EMDR + Somatic Therapy Intensives for Black Women and Women of Color in Virginia & Maryland
Focused trauma therapy for when you’re ready to go beyond understanding what happened and work with what still feels stuck.
You may already understand where your patterns come from. You’ve talked about what happened, learned coping skills, and gained insight along the way, but certain memories, triggers, beliefs, or body responses still feel trapped inside of you.
EMDR + Somatic Therapy Intensives give you dedicated, uninterrupted time to focus on a specific traumatic event without trying to unpack everything into the limits of a traditional therapy session.
Who Are Our EMDR + Somatic Therapy Intensives For?
EMDR + Somatic Therapy Intensives are for you if:
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You already know you want EMDR
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Maybe you've researched EMDR, had it recommended by another therapist, or previously experienced EMDR and want more uninterrupted processing time.
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You've already done therapy, but something still feels stuck
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You understand what happened. You can name the pattern. You may even know your triggers, but the emotional or physical reaction is still there.
An EMDR + Somatic Therapy Intensive might not be the best starting point if...
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You currently need a higher level of care or immediate crisis support.
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You need additional stabilization or preparation before concentrated trauma processing.
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You are looking primarily for ongoing supportive psychotherapy.
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Your current circumstances make it difficult to safely engage in or recover from extended trauma processing.
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Your clinical presentation indicates that a slower pace of treatment would better support your needs.
Readiness is determined individually during consultation and assessment.
Why choose an EMDR + Somatic Therapy Intensive?
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More uninterrupted time for focused trauma work
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Less time spent opening and closing the same target across multiple weekly appointments
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Dedicated space for preparation, processing and integration
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A focused treatment plan organized around a specific goal
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An option for clients who cannot or do not want to attend weekly therapy
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The ability to complete EMDR with another therapist while maintaining your relationship with your current therapist
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Time for intentional regulation, grounding and integration throughout the process
EMDR + Somatic Therapy Intensives matter, especially for Black Women
Black women are often expected to keep going, hold everything together, and carry the emotional needs of others, even while managing our own stress, grief, trauma, and exhaustion.
Over time, constantly pushing through can make it difficult to slow down long enough to notice what your mind and body have been carrying.
EMDR + Somatic Therapy Intensives create dedicated space to step away from the demands of everyday life and focus intentionally on your own healing.
This concentrated approach may offer:
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More uninterrupted time to work with specific traumatic memories, triggers, or deeply held beliefs
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Space to incorporate nervous-system regulation and body awareness throughout trauma processing
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A culturally responsive environment where strength does not have to mean carrying everything alone
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A focused alternative for women who want to move beyond insight and work more directly with the experiences that continue to affect them
The goal is not to rush the healing process. It is to create enough time, safety, and support for meaningful therapeutic work to unfold.
EMDR + Somatic Therapy Intensives with Ashley
Your EMDR + Somatic intensive is provided by Ashley Waddell, LCSW-S, an EMDR Certified Therapist and trauma specialist licensed in Virginia and Maryland. Her integrative approach combines EMDR with somatic interventions, parts work, nervous-system regulation and culturally responsive trauma care.
Ashley brings over a decade of experience supporting women navigating:
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Childhood trauma and emotional neglect
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Sexual trauma and boundary rupture
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Burnout, anxiety, people-pleasing, and chronic survival mode
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Disconnection from themselves, their bodies, or their faith
As a certified EMDR and wholistic therapist, Ashley understands the intersection of trauma, culture, and identity. Her work is deeply intuitive, yet grounded in neuroscience, attachment theory, and somatic research. If you’ve ever felt like “traditional therapy” wasn’t enough and something was missing during your therapy sessions, we get it. Let's work together. The goal isn’t to erase what happened. It's to help your mind and body finally process what you’ve been carrying, so the past can feel like a memory, not something you’re still living through.
