Dr. Mike Deninger
Mike Deninger is a licensed professional counselor, author, master trainer and internationally recognized expert in the use of eye movement integration (EMI) techniques. After earning a MS in special education and a PhD with distinction in special education administration, he rose to a national leadership position in the education of deaf children at Gallaudet University. That all changed, however, when he was confronted by traumatic experiences from his youth. Following an extended period of recovery from PTSD, he embarked on a new career in mental health, earned a graduate degree in counseling and opened a private practice where he specialized in the treatment of all forms of trauma.
Mike was subsequently awarded trainer certifications in Ericksonian Hypnotherapy, Neuro-Linguistic Programming and Eye Movement Integration from American Hypnosis Training Academy under Ron Klein. He has also received intensive training in trauma and EMDR. He has been using eye movement therapies with PTSD clients of all types and stripes for over 25 years. They have included active-duty military and vets; physical and sexual assault victims; police, firefighters, and EMS personnel; 9/11 first responders; witnesses to violence; and survivors of accidents and natural disasters.
Mike’s innovative approaches to treating trauma and anxiety led to the 2021 publication of Multichannel Eye Movement Integration: The Brain Science Pathto Easy and Effective PTSD Treatment. A survivor himself, Mike writes with a confidence that only one who has been there can. More recently, a feature article about MEMI co-authored by Mike and Joachim Lee, the MEMI licensed trainer in South Asia, appeared in the December 2022 issue of The Science of Psychotherapy journal. His work has also been featured on the podcasts Shrink rap radio and Science of Psychotherapy. These podcasts can be viewed at Shrink Rap Radio and You tube.
Mike’s attention is now focused on mentoring and training other therapists in the methods he has developed through Trauma Counseling & Training of Tucson, this website and MEMI affiliate trainers. If you are a licensed mental health practitioner or a paraprofessional who provides crisis care in a public or non-profit setting—and are interested in MEMI training and/or certification—check out all the options on this website. You can take courses in-person or online and pursue the appropriate certification. Check out training opportunities on out training page.
Mike has given presentations at hundreds of national and international conferences and trained thousands of mental health practitioners in sensory-based approaches to treating PTSD and lesser forms of trauma. Mike now resides in Tucson where his business Trauma Counseling & Training of Tucson is based.