My EMDR story began in 1998, while I was in graduate school. A local therapist came into our school for a presentation on EMDR. She waved her hand in front of a student volunteer’s eyes and reduced his anxiety about an issue in about 15 minutes. I asked him a few weeks later if he still had no anxiety about the issue. He assured me he did not. I never saw anything like it. I was sold on EMDR therapy.

Fortunately, one of our professors was trained in EMDR by Francine Shapiro in the early ’90s, when EMDR was in its infancy. He offered a course in it, I took it, and I’ve been using this model of therapy ever since. After twenty years and tens of thousands of EMDR sessions later, it is my privilege to train therapists at this stage of my career.

Our trainings are more than learning a new therapeutic technique for your toolbox.

EMDR has transformed my work and my life. I sought out my own EMDR therapist to dismantle my core belief, “I’m not good enough.” This negative belief was the culprit infiltrating every aspect of my life. Once the cognition shifted to “I am good enough,” everything internally calmed down and a profound sense of okayness and self-acceptance set in. I never felt anything like it. Without doing my own EMDR work, I doubt I would train therapists because I would think I’m not good enough.

EMDR Educators of Florida’s mission is to transform the lives of therapists so they can transform the lives of their patients. It is the journey we’ve taken with incredible results. Let us guide you through this journey to places you never imagined you could go.

Dr. Dobo’s knowledge of Jung and his concepts was clearly at work during EMDR processing sessions. For example, Jung has a concept called the “shadow.” It is hidden material that must be uncovered. Using psychoanalytic therapy, this can be a long process. When EMDR is employed, this Shadow material can be accessed and resolved in minutes. EMDR and Jungian concepts are perfect companions.

It is a little known fact that Francine Shapiro’s initial understanding of EMDR was through the lens of exposure therapy but after a time she realized there was more going on than exposure to desensitize a memory. She soon realized that EMDR activated reprocessing and at that point she embraced the psychoanalytic component of free association. EMDR is like Jungian therapy on steroids. Jung would most certainly be an EMDR therapist if he was alive. It was clear to Dr. Dobo that much like Shapiro’s understanding of the importance of free association is to the EMDR process, Dobo realized there were many other parallels and complimentary ways in which to integrate the two models creating a powerful integrative combination that enhances generalization and accelerates the EMDR process.

Dr. Dobo is excited to share this integrative approach with others in this course which was preceded by his book, Unburdening Souls at the Speed of Thought which will continue in his next book, Beyond Trauma: Transforming Power of the Integrating EMDR Therapy with Jungian Psychology.