In and outside my practice, I’ve met countless people who struggle with anxiety. EMDR can help with this.
It’s not that surprising when you consider that over 284 million people worldwide suffer from an anxiety disorder. In fact, it is the most prevalent of all mental health disorders, followed closely by depression, as depicted in the chart below.
Source: Our World in Data
Anxiety can range from mild to outright debilitating. Chances are you or someone you know is suffering from anxiety. It may be making it difficult for you to carry out your day-to-day activities and affecting your mental health. The good news is, anxiety is very treatable.
EMDR for anxiety has proven to be a great option.
Let us first understand what anxiety is, its symptoms. and then see how EMDR is an effective treatment for anxiety.
What Is Anxiety?
We’ve all felt anxiety at some point in our lives—before a presentation, on a date, or when we missed a deadline. It’s perfectly normal to feel anxious sometimes.
But when it starts interfering with your life, it’s time to take it seriously.
Anxiety is your mind and body’s reaction to situations that pose a threat or are stressful. For someone facing an anxiety disorder, the feelings of intense fear and worry persist longer, and even in situations where there is no real danger.
This leads to the person avoiding certain circumstances that may be triggering anxiety. My clients describe anxiety as an uncontrollable fear or worry about things that are out of their control.
Anxiety isn’t just of one type though. There are different types of anxiety disorders:
- Generalized anxiety disorder: Disproportionate worry about events or situations. Accompanied by overthinking and rumination.
- Social anxiety disorder: Also called social phobia, this disorder manifests in a public setting or the anticipation of it. A socially anxious person is afraid of rejection and humiliation by others.
- Panic disorder: This disorder is characterized by sudden panic attacks. During a panic attack, anxiety reaches its peak and causes severe symptoms such as breathlessness, sweating, elevated heart rate, and dread.
- Post-traumatic stress disorder: When someone undergoes a traumatic or terrifying experience, they may develop PTSD. Symptoms of PTSD may include reliving the traumatic experience, flashbacks, nightmares, and avoiding triggering places or situations.
There are many other types of anxiety disorders and only a professional mental health specialist can diagnose the disorder. However, there are many symptoms common to anxiety disorders.
How Do I Know If I Have an Anxiety Disorder?
While only a mental health specialist or doctor can confirm the diagnosis of an anxiety disorder, there are several symptoms you can look out for. These are:
- Excessive worrying
- Intense fear
- Increased heart rate
- Shortness of breath
- Chest pain
- Feelings of irritability
- Blank mind or not being able to concentrate
- Insomnia or difficulty falling asleep
- Fidgeting
- Avoidant behavior in reaction to anxiety-triggering situations
These symptoms can sometimes be present in your life even if you don’t have an anxiety disorder. However, if they become frequent and persistent, you should visit a doctor or psychologist to see if these are symptoms of clinical anxiety.
What Is EMDR?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is a modern, revolutionary treatment that helps you relieve psychological distress caused by traumatic past experiences. EMDR employs a novel technique called bilateral stimulation (BLS). BLS is stimuli in a visual, auditory, or kinesthetic form that occurs in a left to right pattern, following a rhythm.
Bilateral stimulation is a core component of EMDR therapy.
It can help you in the following ways:
- It makes you feel physiologically calm
- It reduces worry and fear
- It helps you step away from whatever is bothering you, and
- It lowers distress
EMDR is a proven treatment for a number of mental health disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, eating disorders, and depression.
How Does EMDR for Anxiety Work?
Anxiety, if left untreated, may disrupt your life and hold you back from achieving what you want. EMDR for anxiety has come on top among a list of psychotherapies. The best part about EMDR is that it doesn’t involve the use of any medication.
So, you might be curious, how does EMDR exactly work?
EMDR usually follows a basic structure that your therapist will tell you before you start.
In the beginning, your therapist will ask about your history and discuss the past experiences that are causing you anxiety.
During the EMDR treatment, your therapist will ask you to think of the anxiety-provoking memory or situation while administering bilateral stimulation.
For example, you may follow your therapist’s hand movement with your eyes while recalling the experience.
You will also be asked to notice the sensations and emotions you feel in your body.
Bilateral stimulation helps lower the intensity of negative emotions. Your therapist will also guide you in shifting your focus to the more positive emotions, weakening your previously associated emotions with the experience. This step is crucial because it will help you take back control over your emotional state.
At the end, your therapist will assess the success of the treatment and whether you need more sessions.
Why Should I Choose EMDR for Anxiety?
One of the biggest benefits of EMDR for anxiety is that you are not required to give a narrative about your traumatic and anxiety-provoking experiences like in other talk therapies. This is immensely relieving for those who find it difficult to put their experience into words.
All the processing in EMDR therapy happens internally.
Another benefit of EMDR for anxiety is that you are recalling events and experiences in the presence of a compassionate therapist, in a safe place.
EMDR has also proven to show results in a short amount of time, compared to other psychotherapies. In one study, after only 6 sessions of an average of 50 minutes, 100% of sing-trauma patients and 77% of multiple-trauma reported no symptoms of PTSD after the EMDR sessions.
Stress has always been associated with anxiety, as we often respond with it in reaction to anxiety-provoking thoughts or experiences. EMDR has proven to be effective in helping patients gain better control over stress.
EMDR makes you not just mentally resilient to be able to cope with anxiety and stress, but it also teaches you mindfulness-based techniques to relieve somatic symptoms.
Taking a Step Closer to Healing
If you’ve been experiencing anxiety and finding yourself unable to manage it, EMDR can help. I understand that anxiety impacts all areas of your life—work, relationships, family.
But your healing journey doesn’t have to be solo, I can help guide you through the steps of managing your anxiety and overcoming obstacles that keep you from living your best life.
I create a comprehensive therapy plan for every patient so that we can focus on your individual issues and needs.
If you’re ready to take the first steps towards your healing journey, contact me today for a 100% confidential assessment session where we will evaluate if EMDR is the right therapy for you.