I had the pleasure of talking to Kim Howard at EMDRIA about EMDR, Mindfulness and Addictions. Kim really pulled a lot out of me, it is one of my favorite interviews of recent. If you’re looking to hear my history with EMDR, recovery, mindfulness, MET(T)A Protocol and DEIJ work, you will find it HERE or by clicking play below:
LET'S TALK EMDR
EMDR Therapy, Addictions and Mindfulness
SEP 15, 2022 SEASON 1 EPISODE 8
EMDR International Association (EMDRIA)
Can EMDR therapy successfully treat addictions? How does mindfulness impact someone's ability to recover from their addiction? Should a client be sober before beginning EMDR? Get your questions answered by Dr. Stephen Dansiger, EMDR therapist and consultant, MET(T)A Protocol creator and pioneer in the Buddhist recovery field. And, what did Dr. Bessel van der kolk, author of "The Body Keeps the Score," say about how EMDR therapy heals trauma?
The Art and Science of EMDR therapy, created by Rotem Brayer, promotes professional and ethical use of EMDR therapy, provides clear information about EMDR to clients and clinicians, and integrates both the art and the science of EMDR. I was thrilled to be interviewed by Rotem on how to heal addiction with EMDR therapy. We discussed some topics from my new book, Healing Addiction with EMDR Therapy: A Trauma-Focused Guided, co-authored with Jamie Marich. In this discussion, I made the case for why we need to conceptualize addiction as an adaptation to trauma and how if we don’t treat trauma we won’t treat addiction. We discuss how EMDR therapy does best when it is implemented as a complete psychotherapy rather than trying to pick the right specialty protocol. We also address how using a thematic approach to client history versus a linear/chronological approach is more effective with survivors of trauma.
I was happy to be a guest on the WAP Podcast: Wine and Psych with Dr. Krysti Vo, a mentally fit millennial, mental health advocate, and psychiatrist navigating life, love, and all things #MentalFitness episode by episode. I opened the podcast with a meditation and described my journey into recovery, mindfulness, and what led me into my current profession. I offered guidance for people struggling with addiction and provided thoughts on the concept of the “addictive personality” from the clinical and Buddhist psychology perspectives. I explained Clinical Dharma and why I created it and how I incorporate Dharma into my clinical work. I discussed how EMDR therapy is a very inclusive therapy, the MET(T)A Protocol, and the power of seeing addiction through a trauma-focused lens.
The addictions issue for EMDRIA’s Go With That magazine features my article “A Day in the Life of a MET(T)A Center.” I tell the story of how the first MET(T)A Protocol Center began, and how MET(T)A has grown over the last 6 years. I detail my journey into EMDR therapy, the application of mindfulness and EMDR therapy in the treatment of addiction, EMDR therapy as a complete psychotherapy, the Palette of EMDR Interventions in Addiction (Markus & Hornsveld, 2017) and the further development of the MET(T)A Protocol. I describe what a typical day in a MET(T)A Protocol Center is like, and share some thoughts on the future of EMDR therapy and addiction
EMDRIA members can be on the lookout for the print issue coming soon - or can click through here to read the article.
Thrive Market is a site where you can find food and other products that are health conscious and sustainable. They create content for their blog that supports that mission and creates a healthy community. They asked me to speak to the subject of reducing stress during the pandemic. You can click HERE to read my thoughts.
As the Head of Health and Wellness Innovation and Partnerships for DropLabs, I was asked to contribute some thoughts about how to take care of ourselves in these uncertain and difficult times. Linked below…
Hi DropLabs family,
In these uncertain times, we are reminded of our interconnectedness on this journey. Now more than ever, we each need to determine what is we need to "help ourselves before assisting others in the cabin." Job #1 right now is to identify our resilience that we already have available and to seek new resources in areas we feel we need more. You can click here to read five ways to build resilience in the face of difficulty.
Before DropLabs ever launched their first product, the EP 01, I was working with CEO Susan Paley and her team for over three years investigating and understanding all of the possible health and wellness applications of this incredible footwear. I also had the opportunity to work with many creatives along the way, and continue to work with creators, engineers, researchers, doctors, therapists and other health and wellness professionals to find out what we might be able to do with DropLabs technology to help end suffering. I have already used it directly in EMDR therapy in my private practice office, and we will be implementing protocols for the footwear at some our MET(T)A Protocol centers. I am so glad KC Orcutt and the DropLabs team spent the time to allow me to talk about this journey that I am so passionate about.
Click through to for the interview.
I was excited to have the opportunity to share my over 25 years of experience teaching mindful anger management with Samantha Vincenty, Senior Social Editor for Oprah Magazine. I shared some specific mindful solutions for managing anger, including the first tool to use in emergencies, how to let go of a grudge, how to internally assess anger, and how to find the positives in this misunderstood emotion.
And, not for nothing - pretty awesome to be sharing article space with Echhart Tolle.
Click through to check it out!
VoyageLA.com has a series called LA's Most Inspiring Stories. They display them by neighborhood, as the focus is on people's work lives and the services they offer around the city. Being that my main office location is now in Larchmont, I was profiled as an inspiring story from Hollywood. The interview made me aware of something... I have now been here more than 15 years, and it is very much my home. So as I described my work life and my hopes and plans for the future, it made me feel good to think of how I have worked across this city now much like I did in NYC. It has been harder to navigate, literally, with the many miles I put on my car as opposed to the thousands of subway rides during my New York life. But the moral of the story in the end is that I have been able to be of service to a great many people in the greater Los Angeles area, and I look forward to many more opportunities to come -- on the East side from my home office, to Larchmont with my private practice, to Venice as Refuge Recovery Centers moves to the West Side. And of course, more will be revealed...
voyagela.com/interview/meet-stephen-dansiger
Dr. Tamer and Dr. Simon invited me to spend over an hour on a show called White Coat by satellite network Al Karma talking about PTSD and EMDR therapy. It was a wonderful opportunity to share my passionate belief that healing is possible through mindfully applied EMDR psychotherapy. In a sense the show allowed me to provide some of the Phase 1 and Phase 2 work of psychoeducation about PTSD and trauma focused treatment, as well as discussing some of the Phase 2 resourcing that can help people to heal and to prepare for trauma resolution. The video is cued up here to where I begin talking specifically about EMDR therapy, and I am most grateful to Dr. Tamer for providing in vivo translation into Arabic for his mostly Arabic speaking audience... Al Karma is a satellite network that reaches over 14 million people worldwide... one wonderful bit of synchronicity was that my coauthor Jamie Marich was in Dubai providing EMDR training in Arabic (courtesy of co-trainer Layla Asamarai) at the very same time I was on this program...
Live show on Alkarma tv channel - Jan. 20, 2018 Host: Dr. Tamer Meshel Guest: Stephen Dansiger Psy.D.MFT اضطرابات ما بعد الصدمة وعلاجها - معطف أبيض - قناة الكرمة بث مباشر على قناة الكرمة التلفزيونية - 20 يناير 2018 أعداد وتقديم: د.
Its been a few years since we talked with microphones on, but Marc Maron and I have never stopped talking to each other. Recently, we spent some time actually practicing mindfulness and working on his trauma, and then we sat down to have a conversation for a new episode of WTF. We talked about my new book, EMDR Therapy and Mindfulness for Trauma-Focused Care, trauma, recovery, Buddhism, the new world order and everything in between. I really enjoy talking with Marc in general, but with microphones on is a special treat for me. So glad to share some of the dharma, some of the trauma resolution and some of the ongoing banter that has been my life with Marc...
I made a return to The Trauma Therapist Podcast, this time together with my coauthor Jamie Marich to discuss our new book EMDR Therapy and Mindfulness for Trauma Focused Care which comes out Tuesday, November 28! This podcast is such an amazing resource for new trauma therapists, and for those who have practiced for awhile. Guy asks all the right questions to help demystify the world of therapy and trauma therapy in particular. Guy was really moved by our effort to change the way treatment is delivered. Doing the podcast in tandem with Jamie this time made it that much more fun and engaging. You can check out previous episodes featuring me and Jamie here... and definitely subscribe if you want support for your practice!
Springer Publications, the publisher of EMDR Therapy and Mindfulness for Trauma Focused Care, the new book I coauthored with Jamie Marich, asked me to blog about my personal journey that led me to this place, personally and professionally. I am so happy and honored to have an EMDR book in this catalogue that includes so many important books on EMDR therapy. And I am so grateful that Jamie and I followed through on this book which in many ways is a culmination of all that I have worked toward ever since I sobered up back in 1989...
You can read my guest post on the Springer Blog here.
My colleague and co-author Jamie Marich does a monthly free teleconference where she interviews those who might be helpful to others in the field. Most recently it was Jamie and I talking about our new book EMDR Therapy and Mindfulness for Trauma Focused Care. I always look forward to this and other opportunities to tag team with Jamie on the project of transforming suffering for those that we can with mindfulness and EMDR therapy, I address the Buddhist aspects of our work, and we both get an opportunity to practice during the interview... the "elevator music glitch" that happens about halfway through the recording. It was a problem with the interface and we had no control over it. The playback is only 55 minutes. In another glitch they tacked on another hour plus of elevator music!
Muzak aside, it was a great beginning to what will be an ongoing dialogue between me and Jamie... it started with writing the book, and now it expands as we bring it out into the world...
Click to download the interview.
I have been truly having a ball talking with other professionals, magazines, and random strangers about only my favorite topics... I love talking about sobriety, Buddhist psychology in all its manifestations, Refuge Recovery, EMDR therapy and trauma therapy in general, and the interconnectedness of all of it. Tom Valentino wanted to hear about all of it, particularly the connections between the 8 Fold Path and recovery. He went to my good friend and coauthor Jamie Marich as well, and to Kevin Griffin to round out his exploration of Buddhism and recovery. I appreciate the thoroughness of his article.
Link to article.
MORE VIDEOS WITH STEPHEN DANSIGER http://bit.ly/2p3yC6z CONNECT WITH STEPHEN DANSIGER http://www.drdansiger.com https://www.facebook.com/drstephendansiger https://www.instagram.com/drdansiger https://twitter.com/drdansiger CONNECT WITH WISE HEROES https://medium.com/@WiseHeroes https://twitter.com/WiseHeroes
I gave several short interviews for the people at Wise Heroes who are curious about the ins and outs of entrepreneurial ventures and the people who are in them... they were able to see how my book Clinical Dharma actually addressed some of the issues of business owners and other leaders, those who are trying to help others in that way... and so they will be releasing them over time. The first one addresses my own history of burn out that led me to focus on that in my work and in book form....
