The Intersection of Trauma and Anxiety: How EMDR Can Help
Anxiety can feel like an ever-present hum in the background of life — something that doesn’t just consume your mind, but your body as well. It might feel like a tight chest, a racing mind, and a sense of ominous foreboding or dread. While many can experience anxiety on its own, it can commonly be rooted in unresolved trauma.
Understanding the relationship between trauma and anxiety can bring clarity to your feelings and carve a powerful path to healing. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, also known as EMDR therapy offers a safe, effective, and transformative way to walk that path.
How Trauma Fuels Anxiety
Trauma isn’t only limited to life-threatening events. It can include experiences of emotional neglect, bullying, chronic stress, or living in an unpredictable environment. When these moments overwhelm your nervous system, especially if you experience them during your formative years when the brain is still developing, they can get “stuck” in the brain and body — — showing up later as symptoms of anxiety such as
Hypervigilance or a constant sense of danger
Panic attacks or chronic worry
Trouble sleeping or concentrating
Feelings of being overwhelmed by minor stressors
Clients struggling with anxiety aren’t always aware that their symptoms stem from past experiences. Without this understanding, it can be easy to feel as though something is wrong with you rather than your system actively attempting to protect itself in situations that may mirror the pain of the past.
What is EMDR Therapy?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a structured, evidence-based therapy developed to help people process traumatic memories and reduce the emotional distress they cause. Unlike traditional talk therapy, EMDR doesn’t require you to verbally dissect your traumatic memories. Instead, EMDR uses bilateral stimulation — typically guided eye movements or taps— while you recall distressing memories in your mind. The therapist will check in along the way to ensure you are safe and moving forward through the processing. This method helps the brain reprocess those memories in a way that is no longer activating or overwhelming to the nervous system as you are keeping one metaphorical “foot” in the memory and one in the safety of the present moment.
How EMDR Helps Reduce Anxiety
When the underlying trauma is resolved, anxiety symptoms often lessen significantly as EMDR works to:
Identify the root causes of anxiety
Reduce emotional intensity around triggers
Rebuild a sense of internal safety
Heal the nervous system
Real Healing Is Possible
If you’ve tried coping skills, mindfulness, or even talk therapy and your anxiety still lingers, it might be a good idea to look into EMDR as it offers an effective, research-backed approach to healing anxiety at its roots.
You don’t have to live in constant survival mode. With support, safety, and the right tools, it is possible to feel calm, empowered, and present again or maybe even for the first time.
Ready to explore if EMDR is right for you or your child?
Our team of EMDR trained therapists would be honored to support you in your therapy and EMDR journey. Feel free to call our office at 682-587-7747 or email info@salyercounseling.com to inquire about how you can get started.
