EMDR Therapy for Anxiety and Panic Disorders
Key Takeaways:
EMDR isn’t just for PTSD – it’s also an effective anxiety treatment. Therapists now use EMDR to help people overcome various anxiety disorders, including generalized anxiety, panic disorder, specific phobias, and social anxiety. It offers a way to address the root causes of anxiety rather than just coping with symptoms.
EMDR calms anxiety by reprocessing triggering memories and fears. Unlike traditional talk therapy, EMDR works by having you recall distressing memories or thoughts while engaging in bilateral stimulation (like guided eye movements). This process “desensitizes” the emotional charge of traumatic or upsetting memories that fuel anxiety. Over time, situations that once provoked intense fear or panic become far less upsetting.
Studies show EMDR can significantly reduce anxiety and panic symptoms. In fact, a meta-analysis of 17 clinical trials found EMDR therapy effective for decreasing anxiety, panic, phobias, and related symptoms. Some research even suggests EMDR may work faster or be more efficient than cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for certain anxiety conditions.
EMDR can help stop panic attacks and phobias. Clinical reports and case studies have shown that EMDR treatment can greatly lessen the frequency and intensity of panic attacks. It’s been successfully used to treat specific fears like flying, public speaking, and other phobias – often resolving long-standing fears in a handful of sessions.
EMDR offers an alternative when traditional anxiety treatments aren’t enough. Many people with anxiety benefit from CBT or medication, but others continue to struggle. EMDR provides a different approach that doesn’t require extensive talking or homework. It can be especially helpful if your anxiety has ties to past negative experiences or traumas you may not realize are connected.
Feeling trapped by anxiety or panic attacks can be exhausting. You might constantly worry, avoid situations that make you anxious, or experience sudden surges of terror that seem to come out of nowhere. While standard therapies and medications can help, sometimes they don’t fully get to the heart of the issue – especially if your anxiety stems from unresolved past experiences.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy offers a promising path to relief. Originally developed for trauma, EMDR has expanded into treating anxiety disorders with encouraging success. In this article, we’ll discuss how EMDR therapy works for anxiety and panic, what the research says about its effectiveness, and what to expect if you pursue EMDR to help with anxiety.
Understanding Anxiety and Panic Disorders
“Anxiety” is an umbrella term for disorders characterized by excessive fear, worry, or heightened nervous system arousal. This includes Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) – persistent, uncontrollable worry about everyday things – as well as Panic Disorder, which involves sudden panic attacks (intense episodes of fear with physical symptoms like chest pain, dizziness, and shortness of breath). It also covers specific phobias (strong fears of particular objects or situations, such as flying or spiders) and Social Anxiety Disorder, among others. These conditions can significantly interfere with daily life. You might feel on edge most of the time, have trouble concentrating or sleeping, avoid activities for fear of triggering anxiety, or experience debilitating panic episodes where you feel a sense of impending doom.
Traditional treatments for anxiety often include talk therapy – especially forms of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – which teach you skills to challenge anxious thoughts and gradually face your fears (exposure therapy). Medications like antidepressants or anti-anxiety drugs are also commonly used to reduce symptoms. These approaches can be very helpful, but not everyone finds complete relief, or some people have lingering anxiety even after trying therapy and meds.
“The power of EMDR is that it gets to the root of anxiety, not just the surface symptoms. That’s where real and lasting healing happens.”
EMDR therapy takes a different approach: rather than focusing only on managing symptoms, it aims to resolve the underlying memories and triggers that feed your anxiety. Many times, anxiety disorders have roots in earlier life experiences. For example, someone with panic disorder might have an unconscious memory of a frightening event (like nearly drowning as a child or suddenly getting sick) that now gets reactivated whenever they feel a certain sensation, leading to panic attacks. A person with social anxiety may carry deep-seated shame from bullying or embarrassing experiences years ago, which fuels their present fear of judgment. EMDR works to uncover and process those past experiences so they stop spiking your anxiety in the present. Even if you can’t identify a specific “trauma,” EMDR often explores your earliest or most intense experiences of anxiety (such as your first panic attack or a formative incident of feeling unsafe) and uses those as targets for healing.
How EMDR Therapy Helps Reduce Anxiety
EMDR addresses anxiety by targeting the specific triggers and underlying memories that fuel your fears. In the beginning, you and your therapist will pinpoint situations or thoughts that set off your anxiety or panic (for example, driving on highways or the sensation of a racing heartbeat) and any past experiences that might be connected.
Then, during EMDR processing, you’ll mentally revisit those anxiety-provoking memories or scenarios while engaging in the bilateral stimulation. For instance, you might recall the first panic attack you ever had – the scary physical sensations and thoughts like “I’m going to die” – and follow the therapist’s moving fingers with your eyes. As this happens, your brain begins to reprocess the fear. Gradually, the memory loses its intensity: you realize, for example, “I actually survived that episode,” and the tightness in your chest eases. The therapist helps replace negative beliefs (“I can’t handle this”) with calmer, positive ones (“I got through it; I am okay now”).
EMDR essentially desensitizes your triggers. After several sessions, the situations or sensations that used to cause extreme anxiety no longer have the same power. You might find that thinking about that once-terrifying memory now feels neutral, or that imagining a future scenario (like speaking in public) no longer sends your anxiety through the roof. In short, EMDR helps your brain rewire those fear responses, so you can face previously anxiety-producing situations without panicking.
How Effective Is EMDR for Anxiety and Panic?
Although research is ongoing, current evidence strongly supports EMDR’s effectiveness for anxiety-related disorders. A 2020 meta-analysis of 17 studies concluded that EMDR therapy significantly reduces symptoms of anxiety, panic, phobias, and related somatic complaints. In practical terms, many individuals experience major relief from their anxiety after completing EMDR – often noticing fewer panic attacks, less worry, and diminished phobic reactions.
Comparative studies also indicate EMDR holds its own against gold-standard treatments like CBT. For example, one trial found that after 12 sessions, EMDR was as effective as CBT in treating panic disorder, with faster progress observed in the EMDR group. Case reports further show that specific fears (like flying or spiders) can sometimes be resolved in just a few EMDR sessions. Of course, results vary per person, but these outcomes are very encouraging.
Overall, EMDR has proven to be a powerful option for those suffering from chronic anxiety or panic. Even people who haven’t fully responded to conventional therapy have found that EMDR helped “unlock” their progress by targeting the emotional roots of their anxiety. As research continues, EMDR is increasingly recognized as an effective, evidence-based approach for anxiety disorders.
EMDR for Specific Anxiety Problems
Panic Disorder
Panic attacks can be terrifying, and often the memory of the first or worst attack becomes a trauma itself. EMDR can target that event, desensitize the fear of panic sensations, and reduce the dread that fuels future attacks. Clients often report fewer and less intense panic episodes after processing their worst memory. Another benefit is that EMDR can help clients reframe body sensations such as a racing heart or shortness of breath so instead of instantly triggering panic, those sensations are understood as temporary and manageable.
Social Anxiety
Early social traumas such as bullying or public embarrassment often feed social anxiety. EMDR can help reduce the shame linked to those memories, freeing clients to feel more confident in current social situations. Positive beliefs such as “I am okay as I am” can be reinforced during sessions. Many clients also discover that EMDR strengthens their ability to tolerate discomfort in social settings, making it easier to start conversations, attend events, or speak up without spiraling into self-criticism afterward.
Phobias
Phobias usually trace back to a frightening experience or accumulated fear. EMDR can target the fear itself or the early memory such as a turbulent flight for fear of flying. EMDR is also sometimes paired with exposure therapy to strengthen results. An added benefit is that EMDR allows people to approach their phobia with less overwhelm, so instead of forcing themselves into feared situations, they feel calmer and more equipped to handle them step by step.
Generalized Anxiety (Chronic Worry)
With GAD, the worry feels constant. EMDR helps by reprocessing memories that left an imprint of “the world is unsafe” or “I must always prepare for the worst.” Many clients describe their baseline worry decreasing, and sessions can include installing calm future templates such as picturing yourself handling a stressful day with ease. EMDR also teaches the brain to separate realistic concerns from exaggerated “what ifs,” which helps clients feel more grounded and less consumed by endless worry loops.
Performance Anxiety
From public speaking to test-taking, performance anxiety can feel crippling. EMDR can target past failures or embarrassing experiences and install new confidence through imagery exercises. Many clients find they perform better once anxiety no longer blocks them. Another advantage is that EMDR can help anchor positive experiences such as a time they succeeded or felt proud so those moments can be called up before the next performance, making confidence feel natural rather than forced.
Research and Effectiveness for Anxiety
While EMDR is most heavily researched for PTSD, an increasing number of studies and clinical reports show that it’s also effective for panic disorder, phobias, social anxiety, generalized anxiety, and other anxiety conditions. Researchers believe EMDR works by helping the brain reprocess “stuck” memories and fears, which often fuel ongoing anxiety symptoms.
In clinical practice, therapists have observed that EMDR often produces faster results compared to traditional talk therapy alone, especially for clients whose anxiety is linked to specific events or recurring intrusive thoughts. For example, a client with panic disorder may find that EMDR reduces the intensity of body-triggered panic after just a few sessions, while someone with a phobia may notice a significant drop in avoidance behaviors after processing one or two core memories.
Meta-analyses and controlled trials suggest EMDR can be as effective as other gold-standard treatments like CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), with some clients reporting that it feels less overwhelming since they don’t have to describe every detail of their fears to benefit from the process. Clinicians worldwide use EMDR with consistent success, and clients often report dramatic improvements even when other therapies have plateaued.
When Is EMDR Not Enough for Anxiety?
We believe in being realistic and honest about what therapy can and can’t do. EMDR is powerful, but like any approach, it isn’t a cure-all. Some forms of anxiety are best treated with a combination of methods rather than relying on one technique alone.
For example, some anxiety symptoms have strong biological roots, which means that medication—prescribed and monitored by a physician—may be helpful alongside therapy. This is especially true when symptoms are severe or persistent, and the brain may need additional support to regulate itself.
In the case of panic disorder, research shows that clients sometimes need interoceptive exposure therapy—a process where they gradually get used to uncomfortable bodily sensations like a racing heart or shortness of breath. EMDR can reduce the fear of panic attacks, but exposure therapy may be necessary to fully break the cycle.
For OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), the gold-standard treatment is ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention). While EMDR may be helpful for addressing underlying trauma or early life experiences that make OCD symptoms worse, it usually works best when paired with ERP rather than used on its own.
At South Denver Therapy, we take an integrated approach. That means we don’t just apply one tool across the board, we carefully look at your unique situation and combine EMDR with other evidence-based treatments when needed. Our goal is always the same: to make sure you’re receiving the most effective care possible so you can truly heal and move forward.
FAQs
Do I need a traumatic event to use EMDR for my anxiety?
No. EMDR can help even if you haven’t experienced a major trauma. Many times, smaller events or even the anxiety itself become the focus of EMDR—and it works. Clients are often surprised how much relief they feel when the “little things” are reprocessed.
My anxiety is more general (constant worry). Will EMDR do anything?
Yes. EMDR targets root memories and feelings driving chronic worry, lowering the intensity of anxiety over time. It helps train your brain and body to stop reacting as if you’re always under threat, creating more calm day to day.
Can EMDR stop my panic attacks?
For many people, yes. By targeting the worst panic episodes, EMDR reduces the fear-of-fear cycle that keeps panic attacks recurring. Many clients notice fewer and less intense panic attacks within just a few sessions.
Should I do EMDR if I’m on medication?
Yes. Medication can help reduce symptoms so you can fully engage in EMDR. Over time, many clients need less medication as their anxiety decreases, though this should always be discussed with a prescribing doctor.
How is EMDR different from CBT for anxiety?
CBT helps you challenge anxious thoughts logically. EMDR reprocesses the memories that fuel those thoughts on a deeper level. Together, they can be highly effective, and many therapists use them side by side for faster results.
Does EMDR really work for anxiety?
Yes. While it’s best known for PTSD, research shows EMDR significantly reduces anxiety, panic, and phobia symptoms. Many clients experience major relief even after other therapies haven’t worked.
How do you do EMDR for anxiety?
EMDR involves recalling anxiety-provoking memories or feelings while engaging in bilateral stimulation (like eye movements or tapping). This process helps your brain reprocess and store those experiences in a healthier way, so they no longer trigger intense anxiety.
What to avoid after EMDR?
It’s best to avoid alcohol, drugs, or overly stressful activities right after EMDR, since your brain is still processing. Giving yourself rest and self-care time allows the therapy to settle more effectively.
How long does EMDR therapy take?
The timeline depends on your history and the complexity of your anxiety. Some people notice big improvements after a few sessions, while others benefit from ongoing EMDR as part of longer-term therapy.
