If you’ve been through Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and still feel stuck in your anxiety, you’re not alone. CBT is one of the most commonly offered forms of therapy — especially for anxiety, depression, and negative thinking patterns. But sometimes, even after learning all the tools, you still feel anxious or emotionally overwhelmed. That doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It may mean you need a different approach. In this article, we explore CBT vs EMDR — what they are, how they work, and why EMDR therapy might be more effective for people with unresolved trauma or body-based anxiety responses.
🔍 Why CBT vs EMDR Matters When You Feel Stuck in Therapy
CBT helps people reframe negative thought patterns and behaviours. It’s based on the idea that your thoughts influence your emotions, which in turn affect your behaviour. It can be incredibly effective for many people — especially those dealing with everyday stress or mild to moderate anxiety.
However, if you’ve done the CBT worksheets, challenged your beliefs, practiced mindfulness — and you’re still experiencing automatic emotional reactions, physical symptoms, or flashbacks — CBT may not be addressing the root cause.
This is where EMDR therapy offers a different approach.
🧠 CBT Works With the Mind — EMDR Works With the Nervous System
The major difference in CBT vs EMDR lies in where each therapy focuses. CBT is mostly cognitive — it helps you become aware of and change your thoughts. EMDR, on the other hand, works with your emotional memory and nervous system.
If your anxiety is rooted in past trauma or unresolved emotional experiences, logic alone may not shift how your body responds. You might know you’re safe, but still feel panic. You may realise your thoughts aren’t true, but they still carry emotional weight.
CBT can help you manage. EMDR helps you process.
🔁 How EMDR Works
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) is a structured therapy that helps the brain process stuck memories and emotional responses. You don’t need to talk through every detail of your trauma — instead, you recall aspects of the memory while receiving bilateral stimulation (like eye movements or tapping).
Over time, the distress attached to the memory lessens. Your brain reprocesses the event, so it no longer feels like it’s happening now.
Unlike CBT, EMDR doesn’t try to “change” your thoughts — it allows the brain to naturally resolve what’s unresolved.
✅ CBT teaches you how to think differently.
✅ EMDR helps you feel differently — by processing what’s stuck.
| CBT | EMDR |
|---|---|
| Focuses on thoughts | Focuses on memory and body-stored experience |
| Works consciously | Taps into subconscious, emotional memories |
| Structured exercises | Bilateral stimulation (e.g., eye movements) |
| Coping-focused | Processing-focused |
| Cognitive tools | Neurobiological reprocessing |
Instead of teaching you how to control your thoughts, EMDR helps the brain process the original source of those thoughts, sensations, or fears — so they stop triggering a survival response. You don’t have to talk in detail about painful events, and EMDR can be done effectively online, at your own pace.
📎 When to Move from CBT to EMDR
Many people start with CBT because it’s widely recommended by services like the NHS. It’s a great introduction to mental health care.
But it may be time to try EMDR if:
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You still feel triggered or anxious after CBT
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Your body “overreacts” to small stressors
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You logically know something is irrational, but still feel it strongly
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Past events or traumas continue to affect you emotionally or physically
If this sounds like you, you’re not doing therapy wrong — your body may just need something deeper.
🤝 Final Thoughts
If CBT helped you get started but you’re still carrying emotional weight, it might be time to consider EMDR. You don’t need to keep managing symptoms alone. EMDR can help the brain and body reconnect in a way that promotes long-term relief — especially when past experiences are still living under the surface. If you’re curious, you can learn more about EMDR therapy here or book a free intro call to see if it’s a fit.