Finding Your Way Through Anxiety with EFT
When anxiety grips your life, it can feel like you’re trapped in a never-ending cycle of worry and fear. But there’s hope. Emotion focused therapy for anxiety offers a path forward that goes beyond merely treating symptoms—it helps you understand and transform the deeper emotions driving your anxiety.
Unlike approaches that just teach you to manage anxious thoughts, EFT invites you to explore what’s happening beneath the surface. It’s like learning to listen to what your anxiety is trying to tell you, rather than just trying to silence it.
If you’re searching for information about emotion focused therapy for anxiety, here’s what you need to know:
EFT for Anxiety Key Information Core Approach Targets underlying emotions rather than just symptoms Effectiveness 77% non-relapse rate compared to other therapies Session Length Typically 8-20 sessions Best For GAD, social anxiety, panic disorder, and mixed anxiety-depression Key Techniques Two-chair dialogue, empty-chair work, focusing, self-compassion tasks
Think of anxiety as the tip of an emotional iceberg. What we feel as worry or panic on the surface often masks deeper primary emotions—perhaps sadness about a loss, shame about a perceived failure, or fear of rejection. Emotion focused therapy for anxiety helps you safely dive beneath the surface to find and process these core feelings.
With the guidance of a trained therapist, you’ll learn to become aware of your body’s signals when anxiety rises. You’ll practice expressing difficult emotions in a safe space, making sense of what they’re telling you about your needs and values. Most importantly, you’ll transform rigid emotional patterns that keep you stuck into more flexible, healthy responses.
This isn’t about thinking your way out of anxiety—it’s about feeling your way through it to the other side.
I’m Emmanuel Romero, a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist who specializes in emotion focused therapy for anxiety. Since founding Mr. Therapist Counseling Services in 2020, I’ve guided countless clients through the process of changing their relationship with anxiety. My experience spans from residential treatment centers to school-based programs, and I’ve witnessed how EFT creates profound shifts in how people experience their emotions and their lives.
Want to learn more about how EFT might help with your specific anxiety concerns? Explore these resources to deepen your understanding:
– emotion focused therapy techniques
– emotionally focused individual therapy
– emotion focused therapy worksheets
What Is Emotion‑Focused Therapy (EFT)?
Imagine having a wise guide who helps you understand the messages your emotions are sending, rather than just trying to make uncomfortable feelings go away. That’s the essence of emotion focused therapy for anxiety.
Developed in the 1980s by Dr. Leslie Greenberg, EFT brings together the best of humanistic, client-centered, and experiential approaches. But unlike therapies that view emotions as problems to manage, EFT sees your feelings as valuable sources of information about what matters to you.
Dr. Greenberg often shares a powerful truth about emotional healing: “The only way out is through.” This captures the heart of EFT’s approach—instead of avoiding difficult feelings, we learn to move through them with curiosity and compassion.
“Emotions are tied to our identity and guide our preferences and decisions,” explains Manny Romero, founder of Mr. Therapist. “When we avoid or suppress emotions, especially those related to anxiety, we miss crucial information about what we need and value.”
From an evolutionary perspective, our emotions evolved as rapid response systems that help us steer our world. Fear warns us of potential threats. Sadness signals loss and the need for comfort. When these natural systems get disrupted—often due to difficult past experiences—anxiety disorders can develop.
The Science Behind EFT
The brain science supporting EFT is fascinating. Your emotions actually begin processing in deeper brain regions like the amygdala before your conscious mind even knows what’s happening. This is why you might feel that rush of anxiety before you can explain why.
EFT works with your brain’s natural ability to rewire itself through a process similar to memory reconsolidation. When you access emotional memories in therapy while experiencing new, healthier emotional responses, the original emotional patterns can actually be updated. Brain imaging studies have shown real changes in how the brain activates following effective emotion-focused work.
When you engage in emotion focused therapy for anxiety, you move through a natural emotional processing cycle:
- Awareness – Learning to notice your emotional responses as they happen
- Expression – Finding safe ways to acknowledge and articulate what you’re feeling
- Regulation – Building the capacity to stay with difficult emotions without being overwhelmed
- Reflection – Making sense of your emotional experiences
- Change – Changing unhelpful emotional patterns into responses that better serve you
“At Mr. Therapist, we see emotions as your internal guidance system,” says Romero. “In our EFT work, we don’t try to eliminate anxiety—we help you listen to what it’s telling you, then transform it into something that serves you better.”
By working with your emotions rather than against them, EFT offers a path to not just managing anxiety symptoms, but actually changing your relationship with anxiety at its roots.
Emotion Focused Therapy for Anxiety: Core Principles & Techniques
When we talk about emotion focused therapy for anxiety, we’re looking at an approach that digs beneath the surface. Anxiety often serves as a secondary emotion—a protective layer that covers up deeper primary emotions like fear, shame, or sadness. These primary emotions can either help us (adaptive) by providing useful information or hurt us (maladaptive) when they’re based on past experiences that no longer serve us well.
Let me walk you through the powerful techniques that make EFT so effective:
Two-Chair Dialogue
This technique is truly transformative for addressing the internal conflicts that keep anxiety alive. Imagine physically moving between two chairs, each representing different parts of yourself:
In one chair, you might speak as your anxious, critical voice: “You’ll definitely embarrass yourself if you speak up in that meeting.” Then you move to the other chair and respond as your experiencing self, often connecting with feelings of hurt, fear, or even righteous anger.
Through this back-and-forth conversation, you can see and transform the self-critical patterns fueling your anxiety. Research confirms that this work significantly reduces self-criticism while boosting self-compassion—both crucial for breaking free from anxiety.
As one of our clients at Mr. Therapist shared with me: “Switching between chairs felt weird at first, but it helped me see how incredibly harsh I was being to myself. For the first time, I could actually stand up to my inner critic instead of just believing everything it said about me.”
Empty-Chair Work
When anxiety stems from unresolved relationships or past hurts, empty-chair work creates space for healing. You might speak to an empty chair as if someone important is sitting there, allowing you to:
Express feelings you’ve never been able to share with significant others, process traumatic experiences that contribute to your anxiety, and resolve that nagging “unfinished business” that keeps your anxious responses on high alert.
Research by Shahar (2020) found that these dialogues were particularly powerful for resolving emotional injuries contributing to social anxiety disorder.
Focusing
This gentle technique, developed by Eugene Gendlin, helps you tune into the physical sensations that come with anxiety. By developing what we call a “felt sense,” you can become more aware of what’s happening in your body when anxiety starts to rise.
This awareness helps you identify anxiety cues earlier, access emotions that might be flying under your radar, and develop greater emotional regulation. It’s like installing an early warning system that gives you more choices in how you respond.
Self-Compassion Tasks
Many people struggling with anxiety have a hard time showing themselves kindness. In our sessions, we incorporate specific exercises to nurture self-compassion, such as guided imagery to connect with your compassionate self, dialogues between your vulnerable parts and compassionate parts, and developing soothing responses to anxiety triggers.
“The research is clear—self-compassion isn’t just about ‘being nice to yourself’—it actually changes your body’s stress response,” I often tell my clients. “When you learn to respond to anxiety with compassion rather than criticism, we see significant reductions in both how distressed you feel and in your physical symptoms.”
Addressing Emotional Avoidance, Self-Criticism & Shame
Anxiety disorders typically thrive on three interconnected processes: emotional avoidance, self-criticism, and shame. Emotion focused therapy for anxiety directly tackles each of these:
Emotional Avoidance
Most of us with anxiety become experts at avoiding uncomfortable emotions. In our therapy work, we help you:
Recognize your personal avoidance strategies—whether that’s distraction, using substances, excessive planning, or something else entirely. Then we help you gradually approach those avoided emotions in the safety of our sessions. The surprising findy for many clients is that emotions, when fully experienced, naturally transform and move through you.
One client described it beautifully: “I spent years running from my feelings, which only made my anxiety worse. Learning to stay with uncomfortable emotions without being overwhelmed by them was a game-changer.”
Self-Criticism
That harsh inner critic functions like an internal alarm system constantly scanning for potential threats or failures. In our work together, you’ll learn to identify your critical inner voice, understand where it came from and how it’s trying to protect you, and transform criticism into more constructive guidance.
Studies consistently show that when self-criticism decreases through these experiential techniques, anxiety symptoms significantly decrease too.
Shame
Shame—that painful feeling that you’re fundamentally flawed or unworthy—is particularly powerful in social anxiety. We address shame by creating a judgment-free therapeutic environment where you can safely articulate shameful feelings, access healthy anger about unfair treatment or excessive expectations, and cultivate genuine self-compassion and self-acceptance.
“Shame thrives when we keep it hidden,” I often remind clients. “When you can bring your shame into the open and experience compassion instead of the rejection you fear, profound healing becomes possible.”
How emotion focused therapy for anxiety unfolds week by week
Your journey through emotion focused therapy for anxiety typically follows a thoughtful progression that adapts to your needs:
Phase 1: Alliance Building and Assessment (Sessions 1-3)
We start by establishing a safe, validating relationship where you feel truly understood. Together, we identify your anxiety patterns and their emotional foundations, creating a collaborative understanding of what’s happening and why.
Phase 2: Emotion Awareness and Regulation (Sessions 4-8)
Here, you’ll learn to recognize and name your emotions with greater precision, develop skills to tolerate emotional intensity without being overwhelmed, and begin distinguishing between primary emotions (your core feelings) and secondary emotions (like anxiety that covers them up).
Phase 3: Changing Emotion Schemes (Sessions 9-16)
This is where the deeper change happens. We’ll use chair work to address self-criticism and unresolved issues, access adaptive emotions that can transform maladaptive ones, and practice new emotional responses to situations that typically trigger your anxiety.
Phase 4: Consolidation and Termination (Sessions 17-20)
In our final phase, we focus on integrating your new emotional experiences, anticipating and planning for future challenges, and celebrating your growth and change.
Between our sessions, you’ll likely practice emotion logs to track anxiety triggers and underlying feelings, mindful awareness of physical sensations, self-compassion exercises, and gradually approaching anxiety-provoking situations with your new emotional tools.
The exact timing and focus will vary based on your individual needs. As I tell all my clients, “EFT isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. We’ll adapt the pace and emphasis based on your unique emotional landscape and readiness for change.”
EFT vs. CBT & Other Treatments: How They Compare
When looking for help with anxiety, you might wonder how emotion focused therapy for anxiety stacks up against other common treatments. Let’s break it down in a way that helps you understand your options.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT is currently the most popular evidence-based treatment for anxiety disorders, and for good reason—it works for many people. But how does it compare to EFT?
| Aspect | EFT | CBT |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Focus | Emotional processes | Thought patterns and behaviors |
| View of Anxiety | Secondary emotion masking deeper feelings | Result of maladaptive thoughts |
| Change Mechanism | Changing emotions through experiencing | Challenging thoughts and gradual exposure |
| Therapeutic Relationship | Central to the healing process | Important but more structured/directive |
| Homework | Emotion awareness and processing | Thought records and behavioral experiments |
“I often explain it this way,” says Manny Romero of Mr. Therapist, “CBT helps you think differently about your anxiety, while EFT helps you feel differently about what’s underneath your anxiety.”
Research comparing the two approaches for generalized anxiety disorder shows they’re both effective, but they work through different pathways. EFT may be particularly helpful if you:
Tend to avoid your emotions rather than overthinking them
Haven’t gotten the results you hoped for from previous cognitive approaches
Have a history of trauma that might be fueling your anxiety
Psychodynamic Therapy
Both EFT and psychodynamic therapy dig deeper than just managing symptoms, but they do so in different ways.
Psychodynamic therapy often involves longer-term treatment (sometimes years) and focuses heavily on understanding your past. EFT, on the other hand, typically requires fewer sessions (8-20) and emphasizes your present emotional experience rather than analyzing your history.
“In EFT, we’re less concerned with interpreting why you feel anxious and more focused on helping you experience and transform the emotions that drive your anxiety right now, in the therapy room,” explains Romero.
Medication
Many people with anxiety take medications like SSRIs or benzodiazepines, and they can certainly help reduce symptoms. However, research consistently shows some limitations:
Medication alone doesn’t address the underlying emotional processes that maintain anxiety
When you stop taking medication without addressing these deeper issues, symptoms often return
Combined approaches (therapy plus medication when needed) typically yield better long-term results
“We work hand-in-hand with psychiatrists for many of our clients,” Romero notes. “Sometimes medication can help lower anxiety enough to make the emotional work of EFT possible. It’s not an either/or situation.”
Effectiveness Comparisons
The research on emotion focused therapy for anxiety is quite promising. Studies show a 77% non-relapse rate compared to other therapies—meaning people who get better tend to stay better.
For social anxiety specifically, the improvements are substantial, with large effect sizes on standard measurement scales (Cohen’s d = 2.37 for the LSAS and 1.52 for the SPIN, for those who like the technical details).
In head-to-head comparisons, EFT has shown comparable outcomes to CBT for generalized anxiety disorder, which is impressive considering CBT’s long track record.
“What I find most exciting about EFT research,” says Romero, “is that the changes seem to last. When you transform the deeper emotions driving your anxiety, rather than just managing the surface symptoms, you’re more likely to experience lasting relief.”
If you’d like to learn more about the science behind anxiety treatments, check out Scientific research on anxiety disorders for additional information.
Who Can Benefit & What Sessions Look Like
Emotion focused therapy for anxiety can be a powerful approach for many different people struggling with anxious feelings. The good news is that research shows EFT works well for several common anxiety disorders.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
If you’re someone who finds yourself worrying about everything, EFT offers a unique perspective. According to Les Greenberg, GAD often stems from a “basic insecurity”—a deep-seated feeling that the world is fundamentally unsafe. Your constant worrying is actually your mind’s misguided attempt to protect you.
In our sessions at Mr. Therapist, we help you:
- Uncover the deeper emotions hiding beneath your worry (often fear, shame, or sadness)
- Shift core beliefs about safety that keep you feeling insecure
- Develop gentle self-soothing skills that work better than worrying
“Many of my clients are surprised to find that worry isn’t actually protecting them—it’s just masking deeper feelings they haven’t allowed themselves to experience,” says Manny Romero.
Social Anxiety Disorder
If social situations fill you with dread, EFT can be particularly helpful. We understand social anxiety as fundamentally a “shame anxiety” that gets triggered by memories of past embarrassment or rejection.
Rather than just teaching you techniques to manage symptoms, we work together to address the root causes by:
- Gently confronting the harsh inner critic that keeps you feeling judged
- Processing painful memories of rejection that still feel fresh
- Building genuine self-compassion and confidence in your authentic self
Panic Disorder
The terrifying physical sensations of panic attacks often lead people to believe something catastrophic is happening. Through EFT, we help you:
- Become aware of the emotional triggers that set off your panic
- Process deeper fears—often related to death or loss of control
- Transform how you interpret physical sensations so they become less frightening
Mixed Anxiety-Depression
Many people don’t fit neatly into one diagnostic category. If you experience both anxiety and depression, you’re not alone. The good news is that EFT’s focus on underlying emotional processes makes it particularly effective for complex presentations where these conditions overlap.
What an EFT Session Looks Like
Walking into your first emotion focused therapy for anxiety session at Mr. Therapist, you’ll notice right away that this isn’t about being analyzed or “fixed.” Instead, you’ll experience:
A warm check-in where your therapist creates a safe, accepting space for whatever you’re feeling that day. There’s no judgment about how you’re coping or what emotions have come up since your last session.
Gentle emotion exploration where you and your therapist work together to understand what’s happening beneath your anxiety. You might hear questions like “What happens in your body when you feel anxious?” or “If we slow down and stay with that feeling, what’s underneath the worry?”
Deepening work that might involve experiential techniques like chair work (speaking from different parts of yourself), focusing on bodily sensations, or guided imagery. These powerful approaches help you access and transform core emotions that talk therapy alone might miss.
A thoughtful integration at the end of each session where you reflect on insights gained and discuss practical ways to apply what you’ve learned in your daily life.
As one client beautifully described: “My therapist was like a compassionate guide, helping me steer emotions I’d been avoiding for years. Instead of telling me what to do, she helped me find my own emotional wisdom.”
Expected outcomes of emotion focused therapy for anxiety
When you complete a course of emotion focused therapy for anxiety, you can expect more than just symptom relief. Our clients typically experience profound changes:
Symptom Reduction – The most immediate benefit is often a noticeable decrease in anxiety symptoms. You’ll likely experience fewer physical symptoms, less avoidance of anxiety-triggering situations, and improvements in practical areas like sleep and concentration.
Emotional Resilience – Perhaps more importantly, you’ll develop a new relationship with your emotions. Rather than feeling overwhelmed or needing to avoid feelings, you’ll grow more confident in your ability to identify, express, and move through difficult emotions.
Deeper Self-Understanding – Many clients describe a profound shift in how they understand themselves. You’ll likely develop clearer awareness of your emotional needs and boundaries, recognize your anxiety patterns, and feel more connected to your personal values.
Stronger Relationships – As your relationship with yourself improves, your connections with others often follow. Many people find they become more assertive, less afraid of rejection, and able to form more authentic bonds with others.
Research supports these outcomes. Studies of EFT for generalized anxiety show not just decreased anxiety but significant growth in resilience, self-compassion, and assertiveness.
“Success in EFT isn’t just about feeling less anxious,” explains Romero. “It’s about developing a new relationship with your emotions—one where you can listen to them, learn from them, and let them guide you rather than overwhelm you.”
Client Commitment & Personal Involvement
Like any meaningful growth process, emotion focused therapy for anxiety works best when you’re actively engaged:
Session Commitment – Most clients benefit from weekly 50-minute sessions over 8-20 weeks. Consistent attendance helps maintain momentum, though the exact length of therapy depends on your unique situation and goals. Some complex or long-standing anxiety patterns may require longer treatment.
Emotional Courage – EFT invites you to approach rather than avoid difficult emotions—something that takes real bravery. The most successful clients are those willing to explore uncomfortable feelings and try new emotional responses, even when it feels challenging.
Between-Session Practice – The insights and skills you develop in therapy become more powerful when you practice them in daily life. This might include keeping an emotion journal, noticing anxiety triggers as they happen, or practicing self-compassion exercises.
“EFT isn’t a passive experience where the therapist ‘fixes’ you,” Romero warmly emphasizes. “It’s more like learning to dance with your emotions. I can teach you the steps, but the real change happens when you practice the dance in your everyday life.”
Evidence, Benefits & Limitations of EFT
Research Evidence
The scientific support for emotion focused therapy for anxiety has been growing steadily, with impressive results that give hope to those struggling with anxiety disorders.
When we look at the research, we find compelling evidence that EFT works. Randomized controlled trials (the gold standard in research) show that EFT is just as effective as cognitive-behavioral therapy for generalized anxiety disorder. This is significant because CBT has long been considered the front-runner for anxiety treatment.
For people with social anxiety disorder, the results are particularly encouraging. Studies using multiple-baseline designs found large effect sizes (Cohen’s d = 2.37 for the LSAS and 1.52 for the SPIN), with every participant showing reliable improvement. In plain language, this means the positive changes weren’t just statistically significant – they were substantial and meaningful in people’s lives.
What’s fascinating is how researchers have identified exactly why EFT works. It’s not magic – it’s about increasing emotional awareness, helping people stop avoiding difficult feelings, and changing shame through more adaptive emotions like healthy anger and self-compassion.
As researcher Shahar noted in his 2020 study: “The best way to change a maladaptive emotion is not through reason or skill learning, but through the activation of other, more adaptive emotions.” This insight captures the essence of why EFT can be so powerful for anxiety sufferers.
Benefits of EFT for Anxiety
Emotion focused therapy for anxiety offers several unique advantages that set it apart from other approaches.
First and foremost, EFT gets to the root causes. Rather than just teaching you how to manage symptoms when they appear, it helps you transform the underlying emotional patterns that keep anxiety coming back. This approach often leads to more lasting change because you’re addressing the source, not just the symptoms.
“Many of our clients come to us after trying various coping techniques that helped temporarily but didn’t stick,” shares Romero. “They’re often relieved to find an approach that helps them understand why they feel anxious in the first place.”
EFT also builds emotional intelligence – a skill set that benefits all areas of life. Clients develop greater awareness of their feelings, better understanding of what emotions are telling them, and improved ability to regulate intense feelings without becoming overwhelmed.
Perhaps one of the most profound benefits is the strengthened relationship with yourself. By changing harsh self-criticism into genuine self-compassion, EFT helps you become your own ally rather than your own worst critic. This shift alone can dramatically reduce anxiety that stems from self-judgment.
EFT also brings together mind and body in a way many other therapies don’t. By attending to bodily sensations – the tightness in your chest, the knot in your stomach – EFT helps reconnect you with physical experiences often avoided in anxiety, promoting whole-person healing.
Finally, the flexibility of EFT makes it adaptable for different anxiety disorders, cultural contexts, and individual needs. The core principles remain the same, but the application can be custom to your unique situation.
Limitations and Considerations
While we’re enthusiastic about emotion focused therapy for anxiety, we believe in being transparent about its limitations too.
One significant consideration is therapist expertise. Effective EFT requires specialized training and ongoing supervision. Not all therapists who say they practice EFT have received adequate training in this approach. At Mr. Therapist, we ensure our clinicians have proper training and supervision in EFT techniques.
Accessibility can also be an issue. EFT is not yet as widely available as CBT, which may limit access for some clients, particularly in rural areas. This is slowly changing as more therapists receive training, and telehealth options are helping bridge this gap.
Emotional readiness is another important factor. Some clients, particularly those with severe anxiety or trauma histories, may initially find the focus on emotional experience overwhelming. A skilled EFT therapist will pace the work appropriately and build emotional regulation skills before diving into deeper emotional processing.
The research base, while growing and promising, is not as extensive as for some other approaches, particularly for specific anxiety disorders beyond GAD and social anxiety. More studies are needed to understand how EFT can be optimized for panic disorder, specific phobias, and other anxiety conditions.
“At Mr. Therapist, we’re honest about both the potential and limitations of EFT,” says Romero. “We conduct thorough assessments to determine if EFT is the right fit for each client, and we’re prepared to refer to other approaches when appropriate. Not every therapy works for every person, and we respect that.”
For those interested in learning more about the research supporting EFT for anxiety disorders, we recommend reviewing the comprehensive meta-analysis by Timulak and colleagues, which summarizes the current state of evidence.
Getting Started With EFT: Finding Your Therapist & Next Steps
Taking the first step toward emotion focused therapy for anxiety can feel both exciting and a little intimidating. Finding the right therapist—someone who truly understands EFT and connects with you—makes all the difference in your healing journey.
Finding a Qualified EFT Therapist
Not all therapists are trained in EFT, and even fewer specialize in using it specifically for anxiety. When searching for your ideal therapist match, look beyond general credentials.
The best EFT therapists have completed specialized training programs focused on emotion-focused methods. Many maintain active membership in professional organizations like the International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy (ICEEFT), which helps them stay current with the latest developments in the field.
“What really matters is finding someone who’s not just certified, but continues learning and growing in their EFT practice,” explains Manny Romero, founder of Mr. Therapist. “At our practice, we ensure all our clinicians receive ongoing supervision and consultation in EFT techniques, particularly for anxiety work.”
When researching potential therapists, review their websites carefully. Look for specific mentions of EFT training, experience with anxiety disorders, and a therapeutic style that resonates with you. Many therapists offer free initial consultations, which can help you assess if there’s a good fit before committing.
Questions to Ask Potential Therapists
Your initial conversation with a potential therapist is the perfect opportunity to learn if they’re the right match for your needs. Don’t be shy about asking direct questions—good therapists appreciate clients who take an active role in their healing journey.
Consider asking about their specific EFT training background and how long they’ve been practicing this approach. Ask how they typically work with anxiety disorders and what outcomes they’ve seen with clients facing challenges similar to yours. Understanding their typical treatment timeline and whether they incorporate other approaches alongside EFT can also help set realistic expectations.
“When clients interview me, it actually helps both of us determine if we’ll work well together,” says Romero. “I love when clients come prepared with questions—it shows they’re invested in finding the right fit, which is crucial for successful therapy.”
Assessing if EFT is Right for You
While emotion focused therapy for anxiety has helped many people, it’s important to consider if it aligns with your personal needs and preferences.
EFT might be particularly beneficial if you’ve tried cognitive approaches that helped somewhat but didn’t quite get to the root of your anxiety. Many clients who find success with EFT report sensing that deeper emotional patterns drive their anxiety, beyond just their thoughts. If you struggle with self-criticism or shame alongside your anxiety, EFT’s focus on self-compassion can be especially healing.
The approach does require willingness to explore uncomfortable feelings and engage in experiential exercises. If you prefer a more structured, skills-based approach with less emotional intensity, another therapy style might be a better fit.
“During our initial consultation at Mr. Therapist, we have an honest conversation about whether EFT aligns with what you’re looking for,” Romero shares. “Sometimes we recommend a different approach or even a different therapist if we believe that would better serve your needs.”
Practical Considerations
Session format options have expanded in recent years. While many people prefer the connection of in-person therapy, telehealth has made EFT accessible to people throughout California who might not have local access to qualified therapists. At Mr. Therapist, we offer both options to accommodate different preferences and needs.
Cost and insurance considerations matter too. Session fees typically range from $120-$200 depending on therapist experience and location. Many insurance plans now cover EFT under general psychotherapy codes, though coverage varies widely. If cost is a concern, ask about sliding scale options—many therapists reserve spots for clients who need financial flexibility.
The time commitment for EFT typically involves an initial assessment phase of 1-2 sessions, followed by 8-20 weekly sessions for the treatment phase. Some clients benefit from occasional “booster” sessions after completing the main therapy course, especially during particularly stressful life transitions.
While EFT is generally considered safe, it’s important to be aware of potential risks. Exploring emotions may temporarily increase distress before improvement occurs—this is actually part of the healing process, but it can feel uncomfortable. Some techniques may not resonate with all clients, and as with any therapy approach, there’s no guarantee of specific outcomes.
“Starting therapy is one of the bravest things you can do,” Romero emphasizes. “At Mr. Therapist, we honor that courage by making the process as transparent and supportive as possible, from that first phone call through your entire healing journey.”
Ready to explore if emotion focused therapy for anxiety might help you? Visit our emotion focused therapy services page or reach out for an initial consultation to learn more about how we can support your journey toward emotional resilience.
Frequently Asked Questions about EFT & Anxiety
Is EFT effective for all types of anxiety disorders?
When people ask me about emotion focused therapy for anxiety, they often wonder if it works for every type of anxiety disorder. The research shows that EFT has the strongest support for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and social anxiety disorder. While there’s promising evidence for panic disorder, specific phobias, and health anxiety, the research is still growing in these areas.
I’ve found in my practice that EFT tends to be particularly powerful for anxiety that has deeper emotional roots. This includes anxiety that shows up alongside depression, stems from difficult childhood experiences, involves feelings of shame, or hasn’t improved with other treatments you’ve tried.
“Many of my clients have tried multiple approaches before finding EFT,” shares Manny Romero, founder of Mr. Therapist. “What often makes the difference is how EFT helps them work with the emotions underneath their anxiety, not just the anxious thoughts themselves.”
For those dealing with anxiety connected to trauma, your therapist might blend EFT with trauma-specific approaches to create the most effective treatment plan for your unique situation.
How long before I notice results?
Healing isn’t usually a straight line, but most people do notice changes within the first month of therapy (typically 4-6 sessions). These early shifts often include becoming more aware of your emotional patterns, finding words for feelings that might have been confusing before, and starting to relate to your anxiety differently.
The more substantial changes typically emerge around sessions 8-12. This is when many clients report:
- Experiencing less intense anxiety in situations that used to be overwhelming
- Responding to triggers with new emotional patterns
- Being kinder to themselves when anxiety does show up
One client described it beautifully: “I noticed small changes after just a few weeks—moments where I could breathe through anxiety instead of being overwhelmed. The bigger shifts in how I fundamentally related to myself took longer, but they’ve also been more lasting.”
Complete treatment with emotion focused therapy for anxiety usually takes between 16-20 sessions, though everyone’s journey is different. The timeline depends on how long you’ve been experiencing anxiety, whether you’re dealing with other challenges alongside it, and your personal pace of emotional processing.
Can EFT be combined with medication or other therapies?
Absolutely! Emotion focused therapy for anxiety works well alongside other approaches. In fact, thoughtful combinations often provide the most comprehensive support.
When it comes to medication, many clients successfully use anti-anxiety medications while engaging in EFT. Some find that medication helps reduce their symptoms enough to engage more fully in the emotional work of therapy. These decisions are best made in collaboration with both your therapist and a psychiatrist or primary care doctor who understands your complete health picture.
Beyond medication, EFT can complement and be improved by:
Mindfulness practices that help you notice emotions as they arise, creating more opportunities for understanding what your anxiety is trying to tell you.
Body-centered approaches like yoga or somatic experiencing that deepen your awareness of how emotions manifest physically—something that’s particularly helpful since anxiety has such strong physical components.
Skills-based therapies that provide practical tools for moments when emotions feel overwhelming.
“At Mr. Therapist, we take a whole-person approach,” explains Romero. “While EFT forms the foundation of our work with anxiety, we draw on complementary approaches when helpful and coordinate with medication providers to support our clients’ overall wellbeing. The goal isn’t just to reduce anxiety symptoms—it’s to help you develop a new relationship with your emotions that brings more freedom and authenticity to your life.”
Conclusion
Emotion focused therapy for anxiety isn’t just another treatment approach—it’s a transformative journey that goes beyond managing symptoms to fundamentally change how you experience and respond to your emotions.
When you work through anxiety using EFT, you’re not simply learning coping techniques. You’re finding the underlying emotional patterns that have kept anxiety in place, often for years. This deeper work creates lasting change because it addresses the root causes rather than just the surface symptoms.
Through your EFT journey, you’ll likely experience several meaningful shifts:
First, you’ll develop a new awareness of what your emotions are actually telling you. That knot in your stomach before a meeting? It might be signaling a need for connection or recognition, not just “anxiety” to push away.
You’ll also transform how you speak to yourself. Many of us have internalized harsh, critical voices that constantly feed our anxiety. EFT helps you replace that inner critic with genuine self-compassion—a change that ripples through every aspect of your life.
Perhaps most importantly, you’ll build emotional resilience. Instead of being overwhelmed by difficult feelings, you’ll develop the capacity to stay present with them, understand their message, and respond in ways that serve your wellbeing.
At Mr. Therapist, we walk alongside you through this process. Founded by Manny Romero, our practice specializes in guiding Californians through emotional healing using approaches that honor the wisdom of your feelings while supporting your growth. We believe emotions aren’t problems to solve—they’re messengers pointing toward what matters most to you.
Whether you’re struggling with the constant worry of generalized anxiety, the social fears that keep you isolated, the terror of panic attacks, or the complex interplay of anxiety and depression, emotion focused therapy for anxiety offers a path forward. Our welcoming offices in San Clemente provide a safe harbor for this transformative work, with both in-person and telehealth options to meet your needs.
As you consider your next steps, even uncomfortable emotions contain valuable information. Anxiety often points to what you deeply care about—your health, your relationships, your future. With supportive guidance, these difficult feelings can become not just manageable but meaningful guides toward a more authentic, connected life.
Ready to transform your relationship with anxiety? Contact Mr. Therapist today to schedule a consultation and take your first step toward not just surviving anxiety, but thriving emotionally.
