EMDR for Anxiety: A Different Path When Other Treatments Haven't Helped

By Gessica Cross, LCSW, Co-Owner and Licensed Therapist | Clinically reviewed by Jeanne Cross, LCSW, LAC | Last reviewed: October 2, 2026

Anxiety tends to arrive in the body before it arrives in the mind. Your heart rate picks up. Your thoughts start looping. You feel the familiar tightening before you have had time to name it.

For many people in Denver and across Colorado, anxiety is not a single event. It is a pattern, a background noise that gets louder in meetings, in relationships, and in quiet moments before sleep. Maybe you have already done the work: breathing exercises, mindfulness apps, thought records, even years of talk therapy. Those tools help in the moment. But if the worry comes right back when the exercise ends, the problem is not your effort. The anxiety is anchored somewhere coping skills do not reach.

That is where EMDR therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) stands apart. If you are new to it, start with our overview of what EMDR therapy is. Rather than teaching you to manage anxious feelings over and over, EMDR helps your brain reprocess the experiences that taught your nervous system to stay on alert, so the alarm goes off less often and with less force. At EMDR Center of Denver, we often find that people with anxiety who have not responded well to more traditional anxiety treatments respond well to EMDR. This article explains why, what the research shows, and what to expect from online EMDR therapy in Colorado.

Does EMDR Work for Anxiety?

Yes. EMDR is an evidence-based therapy, and the research on EMDR for anxiety is encouraging. A 2020 meta-analysis of 17 randomized controlled trials published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research found that EMDR significantly reduced symptoms of anxiety, panic, and phobias. In a randomized controlled trial on panic disorder, EMDR proved as effective as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). And because EMDR works on the memories and beliefs underneath anxiety, not just the symptoms on top, it often helps when other approaches have not.

Key Takeaways

• EMDR is evidence-based for anxiety. Research shows significant reductions in anxiety, panic, and phobia symptoms, and EMDR performed as well as CBT in a head-to-head trial for panic disorder.
• EMDR goes to the root. It works with the memories and learned beliefs that keep anxiety going, so you are not stuck managing symptoms forever.
• It often helps when other treatments have not. In our practice, people who did not get lasting relief from more traditional anxiety treatments often respond well to EMDR.
• EMDR asks less of you. There is no homework, no detailed retelling, and no arguing with your own thoughts. You stay in control and can pause or stop at any time.
• Relief can start early. Most of our clients report subtle positive changes within the first one to three sessions.
• Online EMDR is available to adults anywhere in Colorado, and a free 15-minute consultation is a no-pressure way to find out whether it fits.

What Makes Anxiety Different from Stress

Stress is usually tied to something happening now: a deadline, a conflict, a real threat. Anxiety, by contrast, persists even when the situation has passed or the threat is unclear. The American Psychological Association describes anxiety as a future-oriented, long-acting response broadly focused on a diffuse threat. The body stays primed. The scanning does not stop.

For some people, anxiety has been running in the background for so long that it feels like a personality trait rather than a response. It can look like perfectionism, people-pleasing, difficulty resting, or a sense that something bad is about to happen even when things are fine. If that sounds familiar, you are far from alone. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, an estimated 19.1% of U.S. adults had an anxiety disorder in the past year, and 31.1% will experience one at some point in their lives.

Understanding the difference matters for treatment. Stress often eases with stress management. Anxiety, especially when it traces back to earlier experiences, tends to respond best to approaches that work with those experiences directly instead of managing the surface symptoms alone. That is exactly what EMDR is designed to do.

How EMDR Helps with Anxiety

EMDR was first developed to treat trauma and PTSD, and its research base there is strong. The World Health Organization recommends EMDR for PTSD, and it is included in the American Psychological Association's clinical practice guideline for PTSD. Building on that foundation, clinicians around the world now use EMDR for anxiety, panic, and phobias, and the research continues to back them up.

Beyond the 2020 meta-analysis above, a 2019 review in the Journal of EMDR Practice and Research concluded that the available evidence suggests EMDR can be effective for panic disorder and specific phobias. In the panic disorder trial, people received 13 weekly sessions of either EMDR or CBT, and EMDR matched CBT on most measures of panic severity and quality of life.

The EMDR International Association explains that EMDR helps you connect current symptoms to negative beliefs, and to the unresolved stressful events that fueled and strengthened those beliefs. That describes a lot of anxiety. Worry, dread, and a constant sense of threat often grow out of moments when we learned that the world was unpredictable, that mistakes were dangerous, or that we had to stay on guard to stay safe.

When other anxiety treatments have not been enough

If you have already tried treatment for anxiety and are still struggling, you are not alone, and you have not failed. Cognitive behavioral therapy is a well-established treatment, and it helps many people. Still, a review of CBT research across anxiety disorders found average response rates of about 50 percent. That means many people do the work, practice the skills, and still do not get the relief they were hoping for.

At EMDR Center of Denver, we meet these people often. They have learned coping skills, challenged their thoughts, or spent years in talk therapy. They understand their anxiety inside and out, and it still runs the show. In our experience, people with anxiety who have not responded well to more traditional treatments often respond very well to EMDR. For many of them, it is the first approach that reaches the anxiety where it actually lives.

Why EMDR works differently

Most people with anxiety already know, logically, that the meeting will probably go fine or that a delayed text does not mean disaster. The thought is not the problem. The problem is that the body does not believe it yet. Many traditional approaches ask your thinking brain to talk your alarm system down. EMDR works at a deeper level, helping your brain reprocess the old experiences that set the alarm so the present stops feeling so dangerous. Our article on EMDR and neuroplasticity explains what that kind of change looks like in the brain.

EMDR also asks less of you. As summarized by EMDR developer Dr. Francine Shapiro, the World Health Organization notes that, unlike trauma-focused CBT, EMDR does not involve detailed descriptions of the event, direct challenging of beliefs, extended exposure, or homework. For people who are already worn out by anxiety, that difference matters. In the same review, Dr. Shapiro reported that seven of ten randomized trials comparing EMDR with CBT for trauma found EMDR to be faster or more effective.

EMDR is guided by the Adaptive Information Processing model, which holds that many mental health symptoms are rooted in earlier life experiences that were never fully processed. When EMDR helps the brain finish that processing, those memories carry less charge. Many people describe the result as feeling calmer, steadier, and less reactive when old triggers show up. You can see how we put this into practice on our EMDR therapy for anxiety page.

Wondering whether EMDR might fit your situation?

Schedule a free 15-minute consultation with no pressure and no commitment.

What EMDR Looks Like for Anxiety

EMDR follows the same eight phases of EMDR therapy regardless of the concern. The early phases focus on your history, coping skills, and preparation. Active processing does not begin until you and your therapist have chosen specific targets (memories, experiences, or situations) and you have the skills to stay grounded while noticing what comes up. Many of those grounding skills overlap with mindfulness, and mindfulness and EMDR reinforce each other well.

For anxiety, targets may include:

• A specific memory where you first learned that something was dangerous or that your performance had to be perfect
• A recurring present-day trigger, such as a type of conversation, a social situation, or a kind of criticism
• An anticipated future scenario that reliably sparks dread

That last target matters, because anxiety lives in the future. Laboratory research has found that the eye movements used in EMDR make mental images of feared future events less vivid and less emotional. In practice, that can mean the presentation, the flight, or the hard conversation stops playing in your head like a disaster movie.

During processing, you hold the target in mind while your therapist guides bilateral stimulation: a moving dot on screen, alternating tones, or tapping. After each short set, you describe what you notice. A thought, a physical sensation, a different memory, or nothing at all are all valid. You stay in control and can pause or stop at any time.

Anxiety Patterns Where EMDR Can Help

Anxiety shows up differently for different people. Here are patterns we often see in our practice, and where we regularly see EMDR make a real difference:

Persistent worry: Wide-ranging worry that jumps from one concern to the next, from work to health to the news cycle. When the worry traces back to learned beliefs like "the world is not safe" or "I have to figure everything out myself," EMDR helps loosen their grip. If the headlines are a big trigger for you, our guide to dealing with political anxiety offers practical tools.

Social anxiety: Fear of judgment, embarrassment, or rejection in social situations. This often connects to specific memories of criticism, humiliation, or exclusion, and to core beliefs like "I'm not enough" or "I'm too much". EMDR helps you process those memories so the beliefs lose their hold.

Perfectionism and fear of failure: A relentless inner standard that makes rest feel unsafe. EMDR addresses the experiences that taught you your value depended on your performance. Learn more about how EMDR helps with perfectionism and why high achievers so often end up burned out.

People-pleasing: Saying yes when you mean no, and feeling anxious whenever someone might be upset with you. People-pleasing is often a learned survival response, not a flaw. Our article on how to stop chronic people-pleasing explains where it starts and how EMDR helps.

Hypervigilance: Constant alertness, like scanning rooms, re-reading messages, and bracing for the next thing to go wrong. This is often a learned response from environments where that level of alertness made sense. EMDR helps your nervous system register that you are safe now.

Panic and physical anxiety symptoms: Racing heart, chest tightness, trouble breathing. EMDR works with the triggers and experiences behind these symptoms, not just the symptoms themselves. Our article on EMDR for panic attacks goes deeper.

If your anxiety shows up as intrusive thoughts and rituals you feel you have to perform, read about EMDR for OCD, which often overlaps with anxiety.

These patterns are not character flaws. They are learned responses, built in circumstances where they made sense. And what was learned can be reprocessed. A consultation with a trained EMDR therapist can help you understand which patterns are driving your anxiety and where to start.

What to Expect from Online EMDR for Anxiety in Colorado

EMDR Center of Denver provides online EMDR therapy to adults anywhere in Colorado, from Denver and Boulder to Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, and the mountain towns. (See all the areas we serve.) The eight-phase process is the same online as in person. Bilateral stimulation is delivered on screen using a moving dot, alternating tones through headphones, or self-tapping. Many people find it easier to relax and open up when they are working from the comfort of home.

The research supports it. A 2021 evaluation in BMC Psychiatry of 93 clients who received EMDR remotely found statistically significant and clinically meaningful reductions in symptoms. We cover more of the evidence in Does Virtual EMDR Work?

For people who want to make progress in a more focused way, we also offer EMDR intensives. Most intensives are 90 minutes or two hours, and three- and four-hour sessions may be offered when clinically appropriate and strongly preferred by the client. Current fees are on our rates page.

The history phase gathers enough context to plan treatment safely. Processing asks only that you notice what comes up in the session and share it briefly. A good EMDR therapist sets the pace with you, never ahead of you. And if a quick check-in would help between appointments, you are welcome to call or text us.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does EMDR work for anxiety that is not related to a single trauma?

Yes. Many people's anxiety comes from cumulative experiences, such as patterns of criticism, unpredictability, or childhood emotional neglect, rather than one event. EMDR works with those patterns as well. Your therapist will help you identify which experiences to focus on based on your history and goals.

Is EMDR better than CBT for anxiety?

Both are evidence-based, and the best fit depends on the person. In a head-to-head trial for panic disorder, EMDR was as effective as CBT. The bigger difference is how they work. CBT focuses on changing thoughts and behaviors in the present, while EMDR reprocesses the experiences that keep anxiety going, without homework or a detailed retelling. If CBT has not given you lasting relief, EMDR is a strong next step, and many of our clients find it reaches what other approaches could not.

How quickly will I notice a difference?

Often sooner than people expect. Most of our clients report subtle positive changes within the first one to three sessions: feeling more grounded, sleeping better, and not spiraling as far when something feels off. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs also notes that many people in EMDR for PTSD start to notice improvement after a few sessions. The full course depends on how long the anxiety has been present, how many experiences contribute to it, and your goals. If you want to move faster, read about the benefits of EMDR intensives.

Can I do EMDR for anxiety if I am taking medication?

Yes. EMDR works alongside medication prescribed by your doctor or psychiatrist. We do not prescribe, and we never ask you to change a medication. That conversation belongs with your prescriber.

Can I do EMDR online in Colorado if I have never done therapy before?

Yes. Online sessions are available to adults anywhere in Colorado, and EMDR includes a preparation phase that builds grounding skills before any memory work begins. A free consultation is a good place to talk through whether EMDR is the right starting point for you, and our EMDR FAQ answers more first-timer questions.

What if I get anxious during a session?

Your therapist prepares you with calming skills before processing begins, and you can pause or stop at any point. If distress rises, your therapist uses closure techniques to help you return to a calm, grounded state before the session ends. Some people feel tired or emotionally tender for a day or two afterward, which is usually brief. Our guide to what is normal after an EMDR session covers what to expect. If you are experiencing a mental health emergency, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Colorado Mental Health Line, or call 911.

Take the Next Step

If anxiety has been running your life, or other treatments have not given you the lasting relief you hoped for, EMDR offers a different path, and it may be the one that finally works for you. A free 15-minute consultation is a gentle first step. You can meet the therapists at EMDR Center of Denver, ask your questions, and get a clear sense of whether EMDR fits your situation, with no commitment and no pressure.

Book your free 15-minute consultation, or if you have a question first, send us a message. We would be glad to hear from you.

About the Author

Gessica Cross, LCSW, Co-Owner and Licensed Therapist. Gessica Cross helps people find greater joy and healing from prior trauma, anxiety, and depression, as well as processing grief, loss, and life transitions. She is formally EMDR-trained, with additional training in using EMDR for depression, anxiety, and addiction, and she graduated with a Master's in Social Work from the University of Illinois with honors. She moved to Colorado after completing a post-graduate fellowship in India, where she provided pro bono work among survivors of kidnapping, abduction, and human slavery. She has specialized in helping people recover from trauma, depression, and anxiety for the last decade. She is excited to work with you!

Clinically reviewed by Jeanne Cross, LCSW, LAC, Co-Owner and Licensed Therapist. Jeanne Cross has more than ten years of experience helping adults find relief from depression, anxiety, grief and loss, addiction, and trauma. She is EMDR-trained, trained in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy (TF-CBT), and holds a Master's in Social Work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

More research on EMDR for anxiety:

• Yunitri N, Kao CC, Chu H, et al. The effectiveness of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing toward anxiety disorder: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Psychiatric Research. 2020;123:102-113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2020.01.005
• Horst F, Den Oudsten B, Zijlstra W, de Jongh A, Lobbestael J, De Vries J. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy vs. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing for Treating Panic Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Frontiers in Psychology. 2017;8:1409. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01409/full
• Faretta E, Dal Farra M. Efficacy of EMDR Therapy for Anxiety Disorders. Journal of EMDR Practice and Research. 2019;13(4):325-332. https://doi.org/10.1891/1933-3196.13.4.325
• Loerinc AG, Meuret AE, Twohig MP, Rosenfield D, Bluett EJ, Craske MG. Response rates for CBT for anxiety disorders: Need for standardized criteria. Clinical Psychology Review. 2015;42:72-82. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26319194/
• Engelhard IM, van den Hout MA, Janssen WC, van der Beek J. Eye movements reduce vividness and emotionality of "flashforwards." Behaviour Research and Therapy. 2010;48:442-447. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20129601/
• Shapiro F. The Role of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy in Medicine. The Permanente Journal. 2014;18(1):71-77. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3951033/
• McGowan IW, Fisher N, Havens J, Proudlock S. An evaluation of EMDR therapy delivered remotely during the Covid-19 pandemic. BMC Psychiatry. 2021;21:560. https://bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-021-03571-x
• EMDR International Association. EMDR Therapy & Anxiety. https://www.emdria.org/about-emdr-therapy/emdr-anxiety/
• World Health Organization. Guidelines for the management of conditions specifically related to stress (2013). https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241505406
• American Psychological Association. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy [clinical practice guideline, PTSD]. https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/treatments/eye-movement-reprocessing
• American Psychological Association. Anxiety. https://www.apa.org/topics/anxiety
• National Institute of Mental Health. Any Anxiety Disorder (statistics). https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/any-anxiety-disorder
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center for PTSD. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) for PTSD. https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand_tx/emdr.asp

This article is for education and is not a substitute for therapy or medical advice. If you are in crisis or thinking about suicide, call or text 988 (Suicide and Crisis Lifeline), call 911, or go to your nearest emergency room.