Recap: MET(T)A Method Workshop Debut at the San Francisco Bay Area EMDR Regional Network

The debut of the day long version of the MET(T)A Method workshop was a success and gives me a lot of hope for the future of agency treatment... over 40 EMDR trained clinicians came to hear about what we are doing at Refuge Recovery Centers with EMDR therapy as the primary clinical practice and Buddhist mindfulness as the theoretical orientation and driving force of treatment. Rajani and Kimbo with the SF Bay Area EMDR Regional Network did an amazing job of finding their new location at the College of San Mateo which was a room with a view, and setting up and putting out there to the community the possible value of this workshop.

There is still much more work to be done on the MET(T)A Method including a video series of case studies of both clinicians and clients, and a fleshing out of the experiential aspects of the workshop, but the feedback was primarily positive and I believe there is a thirst for more of this kind of material. As the addictions world struggles to stay on an ethical path, and as the trauma world seeks to find ways to fold trauma treatment successfully into addiction treatment, it seems that this method grounded in Mindfulness and EMDR therapy provides an ethical compass and a path to liberation that may provide an end or transformation of suffering to many. As we get closer to the release of the book EMDR Therapy and Mindfulness for Trauma Focused Care, the resources for therapists and other professionals is growing, and the desire for integrative treatment that brings long term recovery is possibly more available.