR Certified Therapist
Christina Carlson, LMHC, PhD - Certified EMDR Therapist providing EMDR therapy Cambridge & Arlington MA
Christina Carlson, LMHC, PhD Licensed Mental Health Counselor
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FREQUENCY BREATHWORK • BILATERAL STIMULATION • SOMATIC REPROCESSING • INTERNAL FAMILY SYSTEMS (IFS) • DEEP TRAUMA RESOLUTION • MIND-BODY CALM INTEGRATION • EMDR INTENSIVES •
Peaceful ocean shoreline background symbolizing trauma recovery and grounding
Background & Clinical Journey

An Integrative Synthesis of Scholarship & Clinical Practice

Academic Foundations

Before becoming a trauma therapist, I completed an undergraduate degree at Harvard and a PhD in English Literature at the University of Chicago, then taught at Emerson College for twelve years.

Early Clinical Experience

Earlier in my career, I worked at Advocates in Framingham and Riverside Behavioral Care in Newton, where I treated people with complex trauma and serious emotional distress.

Clinical Specialization

Areas of Clinical Focus

My clinical work focuses on trauma, EMDR, IFS, bipolar disorder, narcissistic abuse, and complex relationship patterns.

I also have experience working with borderline personality disorder, dissociation, and DID.

Advanced EMDR Credentials

I am a certified EMDR therapist and have completed extensive advanced training, consultation, continuing education, and supervised clinical practice in EMDR.

Read Full Biography & Credentials
Neuro-Biological Trauma Healing

What Is EMDR Therapy?

Trauma does not always respond to insight alone. You may understand what happened, talk about it clearly, and still find that your body reacts before your mind can catch up.

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is an evidence-based trauma treatment that utilizes bilateral stimulation to help unblock the brain's natural Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) system—allowing disturbing memories to lose their emotional charge.

Learn How EMDR Works

Key Mechanisms of EMDR

  • Body-Based Processing: Bypasses purely intellectual insight to heal autonomic panic and hypervigilance.
  • Bilateral Stimulation: Alternating visual, auditory, or tactile cues to soothe physical distress.
  • AIP Model: Integrates stuck traumatic memories into adaptive neural networks for lasting relief.
Concentrated Therapy Format

EMDR Intensives

For individuals who want more time and depth than a 50-minute weekly session allows. Extended half-day or multi-day intensive blocks provide space for focused, uninterrupted trauma processing.

Extended Sessions: Extended sessions can allow more time for preparation, sustained processing, grounding, and closure than is possible within a traditional 50-minute appointment.
In-Person Practice: Held at my peaceful clinical office in Arlington, Massachusetts.
Schedule a Free 15-Minute Consultation

Who Benefits from an Intensive?

  • People with busy schedules or demanding careers who prefer focused blocks of time.
  • Clients feeling stuck in traditional talk therapy who need deep body-centered breakthrough.
  • Individuals preparing for major life transitions, career changes, or relational steps.
Transparent Investment & Rates

Fees & Practice Investment

Clear and upfront information regarding session rates, initial consultations, intensive therapy packages, and out-of-network reimbursement.

Complimentary

15-Min Consultation

$0

Brief phone consultation to discuss your goals and determine if an intensive is a fit.

Initial Assessment

90-Min Assessment

$450

Comprehensive initial clinical assessment and customized treatment planning.

EMDR Intensives

EMDR Intensives from $600

From $600

2 hours: $600 • 3 hours: $900 • 4 hours: $1,200

See Intensive Options
Schedule a Free 15-Minute Consultation View All Fee & Insurance Details
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Therapeutic Growth

Through Our Work Together, You May Begin To:

01

Feel safer and more grounded in relationships

02

Trust your own perceptions and decisions

03

Respond to the present rather than reliving the past

04

Feel less alone during periods of distress

05

Release shame, blame, and guilt that never truly belonged to you

The Therapeutic Purpose

"The goal is not simply to understand that you are not at fault. It is to help that truth feel real, settled, and lasting."

— Christina Carlson, LMHC, PhD
Demonstration & Grounding

Interactive Bilateral Stimulation Demo

Follow the glowing orb from left to right while keeping your head comfortably still. You may also turn on alternating audio tones. This brief demonstration lets you experience the rhythmic bilateral stimulation commonly used during EMDR therapy.

This interactive exercise is for demonstration and grounding only. It is not EMDR therapy and does not involve trauma processing.

That distinction is important. APA describes EMDR as a structured psychotherapy involving much more than bilateral stimulation: assessment, preparation, target identification, processing, and other standardized procedures. BLS by itself is not EMDR.

Breath Guide: Ready when you are...
0 Reprocess Passes
Pace:
Practice Location & Service Area

EMDR Therapy for Cambridge, Arlington & Greater Boston

Located in Arlington, Massachusetts, the practice is minutes from Cambridge and directly accessible to clients traveling from Cambridge, Somerville, Belmont, Medford, Lexington, and Boston.

Minutes from Cambridge, MA

Convenient direct access along Massachusetts Avenue from Harvard Square, Porter Square, and North Cambridge with calm, confidential in-person sessions.

Extended EMDR Intensives

Ideal for busy Cambridge professionals, university faculty, physicians, and students who prefer concentrated multi-hour sessions over months of weekly therapy.

Specialized Trauma Care

Evidence-based trauma treatment for complex PTSD, attachment wounds, narcissistic abuse recovery, and high-functioning dissociation.

Schedule an Initial Call

Ready to Discuss an EMDR Intensive?

Take the next step with a focused, confidential phone conversation with Christina Carlson, LMHC, PhD to explore your treatment goals and see whether an intensive format is right for you.

Schedule a Free 15-Minute Consultation About Christina Carlson