Jackson State University class of ’84 alumnus Roy Thomas was the featured speaker during Social Work Month ceremonies Friday at the Mississippi e-Center at JSU.
Thomas, a family and relationships therapist and owner of Stephen & Associates in Merrillville, Ind., presented a program on EMDR, a technique for healing trauma.
Thomas says he is successfully treating emotional disorders, trauma and PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) with EMDR, which stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing.
He showed videos about the technique that was developed by a researcher who discovered that conscious eye movements can be used to access brain centers, and with therapy, can clear painful memories. It mimics the rapid eye movement (REM) of sleep.
Thomas said that the technique is listed as effective by the American Psychiatric Association, among other groups.
He also explained how PTSD can develop and stressed the importance of treatment. “If you don’t do something about these issues, they get bigger,” he said.
This technique is good for first responders, police, emergency medical technicians, church leaders, teachers and clergy, among others, he said.
Trauma goes beyond PTSD, he said, to include an array of emotional distress. It can include community violence — riots, shootings and “terrifying shock,” which is sustained trauma over time in neighborhoods.
This anxiety can be found in children where gang violence is prevalent or other forms of aggression, assault or sustained fear.
For those wanting to know more about types of trauma and treatment through EMDR, Thomas said, a conference called Psychological First Aid: The Missing Link for Treating Trauma and Distress will be held April 10 at Purdue University Calumet in Hammond, Ind.
Thomas can be reached at 219-613-2122 or roy@stephenassociates.org
The talk was part of the College of Public Service School of Social Work’s 35th Annual Social Work Celebration. It was in honor of National Social Work Month that is being celebrated across the country, coinciding with the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) celebrating its 60th anniversary.
For more on the School of Social Work, see: https://www.jsums.edu/socialwork/