July 7; 2006

I walked into my room at the Ban Thai guest house and was hit by humidity, fatigue, and sadness. I would no longer be hanging out with five medics and one Burmese doctor from Mae Tao Clinic as well as the five other attendees at our five day EMDR-trauma counseling training. We held the training at a conference center at the outskirts of Mae Sot because it has proven impossible for senior medics to escape their duties to fully attend a training at the clinic. Therefore, we spent five full days together.

The question going in was whether bright, compassionate refugees, with random schooling, could master the concepts and techniques of a trauma treatment which is used throughout the world with proven success by professionals with advanced counseling degrees. As the five 8:30-5:30 days unfolded answers began to emerge. When I saw the comprehension filling into the faces of Lah La Say and Alice on day four, I knew we’d collaborated in something significant. The feedback at the end of the training was positive and I estimate that 9 of the 11 trainees will be comfortable using this method.