5 reasons EMDR therapy helps with anxiety
How EMDR Helps Anxiety
You may be wondering if EMDR can help with anxiety. In this article, a licensed therapist will reveal the ways EMDR therapy can reduce anxiety symptoms. By the end of this post, you’ll have a sense of whether using EMDR therapy will be helpful in reducing your anxiety.
What keeps people stuck in anxiety?
You might get stuck in the habit of negative thinking, either about stressful situations you’re in or about your ability to handle difficult things. When you think things like “I can’t do this” and “This will never change,” you’re unlikely to be able to lower your anxiety. This is due to you believing at your core that you are unable to influence your situation for the positive.
Reason #1: Identify negative beliefs
EMDR therapy helps to identify negative beliefs you have about yourself and install new positive beliefs. If you believe “I’m unlovable,” you might feel anxious in social situations or when dating. EMDR can help to reduce negative feelings and install a new belief like “I am okay, regardless of if this date goes well.”
Reason #2: Desensitize incidents that contribute to anxiety
EMDR therapy can also help you desensitize previous incidents that make you feel anxious. This means, you won’t feel a surge of anxiety when you think about previous events that have caused anxiety, including an embarrassing thing you said or something you did that makes you feel bad about yourself.
Reason #3: Teach new coping skills
EMDR therapy is often more emotionally intense than regular talk therapy so EMDR therapists focus on making sure you have the coping skills you need prior to beginning the reprocessing. Learning new coping tools can help you reduce anxiety because you have new ways to manage anxiety symptoms when you’re in a stressful situation.
Reason #4: Teach you to advocate for yourself
Sometimes you feel anxious because you feel unable to stand up for yourself. You might feel in your gut that something won’t go well or that you don’t want to do something, but anxiety makes it difficult to voice these concerns. Through EMDR therapy, you’ll likely gain more confidence to advocate for yourself because you’ll be installing new positive beliefs. Some of these new beliefs might me “I matter” or “I can advocate for myself.”
Is EMDR therapy right for me?
By now, you understand 5 general ways EMDR therapy can help with anxiety. If you’re wondering if EMDR can help you specifically manage anxiety, learn more about my EMDR services for anxiety.
About the author, Allison Barton, LMFT
I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the state of California. I specialize in Anxiety, Perfectionism, and Trauma. I primarily utilize Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) when working with clients. I am also trained in Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), mindfulness skills, solution focused therapy, and family systems.
