Can EMDR Therapy Treat Anxiety? Exploring the Benefits and Effectiveness
- Gurprit Ganda
- Sep 12, 2024
- 7 min read
Updated:
Oct 9, 2025
Anxiety is a complex and often debilitating condition that affects millions of people worldwide. It can manifest in various forms, from generalized anxiety disorder to specific phobias and panic attacks. While traditional talk therapy and medication can be helpful in managing anxiety, there is another highly effective technique that has shown remarkable results - EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing).
What is EMDR?
EMDR stands for
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
. It was developed by psychologist Dr. Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s and has since become a widely recognized therapy for treating trauma, anxiety, and other mental health issues. EMDR involves a structured eight-phase process that utilizes bilateral stimulation (such as eye movements, tapping, or sound) to help individuals process distressing memories and experiences (Shapiro, 2018).
The theoretical foundation of EMDR is based on the Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model, which posits that psychological distress is often caused by inadequately processed memories of adverse life experiences (Shapiro, 2001). By targeting these memories and facilitating their reprocessing, EMDR aims to alleviate symptoms and promote adaptive functioning.
How does EMDR help in Treating Anxiety?
One of the key reasons why EMDR is helpful in treating anxiety is that it targets the root cause of the issue rather than just treating the symptoms. It allows individuals to process traumatic events and experiences from their past that may be contributing to their current anxiety symptoms.
Research has shown that EMDR can be particularly effective for various
anxiety
disorders. A meta-analysis by Yunitri et al. (2020) found that EMDR was significantly effective in reducing anxiety symptoms across different anxiety disorders, with a large overall effect size (g = -0.83, 95% CI: -1.14 to -0.52, p
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