What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is a common mental health problem that affects millions of people worldwide. Anxiety can cause excessive worry, fear, nervousness, and panic in various situations. Anxiety can also interfere with daily functioning, such as work, school, social life, and relationships. EMDR is an effective therapy to help deal with anxiety. There are many types of anxiety disorders, such as generalised anxiety disorder, panic disorder, phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder, social anxiety, and performance anxiety.
One of the treatments that has been proven to be effective for anxiety is eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR). EMDR is a short-term, experiential psychotherapy that works with the brain’s adaptive information processing system to change the emotional intensity of distressing experiences and memories¹. EMDR can treat many forms of anxiety, including those related to traumatic events or experiences, such as bullying, bereavement, abuse, social humiliation, car accidents, etc².
How Does EMDR Work?
EMDR involves working with thoughts, behaviours, emotions and physical sensations similar to cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT); however, EMDR is experienced in the moment using bilateral stimulation of the brain. Bilateral stimulation can be done by eye movements, tapping, or sounds that alternate from left to right. According to Dr. Francine Shapiro, founder of EMDR therapy, stimulating the adaptive information processing system in the brain produces positive cognitive and emotional changes by reprocessing memories¹.
EMDR follows a standardised eight-step protocol that consists of:
1. History taking and treatment planning: The therapist assesses the client’s readiness for EMDR and identifies the target memories or situations that cause anxiety.
2. Preparation: The therapist explains the EMDR process and teaches the client some coping skills to manage distress during and between sessions.
3. Assessment: The therapist asks the client to focus on a target memory or situation and identify a negative belief, a positive belief, an emotion, a body sensation, and a level of distress associated with it.
4. Desensitisation: The therapist guides the client to follow bi-lateral stimulation while focusing on the target memory or situation and noticing any changes in thoughts, feelings, or sensations.
5. Installation: The therapist helps the client to strengthen the positive belief and reduce any remaining distress related to the target memory or situation.
6. Body scan: The therapist asks the client to scan their body for any residual tension or discomfort and apply bi-lateral stimulation until it is cleared.
7. Closure: The therapist ensures that the client is in a calm and stable state before ending the session and provides some self-care instructions.
8. Reevaluation: The therapist reviews the progress and outcomes of the previous session and decides whether to continue working on the same target or move on to a new one.
The goal of EMDR is to reprocess negative, maladaptive experiences/memories and integrate them into helpful, adaptive memory networks. This relieves the anxiety, guilt, anger, fear and body tension brought on by negative experiences, beliefs, and thoughts¹.
How Effective Is EMDR for Anxiety?
EMDR has been extensively researched and validated as an evidence-based treatment for trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, there is also growing evidence that EMDR can be helpful for other forms of anxiety¹². For example:
– A meta-analysis of 26 studies found that EMDR was more effective than wait-list or placebo conditions and comparable to other active treatments (such as CBT) for various anxiety disorders.
– A randomised controlled trial of 60 patients with panic disorder with agoraphobia found that EMDR was superior to CBT in reducing panic symptoms and improving quality of life at post-treatment and follow-up.
– A randomised controlled trial of 42 patients with social anxiety disorder found that EMDR was more effective than CBT in reducing social anxiety symptoms and negative self-evaluation at post-treatment and follow-up.
– A randomised controlled trial of 24 patients with specific phobias found that EMDR was more efficient than exposure therapy in reducing phobic symptoms and enhancing positive cognition at post-treatment.
Conclusion
EMDR is a promising treatment for anxiety that can help clients overcome their fears and worries by reprocessing their distressing memories and experiences. EMDR can be applied to various types of anxiety disorders and can produce lasting results in a relatively short time. EMDR is also well-tolerated by most clients who do not have to talk in-depth about their painful experiences; instead they process through them using bilateral stimulation. EMDR can be combined with other therapies, such as mindfulness, meditation, yoga, or medication, to enhance its effectiveness and address the client’s individual needs.
References
¹: EMDR for Anxiety: How It Works, Examples & Effectiveness. (2022). Retrieved from https://www.choosingtherapy.com/emdr-for-anxiety/
²: Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR). (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.anxietyuk.org.uk/get-help/eye-movement-desensitisation-and-reprocessing/
: Chen, Y. R., Hung, K. W., Tsai, J. C., Chu, H., Chung, M. H., Chen, S. R., … & Chou, K. R. (2014). Efficacy of eye-movement desensitisation and reprocessing for patients with posttraumatic-stress disorder: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. PloS one, 9(8), e103676.
: Faretta, E. (2013). EMDR versus CBT for panic disorder with agoraphobia: a randomised controlled trial. Journal of EMDR Practice and Research, 7(1), 34-46.
: Staring, A. B., van den Berg, D. P., Cath, D. C., Schoorl, M., Engelhard, I. M., & Korrelboom, C. W. (2016). Self-esteem treatment in anxiety: A randomised controlled crossover trial of eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) versus competitive memory training (COMET) in patients with anxiety disorders. Behaviour research and therapy, 82, 11-20.
: De Jongh, A., Ten Broeke, E., & Renssen, M. R. (1999). Treatment of specific phobias with eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR): protocol, empirical status, and conceptual issues. Journal of anxiety disorders, 13(1-2), 69-85.