Delray Beach EMDRTrauma-focused EMDR by telehealth · referrals to Achieve Growth Therapy

EMDR guide · anxiety and panic

EMDR for anxiety: when it fits and what to ask

EMDR was developed for traumatic memories. Many people now ask whether it can help with anxiety too. The honest answer: sometimes, and the evidence is thinner.

What the evidence covers

EMDR’s strongest research support is for PTSD, where guidelines such as the APA’s include it. For anxiety disorders without a trauma link, such as generalized anxiety, the research base is much smaller. NICE guidance for generalized anxiety and panic recommends CBT and applied relaxation among first-line psychological options, and does not list EMDR.

That doesn’t make EMDR wrong for anxiety. It means the decision should rest on how your anxiety started and what keeps it going.

When EMDR is more likely to be discussed

  • Fear that began with an event. A fear of driving after a crash, of medical settings after a frightening procedure, or of water after a near-drowning.
  • Panic linked to a first attack. When the memory of an early panic attack, and fear of another one, fuels the cycle.
  • Phobias with a clear history. Specific fears that can be traced to a particular experience.
  • Social anxiety rooted in past humiliation. Bullying or public embarrassment that still feels raw.

Achieve Growth Therapy describes its own anxiety work as mostly CBT, adding EMDR when anxiety is tied to past experiences.

When CBT usually comes first

If worry is broad, long-standing and not tied to any particular memory, CBT and related approaches have more evidence. The NIMH anxiety overview describes the main types. The CBT page explains how sessions run.

What EMDR for anxiety looks like

The structure is the same eight-phase process used for trauma. After history-taking, you build calming skills, then identify target memories, often the earliest or worst anxious moment, the most recent one, and a future situation you want to handle. Processing a target means holding it in mind briefly while following eye movements or taps, then noticing what changes.

Questions to ask a therapist

  1. Is my anxiety linked to a memory that EMDR could target?
  2. Would CBT, EMDR or a combination be your first suggestion, and why?
  3. How will we know whether it is helping?

With Artie

Artie Gately, LMHC, uses EMDR for anxiety and panic and for phobias, among other concerns, and also offers CBT. He works with all ages, and sessions are online for people located in Florida at $150 per hour self-pay or with accepted insurance.

See if online EMDR is the right next step

Accepting new clients. Book a free 15-minute consultation through Achieve Growth Therapy's own contact page to talk about EMDR by telehealth, fit and next steps.

Book a free consult with Achieve

THE PATIENT AND ANY OTHER PERSON RESPONSIBLE FOR PAYMENT HAS A RIGHT TO REFUSE TO PAY, CANCEL PAYMENT, OR BE REIMBURSED FOR PAYMENT FOR ANY OTHER SERVICE, EXAMINATION, OR TREATMENT THAT IS PERFORMED AS A RESULT OF AND WITHIN 72 HOURS OF RESPONDING TO THE ADVERTISEMENT FOR THE FREE, DISCOUNTED FEE, OR REDUCED FEE SERVICE, EXAMINATION, OR TREATMENT.

Sources

  1. American Psychological Association. EMDR (PTSD guideline)
  2. National Institute of Mental Health. Anxiety disorders
  3. NICE guideline CG113. Generalised anxiety disorder and panic disorder
  4. Achieve Growth Therapy. Therapy for anxiety