There’s a particular kind of pain that comes from being betrayed by someone you trusted deeply. It’s disorienting. It’s devastating. 

And it can make you question everything — your memories, your instincts, even your worth.

This isn’t just emotional heartbreak. It’s something deeper. Something that lives in the body and alters the brain.

At Alliance for Healing, we understand betrayal trauma as more than just a wound to the heart — it’s a kind of neurological injury. 

One that disrupts your ability to feel safe, to think clearly, and to trust again — not just others, but yourself.

That’s why healing from betrayal has to include the nervous system. And that’s where approaches like neurofeedback for trauma and visual journaling can be so powerful. They help the brain do what it was wired to do — find safety, make sense of experience, and slowly, gently, come back into balance.

Is neurofeedback effective for trauma?

We’ve seen it help so many people — especially those who feel stuck in trauma responses that talk therapy alone hasn’t shifted.

When you’ve experienced betrayal, your brain does what it’s supposed to do: it protects you. But in doing so, it can get caught in a kind of survival loop. 

Your limbic system (the part of your brain responsible for detecting danger) becomes hyper-alert. The default mode network — the part of your brain that helps you reflect and make meaning — starts spinning with intrusive thoughts. 

And the prefrontal cortex, which helps you regulate and think clearly, can go offline when the overwhelm is too much.

Neurofeedback for trauma gently works with all of these systems.

It doesn’t require you to talk about what happened. It doesn’t push you to re-live anything. Instead, it helps your brain notice what it’s doing and begin to shift on its own — from high-alert to grounded, from frozen to flexible.

Over time, people often describe feeling:

  • Less emotionally reactive

  • More clear-headed

  • More able to sleep and focus

  • Less haunted by memories or regrets

It’s not magic. It’s the nervous system doing what it knows how to do — once we give it the space and support to do it.

What is the best therapy for trauma?

The honest answer? The best therapy is the one that meets you where you are.

Trauma healing isn’t linear, and it’s not one-size-fits-all. At Alliance for Healing, we often use neurofeedback for trauma as a starting point, especially when the nervous system feels overrun or shut down. It’s a way of creating enough internal safety so that deeper work becomes possible.

But we don’t stop there.

We also use:

  • Relational, attachment-focused therapy to explore how trust was broken — and what healing might look like

  • Visual journaling, which can be a gentle and powerful way to rebuild your internal narrative and reconnect to yourself

  • Body-based approaches, helping you learn how to listen to your cues and support your regulation in real time

Betrayal often leaves you feeling like you’ve lost your compass. We’re here to help you slowly find your way back to it — through steady, personalized support.

What is better: EMDR or neurofeedback?

This is a question we hear often, and it’s a good one. Both are valuable tools — and they work in different ways.

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a structured therapy that focuses on specific memories and uses bilateral stimulation to help the brain reprocess them.

It’s often very effective, especially for people who are ready to work directly with specific events.

Neurofeedback for trauma, on the other hand, is less focused on content and more focused on regulation. 

It helps calm the nervous system without needing to talk about what happened. That’s incredibly helpful when the trauma is complex, when the memories are unclear, or when things still feel too raw to put into words.

So which is better? It depends on where you are in your healing process. Many people start with neurofeedback for trauma to create internal stability, and then move into EMDR or other talk therapies later, once it feels more manageable.

Sometimes it’s not about choosing one over the other — it’s about layering the right support at the right time.

Does insurance pay for neurofeedback?

Sometimes yes, sometimes no — and we know how frustrating that answer is.

Some insurance plans cover neurofeedback for trauma under biofeedback services, especially when it’s used for conditions like PTSD, anxiety, or sleep disturbance. Other plans still consider it “experimental” and don’t offer coverage. It’s slowly changing — but we’re not there yet.

Here’s what we recommend:

  • Check your plan for coverage under CPT code 90901 (biofeedback, unspecified)

  • Ask if your plan covers out-of-network providers

  • If you have an HSA or FSA, you can often use those funds for neurofeedback for trauma

  • We can provide a superbill for you to submit to insurance

At Alliance for Healing, we know finances are part of the equation — and we’re committed to helping you explore options without pressure or shame. You’re already carrying enough.

Rebuilding after betrayal: Why your brain matters

When you’ve been betrayed — especially by someone you trusted — the injury doesn’t just live in your memories. It lives in your nervous system.

You might feel constantly on edge. Or numb. Or like you can’t stop thinking about it, even when you try.
You might question your own judgment, or replay the moment when everything changed, wondering what you missed.

All of this makes sense. Your brain is doing what it learned to do in response to threat. But now, it needs help finding a new path.

That’s where neurofeedback for trauma comes in. And it’s also where practices like visual journaling can offer support — helping you name what happened, reconnect to your inner voice, and slowly rebuild self-trust.

Healing isn’t about erasing what happened. It’s about making space for the whole story — including your strength, your survival, and the possibility of something different moving forward.

You’re not overreacting. You’re not broken.

If you’re reading this and wondering why you still feel so impacted by something that happened months or even years ago, please hear this:

You’re not weak. You’re not crazy. You’re not making too much of it.

Betrayal changes us. But it doesn’t have to define us.

At Alliance for Healing, we work with people every day who are healing from relational trauma, betrayal, and the lingering impacts of lost trust. 

We see how deeply it affects the brain, the body, and the spirit — and we also see what’s possible when healing is approached with gentleness and respect for the nervous system.

If you’re curious about neurofeedback for trauma, or just want a place to begin again, we’re here.

You don’t have to put yourself back together alone. You never should’ve had to.



Locations

Arden Hills

8 Pine Tree Drive, Suite 250
Arden Hills, MN 55112

White Bear Lake

4505 White Bear Pkwy, Suite 1500
White Bear Lake, MN 55110

Contact Us

Call

(651) 493-8150 

Fax

(651) 493-9335 

Email

admin@aheartt.com