Can EMDR Therapy Help With Anxiety?

EMDR may help with anxiety when current symptoms are connected to distressing memories, past experiences, phobias, panic-related memories, or triggers that continue to carry emotional intensity. It is not automatically the first treatment for every anxiety disorder. A therapist should first understand what is driving the anxiety and whether EMDR, CBT, or another approach is the better fit.

Anxiety can affect both thoughts and the body.

You may notice:

• persistent worry
• racing thoughts
• muscle tension
• restlessness
• difficulty sleeping
• feeling keyed up or on edge
• nausea or stomach discomfort
• a racing heart
• avoidance of situations that feel threatening

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) notes that anxiety disorders can involve cognitive, physical, and behavioural symptoms, and that different anxiety disorders need to be understood according to their specific pattern.

For some adults, anxiety is closely connected to distressing experiences or memories. In those cases, EMDR therapy in Mississauga may be worth considering.

What Kind of Anxiety Can EMDR Be Used For?

EMDR is best established as a treatment for PTSD, but it is also used with some anxiety-related concerns.

EMDR Canada notes that research has explored EMDR for generalized anxiety, panic, and phobias, although the evidence outside PTSD is still developing and varies by condition.

EMDR may be particularly relevant when anxiety appears connected to:

• a frightening or traumatic experience
• a panic attack that has become feared in itself
• a specific phobia linked to a distressing event
• repeated criticism or humiliation
• a medical or accident-related experience
• a strong trigger that activates fear
• a memory associated with helplessness or loss of control

This is different from saying that all anxiety comes from trauma.

Anxiety can have many causes, and treatment should match the problem rather than forcing every symptom into an EMDR framework.

What Does Anxiety Feel Like Physically?

Anxiety is not only a thinking problem.

CAMH describes generalized anxiety disorder as involving excessive worry along with symptoms such as muscle tension, restlessness, sleep disturbance, irritability, and difficulty concentrating.

Panic can also involve:

• pounding heart
• sweating
• trembling
• shortness of breath
• chest discomfort
• dizziness
• nausea
• numbness or tingling

These physical symptoms can feel frightening.

However, physical anxiety symptoms should not automatically be attributed to trauma or a “dysregulated nervous system.”

If symptoms are new, severe, unexplained, or medically concerning, appropriate medical assessment may also be needed.

How Does EMDR Work With Anxiety?

EMDR, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is a structured psychotherapy that works with distressing memories and the thoughts, emotions, beliefs, and physical sensations connected to them.

EMDR Canada describes EMDR as a collaborative eight-phase therapy that uses bilateral stimulation while a person focuses on an upsetting situation.

If anxiety is connected to a particular memory or experience, treatment may identify a target such as:

• the first severe panic attack
• a humiliating social experience
• an accident
• a frightening medical event
• repeated experiences of criticism
• a situation associated with feeling trapped

During EMDR, you may be asked to notice:

• the target memory
• a negative belief connected with it
• the emotion that appears
• physical sensations
• the level of distress

Bilateral stimulation, such as guided eye movements or alternating taps, is then used as part of the reprocessing phase.

The goal is not to force your body to relax.

It is to reduce the distress associated with the target so the memory or reminder has less influence on how you respond now.

Is EMDR Better Than CBT for Anxiety?

Not necessarily.

CBT is one of the best-established treatments for anxiety disorders.

CAMH describes evidence-based psychological treatments such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) as highly effective and first-line treatment for anxiety disorders.

CBT can help people:

• identify anxious thoughts
• challenge unhelpful beliefs
• reduce avoidance
• change behavioural patterns
• practise new coping strategies

EMDR works differently by focusing more directly on distressing memories or experiences that may be connected to current symptoms.

A useful distinction is:

• CBT may be particularly useful when worry, avoidance, catastrophic thinking, and behavioural patterns are central to the anxiety.
• EMDR may be worth considering when anxiety is strongly connected to a distressing memory, trauma-related trigger, phobia, or panic-related experience.

Some clients may use more than one approach over the course of treatment.

The right choice depends on your symptoms, history, preferences, and clinical assessment.

Can EMDR Help When Anxiety Feels “Stuck in the Body”?

The phrase “stuck in the body” is common, but it should not be taken literally.

Anxiety can involve real physical reactions even when you understand intellectually that a situation is safe.

A distressing memory or learned fear can become associated with physical sensations such as tension, rapid heartbeat, nausea, or an urge to escape.

EMDR can include those physical sensations as part of the target being treated.

That is more accurate than saying anxiety is physically stored in the nervous system or that EMDR “releases” it from the body.

If your main concern is that your body reacts before you consciously understand why, read our guide to why the body can react before the mind.

Can EMDR Help With Panic Attacks?

It may help in some cases.

For example, panic can become associated with:

• a frightening first panic attack
• fear of bodily sensations
• a place where panic occurred
• a traumatic experience
• fear that the attack will happen again

CAMH notes that panic disorder involves recurrent unexpected panic attacks followed by ongoing worry about another attack or behavioural changes designed to avoid one.

EMDR may be considered when a distressing memory or fear network appears relevant to the panic pattern.

That does not mean every person with panic disorder should receive EMDR.

Assessment may also identify CBT, exposure-based approaches, medication, medical evaluation, or another treatment as more appropriate.

What Happens During EMDR for Anxiety?

EMDR follows a structured process rather than beginning immediately with the most distressing material.

1. Assessment and Treatment Planning

Your therapist explores:

• what anxiety looks like for you
• common triggers
• physical symptoms
• avoidance
• previous treatment
• relevant past experiences
• what you want to change

2. Preparation

You learn what EMDR involves and discuss strategies that can help you manage distress during treatment.

Preparation is individualized rather than following a fixed number of sessions.

Our guide to preparation and stabilization before EMDR explains this phase in more detail.

3. Target Selection

If EMDR is appropriate, you and your therapist identify a clinically relevant memory, situation, belief, or trigger to work with.

4. Reprocessing

Bilateral stimulation is used while you attend to aspects of the target.

Your therapist monitors what you notice and adjusts the pace as needed.

5. Closure and Reevaluation

Sessions include closure, and later sessions review whether distress, beliefs, triggers, or behaviour have changed.

What If Anxiety Becomes Stronger During EMDR?

Strong emotions or physical sensations can arise because you are focusing on distressing material.

That does not automatically mean the treatment is failing, but you should tell your therapist when anxiety becomes difficult to manage.

The therapist can:

• slow the pace
• pause processing
• return attention to the present
• spend more time in preparation
• change the target
• stop reprocessing for that session

Our article on emotional flooding during EMDR explains this issue in more detail.

Who May Be a Good Fit for EMDR for Anxiety?

EMDR may be worth discussing if:

• anxiety is linked to a specific distressing experience
• panic began after a frightening event
• certain reminders reliably trigger anxiety
• you understand a trigger but still react strongly
• shame, fear, or helplessness from an earlier experience remains active
• a phobia appears connected to a distressing event

EMDR may be less relevant when anxiety is better explained by another condition or when no suitable memory-based target is identified.

That is why assessment matters.

EMDR Therapy for Anxiety at Nurturing Wellness

Lilin Qiu, Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying), works with adults experiencing trauma and PTSD, anxiety, depression, addiction, and chronic pain.

She is trained in EMDR and Pain Reprocessing Therapy and offers sessions in English and Mandarin, in person and online.

At Nurturing Wellness, EMDR is considered according to your symptoms, history, goals, and the factors contributing to anxiety.

If another therapy approach appears more appropriate, that should be part of the clinical conversation.

You can learn more about EMDR therapy in Mississauga or book a free 15-minute consultation to discuss whether EMDR may fit your anxiety concerns.

Frequently Asked Questions