If You Have Anxiety: You Are Not Alone
Do you ever experience the kind of anxiety that keeps you awake at night? The kind of anxiety where your heart is racing, you’re wired and exhausted at the same time, you can’t stop checking your phone, and you can’t focus on anything but you also feel paralyzed? Maybe you’re considering anxiety therapy because you just can’t manage your anxiety on your own.
If this is you, I want to tell you that you are not alone, that this feeling will not last forever, and that many stressors, both positive and negative, can lead to feeling completely overwhelmed and shut down.
In fact, anxiety is a sign that your body and brain are trying to protect you from something it perceives as threatening…even if there IS no real threat there!
For example, I recently almost bought a preconstruction property and, even though I didn’t lose any money, the stress of even thinking about getting a downpayment together, losing my money, the lawyers, etc kept me in an anxious spiral for days.
Nothing bad happened, and much of my panic was wound up with excitement, but my body was in a complete state of fight or flight.
In this blog post, I am going to talk with you about why EMDR therapy is so good at treating anxiety and answer some common questions about how EMDR therapy works.
What Are The Symptoms of Anxiety?
Anxiety can feel like your body and brain are getting ready to face something scary or stressful, even if there’s no real danger. You might notice:
- Physical signs: Your heart races, your hands shake, or you feel sweaty or sick to your stomach. Some people feel like it’s hard to breathe, or like their chest is really tight.
- Mental signs: You might find yourself worrying a lot, even about little things, or your thoughts just won’t stop spinning. It can make it tough to focus, make decisions or sleep.
- Behavioral signs: Sometimes, anxiety makes people avoid things—like places, conversations, or activities—because they feel overwhelming.
Feeling anxious once in a while, like before a presentation or big social event, is totally normal. But if it’s happening a lot or stopping you from doing things, it’s a good idea to reach out for support.
The kind of anxiety that prevents you from living your life is often a sign of unprocessed trauma that’s stored in the body. This is exactly what EMDR therapy helps you to heal and release.
How Effective is EMDR Therapy?
- One study found that just three 90-minute EMDR sessions helped people reduce their trauma symptoms significantly.
- Another study compared EMDR to fluoxetine (Prozac), a medication used to treat PTSD. People who did EMDR had better and longer-lasting results than those who relied on the medication alone.
EMDR Therapy Can Help Anxiety
While EMDR is best known for treating trauma, it can also help with anxiety. By working through memories or feelings that contribute to anxiety, EMDR helps the brain process them in a way that makes them less overwhelming.
In EMDR Therapy, I work with clients to help them heal so that they are less triggered by life stressors. After EMDR therapy, my clients don’t feel as overwhelmed or nervous, they know what to do when anxiety comes up, and they are less hard on themselves.
Begin EMDR TherapyHow Does EMDR Therapy Help With Anxiety?
If you’ve researched EMDR therapy at all, you may have heard that it doesn’t only help with ‘Big T’ trauma (like going to war or sexual assault). In fact, anything unresolved can cause a stress response in the body that our body stores.
Anxiety is often linked to unresolved pain or distress from the past. EMDR therapy helps with anxiety by getting to the root of memories or experiences that may be fueling anxious feelings and helping you process through them. Here’s how EMDR helps:
- Processing Stuck Memories: Sometimes, when we go through something intense or traumatic, our brain struggles to fully work through the experience. This can leave the memory feeling unresolved, which might lead to ongoing anxiety, as if the danger is still present. EMDR helps the brain revisit and process these memories, allowing them to feel less disruptive and no longer trigger anxious reactions.
- Calming the Overwhelm: EMDR uses techniques like eye movements or gentle tapping to help reduce charged emotions. The memory remains, but it feels less overwhelming and more manageable.
- Changing Negative Beliefs: Unhelpful beliefs such as “I’m unsafe” or “I can’t handle this” often accompany anxiety. EMDR works to replace these limiting thoughts with empowering ones, like “I am secure now” or “I can manage what comes my way.”
- Soothing Stress And The Nervous System: By working through unresolved memories and their emotional impact, EMDR helps calm the body’s stress responses. Over time, this can reduce both the frequency and severity of anxiety symptoms, promoting a sense of balance.
- Building Positive Connections: Beyond resolving triggers, EMDR strengthens feelings of safety and equips people with healthier coping mechanisms. This can reduce future anxiety and support overall emotional well-being.
EMDR therapy allows the brain to naturally process unresolved issues so past experiences don’t continue to overshadow the present, helping to ease anxiety and improve emotional resilience.
How Long Does EMDR Therapy Take To Work For Anxiety?
Though every person is different, my clients typically start to feel some major relief in about 6-8 sessions. For some people, they feel relief sooner. However, many of my clients like to continue the healing work once they begin because they realize that there are many deep wounds they want to work through.
Reach out for a free 15 minute consultation. I would love to talk with you about whether EMDR therapy is right for you.
Begin Therapy****************************************************************
Emma Kobil is a licensed professional counselor practicing online in Colorado and Florida. Her philosophically informed therapeutic approach focuses on helping creative and perfectionist women practice self compassion. Learn more about Emma, or schedule an appointment, at mindfulcounselingdenver.com.
