Paul Marshall, LCSW

My EMDR Journey

I was first introduced to EMDR in the early 90’s. One of my undergraduate professors told me about a new therapy that was showing strong signs of being helpful for people suffering from PTSD. I was intrigued and asked him more. He explained it and I told him it was “hokus pokus.” That was pretty much it for many years. I had a few interactions with clients who had questions but that was about it until 2017 when a colleague told me she was using it with positive results. After discussion with my boss I decided to take basic training. I was really impressed and was excited to use the new model. I continued to use it and then got into situations involving complex PTSD where I didn’t really know what to do. I was in consultation but it was not good consultation. Living and working in a rural area meant there were few therapists and none were EMDR trained consultants. I became hesitant to use it and stepped away for a year. In 2019 I attended a training from Deany Laliotis which recharged my EMDR batteries. I was also introduced to Mary Ray, LCSW who I started consultation with. Since that time I have been fully engaged as an EMDR therapist. Long-term consultation has proven extremely valuable and a necessity in becoming a strong EMDR provider.