Using EMDR therapy to treat anxiety is becoming more common as more clinicians and patients come to understand the benefits of this unique treatment. By understanding how EMDR works and the theories behind its efficacy, you can determine whether EMDR seems right for you. While outpatient treatment can be effective for some, people struggling with severe anxiety may be better served by incorporating EMDR within a broader spectrum of care. Todd Creager is a therapist in the Huntington Beach area who is an expert in using EMDR to help clients that struggle with disorders like anxiety, all around Orange County.

By using EMDR therapy for anxiety within a broader scope of treatment, you can remove barriers to healing and find rapid relief from suffering.  EMDR treatment works by directing eye movements or other means of bilateral brain stimulation while imagining distressing scenarios and ultimately shifting your attention toward more positive thoughts, causing anxiety to dissipate. More specifically, research shows that when a person can process a traumatic memory or stressful image using bilateral brain stimulation, that person begins experiencing an increased sense of wellbeing.

During this process, the therapist asks the client to notice the sensations, images, and emotions that they experience and slowly begin to shift attention away from negative thoughts toward more positive ones. In doing so, anxiety begins to lift and the client is able to regain control over their emotional state.

There have been dozens of randomized controlled trials that have found EMDR to be an effective treatment that produces “rapid decreases in negative emotions and/or vividness of disturbing images. Numerous other evaluations document that EMDR therapy provides relief from bodily symptoms associated with anxiety disorders.

One of the benefits of EMDR treatment is that you are not required have to talk about painful memories, making this form therapy appealing/safe for clients who are resistant to verbalizing their experiences or for whom those experiences remain too painful to talk about.

EMDR for anxiety is a largely internal process during which Todd gently guides his clients and leads them from anxiety to a place where they can feel safe. This can allow you to access parts of yourself that traditional talk therapy may not be able to reach. To talk about scheduling a session or finding out more about EMDR therapy services for anxiety, contact Todd’s Huntington Beach office – conveniently located in Orange County for clients in Irvine, Newport Coast, Corona Del Mar and beyond.