EMDR Therapy: Trauma Treatment That Works

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a powerful, evidence-based therapy that helps people process trauma, calm emotional reactivity, and finally find relief when nothing else has worked.

70% of EMDR patients saw relief from intense mental health symptoms in just three sessions ⓘ

What Is EMDR Therapy?

EMDR rewires how your brain stores distressing experiences so they stop triggering intense emotions, panic, or disconnection. It’s used worldwide to treat a variety of mental health issues — and often works faster than traditional talk therapy.

During a session, your therapist guides you through sets of eye movements, tapping, or sounds while you briefly focus on a memory or emotion. This activates your brain’s natural healing process, helping the memory lose its emotional charge so it no longer feels like it’s happening now.

Issues EMDR Helps

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Addiction Relapse Triggers
Sexual Assault
Panic Attacks & Phobias

Military Trauma
Childhood Trauma
Anxiety & Mood Disorders
Grief & Loss

EMDR is especially effective for people who feel stuck, emotionally reactive, or haunted by the past—especially if talk therapy alone hasn’t helped.

What to Expect During an EMDR Session

Every EMDR session is personalized and paced to your needs. You don’t jump into deep memories right away. Instead, your therapist helps build safety and trust first.

1 Preparation: You and your therapist work together to identify key memories, triggers, or symptoms to target. You’ll also learn grounding techniques to stay present and in control.

2 Reprocessing: While recalling a moment briefly, you’ll follow a set of back-and-forth eye movements, tapping, or sounds. This helps your brain “unstick” the memory and begin to process it from a place of safety.

3 Integration & Support: After the memory loses its intensity, your therapist helps reinforce new beliefs and track emotional changes so progress becomes lasting.

You Don’t Have to Talk About Everything

One of the most common fears people have about therapy is being forced to relive trauma. EMDR is different. You don’t have to describe every detail. You don’t even have to say it out loud. The process works by shifting how your brain stores the memory — not by retelling it.

Why EMDR Works When Talk Therapy Doesn’t

Trauma doesn’t just live in your thoughts — it lives in your nervous system.

Traditional therapy works through the thinking brain (prefrontal cortex), but trauma gets stored in deeper, emotional centers like the amygdala. EMDR directly accesses those regions, helping your brain unlink the past from the present.

That’s why so many people say EMDR helped when nothing else could.

Key Benefits of EMDR Therapy

After EMDR, people often say they feel lighter, clearer, or finally unstuck. Memories lose their grip. Emotional reactions soften.

You start responding to life as it is now—not as it was when things went wrong. It’s not about erasing the past. It’s about making peace with it.

Reduces flashbacks, triggers, and emotional outbursts
Works without needing to relive trauma or explain everything
Often effective in fewer sessions than talk therapy
Can improve anxiety, depression, sleep, and self-worth
Empowers your brain to heal from the inside out
Supports addiction recovery by processing root causes

Shorter Time to See Benefits

Everyone’s timeline is different, but EMDR often works faster than traditional therapy. Many people feel major shifts after just 3–5 reprocessing sessions.

Can be Combined with Other Treatments

MDR is part of a full spectrum of care at Indiana Center for Recovery. Some patients combine it with Biofeedback to calm their body first or with medications found to be helpful from GeneSight® genetic testing results. Other advanced options like Spravato® Ketamine Therapy or TMS can further help treatment-resistant symptoms.

No matter what you’re struggling with or how much treatment you’ve already tried, you can get better here!

Is EMDR Right for Me?

If you’ve been through trauma — or a difficult period that never fully healed — EMDR could be the next step forward. It’s especially helpful if:

You’ve tried therapy but still feel stuck
You avoid certain thoughts, places, or memories
You feel numb, reactive, or overwhelmed
You’re in recovery but haven’t addressed the emotional roots

Is EMDR Safe?

Yes! EMDR is safe, well-researched, and recommended by the American Psychiatric Association, the VA, and the World Health Organization.

You’re awake, in control, and fully supported the entire time. There are no medications, no side effects, and nothing is done to you. Your brain does the healing itself.

Yes, Treatment Is Covered By Insurance

Treatment here is usually in-network, so any cost to you is as low as possible — sometimes even zero. No one will be notified if you reach out. And, there’s no commitment to get answers.

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Deeply Experienced, Nationally-Recognized Mental Health Experts

Dr. Michael Kane MD

Chief Medical Director (Psychiatrist)

Double board-certified in Psychiatry and Family Medicine, Dr. Kane brings over a decade of experience treating complex mental health issues. Featured in Newsweek, PsychCentral, and MSN, he’s known for helping people feel seen, while delivering real results through medication and advanced therapies. Patients trust him to treat the whole person, not just the symptoms.

Jackie Daniels LCSW

Director of Clinical Development (Therapist)

Jackie is a licensed therapist, national speaker, and in long-term recovery herself. With 20+ years of clinical experience, she’s led major statewide efforts—like expanding Naloxone access and launching Indiana University’s first Collegiate Recovery Program. She’s known treatment models that is not only evidence-based but deeply rooted in lived experience.

It Starts With A Simple Call

If nothing has worked—or if you’re ready to stop carrying the weight of the past—EMDR can help you take your next step forward.

We’ll walk you through everything.

100% Confidential

No judgment

No commitment

(844) 650-0064

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With EMDR I am back to normal and feeling better than ever. I can say my confidence has been multiplied by like a 1000 times. Never felt like this in my life. It might not work for everyone, but when it does, it's amazing!

Anonymous

I am another EMDR success story. Because of EMDR, I have my life back. I went through 6 therapists doing talk therapy over a decade and a half and I accomplished far more far faster with EMDR.

Searchforcourage

Just got out of a session and I feel a huge weight lifted off of me that I didn't even know was there. I finally accessed the part of me that was trapped inside the memory. The memory is still there but it's not a deep pit. I can get into and out of it easily with no ill effects. The visuals aren't overwhelming. And, I have new confidence knowing how powerful my mind is.

Mylife