Sober at Seaside

21/11/2025

17/11/2025

A powerful EMDR healing experience, increased confidence, clearer mind, and stronger boundaries in just two sessions. Read how EMDR helped Annabel feel safer, supported, and more in control of her life.

14/11/2025

The human mind has a staggering capacity to heal from pain and loss. The outcomes above are what I see over and over again when I perform EMDR. The clients are their own guide. They decide the words. They create the scenario. They know that safety is achievable.

Why does this work? Because EMDR pulls forth the trauma ‘root and branch’ from the time of the occurrence by combining the time and place with pure emotion.

Talk therapy can’t do this because the front ‘logical’ brain is asleep when the trauma occurs. The lizard brain runs the show during trauma.

So resolutions like self-trust, safety, and acceptance can come forward after the traumatic memories are made objective, detached, and ‘full’. I see over and over again the capacity to gain ‘pity or condolence’ for the oppressor. (I’ve done this in four languages, and it’s the same word. We don’t forgive. We don’t forget. We move on. The oppressor is released from tormenting us any further, and we can gain freedom. We move on without the oppressor.

This is what I see over and over, in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Ukrainian. We are all human and we have a sameness despite our unique stories. How cool is that???

13/11/2025

PTSD is all about grief. A sudden catastrophic event — often caused by cruelty or stupidity — robs us of our female dignity or male sense of masculinity, especially in the case of sexual assault.

Grief is a complex emotion of fear, sadness, and anger. EMDR gets to the heart of the matter quickly by addressing “what was I seeing and what was I feeling “ at the time of the event. What did I lose or what was taken away? Our flight or flight lizard brain is in control during these severe events, so it’s all about emotion and nothing about logic.

EMDR integrates right-brain ‘intuition’ and left-brain ‘spatial-temporal mode’ to arrive at a three-dimensional objective event that can be ‘seen’ in a new and calmer way, often for the first time. Emotions and reactions are reassessed and shifted in light of a calmer adult with support. Self-trust returns as boundaries and intuition return.

I have seen radical shifts in understanding the past in a new light in so many cases in just 6-10 hours. In my recent trip to Ukraine, many veterans responded very well to it.
It’s not talk therapy. The less talk, the better. Words, short phrases, single emotions. We don’t want or need details of the event. Peer-reviewed research shows it works for adolescents & for low or moderate traumatic brain injury.

12/11/2025

Thanks to WISPR Institute for the opportunity to train 50 new EMDR therapists in two 5-day sessions. It was intense from 930 to 6 pm every day. But it is feasible. Most of the people were psychologists for civilians and the military. But 5 days and 40 hours of theory and practice using my book on EMDR was enough time. What an awesome pleasure. I have taught graduate students on five continents in 11 universities, including HKU, NYU, LBS, Fudan, and NUS. I have never seen people who take in information — and then integrate, synthesise and adapt it — like Ukrainians. There’s a native intelligence and concentration that is special. Remarkable. What a treat! And this intensity of focus and spongy curiosity during war. 300 years of Russian oppression hid the talent pool of these people. They have had enough and will maintain their autonomy & independence.

11/11/2025

Here’s me being ridiculous and photo bombing three of my favorite people : Marta , Marianna and Victoria. These women are doing great work in the field of mental health with civilians and military. These women have grit, tenacity and brutal honesty about is required to move forward. I Love their spirit of focus, compassion and understanding harsh reality needed to bring about healing. Love you guys.

10/11/2025

One of the Ukraine Army officers (a Major) made this wonderful video of how EMDR works after attending my EMDR training. It’s 2 minutes. It’s a perfect explanation of how EMDR works. Have a look

07/11/2025

My great pleasure and honor to churn out another batch of 27 truly brave people to do EMDR for the civilians and veterans of Ukraine. They allowed themselves (in a loving and supportive atmosphere) to reflect on extremely tough circumstances in combat and urban bombing. They then found a way out of the whirlpool of grief (sadness, fear, and anger) toward acceptance with EMDR. They are incredibly brave miracles. Thanks, Andrii and WISPR. THANKS to Ani & Ina for keeping the ship afloat. Such astonishing courage from all. They will be victorious. The second pic is with Major “Panika,” who is in a feared drone unit. She gave me her unit flag, signed by her commander, and a unit chevron. I will cherish it always. What a privilege.

06/11/2025

Day 4 of EMDR training. Ukrainians have deep, deep reservoirs of courage, toughness, and mental grit. We covered some very tough ground involving war that is heartbreaking, but this group got through it all with astonishing grace, honesty, and humor. I am in awe. I’ve never seen anything like it. They are unbeatable.