Chrysalis began in 1984 in response to numerous requests from Emmaus communities for a youth Emmaus for high school students. The Walk to Emmaus and TEC (Teens Encounter Christ), the youth explosion of the Roman Catholic Cursillo, influenced the early development of Chrysalis. A group of Nashville high school youth attended TEC and acted as advisers to the Upper Room staff in creating a unique model and name for the program. By 1994, the Chrysalis movement expended nearly 100 communities across the United States, Australia , Mexico, and South Africa.

Another historic event took place in 1989 when The Upper Room and the Alabama/West Florida Emmaus Community sponsored the first Chrysalis event for college-age young people. Since then, a growing number of Emmaus/Chrysalis communities have offered Chrysalis for young adults in response to the spiritual needs of those who are too old for high school Chrysalis and too young for the adult-orientated Walk to Emmaus.