EMDR Therapy in Indianapolis
Trauma-focused EMDR therapy for adults dealing with distressing memories, PTSD symptoms, triggers, anxiety, shame, and experiences that still feel much more present than they would like them to.
You may understand exactly what happened. Your body may still be reacting like it happened Tuesday.
Maybe you know the relationship is over. You know the accident ended. You know you survived the medical experience. You know you are no longer living in that house, working for that person, married to that person, or trapped in that situation.
Logically? You know.
And yet something in you still reacts.
You can understand your history beautifully and still have a nervous system that apparently did not attend the meeting.
That is one place EMDR therapy may help.
What is EMDR therapy?
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. Yes. It is an unfortunate quantity of words. 😂
EMDR is a structured trauma-focused psychotherapy that helps people work with distressing memories and the thoughts, emotions, beliefs, and body sensations connected to them.
Identify what is still getting activated
You and your therapist identify memories, beliefs, emotions, or experiences that continue creating distress now.
Use bilateral stimulation
You briefly focus on a treatment target while using eye movements, alternating taps, or alternating sounds.
Help the memory feel like a memory
The goal is not to erase what happened. It is to reduce the sense that your mind and body still need to respond as though it is happening now.
A short explanation from EMDRIA
EMDR can sound a little strange when you first hear about it. This short video from the EMDR International Association explains the eight phases of EMDR therapy and what people may experience during treatment.
It also makes an important point: EMDR is much more than eye movements. Assessment, treatment planning, preparation, processing, closure, and reevaluation are all part of the work.
Learn more from EMDRIA →We do not start with the worst thing that has ever happened to you.
Before trauma processing, your therapist needs to understand you, what you want help with, what happens when you become overwhelmed, and what resources you have available.
Preparation matters
We look at grounding, coping resources, current stressors, support, and your ability to stay present with difficult material.
You remain in control
You are awake and aware. You can talk, ask questions, slow down, pause, or stop. EMDR is not hypnosis.
Pacing is individualized
Sometimes preparation is straightforward. Sometimes it takes longer. Treatment should fit the person—not the clock.
Do I have to tell my therapist every detail of what happened?
No.
Your therapist needs enough information to understand what you are working on and help guide treatment. But EMDR does not inherently require a detailed verbal retelling of every moment of a traumatic experience.
Those can all be useful starting points.
Want to separate the internet weirdness from the actual therapy? Read EMDR Myths and Facts: 5 Things People Get Wrong About EMDR .
What can EMDR therapy help with?
EMDR has especially strong research support as a treatment for PTSD and trauma-related distress. People may also seek EMDR when difficult past experiences appear connected to current symptoms or patterns.
Trauma + PTSD
Intrusive memories, nightmares, triggers, avoidance, hypervigilance, or feeling as though part of you is still living in something that ended.
Childhood experiences
Criticism, neglect, instability, abuse, bullying, or family dynamics that continue shaping how you see yourself.
Anxiety + panic
Especially when anxiety seems connected to previous experiences, particular memories, or situations your nervous system learned to treat as dangerous.
Betrayal + relationship trauma
Infidelity, deception, emotional abuse, coercion, or experiences that changed the way you understand trust and safety.
Grief + loss
Particularly when one moment, image, circumstance, or part of a loss remains intensely distressing.
Medical trauma
Difficult procedures, frightening diagnoses, emergencies, childbirth experiences, illness, or times your body felt outside your control.
You do not need to win the Trauma Olympics to deserve help.
A more useful question is: Is something that happened before still shaping how I feel, react, relate, or function now?
If anxiety is the bigger issue, learn more about anxiety therapy in Indianapolis .
What does EMDR therapy actually feel like?
Usually much less dramatic than people imagine.
During the processing portion of EMDR, your therapist may ask you to notice a particular image or memory along with the emotions, beliefs, and body sensations connected to it.
Then you engage in a short period of bilateral stimulation. Your therapist may ask:
Nothing is also an answer. 😂
Sometimes 55 minutes is exactly right. Sometimes it feels like a ridiculous place to stop.
Most EMDR happens in ordinary weekly therapy sessions, and that can be an excellent fit.
But some people repeatedly find themselves finally settled, connected to the work, and ready to continue just as the session needs to end.
An EMDR intensive provides a longer protected block of treatment time. It is not automatically better or faster. It is simply a different container.
Want more uninterrupted time for focused trauma work?
Jenny Staats provides 3- and 6-hour EMDR intensive options for people who may benefit from more time to prepare, process, take breaks, and integrate without repeatedly stopping and restarting.
Meet our EMDR therapists in Indianapolis
High Thrive is a small team with actual specialties. You do not need a therapist who does everything. You need the therapist who makes sense for what you are dealing with.
Jenny Staats, LMSW
Jenny works with teens, young adults, and adults around trauma, anxiety, depression, ADHD, overwhelm, and life transitions.
Her style is warm, practical, and collaborative. Jenny provides both weekly EMDR therapy and extended EMDR intensives.
Jill Frame, LMFT, CST
Jill works with adults around trauma, grief, anxiety, depression, betrayal, relationship patterns, and sexual concerns.
Her training includes EMDR and Internal Family Systems-informed EMDR. Her style is warm, direct, curious, and collaborative.
Christie Jansing, LCSW
Christie works with adults navigating trauma, anxiety, depression, family stress, parenting concerns, and major life transitions.
Her work includes EMDR and trauma-focused therapy with a thoughtful, grounded approach.
Sometimes trauma looks like feeling nothing.
People often imagine trauma as panic, fear, nightmares, or flashbacks. Sometimes it is.
And sometimes trauma looks surprisingly quiet.
You may feel numb. Disconnected. Unable to cry. Unable to feel much of anything. Or you may function extremely well while feeling vaguely as though you are watching your own life from several feet away.
Read: Emotional Numbing After Trauma →You do not necessarily need to process every detail immediately.
After an acute traumatic event, safety, stabilization, sleep, support, basic needs, and giving your nervous system some time can matter enormously.
Trauma treatment is not a race to see how quickly you can get to the hardest memory.
Read: What to Do After Witnessing a Traumatic Event →Keep reading if your brain would like more information first.
Completely fair. Here are three useful places to go next.
EMDR Myths and Facts
Is EMDR hypnosis? Do you have to describe your trauma in detail? Let’s sort out what is actually true.
Emotional Numbing After Trauma
When “I don’t feel anything” may actually be your nervous system doing quite a lot behind the scenes.
After Witnessing a Traumatic Event
What may happen after a frightening event, what can be normal, and what may help during the immediate aftermath.
EMDR therapy in Indianapolis
High Thrive Counseling provides in-person EMDR therapy in Broad Ripple for clients throughout Indianapolis and surrounding Central Indiana communities.
Online therapy is also available throughout Indiana, with Florida telehealth available depending on therapist licensure and fit.
6229 Indianola Ave
Indianapolis, IN 46220
Convenient to Broad Ripple, Meridian-Kessler and surrounding Indianapolis communities.
A few things people usually want to know about EMDR
Is EMDR evidence-based?
EMDR is a structured trauma-focused psychotherapy with substantial research supporting its use for PTSD and trauma-related symptoms.
Do I have to talk about my trauma in detail?
Not necessarily. Your therapist needs enough information to understand the treatment target, but EMDR does not inherently require a detailed verbal retelling of every part of the experience.
Is EMDR hypnosis?
No. You remain awake, aware, and in control throughout EMDR therapy. You can ask questions, slow down, pause, or stop.
How long does EMDR therapy take?
There is no universal number of sessions. Treatment length depends on what you want to work on, your history, current circumstances, readiness, and treatment goals.
Can EMDR help if I already understand my trauma?
Potentially, yes. Some people seek EMDR precisely because they understand what happened intellectually but continue to experience strong emotional, physical, or nervous-system reactions.
Do you offer EMDR intensives?
Yes. High Thrive Counseling offers EMDR intensives in Indianapolis with Jenny Staats for clients who may benefit from a longer block of focused treatment time.
Can I do EMDR online?
Telehealth EMDR may be available when clinically appropriate. High Thrive offers online therapy throughout Indiana, with Florida telehealth available depending on therapist licensure.
How do I know whether EMDR is right for me?
You do not have to decide that before contacting us. A consultation gives you a chance to describe what has been happening and talk about whether EMDR, another trauma-focused treatment, weekly therapy, or an intensive format makes the most sense.
You don’t have to keep organizing your life around something that already happened.
Maybe you have talked about it. Understood it. Analyzed it. Avoided it. Pushed through it. Told yourself you should be over it. And yet there it is— still showing up in your body, relationships, sleep, emotions, or the way you see yourself.
You do not have to know whether EMDR is the answer before you contact us. That is what the conversation is for.