EMDR FOR ANXIETY
EMDR is one of the most effective ways to decrease anxiety.
Anxiety can be crippling. And, EMDR for anxiety is a very effective treatment method. When anxiety strikes you feel it both physically and emotionally. In the body you may have insomnia, headaches, muscle tension, feel your heart rate rise, your palms become sweaty, and any clarity you had is lost. Emotionally you may feel irritable, tense, uneasy, have fears that you know are irrational, and ruminate excessively.
The statistics show that anxiety affects 1 in 3 people in the U.S. So, you are not alone. Young children can suffer from anxiety as well. While anxiety may seem inevitable in the world as it is today, anxiety doesn’t have to disempower you! EMDR therapy decreases your anxiety, empowers you, and brings you more clarity.
Good news for anxiety sufferers!
The good news is that anxiety is treatable! First, the preparation phase of EMDR takes place. I work with people using some very common tools. Anyone can learn and use these tools. First, we work to lower your anxiety ‘baseline’. If you are wondering what an ‘anxiety baseline’ is, you are not alone. To determine the anxiety baseline we use a scaled rating from 0 to 10, with 10 being the highest.
Many people begin therapy stating that their anxiety is at a level 9 or 10 In other words the disturbance of anxiety is high. If they first notice their anxiety at a level 8, that doesn’t leave much room to reach a 10–the highest level .
So one of the first things we work on is learning to listen to your body. The other tools are listed below. When each of thse works together, you will feel better!
What does EMDR have to do with listening to my body?
Our bodies carry much information about our well being, or lack thereof. So, it’s important to learn to recognize the body sensations you feel. Especially the body sensations that lead to anxiety. You may recognize you are anxious when you feel tightness in your chest. When you listen to your body you can then employ the tools you will learn. Listening to your body repeatedly will lower your baseline. The result is that you will notice your anxiety when it is at a lower level. This low level is much easier to manage. Listening to your body lays the foundation for effective EMDR.
Are you listening well to your body? Next comes EMDR.
As you are learning this skill, and after you become adept at it, I will use EMDR. It will help strengthen the positive body sensations and emotions that result when using these tools. The top tools include simple meditation to slow the racing mind. Another is deep breathing, or belly breathing. This is the big regulator for your nervous system. And, when the nervous system is regulated you will feel calmer. You will be able to think more clearly.
All of these tools help create ‘new’ pathways in the brain. Now, fear and anxiety won’t ‘run the show’. Learning and using tools will increase your readiness to desensitize memories and situations that have contributed to your anxiety. Desensitization is next. This is the ‘D’ in EMDR. Desensitization uses bi-lateral stimulation. When the tools are paired together the emotional charge will fade away.
Learning new and more helpful patterns with EMDR.
When your calm is more prevalent than anxiety, we will observe the people, situations or thoughts that are causing your anxiety to rise. Using EMDR, we work to decrease these unhelpful thought patterns. If during processing, we hit on a thought that is especially anxiety producing, you will be ready to employ the tools you have learned. These tools will calm your body and mind. Then you’ll be equipped to work through past, present and future situations. EMDR doubles down on anxiety by lowering the disturbances in your mind and body. Then,we process whatever created your anxiety in the first place.