EMDR Therapy for Anxiety: What to Expect and How It Works
If you’ve tried traditional talk therapy and still feel stuck in cycles of worry, panic, or fear, EMDR might be the missing piece. Here’s everything you need to know before your first session.
What Is EMDR Therapy?
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. Developed by psychologist Dr. Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s, it was originally designed to help people process traumatic memories — and it worked remarkably well. Over the decades since, researchers and clinicians have discovered that EMDR is equally powerful for treating anxiety, panic attacks, phobias, and other stress-related conditions.
Unlike traditional cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which focuses on changing thought patterns through conversation and homework, EMDR works by targeting the way distressing memories and experiences are stored in the brain. The goal is not to talk through every detail of what happened, but to help your nervous system fully process and integrate experiences that have remained “stuck.”
Today, EMDR is recognized as an evidence-based treatment by the American Psychological Association (APA), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, among many others.
How Does EMDR Therapy Work for Anxiety?
To understand why EMDR is effective for anxiety, it helps to understand what anxiety actually is at a neurological level.
Anxiety is often the brain’s response to a perceived threat — real or imagined. When something frightening or stressful happens, the brain’s threat-detection system (the amygdala) activates. In a healthy stress response, the brain processes the event, learns from it, and returns to baseline. But when that processing is disrupted — by overwhelming stress, trauma, or repeated negative experiences — the memory gets stored in a raw, unprocessed state. It can then get reactivated by sensory triggers: a tone of voice, a crowded room, a physical sensation. The result is anxiety that feels disproportionate, hard to explain, or impossible to “think your way out of.”
EMDR works by using bilateral stimulation (most commonly guided eye movements, though tapping or auditory tones are also used) while the client briefly focuses on a distressing memory or belief. This bilateral stimulation appears to activate the brain’s natural information-processing system — similar to what happens during REM sleep — and allows the brain to reprocess the stuck experience. Over time, the memory loses its emotional charge. It becomes something that happened, rather than something that’s still happening.
What Conditions Does EMDR Treat?
While EMDR is best known for treating PTSD and trauma, its applications are much broader. At Elite Psychology Group in Los Angeles, our therapists use EMDR to help clients with:
- Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
- Social anxiety and fear of judgment
- Panic attacks and panic disorder
- Specific phobias (flying, driving, medical procedures, etc.)
- Performance anxiety (sports, work, public speaking)
- Anxiety stemming from childhood experiences or relational trauma
- Health anxiety and OCD-related patterns
- Grief and loss that has led to prolonged anxiety
If anxiety has been your constant companion — whether it shows up as racing thoughts, physical tension, avoidance behaviors, or sudden panic — EMDR may offer the kind of relief that talking alone has not.
The 8 Phases of EMDR: A Step-by-Step Overview
EMDR is a structured therapy with eight distinct phases. Understanding these phases can help reduce any apprehension about what the process actually looks like.
Phase 1: History Taking and Treatment Planning
In your first sessions, your therapist will get to know your history, understand your current symptoms, and identify specific memories or experiences that may be contributing to your anxiety. You won’t need to go into graphic detail — the goal here is to create a roadmap, not to re-live everything at once.
Phase 2: Preparation
Your therapist will explain how EMDR works and teach you stabilization and grounding techniques. These skills are essential — they give you tools to manage distress both inside and outside of sessions so you feel safe throughout the process.
Phase 3: Assessment
Together, you’ll identify a specific target memory or belief to work on. Your therapist will ask you to identify the negative belief connected to it (e.g., “I am not safe” or “I am not good enough”), the emotions and body sensations that come up, and a positive belief you’d like to hold instead.
Phases 4–6: Desensitization, Installation & Body Scan
This is the core of EMDR work. While briefly holding the target memory in mind, you’ll follow your therapist’s fingers moving back and forth (or receive another form of bilateral stimulation). After each set, you’ll report what comes up — images, emotions, sensations, or thoughts. Your therapist follows your lead, letting the brain process naturally. Most clients describe this phase as surprisingly manageable, and many feel a noticeable reduction in distress within a single session.
Phase 7: Closure
At the end of each session, your therapist will bring you back to a state of calm using grounding techniques. You’ll also discuss how to care for yourself between sessions, as processing can continue in the days following EMDR work.
Phase 8: Reevaluation
At the start of subsequent sessions, your therapist will check in on progress and ensure that previous targets have been fully processed before moving on. This phase ensures lasting results rather than surface-level relief.
What Does EMDR Actually Feel Like?
One of the most common questions people have before starting EMDR is: “Will I have to relive my worst memories?” The answer is no — not in the way most people fear.
EMDR does involve briefly accessing difficult memories or uncomfortable feelings, but you are never asked to describe them in detail or stay in distress for long stretches. Most clients describe the experience as watching a scene through a window, rather than being inside it. The bilateral stimulation creates a kind of dual awareness: you’re present in the therapy room, grounded and safe, while also observing the memory from a distance.
Many people are surprised by how quickly the emotional intensity of a memory can shift. Something that felt overwhelming to think about at the start of a session may feel neutral or even resolved by the end. Other times, the change is more gradual — unfolding between sessions as the brain continues to integrate what was processed.
After sessions, clients often report feeling lighter, less reactive to triggers, and more able to engage with their lives. Some notice vivid dreams or emotional waves in the days that follow — signs that processing is continuing. Your therapist will help you understand and navigate these between-session experiences.
EMDR vs. CBT for Anxiety: How Do They Compare?
At Elite Psychology Group, our therapists are trained in multiple evidence-based approaches, including CBT, EMDR, and DBT. Often, the best treatment involves a combination of these modalities. But it’s worth understanding how EMDR and CBT differ in their approach to anxiety:
CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) focuses on identifying and changing distorted thought patterns and behaviors that maintain anxiety. It is structured, skills-based, and involves practice between sessions. CBT is excellent for learning to manage anxiety in the present and building long-term coping strategies.
EMDR works at a deeper level by targeting the original experiences that wired the anxiety response in the first place. Rather than managing anxiety from the outside, EMDR aims to resolve it from the root. Many clients who have done CBT find that EMDR addresses the layer underneath their patterns — the visceral, body-level experiences that “knowing better” couldn’t fully reach.
Neither approach is universally superior — they answer different questions. CBT asks: “How can I think and act differently right now?” EMDR asks: “What happened that taught me to feel this way, and can we heal it?” Your therapist will help you determine which path — or which combination — is right for you.
How Many EMDR Sessions Will I Need?
One of the things that makes EMDR distinctive is that it often produces results more quickly than traditional talk therapy. Research suggests that simple, single-incident trauma can sometimes be resolved in as few as 3–12 sessions. For more complex anxiety with roots in prolonged or repeated experiences, treatment typically takes longer.
At your intake appointment, your therapist will discuss realistic expectations based on your specific history and goals. Progress is regularly assessed throughout treatment, so you’re never left wondering whether things are actually moving.
Is EMDR Right for Me? Signs It May Be a Good Fit
EMDR may be a good fit for you if:
- You’ve done talk therapy but still feel emotionally stuck or reactive
- Your anxiety feels more physical than intellectual — you feel it in your chest, stomach, or body
- You can identify specific events, relationships, or experiences that seem connected to your anxiety
- You experience intrusive thoughts, nightmares, or flashback-like reactions
- You want to address the root of anxiety, not just manage symptoms
- You’re open to a structured, body-informed therapeutic approach
EMDR may not be the best starting point if you are currently in acute crisis, have significant dissociation, or need to build more foundational stabilization skills first. In those cases, your therapist will work with you to establish safety before beginning trauma processing.
EMDR Therapy at Elite Psychology Group in Los Angeles
At Elite Psychology Group, our therapists are trained in EMDR and use it as part of a comprehensive, personalized treatment approach. We work with adults, adolescents, couples, and athletes — tailoring every treatment plan to the individual in front of us, not a generic protocol.
We offer both in-person sessions at our West Los Angeles office and telehealth appointments across California and Georgia. We are in-network with Anthem Blue Cross and Aetna in California, making high-quality EMDR therapy accessible to more people who need it.
Our team includes therapists who bring decades of experience to every client relationship. We don’t just treat anxiety; we help you understand it, process it, and ultimately leave it behind.
Ready to See If EMDR Is Right for You?
You don’t have to keep managing anxiety forever. If you’re curious about EMDR therapy — or ready to take the next step — we’d love to connect. Book a consultation with one of our therapists at Elite Psychology Group and discover what’s possible when anxiety no longer calls the shots.
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