Alleviate Anxiety with EMDR (Tacoma, Gig Harbor, Seattle)

If you find yourself constantly overthinking, feeling on edge, or struggling to relax no matter how hard you try, you will likely benefit from EMDR counseling. Or maybe it’s that you find yourself tossing and turning at night, only to get up in the morning feeling anxious and exhausted. These untreated symptoms of anxiety leave you feeling fatigued and irritable. When you are a high-achieving woman, it can feel like your brain never shuts off. There is always one more thing that needs to be done.

You deserve to be able to relax without feeling guilty. There is a world in which you are actually able to shut your brain off and feel calm.

Anxiety and Trauma

Anxiety often doesn’t come out of nowhere—it’s frequently rooted in relational trauma or distressing life events. If you grew up in an environment where boundaries weren’t respected, or your emotional needs were unmet, your nervous system may have learned to stay on high alert. This is relational trauma, and it can lead to chronic anxiety, even years later.

Likewise, single-event traumas—like accidents, assaults, medical emergencies, or sudden loss—can leave the brain stuck in survival mode.

Anxiety can be a sign that your nervous system is still responding to past experiences that felt unsafe or overwhelming. Whether you’ve been through a major traumatic event or repeated experiences of emotional stress and mis-attunement from well-meaning caregivers, your body and brain may have learned to stay on high alert—even when there’s no immediate danger. We call this “fight or flight” mode.

Signs you may be in “fight/flight” mode include:

• Constant overthinking or anticipating the worst

• Trouble relaxing or feeling safe - even in safe situations

• Physical symptoms like muscle tension, restlessness, or panic

• Difficulty sleeping or concentrating

• Feeling easily overwhelmed or triggered by certain situations

How EMDR Helps Anxiety - Even When it’s not Trauma Related

While EMDR therapy is widely recognized for its effectiveness in treating anxiety caused by trauma, it can also be incredibly helpful for those dealing with anxiety stemming from other factors. Many people experience anxiety due to chronic stress, negative self-beliefs, perfectionism, or overwhelming life transitions—not necessarily trauma in the traditional sense.

Even in these cases, anxiety often stems from unprocessed emotional experiences or deeply ingrained thought patterns, such as:

• “I’m not doing enough.”

• “Something bad is going to happen.”

• “I have to stay in control.”

These beliefs can form over time through repeated experiences like academic pressure, critical parenting, social rejection, or chronic uncertainty. EMDR helps by identifying and reprocessing the memories or situations that created or reinforced those anxious patterns—even if they weren’t traumatic at the time.

Through EMDR’s structured process and bilateral stimulation (like eye movements or tapping), the brain learns to reframe these experiences, reduce their emotional intensity, and install more balanced, calming beliefs.

The result? A calmer nervous system, fewer racing thoughts, and a greater sense of internal safety.

A Holistic Approach to Anxiety

Dealing with anxiety can be exhausting and take a toll on our mental, emotional, physical and spiritual health. In addition to EMDR, many clients benefit from additional adjunctive treatments. To recover from anxiety, there are many different mind-body techniques that support a regulated nervous system. A few treatment options that I may recommend include:

• Regular exercise (high-intensity if possible)

• Yoga and meditation

• Mindfulness

• A consistent sleep schedule

• Consultation with physicians or naturopaths for medication or supplement treatment

• Body-based techniques (massage, Reiki, or acupuncture)

Get Support In-Person Now in Tacoma, WA

We would love to have you at our office located just outside of Tacoma, in Fircrest, WA. You deserve to feel calmer, more at peace and regulated throughout your day.