Support a Hero's Trauma Therapy Scholarship

Seiyu Institute for Health & Training (Seiyu IHT) offers integrative treatment for helping those with complex trauma heal, and to live live with deeper meaning and vitality.

My name is Tony Parmenter. I am an OEF veteran of the USAF and psychotherapist who has been working with military and first responders for 15 years. Since 2019 I have focused my work on helping those whose resilience is limited by either complex and recurring trauma, or unresolved developmental trauma from childhood. I opened Seiyu IHT during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic to do my part in mitigating the high level of distress that many folks were feeling, due to the effects of unresolved trauma surfacing like never before.

Pioneering the first documented method for using fly-fishing to facilitate Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR) (Parmenter, 2022), with the tenkara style, I began offering intensive EMDR retreats - providing office- and nature-based EMDR retreats consistently since early 2021. While some health insurance policies cover half-day EMDR therapy sessions for their members, the out of pocket cost for a full-day intensive can prevent many heroes from receiving the care that they need to remain resilient. Intensive and integrative person-centered trauma therapy creates a way for someone to remain as their best professional self and live happy, healthy lives among their family or community with sincerity and freedom. Research also notes the significant treatment success of intensive EMDR Therapy over the usual format when treating complex trauma (Zepeda Méndez, Nijdam, Ter Heide, van der Aa, & Olff, 2018).

Time and resources come with expenses. While integrative and effective treatment does not only need to be for those with significant financial means, the out of pocket costs for a whole day or full week are barriers for many. Additionally, most first responders and military members are not able to schedule consistent time off to attend half-day sessions using their health insurance. It often puts this type of treatment completely out of reach for most of our heroes. 

Because Seiyu IHT promotes a fully integrated lifestyle for building and maintaining resiliency, we have decided to create a program which benefits everyone involved. 

All proceeds will go toward covering the cost of a week-long EMDR and integrative wellness retreat in Southern Vermont (including room & board costs) for one first responder or military member in August 2022. During this week, the attendee will experience one-on-one yoga sessions with a trauma-sensitive yoga practitioner, acupuncture, body work, and health coaching in addition to 20 hours of in-office and nature-based EMDR Therapy.

If we reach our scholarship goal...

Three winners will receive a Tenkara USA outfit* of their choice (incl. fishing rod, line, flies & more) along with official Seiyu IHT swag. 

(If we reach half of the goal, one winner will be chosen).

All participants will receive a 10% discount for life in the Seiyu IHT Health Shop, of which all proceeds help to fund smaller therapy scholarships throughout the year.

Winners will be chosen within two weeks after the deadline closes. Thank you for considering this, and for your interest in helping to make this scholarship possible.

Warmest regards,

Tony Parmenter, MA

LCMHC, LADC, EMDRIA Certified EMDR Therapist

Founder & CEO, Seiyu Institute for Health & Training, L3C

* Tenkara USA is not an official sponsor of this sweepstakes.

References

Parmenter, A. (2022). Treating combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder using therapeutic fly-fishing with EMDR (TF-EMDR). Journal of Military and Veterans' Health, 30(1), 24-30

Zepeda Méndez, M., Nijdam, M. J., Ter Heide, F., van der Aa, N., & Olff, M. (2018). A five-day inpatient EMDR treatment programme for PTSD: pilot study. European journal of psychotraumatology, 9(1)