EMDR Therapy for Anxiety: How It Works and Who It Helps

It’s likely you’ve heard of EMDR before, even if you don’t know exactly what it is. And if you have heard of it, odds are you’ve heard it’s commonly used for processing trauma.

Whether you’ve heard about it or not, EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It is a highly effective form of therapy that uses bilateral stimulation (eye movements, tapping, tones, etc.) to process difficult memories and change the way they are stored in the brain in order to reduce distress.

Side note: I know it’s a bit odd that moving your eyes back and forth can help with something like this. I was skeptical myself before I went through the training and saw how effective EMDR can be. (You can dive into the research here and learn more about EMDR here.)

EMDR therapy is not only effective for trauma and PTSD. EMDR has also been found to be helpful for people struggling with persistent anxiety, by desensitizing and reprocessing memories that are connected to current fears.

So how does EMDR work for people struggling with anxiety, even if they don’t have a history of trauma?

First of all, anxiety is a normal human emotion. It helps prepare our bodies for threats and allows us to take action when needed. The problem is when anxiety becomes excessive and is experienced repeatedly, even when there is no real threat.

Anxiety may present in different ways, such as constant worry about a variety of events and responsibilities, feeling nervous in social settings with worry about judgment from others, or having panic attacks where it feels like your heart is beating out of your chest and you might pass out. While ongoing symptoms may or may not be rooted in past trauma, when anxiety is felt chronically it usually means there are memories that hold a similar felt sense of fear and worry in the body.

EMDR can help ease anxiety by assisting the brain in processing through memory networks where anxiety is a common theme. Through this process, the brain can begin to recognize these experiences as just memories, rather than danger happening in the present moment which contributes to ongoing anxiety.

Here’s a brief example to help illustrate the process. Imagine you are someone who tends to feel anxious in large crowds, such as at concerts or in a crowded grocery store. (This is a common fear, so if that’s you—you’re not alone.) Now imagine that settings like this have triggered anxiety since you were a young child. Through EMDR, you might recall an early memory related to this, such as getting separated from a caregiver in a store, or feeling overwhelmed by the amount of sounds, smells, and visual stimulation.

Sometimes there may be no clear recollection of a specific memory, but rather a felt sense of fear that seems to date back to childhood.

There may also be a negative belief associated with the memory that still shows up in the present, such as “I’m not safe” or “I can’t handle this,” which can continue to fuel anxiety.

EMDR works to not only desensitize memories connected to current anxiety triggers, but also to install new, more adaptive beliefs about yourself that support feelings like confidence and calm.

To clarify, EMDR is not a miracle cure that will magically remove anxiety. It is likely to help reduce the intensity or frequency of anxiety, but I can’t promise that you will never feel nervous again in moments when it is not necessary. It can also take work to build tolerance for uncomfortable feelings and moving through activating memories is part of the process.

And yet, I have seen EMDR provide relief for many clients who had been suffering and I believe it is a powerful tool for healing.

I personally love supporting clients who feel chronically overwhelmed and anxious through EMDR therapy because of how freeing it can be. As with many forms of therapy, it may feel uncomfortable for a while or even feel like things get worse before they get better, but it really can get better.

If you are interested in online EMDR therapy for anxiety in Oregon, feel free to reach out to schedule a consultation.