When it comes to decreasing anxiety and panic attacks, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy can be a treatment option. EMDR was initially developed in 1989 by Francine Shapiro to treat Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Since then, with advancements in the field, EMDR therapy is now applied to a wide variety of different applications.
EMDR therapy can decrease anxiety and panic attacks. It is an effective psychotherapy treatment for mood disorders, such as phobias, depression, anxiety, and panic attacks. EMDR is an eight-course treatment program that helps associate negative feelings with healthy responses to stress.
It’s hard to determine if EMDR therapy is right for you, as everyone heals differently. However, many have found that EMDR therapy provides effective results for those with mood disorders. Today, we’ll give you a breakdown of how EMDR therapy can help and if it’s something you should try.
What Are the Symptoms?
EMDR therapy has been proven to be effective for PTSD patients. However, only recently has it been used to treat other types of mood disorders. Before signing up for EMDR treatment, it’s best to understand your underlining symptoms.
Only a professional can officially diagnose you with a disorder. While EMDR therapy can be effective for mood disorders, it’s often not the first type of treatment recommended for anxiety or panic attacks. However, it is recommended for people who suffer from General Anxiety Disorder (GAD) or Panic Disorder.
Understanding your symptoms and disorder can help determine if EMDR therapy is suitable for your circumstances. EMDR can only be effective if your anxiety or panic attacks are tied to a mood disorder. If your symptoms are a side effect from either medication, drug use, or other underlying issues, then EMDR therapy may not be an effective form of treatment.
Symptoms of General Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
According to the DSM 5, Generalized Anxiety Disorder is where an individual will feel symptoms of anxiety that’s characterized by the following:
- Excessive anxiety and worrying
- Increased muscle aches or soreness
- Impaired concentration
- Fatigue
- Irritability
- Restlessness
- Difficulty sleeping
Of course, this does not mean you should self-diagnose yourself. Instead, contact a professional who can help diagnose you with GAD. Having some of these symptoms does not mean you have GAD. GAD is only a diagnosis if you suffer from all of these symptoms.
Symptoms of Panic Disorder
According to the DSM 5, Panic Disorder is an anxiety disorder. It’s mainly characterized by the frequent occurrence of panic attacks that change the individual’s behavior. Behavior changes can be feelings connected to anxiety and fear, which can induce a panic attack.
Panic disorder must be characterized through psychological effects rather than drugs or other mental illnesses.
- This means that the panic attacks are not due to any drug use or medication prescribed to the individual. Additionally, it can’t be linked to another general medical condition.
- Other mental disorders can also cause panic attacks. Panic Disorder is its own diagnosis and can’t be due to phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), or separation anxiety disorder.
Defining symptoms of Panic Disorder is as followed:
- Increased heart rate
- Sweating
- Trembling
- Shortness of breath
- Choking
- Chest pain
- Nausea
- Lightheadedness
- Dizzy
- Derealization or depersonalization
- Fear of dying
- Fear of losing control
- Numbness
- Chills or hot flushes
Panic attacks and panic disorder are two different types of conditions. Seeing a professional who can help diagnose you can help you distinguish between the two. Once you’re properly diagnosed, you can then work towards a treatment option.
Can You Feel Anxious or Suffer From Panic Attacks Without Having a Disorder?
Anxiety and panic attacks can be tied to other disorders, illnesses, or even be side effects of medication and drugs. Just because you suffer from anxiety or panic attacks doesn’t necessarily mean that you have GAD or Panic Disorder. It’s not necessary to be diagnosed with either to try EMDR therapy.
So, yes, you can suffer from anxiety or panic attacks without being diagnosed with a disorder. Anxiety can be caused by many different factors in one’s life. Sometimes, anxiety is only experienced for a short period. If this happens, likely, you won’t need EMDR therapy.
This is especially true if you can relieve the anxiety through other methods. Some recommended treatments for managing anxiety can be medication, lifestyle changes, and psychotherapy. Although, if increased anxiety starts holding you back in life, then EMDR therapy may be a good option for you.
As for panic attacks, they can generally be caused by other mental illnesses or through the use of medications or drugs. It’s best for treatment options to get EMDR therapy if another mental disorder or other drugs are not causing panic attacks. Otherwise, it’s recommended to seek further treatment options.
Now, if you suffer from both anxiety and panic attacks and it’s affecting your everyday life, then you should consider seeking help from a professional. They will be able to diagnose other issues at play and get you the recommended treatment.
Can EMDR Therapy Help Treat Anxiety?
Now, you may be wondering if EMDR therapy can be effective if it’s only used to treat PTSD. This is a fair question, as the initial treatment was designed to help those who have PTSD. However, EMDR has also expanded in the past few years to treat negative emotions, mood disorders, peak performance, and trauma-associated symptoms.
If you’re suffering from anxiety, EMDR has been proven to effectively reduce mood disorder symptoms, including anxiety. So, even if you don’t suffer from GAD, you may still find EMDR treatment beneficial.
How Does It Work?
What EMDR therapy does is help associate trauma or negative emotions with a natural or healthy response. The treatment starts by redirecting your attention to your eye movements while recalling stressful memories or situations. Instead of focusing on negative emotions, your body will be distracted and will follow your eye movements.
A scientific way of explaining how this helps is that the movement from your eyes shifting back and forth fires neurons to your brain and helps refocus your response instead of responding on impulse. You’ll gain more control over your response and will be less focused on negative sensations or emotions.
The therapist will then ask the patient to recall specific memories or stressful situations before diverting their attention both physically and mentally. Physically, the patient will be using back-and-forth movements with their eyes. Mentally, the therapist will ask the patient to describe certain sensations, imagery, or emotions that they are feeling.
By doing so, the patient will hopefully start to regain control over their emotional state and, from there, can start to shape healthy responses. Of course, this doesn’t happen overnight. There will be multiple sessions to help diminish any adverse reactions to anxiety.
The Efficacy of EMDR
While studies have been conducted, it’s hard to pinpoint why EMDR therapy has been effective exactly. There have been plenty of studies proving that the end outcomes are better. However, it’s hard to explain from a scientific standpoint how it’s effective.
Multiple experts in the field, including Dr. Joseph Goldberg, have stated that EMDR can closely be compared to exposure therapy. EMDR is similar because it helps you recall a distressing memory or thoughts and then diverts your attention away from negative emotions. This aligns with some of the principles used in exposure therapy.
Additionally, EMDR therapy also promotes healthy REM cycle sleep. How this works is by the eye movements EMDR facilitates, it’s able to help with processing emotions, sensations, etc., using episodic memory. This, in turn, makes it easier on your body when you go to sleep, as most of the memories or negative emotions will need to be processed while you’re sleeping.
Will EMDR Therapy Still Work Without Having a Distressing Event?
EMDR Therapy has been proven to help process high-stress situations. However, you don’t necessarily have to have a distressing or traumatizing event for it to be effective. Of course, your physician may recommend another treatment option such as therapy, CBT, or even medications.
Shapiro, the inventor of the EMDR treatment, highly believed that EMDR is effective because it engages the brain. Instead of talking through a traumatic event or exposing themselves to similar environments – patients can process in a safe place.
In a way, this helps patients work through their fears on their own terms while feeling safe and relaxed. It’s not as harsh a treatment as other options and can help teach patients how to process certain emotions – especially anxiety healthily.
Alternatives Treatments for Anxiety
Alternative treatments for anxiety can also be a good option if EMDR isn’t suggested by a professional. Other treatment forms may also be more effective if the anxiety isn’t something you’re struggling with excessively. Here is a quick breakdown of different treatment options you should explore before turning to EMDR.
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is often considered one of the best treatment options for anxiety. Many psychologists recommend using cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which is essential talk therapy. This does help the patient talk through traumatic events and work around how to cope with them emotionally. CBT isn’t for everyone, and for those who feel uncomfortable with talk therapy should honestly avoid this treatment.
Biofeedback
Biofeedback is a more straight-forward approach to learn how to manage anxiety. For practical patients, this may be an effective treatment for anxiety if they have more control over their emotions.
In Biofeedback, the patient will work closely with a trained therapist and monitor their brain-wave patterns using an electroencephalograph. You’ll see how your body is reacting to anxiety, which can help reinforce control.
Medications
If therapy isn’t a good option for you, then your healthcare professional may recommend medications.
Antidepressants such as SSRIs are generally prescribed for anxiety disorders. Common Rx used to treat GAD are as followed:
- Citalopram (Celexa)
- Escitalopram (Lexapro)
- Fluoxetine (Prozac)
- Paroxetine (Paxil)
- Sertraline (Zoloft)
- Duloxetine (Cymbalta)
- Venlafaxine (Effexor)
- Imipramine (Tofranil)
Antihistamines have also been proven to be effective for managing anxiety. Some commonly prescribed Antihistamines are as followed:
- Hydroxyzine
- Propranolol
While these medications can help manage symptoms – they are not going to cure your anxiety. If anxiety is playing a prominent role in your life, it’s better to seek treatment options to help cure the anxiety.
Lifestyle Changes
Other treatments may include lifestyle changes such as avoiding stressful situations or learning to relieve acute anxiety through daily exercises. This may involve picking up yoga, going for walks, or enjoying a hobby. Physical sports or getting your body active may also help alleviate some tension and help promote less anxiety. Breathing exercises or meditation have also been proven to help reduce acute anxiety.
Can EMDR Therapy Help Treat Panic Attacks?
EMDR therapy can also be a promising treatment option for those suffering from panic attacks. As long as the panic attacks aren’t caused by some other underlying issue, such as drugs or other mental disorders, EMDR can be helpful. However, it’s good to consider other options and discuss the best course of treatment with your health care professional.
How Does It Work?
EMDR therapy for panic is very similar to the treatment of anxiety. The main difference here is that instead of pinpointing anxious emotions, one will focus on imagining or recalling environments or situations that could induce panic. From there, the therapist will then use EMDR and shift the patient’s attention elsewhere.
Hopefully, this will distract them, help them calm down, and bring their physical and emotional reactions back to reality. Once they are outside of their head, the therapist will direct their attention to their emotions, breathing, etc. After this is done, then the patient and therapist will work on forming healthy responses to panicking.
The Efficacy of EMDR
Research has suggested that the effectiveness for EMDR treatment for OCD and anxiety symptoms can be effective. However, treatments don’t permanently cure the problem, and after a few months, there is still a chance that panic attacks can still occur. Of course, this also depends on the individual, as treatment is different for everyone.
However, EMDR treatment has been proven not to be a practical option for panic disorders with agoraphobia. A recent study determined that even after EMDR treatment, those suffering from panic and agoraphobia showed slight improvement a few months after treatment ended. Hence, it’s essential to explore all other options for treatment.
Alternative Treatments for Panic Attacks
If you have a panic disorder or panic attacks, you may want to discuss other treatment options with your health care professional. Panic attacks can worsen over time and start to impact your daily life. Here is a breakdown of the possible options for treatment:
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is generally the first choice for those suffering from panic attacks or panic disorders. It helps the person talk through the trauma and teaches them how to cope with them. Most psychologists will perform CBT for symptoms of panic attacks in a safe manner.
This treatment method is also much longer than EMDR therapy. Instead of just eight steps, psychotherapy will last months. This is seen as a benefit as it helps completely dissipate any relapses due to panic attacks.
Medications
There are three main types of medications that can help reduce panic attacks symptoms; serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), and Benzodiazepines. Here is a quick list of the following medications commonly prescribed for panic disorder:
- Fluoxetine (Prozac)
- Paroxetine (Paxil)
- Sertraline (Zoloft)
- SNRI Venlafaxine (Effexor XR)
- Alprazolam (Xanax)
- Clonazepam (Klonopin)
Lifestyle Changes
Panic attacks and panic disorder can be a severe mental illness that needs professional help. However, you can also incorporate some self-care steps into your everyday life that can help reduce symptoms. Here’s a quick breakdown of some adjustments you can incorporate into your daily life:
- Pursue treatment – continue with a professional treatment plan and stick with it.
- Join support groups – talking about your trauma with others who can relate can help dismiss negative feelings you’re the only one experiencing.
- Pick up relaxing activities – reading a book, yoga, or even learning how to meditate can help reduce stress and prevent panic attacks.
- Get enough sleep – get at least 8 hours of sleep each night to help reduce stress.
- Be active – an active daily life can help promote a positive mood. Aerobic exercises are known to help release ‘feel good’ hormones which can help reduce panic attacks.
Conclusion
It can be a difficult decision to seek professional help, especially if you’re not ready to confront your anxiety. However, with new advancements, EMDR therapy can be done through telemedicine and from the comfort of your own home.
If you’re struggling with anxiety or panic attacks, it’s best to address the issue before it impacts your everyday life. You’ll feel much better and can take that first step to improve your life.
However, EMDR therapy isn’t for everyone. It’s best to contact a professional to help understand what other conditions you may have, so they can also give you other treatment options if EMDR isn’t suitable for you.