Let’s be real…anxiety sucks! It is quite often the farthest thing from having a superpower. It weaves a web through so many aspects of daily life, making it difficult to navigate sometimes. Anxiety is becoming more common, affecting roughly 30% of adults throughout their lifetime.
A simple internet search can provide multiple options for possible techniques to combat anxiety. Sometimes the treatment dial may need to be turned up a notch. One of these ways is through EMDR, or eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy.
What Is EMDR?
EMDR is progressing in the mental health field as a tool for clinicians to treat various mental health conditions. It has been researched as a tool for people living with PTSD when their brains cannot process activity, thus causing traumatic feelings to be stuck. EMDR essentially mimics the REM state and aids in overcoming the traumatic experience. The approach has been modified to target our memory network. This can be especially helpful with anxiety, whether chronic or acute, mild or severe.
How It Works
EMDR involves finger, hand, and eye movements. Since eye movement is similar to what happens when a person is in a REM sleep cycle, it opens a pathway for them to process the negative memories that trigger anxiety and replace those with something more positive. The process involves eight steps:
Step 1: Client History
There will be an initial meeting to obtain any relevant history, gather information on personal relationships and life factors, and develop a plan.
Step 2: Preparation
Education will be provided on EMDR techniques, and the process will be fully explained. Fielding these emotions can be stressful, so it is important to know what to expect.
Step 3: Identification
You will need to identify the memories or triggers causing stress and anxiety. These targeted memories are likely difficult, but the goal is to process them.
Step 4: Desensitization
You will practice recalling the negative memory while stimulation occurs to start reprocessing. A clinician will use hand and finger movements in coordination with your eye movements to detach your negative feelings from the thoughts.
Step 5: Installation
As the process progresses, you will replace a negative thought with a positive one. This is called installation.
Step 6: Body Scanning
As the process continues, you will complete a body scan to check in with yourself. Are you feeling any physiological symptoms?
Step 7: Closure
By this point, you should be returning to a normal state. The goal is to feel free from the negative stressors tied to a memory or trigger.
Step 8: Assessment
There should be a check-in to see how effective treatment has been and how well a memory has been processed.
EMDR With Anxiety
Since anxiety is tied to feelings of fear, uneasiness, and dread, it carries a lot of negative energy. For this reason, EMDR has been successful in reprogramming anxiety. Focusing on finger and hand movements makes it difficult to fully focus on the targeted memory. The split focus allows for a decrease in intensity, making it appear less extreme. Doing so allows the brain to relax to some degree and try to resolve the issue. The stimulation forces both sides of the brain to talk to each other and work together.
This isn’t a one-time session method, but in six to eight sessions, it is possible to see recovery results. Since anxiety can often go hand in hand with other mental health disorders, EMDR can help change the narrative controlling life. Through EMDR, it is possible to regain a more positive quality of life. If this sounds like something you are interested in, reach out for a free consultation, and let’s start the path to recovery!
