The Science Behind EMDR: A Revolutionary Approach to Anxiety Treatment

Across this vast, diverse world, the most common mental health issue is anxiety. This is not meant to demonize anxiety. It is, after all, a normal emotion that can be very valuable in our lives. However, on a digitized planet with a seemingly endless supply of concerns, we can get stuck in cycles of anxiety. Before you know it, you can wind up stuck in a perpetual stress response which, in turn, leads to being diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. 

There is a wide range of treatment options for people with anxiety disorders. A powerful example is Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy.

The Science Behind EMDR

therapist using hand for EMDR

When most of us ponder the concept of therapy, we probably don’t conjure up images of finger and eye movements. However, EMDR is a unique treatment option. Here are the basic steps:

  • The EMDR therapist helps you choose a specific belief or memory that feels like an anxiety trigger. While you aim your full focus on that thought, the therapist moves their hands and fingers in front of your face as you follow those movements with your eyes.

  • This combination of actions is found to instill a state in which people can work to resolve negative memories without being triggered.

  • As the negative thoughts are resolved, you can replace them with positive beliefs.

EMDR’s track record is stellar but how and why does this work?

Brain Changes

If anxious thoughts and memories become a default setting, this will overstimulate two parts of your brain. Your amygdala and hippocampus can begin to dominate the rational thinking encouraged by your pre-frontal cortex. You may end up in a chronic state of high alert — allowing anxious memories to go unprocessed.

Ideally, this scenario is prevented from happening because such memories are processed during sleep. Since EMDR mimics a state similar to REM sleep, it is shown to accelerate the resolution of negative memories in as few as eight sessions. In part, these outcomes happen because EMDR calms down the amygdala and hippocampus so past events can be processed productively. 

EMDR: A Revolutionary Approach to Anxiety Treatment

Let’s break this down into personal terms. When you encounter a potential threat, your mind and body reflexively respond. However, when experiences are not resolved, your mind and body can respond even when danger is not present. This can frequently be the start of an anxiety disorder. EMDR is a proven method for unearthing the root cause of feelings of stuckness.

A skilled EMDR therapist can guide you through the emotions and memories that come to the surface as you undergo treatment. It feels logical to avoid the past events that still impact your thought patterns, behaviors, and bodily sensations. But EMDR creates a safe space to do this essential work. 

During a session, you’ll return to experiences that are holding out back. You’ll do so without judgment and therefore, have the power to better understand that can thrive again. 

Beliefs like:

  • “Nothing will change”

  • “I have no control”

  • “I can’t do it”

Are replaced with:

  • “I choose to be proactive”

  • “I am capable”

  • “Whatever happens, I will do my best”

Where and How Do We Start?

It’s not a magic trick. Such healing happens when you can look directly at the obstacles in your life. To do this, you need to acknowledge what’s happening in your brain. The science of EMDR therapy shines a light on structural changes that require your attention. Thus begins a revolutionary approach to change your relationship with anxiety. If this sounds too good to be true, I invite you to reach out with your questions. 

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