Dr. Stephen Dansiger and Dr. Jamie Marich did it again! With an easy to read, down to earth language, and plenty of case examples, they describe how clinicians can use EMDR therapy to heal addictions. In this interview, Dr. Dansiger talks about the new book, Healing Addiction with EMDR Therapy: A Trauma-Focused Guide. Dr. Dansiger is the author of several therapy books, an approved EMDRIA consultant, a trainer, a clinician, and a meditation teacher. In this interview, he shares, among other topics how the teachings of the Buddha can be integrated into the eight phases of EMDR, and why we need to conceptualize addiction as an adaptation to trauma.
Dr. Stephen Dansiger, PsyD, MFT, played at CBGB and Max’s Kansas City in the late 1970s; drank and played drums in a toy rock band and then got into recovery in the late 1980s. He became an international social justice/diversity educator and rocker again in the 1990s; and is now a consultant, trainer, clinician, writer, and meditation teacher. Dr. Dansiger has become a master EMDR therapist and provider of EMDR Training and Advanced Topics Courses with the Institute for Creative Mindfulness, and is a pioneer in the Buddhist recovery field. He is the creator and founder of the MET(T)A Protocol (Mindfulness and EMDR Treatment Template for Agencies), which uses Buddhist psychology, mindfulness, and EMDR therapy to create an agency’s primary clinical practice system. Dr. Dansiger is the author of Clinical Dharma: A Path for Healers and Helpers, EMDR Therapy and Mindfulness for Trauma-Focused Care (coauthored with Jamie Marich), and Mindfulness for Anger Management: Transformative Skills for Overcoming Anger and Managing Powerful Emotions. He also co-authored with Dr. Marich, Trauma and the 12 Steps: A Trauma Responsive Workbook and Trauma and the 12 Steps: Daily Meditations and Reflections, both companion volumes for the updated second edition of Jamie Marich’s Trauma and the 12 Steps. Besides maintaining a private practice in Los Angeles, he travels internationally speaking and teaching on Buddhist mindfulness, EMDR therapy, the MET(T)A Protocol, trauma, Buddhist approaches to treating mental health issues, and clinician self-care. He has practiced Buddhist mindfulness for over 30 years (including a 1-year residency at a Zen monastery) and teaches dharma classes regularly in Los Angeles and internationally. Dr. Dansiger is the head of Health and Wellness Innovation and Partnerships at DropLabs, a leading sound and vibration technology company. He is a founding member of the Society for HealthCare Innovation, an outgrowth of the Master of Health Care Innovation (MHCI) program at the University of Pennsylvania, where he is in the third cohort. At Penn, he studies and collaborates with fellow health professionals and faculty to increase mental healthcare access, address inequities in the healthcare system, and create innovative solutions for mental health, addiction, and wellness.
