Anxiety

Anxiety is more than just worrying or feeling “on edge.” From the perspective of EMDR’s Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model, anxiety often reflects unprocessed experiences stored in the nervous system. These may include past events, stressful experiences, or repeated patterns of tension and hypervigilance that your body and mind have been holding onto, sometimes for years. Anxiety isn’t a personal flaw — it’s your nervous system signaling that something feels unsafe and is asking for care.

Anxiety can show up in differentt ways, from constant worry and racing thoughts to tension in the body and difficulty relaxing. For some, it is tied to past traumatic stress where the nervous system remains on high alert even after the danger has passed. For others, it may feel like a persistent, general sense of unease. Both experiences share a common thread: anxiety is the body and mind signaling that something feels unsafe. Anxiety is not weakness, but a natural response to stress, unresolved trauma, or ongoing pressure. With understanding and the right support, anxiety can be regulated, and the nervous system can gradually return to a sense of safety and calm.

At Blue Sky Therapy we use a combination of EMDR, parts work, and somatic techniques to help you process anxiety at multiple levels:

• EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing): EMDR helps your brain reprocess memories, experiences, and triggers that fuel anxiety. This doesn’t erase feelings but allows your nervous system to store experiences in a more adaptive way, reducing the intensity of anxious reactions.

• Parts Work: Anxiety often manifests as different “parts” of the self — a worried part, a critical part, or a protective part trying to keep you safe. Through parts work, we learn to communicate with these internal parts, understand their intentions, and help them integrate, creating inner harmony.

• Somatic Therapy: Anxiety lives in the body as well as the mind. Somatic techniques help you notice and release tension, regulate your nervous system, and restore a sense of safety. Breathing, movement, and awareness of bodily sensations can all support long-term relief from anxiety.

Together, these approaches address anxiety holistically — mind, body, and nervous system — so you can move from reactivity to regulation, and from fear to grounded presence. In our work, you will learn not only to manage anxiety but to understand it, honor it, and ultimately transform it into a signal of self-awareness rather than distress.