Jeff Dwarshuis LMSW ACSW - Psychotherapist and Consultant

12/14/2025

The Advantages of EMDR Therapy by Jeff Dwarshuis LMSW ACSW

The client does not have to discuss the trauma.

That’s right!

A client needs only to visualize the trauma for successful therapy.

This is an advantage for clients since a PTSD symptom is having difficulty discussing the trauma.

Therapy…It keeps getting better.

Jeff Dwarshuis LMSW ACSW - http://www.jeffdwarshuis.com/

Over 10,000 hours of clinical experience using EMDR

12/07/2025

The Advantages of EMDR Therapy by Jeff Dwarshuis LMSW ACSW

EMDR Therapy requires no homework.

All work is done during the session leaving the client free to go about their life.

Therapy…It keeps getting better.

Jeff Dwarshuis LMSW ACSW - http://www.jeffdwarshuis.com/

Over 10,000 hours of clinical experience using EMDR

The Advantages of EMDR Therapy by Jeff Dwarshuis LMSW ACSW

EMDR Therapy requires no homework.

All work is done during the session leaving the client free to go about their life.

Therapy…It keeps getting better.

Jeff Dwarshuis LMSW ACSW - http://www.jeffdwarshuis.com/

Over 10,000 hours of clinical experience using EMDR

11/26/2025

EMDR Therapy is about eliminating pain so a person can live freely and to their highest potential.
- JD

11/22/2025

The Advantages of EMDR Therapy by Jeff Dwarshuis LMSW ACSW

EMDR is fast...requiring less than 20% of the time spent in traditional therapy.

This leaves the client with more time to enjoy life.

Therapy…It keeps getting better.

Jeff Dwarshuis LMSW ACSW - http://www.jeffdwarshuis.com/

Over 10,000 hours of clinical experience using EMDR

11/16/2025

How EMDR Works by JD

EMDR is a treatment method used to eliminate the negative impacts of traumatic memory quickly and effectively. EMDR is a neurobiological intervention that makes use of eye movements to facilitate a physiological impact on brain functioning which creates permanent emotional and cognitive change in an individual when thinking about or visualizing a traumatic memory.

Recent studies on brain scans of individuals indicate that traumatic experience and traumatic recall negatively impact brain functioning and that EMDR corrects it. Specifically, during trauma a part of the brain called the amygdala, which controls many of our emotions and is responsible for autonomic responses associated with fear and fear conditioning, becomes overactivated and this creates an impasse between itself and the hippocampus.

The hippocampus plays an important role in the consolidation of information from short term memory to long term memory and spatial memory which is responsible for recording information about one's environment and spatial orientation.

It is recognized that this impasse between the hippocampus and the amygdala creates symptoms found in generalized anxiety, panic attacks and posttraumatic stress disorder. During EMDR, this impasse is corrected as eye movements will activate the hippocampus so it can receive the overwhelming amount of information from the amygdala and then sort it.

The hippocampus then completes the proper brain processing by sending information to the anterior cingulate cortex, which is involved in aspects such as attention, decision making, reward anticipation, ethics, morality, impulse control, and emotion.

The impact of opening this impasse and restoring proper brain functioning means that a negative memory, once too overwhelming to manage, is put into the proper context of time and space, has affective and cognitive aspects of the memory merged, is viewed with more rational thought, reason and control, and exists in a clear distinction between the past and the present.

11/15/2025

Why The EMDR Cognitive Interweave Is So Effective for Survivors of Child Abuse. By Jeff Dwarshuis LMSW ACSW

Ambivalent Attachment

Ambivalent Attachment is an unhealthy relational pattern developed in abusive families. Every person is born with an instinctual desire to connect with their caregivers. Since this desire is an instinct and not a behavior it cannot be eliminated. It is a constant part of living that must be managed. If a parent is consistent and creates a reasonably safe environment, the child will learn to connect with the parent without fear. If the parent is abusive, the child will respond with another instinct of pulling away or recoiling. If this continues over time the child will develop a relational pattern of using both instinctual drives and their relationships will consist of a drive to connect but an instinctual and at times unnecessary reaction of recoiling. This relational pattern is called “Ambivalent Attachment”.

The Locus of Control Shift

The Locus of Control Shift is a process where a child takes on an irrational negative cognition to maintain a sense of emotional and situational control over an uncontrollable situation. For example, imagine a young girl whose parents suddenly separate and the father leaves the home. Because of her age and limited capacity, the girl is unable to fully deal with the hardship of emotional loss that occurs. To ease this process the child will tell herself, for example, that her father left only because she was not a good enough girl and that if she behaves better then he will return. She creates and holds the negative self-concept of “I am not good enough” and begins a pattern of perfection or excessive work to gain some control over an uncontrollable situation.

The Cognitive Interweave

The Cognitive Interweave was developed as an added technique to the EMDR Standard Protocol to increase the speed of reprocessing as well as helping a client who seemed to not be moving through EMDR reprocessing. The technique has three parts - Responsibility, Safety and Choices. This technique is perfectly suited for individuals who have been abused since its three steps line up with the complications found in both Ambivalent Attachment and The Locus of Control Shift.

Responsibility

People abused as children often hold negative self-beliefs to avoid the feelings of loss associated with child abuse. After the client begins EMDR and moves through 2-3 sets of eye movements on a targeted memory, they are usually in touch with the negativity of the memory. At this point the client can be asked “As you see this picture, who is responsible for the negative emotions you feel right now?” Often clients will blame themselves so the therapist should then ask – “As a child on that day did you want to experience this situation?” The client is then able to identify the responsibility of the perpetrator. Then 2-6 sets of eye movements are completed while concentrating on the responsibility of the perpetrator for creating the problem. This recognition lifts the sense of responsibility and then allows the client to eliminate or give up their longstanding negative self-perception and control that is found in the Locus of Control Shift. Between the sets of eye movements following the client often will then begin to express their rational emotional reaction of anger rather than the anxiety, guilt, or fear that comes with accepting irrational blame.

Safety

The second step of the Cognitive Interweave is Safety and this step helps the client to deal with feelings of loss and fear. At this point in the session the therapist can say to the client – “See a picture of yourself walking out of your Safe Place and imagine that you go into that negative picture and talk to that young child as if she is your own daughter and you help her to feel safe.” The client does 2-5 sets of eye movements on this picture. Generally, after 2-5 sets of eye movements the client experiences comfort, safety, validation, love and bonding that overtakes the sense of abandonment, fear, loneliness and discomfort that maintains the relational pattern of Ambivalent Attachment. The person has experienced for the first time being able to hold and believe these positive things while thinking about the bad memory.

Choices

The third step of the Cognitive Interweave is Choices and this step helps the client deal with rational power and emotional separation. After safety is completed, the therapist says to the client – “Recognizing the responsibility of the perpetrator and having that safety with you, imagine that the young girl in that negative picture makes choices for what to do with that situation and she can do anything she wants.” This method is a new and significant experience for the client since they are for the first time able to rationally process their power over the situation while feeling safe and recognizing the perpetrator’s responsibility. Often clients will report imagining finding a place of safety, calling authorities or going through the aggressive response of fighting against the perpetrator and winning.

Over 10,000 hours of clinical experience treating trauma using EMDR.

JD

11/08/2025

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder – Signs and Symptoms
By Jeff Dwarshuis LMSW, ACSW

PTSD can happen to anyone at anytime at any age. Here is a list of symptoms to watch. Not all symptoms need to exist for diagnosis.

1. Exposure to or witnessing an event that is horrific beyond what is typically endured by a person. (All PTSD cases have this symptom.)

2. The person experiences intrusive thoughts or flashbacks of the event(s).

3. The person has nightmares about the event(s).

4. The person feels as if the event(s) is continuing to happen.

5. The person has emotional overwhelm when reminded of the event(s).

6. The person has physical reactions when reminded of the event(s).

7. The person avoids thoughts and feelings about the event(s).

8. The person cannot recall all the event(s).

9. The person withdrawals from others.

10. The person does not experience the peaks of good or bad emotions.

11. The person believes they will not live long or have a good and productive life.

12. The person has sleep disturbance, hyper vigilance, and extreme anger.

Also, because of the PTSD, the person almost always has Major Depression and Generalized Anxiety.

Substance abuse is very common as a self medicating attempt. This is often the initial reason for seeking treatment.

People are fearful of treatment because they think they will have to talk about the traumas.

11/01/2025

Bullying, Trauma and Warning Signs in Children by JD

Here is a description of the behavioral warning signs of both victims and bullies.

Victims

1. Socially victims may appear to be isolated, unable to defend themselves, cautious, having low self esteem and having poor social skills.

2. Psychologically, victims may appear anxious, depressed, and impulsive with a poor ability to regulate their emotions. Depressive thinking and hopelessness in the victim can lead to suicidal thoughts and attempts.

3. Victims’ behavioral warning signs of abuse are a loss of interest in school, taking a different route to school, having physical injuries, withdrawing from family and school activities, emotional upset after receiving a call or email or using derogatory statements about specific kids.

Bullies

1. The bully’s primary characteristic is a persistent expression of contempt towards someone he or she sees as being different, inferior, or not deserving of respect. The bully’s abusive behavior is not a single act but an on-going pattern of abuse towards another individual.

2. The most common targets of the bully are people who are physically disabled, obese, who appear to be of a different sexual orientation or in a racial or religious minority.

3. The bully will show warning signs of his or her behavior through displaying a lack of empathy, having a favorable view of violence, being aggressive towards adults, having a hard time following rules and having a need to dominate others.

Bullying happens most commonly when kids travel to and from school, in unsupervised school areas, in sports team settings that normalize aggression and over the internet.

Factors that contribute to bullying are not having anti-bullying policies, inconsistent school discipline, high teacher turnover and a lack of support for children with special needs.

Over 10,000 hours of clinical experience treating trauma using EMDR.

JD

10/19/2025

Presenting Problems Treated (Online!) with EMDR by Jeff Dwarshuis LMSW ACSW

Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Self-Abusive Behavior
Pain Management
Major Depression
Eating Disorders
Bipolar Disorder
Panic Disorder
Dissociation
Addictions
Phobias
Grief

Over 10,000 hours of clinical experience using EMDR

Jeff Dwarshuis LMSW ACSW
http://www.jeffdwarshuis.com/
616 4431425

09/06/2025

Combining EMDR and Schema Therapy for Complex PTSD by Jeff Dwarshuis LMSW ACSW

EMDR and Schema Therapy are highly effective treatment methods for the treatment of Complex PTSD.

Combining these methods leads to a faster and more effective level of change.

EMDR quickly and effectively in eliminates the negative impacts of negative memories. Additionally, the changes are permanent.

Individuals with Complex PTSD, however, present with complicated histories making it difficult to accurately assess the negative contributing memories leading to Complex PTSD symptoms.

Schema Therapy provides a plausible explanation for the development of Complex PTSD since schema development comes from the impacts of unmet childhood needs and related negative experiences.

After assessing the client’s schemas, the EMDR therapist can use this information to create a list of treatment target memories that are the most effective for client change.

The Over 10,000 hours of clinical experience using EMDR

Jeff Dwarshuis LMSW ACSW
http://www.jeffdwarshuis.com/
616 4431425

08/17/2025

The Self Sacrifice Schema and EMDR by Jeff Dwarshuis LMSW ACSW

Individuals with the Self Sacrifice Schema often will overwork in relationships to try and receive emotional recognition in response to the empty feelings.

Other times the Self Sacrifice Schema is shown by carrying a “parentified child” role into adulthood.

EMDR is used to target the history of loss or emotional deprivation received in youth and adulthood.

The Self Sacrifice Schema is “The excessive focus on voluntarily meeting the needs of others in daily situations, at the expense of one's own gratification. The most common reasons are: to prevent causing pain to others; to avoid guilt from feeling selfish; or to maintain the connection with others perceived as needy . Often results from an acute sensitivity to the pain of others. Sometimes leads to a sense that one's own needs are not being adequately met and to resentment of those who are taken care of. (This overlaps with concept of co-dependency.)

Treatment Suggestions for the Self–Sacrifice Schema

1. Recognize if you have an exaggerated perception of fragility and neediness in others.

2. Increase an awareness of your needs by listing them.

3. Evaluate if your relationships have an imbalance of “give and take”.

4. Experimentally express sadness and anger about unmet emotional needs using imagery.

5. Consider if you were a “parentified child” caused by those in power putting adult demands on you in your childhood.

6. Ask for what you need directly.

7. Select partners and friends who are capable and giving rather than incapable or demanding.

8. Challenge yourself to occasionally be vulnerable with others rather than being the “strong one”.

9. Keep from rationalizing the tendency to please others so much.

Over 10,000 hours of clinical experience using EMDR

Jeff Dwarshuis LMSW ACSW
http://www.jeffdwarshuis.com/
616 4431425

08/01/2025

How EMDR Works by Jeff Dwarshuis LMSW ACSW

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) was developed by Francine Shapiro and it successfully treats Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). But how?

Brain scans found that traumatic experience negatively impacts brain functioning.

During trauma the amygdala, which controls responses associated with fear, becomes over activated and this creates an impasse between itself and the hippocampus.

The hippocampus plays an important role in short term memory, long term memory and spatial orientation.

The impasse between the hippocampus and the amygdala creates symptoms of generalized anxiety, panic attacks and posttraumatic stress disorder.

Brain scans of individuals doing EMDR indicate that this impasse is corrected as eye movements activate the hippocampus so it can receive the overwhelming amount of information from the amygdala and then sort it.

The hippocampus then completes the proper brain processing by sending information to the anterior cingulate cortex, which involves attention, decision making, reward anticipation, ethics, morality, impulse control, and emotion.

The impact of opening this impasse and restoring proper brain functioning means that a negative memory, once too overwhelming to manage, is put into the proper context of time and space, has affective and cognitive aspects of the memory merged, is viewed with more reason and control, and exists in a clear distinction between the past and the present.

Over 10,000 hours of clinical experience using EMDR

Jeff Dwarshuis LMSW ACSW
http://www.jeffdwarshuis.com/
616 4431425