What EMDR Can & Can't Do for Anxiety
Takeaway: EMDR is a highly effective therapy approach, but is it right for anxiety? This guide breaks down how EMDR can help with anxiety (and its limitations) so you can make an informed decision about getting help.
Do you find yourself wondering "Can EMDR help with anxiety?" You're not alone. When you're experiencing high anxiety levels or panic, you may feel desperate for relief. EMDR treatment can be life changing and reduce negative symptoms quickly. But here's the thing- while EMDR is a powerful tool for anxiety, it isn't magic. EMDR can help some types of anxiety disorders, especially those related to traumatic events, but it doesn't help with all anxious thoughts and feelings. I'm Allison Barton and I'm a certified EMDR therapist. I've been working with clients for 10 years and specialize in treating anxiety, perfectionism, and trauma. In this article, we'll discuss how EMDR treatment can effectively treat anxiety, along with the anxiety symptoms that may not respond well to this approach.
Quick overview of EMDR therapy for anxiety
EMDR is based on the Adaptive Information Processing model, which rests on the basic principle that EMDR can facilitate your brain's natural ability to heal. EMDR targets episodic memories, or the specific moments tied to trauma. Anxious feelings are often the emotional consequence of your brain storing a past experience as traumatic. EMDR is a therapy technique that helps your brain update traumatic memories, so your body and emotions no longer react as if the danger is happening right now.
Many clients find that EMDR for anxiety reduces panic attacks and anxiety responses by calming their nervous system. EMDR was developed for treating PTSD and other mental health conditions related to trauma. However, studies have also found it to be highly effective in treating other mental health disorders including anxiety disorders, panic disorder, eating disorders, obsessive compulsive disorders, and addiction. Anxiety treatment can also include exposure therapy, talk therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Let's explore the types of anxiety EDMR is particularly effective for, as well as symptoms EMDR may not be effective in treating.
| EMDR can help… | But it won’t… |
|---|---|
| trauma-related anxiety | reduce anxiety without a trauma component |
| trigger-specific anxiety | erase normal anxiety |
| negative core beliefs that cause anxiety | help you learn anxiety coping skills |
| body-based stress responses | work when you can't stay grounded |
| perfectionism and performance anxiety | address anxiety from medical/hormonal issues |
A deeper look at how EMDR can help with anxiety
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a highly effective treatment for healing traumatic experiences and anxiety. Using EMDR for anxiety can also be helpful in lowering anxious feelings, reducing negative beliefs that keep anxiety stuck, and lowering anxious body sensations. For the following issues, EMDR can offer significant improvement:
Trauma-related Anxiety
Through desensitization and reprocessing, the brain learns to store distressing experiences in a less triggering way, which leads to decreased anxiety. Some events that cause anxiety include past failures, traumatic medical experiences, or early attachment wounds. Traumatic events often cause residual anxiety because they make individuals fearful that similar experiences could happen again. This is called hyper-vigilance, when your brain processes survival information as if you’re in danger, keeping you on high alert. Over time, this constant readiness can create physical tension, tightness, and feelings of anxiety. The EMDR process involves reducing anxiety by reprocessing traumatic events so the individual does not remain stuck in hyper-vigilance.
Trigger-specific Anxiety
If you experience trigger-specific anxiety, EMDR can be highly effective. This caninclude anxiety caused by public speaking, driving, being in certain places, or being around certain people. The way EMDR for anxiety works is through using eye movements while visualizing the triggering event in order to reduce the emotional intensity experienced by the client. When the trigger is identified and processed, anxiety can be significantly relieved because the client learns to identify other, non-anxiety inducing responses to the trigger.
Negative Core Beliefs
Negative core beliefs are often developed after disturbing events occur. These core beliefs can include "I'm not safe" or "I'm unlovable" and are the brain's way of making sense of the painful memories the person has experienced. When someone believes they are not safe or unlovable, they often experience anxiety symptoms due to these core beliefs. Bilateral stimulation in EMDR can offer a significant reduction of anxiety symptoms and further healing happens when positive beliefs are installed, including "I can protect myself" or "I'm lovable just as I am."
Body-based Stress Responses
Body-based stress responses include responses triggered by fight, flight, freeze, and fawn. Specific symptoms you might experience with body-based stress responses are difficulty breathing, increased heart rate, and tense muscles to name a few. These trauma responses are often related to previous traumatic events. EMDR treatment can facilitate improved mental health by helping the client process through the negative memory and physical sensations.
Perfectionism and Performance Anxiety
When perfectionism and performance anxiety contribute to heightened anxiety, EMDR can be helpful in reprocessing previous painful events. Often anxiety is related to early criticism or high-pressure childhood environments. EMDR facilitates anxiety reduction when the negative thoughts and physical symptoms tied to these memories are processed.
More on what EMDR can’t do for anxiety
EMDR therapy is a highly effective treatment for anxiety related to trauma disorders and negative core beliefs. That said, normal anxiety is necessary in keeping us safe. EMDR isn't always the best fit for every type of anxiety.
Reduce Anxiety Without a Trauma Component
If your anxiety doesn't have a trauma component, like being tied to a negative experience or a fear that you have, EMDR may not be as helpful in lowering anxiety. Some anxiety is related to lifestyle factors, chronic stress, and/or behavioral patterns. When there isn't a clear negative association with something that is heightening anxiety, EMDR is not the preferred treatment.
Erasing Normal Anxiety
Certain situations, like being in danger, having a big test, or presenting in an important meeting, are normal anxiety triggers. Anxiety is adaptive and helps us stay safe, whether that means protecting us in physically unsafe situations or protecting us in situations we perceive as unsafe. However, if the anxiety related to these situations causes a trauma response like fight or flight, EMDR is a highly effective treatment modality.
Replacing the Need for Coping Skills
Effective anxiety treatment includes mindfulness and relaxation strategies in addition to addressing the root cause of anxiety. This approach helps clients manage anxiety symptoms in the moment. These coping skills can also help increase a client's awareness of their anxiety triggers or previous memories that are tied to anxiety, which is hugely helpful in EMDR processing.
Addressing Anxiety from Medical/Hormonal Issues
At times, anxiety is caused from hormonal imbalances or other medical issues. Some medical issues like chronic illness, thyroid disorders, heart conditions, or respiratory conditions that cause shortness of breath can contribute to anxiety symptoms. In these cases, medication or hormone treatment may be more helpful in reducing anxiety symptoms than EMDR therapy.
Working When You Can't Stay Grounded
For EMDR processing to be an effective treatment, clients need to have the ability to stay grounded and shift from an activated state to a calm state effectively. If a person is unable to stay grounded, EMDR will not work for them and will not be a safe treatment option until the client has learned the necessary grounding skills.
When to consider EMDR therapy for anxiety
Now that we've discussed the basics of when EMDR therapy is and isn't helpful for anxiety, you may be wondering when the right time is to begin EMDR. Research continues to support the EMDR efficacy in treating anxiety disorders and related symptoms, including:
Panic attacks triggered by reminders of past events
Intrusive memories or flashbacks
Exaggerated startle response
When you're avoiding experiences related to painful memories (ex: you're avoiding driving a car after being involved in a car accident)
Perfectionism driven by fear of failure
Social anxiety related to experiences of being rejected or bullied
Specific phobias with identifiable origins (ex: you have a fear of dogs after being bitten by a dog in childhood)
Body-based anxiety responses, including fight/flight responses
When EMDR may not be the best fit (yet)
At times, different types of therapeutic support can create a strong foundation before beginning EMDR therapy. If you're experiencing any of the following, you may benefit from another type of therapy to increase insight and coping mechanisms before pursuing EMDR.
Generalized anxiety without clear triggers
Obsessive or intrusive thoughts without a trauma link
Severe panic attacks without an identifiable triggering event
If you're currently in crisis or an unsafe environment- these situations may lead to your brain not feeling safe enough to engage in reprocessing work until you are in a safer situation
What to expect from EMDR sessions
Once you have a sense of whether EMDR is the right fit for you, the next question you may have is what you can expect once you begin EMDR. EMDR works by using bilateral stimulation (rapid eye movement, tapping, or alternating sounds) to reprocess distressing events. It can be used to treat panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and other anxiety disorders that range from mild-severe anxiety.
Typical EMDR treatment begins by creating coping resources that will help provide stabilization during trauma processing. Your therapist will help you identify negative core beliefs that are tied to your anxiety symptoms and will guide you in identifying past events that have led to increased anxiety. Then your therapist will use bilateral stimulation to reduce the negative emotions tied to the past events. Finally, you will end by installing adaptive beliefs that will continue to support anxiety reduction and reduce excessive anxiety.
Final thoughts
The short answer to "Does EMDR help with anxiety?" is yes! EMDR and anxiety management techniques can be combined to provide a well-rounded approach to client care. Francine Shapiro developed EMDR to heal post traumatic stress disorder and it has since been expanded to work with anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorders, and other mental health disorders that cause negative emotions. EMDR's efficacy has been proven in several studies. However, EMDR is not a magic wand and is not appropriate in treating all presentations of anxiety.
If you're interested in EMDR therapy for anxiety, feel free reach out to me for a free consultation. As a certified EMDR therapist, I can answer your specific questions and help you determine whether EMDR is a good fit for you. Building a trusting relationship with your therapist is essential, so a consultation is a great way to see if we're the right match. I'd love to support you on your healing journey!
