"I booked an appointment with Jason Griner at  Oakwood Counseling Center after my most recent talk therapist recommended EMDR. 

After our first session, Jason advised that he felt that BLAST would be a better modality to address my issues. He explained that BLAST wouldn’t require me to relive the trauma of past emotional, physical and sexual abuse, loss of a sibling, and parental and child estrangement along with all the “landmines” that accompany these issues. 

At our first BLAST session, we addressed child estrangement. I had been struggling with that situation for months and it was affecting me physically, mentally and emotionally. Had I known what a difference that little penlight was going to make, I’d have sought out this treatment sooner. I went from not being able to mention the name of my child without sobbing to being able to tell my spouse about the session in detail and him remarking “this is the first time since this started that you’ve talked about it without crying”. That was a revelation and only the beginning of the leaps and bounds that we’ve accomplished through BLAST. 

We’ve been working our way through a list, sometimes deciding ahead what we would address, and others choosing from that list at my appointment. Each time I’ve left, I’ve walked out of that office with a positive outlook and an affirmation that has helped me to keep perspective when a trigger has popped up. In addition, Jason taught me how to center and ground myself through a couple of exercises that I can do discreetly literally anywhere. 

We’ve dealt with imposter syndrome as I stepped into a new role at work. We’ve dealt with caring for an aging parent who is resistant to necessary change. We’ve dealt with sibling loss- this is the first year since my brother’s death 35 years ago that I wasn’t in a funk the entire month of his passing. We even dealt with my repressed feelings regarding my estrangement with my mother, which was completely unintentional (I thought that train had left the station and was addressing a tangential issue when Jason checked in on me, realizing that there were unresolved emotions that needed to be managed). 

BLAST has literally changed my life. It has improved my marriage. It has allowed me to take on a new role professionally that wouldn’t have been possible with the other, personal unresolved trauma and baggage I was carrying. And as a practitioner, Jason is amazing. His discernment in tapping into issues I thought were handled has helped me move forward and I am the healthiest I have ever been. My only regret is not seeking him out sooner. 

And BLAST doesn’t wipe away those feelings- it helps me process them in a way that is healthy for me. It keeps me from hyper focusing on the situation and lets me be a freer version of myself. The best version of myself, that we can keep improving upon. 

If you’re on the fence about it, I can’t recommend more fervently that you try a session. "

~Denise W.

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"I did not consider myself as a candidate for therapy until there an episode in which I thought I was having
a heart attack. The EMTs determined that I was having a panic attack which was probably triggered by
stress or emotional issues. My doctor recommended therapy, and when I mentioned it to a friend, she
suggested that I contact Jason. Since I had never experienced any type of therapy, I was not eager to do so
at the time.
I found Jason to be both professional and empathetic. We had many common interests but more
importantly, I began to feel that I could trust him to listen without either judgment or derision. In my self
evaluation, I was not what I would view as someone with emotional issues. I was successful in my field,
had received recognition for my work, was moderately secure financially, and came from a solid upper
middle class background. Any problems that I had could only be explained by some flaw or weakness that
I had acquired
After a few sessions, he mentioned the BLAST therapy, and said he thought it would be beneficial for me.
I was not eager to try it and resisted. But as we discussed my past, realized I did have PTSD, based on the
fact that I was a victim of child abuse. My highly successful father, had spent his life trying to break my
spirit, but he was not able to do so. But the trauma, and scars were enough to still have an impact, adding
to the other things that happened in my life.
So I agreed to the BLAST therapy. Should I tell you that it was simple and easy to experience? It was not;
however, it was worth it. I was able to see clearly what all of these things had done to me, able to begin to
understand why I reacted now, at this moment in my life, to things that other people might see as trivial,
but to me, were not.
As we continued with the therapy, I realized there was a lifting of the stress, a reduction in the suppressed
anger, and amazingly, I no longer woke up in the middle of the night, grieving over things,
that I could not change, like the death of my dog, or the surgeries that my young son had undergone.
Do not misunderstand the process, as it is not instantaneous nor a fix-all for all that dwells beneath one's
psyche; it is a path. Convoluted, and circuitous, but still a path forward. Hopefully, my journey will
continue."
~Deborah, Retired Educator

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I can’t say enough about Jason and the B.L.A.S.T. therapy technique. PTSD-the spicy Deja vu. Hyper vigilance-speed dating for anxiety and paranoia. Fear based aggression. Not wanting to sleep because you know the flashback dreams are cued up for live action replay, or needing to sleep but unable to because you’re on Threat Level “Mach Gazillion.”. All the time trying to “act normal”. Get through the day. Mad because you can’t or aren’t. Add in self medicating, until it goes from effective to a dependency, which you also hate. Go to any VA clinic, trauma group, any of those. Most will tell you that “the body (really DOES) keep the score”. That DBT and/or CBT therapies really don’t (usually) work. EMDR works, but it’s a LONGG and usually painful process. Then there is B.L.A.S.T., the effectiveness of EMDR, in a fraction of the time, and not having to go back through every second all over again. The penlight, the cadence, the intonation and inflection. The timing and rhythm. It works. Couple that with centering and grounding techniques. The right medication. Self care. Mindfulness. Routine. Recognizing and avoiding/mitigating triggers or trigger situations. An awesome service dog! It all works together, but B.L.A.S.T. is a major key factor to making it all work.

~Bryan

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I started BLAST Therapy in 2023 to deal with issues from a rough upbringing that I realized were affecting my daily life. I was very apprehensive, as I do not easily trust people and I certainly did not want to relive my negative experiences. I was relieved to find out that you do not have to tell or relive all the details of past trauma to begin to heal from them.

BLAST therapy is hard to explain but imagine a piece of paper with a specific traumatic experience written in bold letters in front of your face. Then imagine that piece of paper shredded and a few of those shredded pieces in front of your face, still there, but it does not hold the same power. That is BLAST Therapy, it does not take the trauma away, it does not wipe away your memories, but it somehow reshapes the power that a traumatic experience holds over you.

For those skeptics out there, I met my BLAST therapist, Jason Griner, and I guess you could say we got to know each other. Then we made a list of issues I wanted to work through, the list was written by my therapist as I went through a synopsis of experiences that I felt I needed help working though. Then, we started to work on the issues one at a time.

After a BLAST session targeting an experience, it opens the avenue of discovery about yourself and your own mechanics and that is a gift.

~Lela P

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My Name is Nancy. I am a survivor of childhood trauma. I have had problems with depression and anxiety all my life. Panic attacks further crippled my world, starting at the age of 25. I am now 55 years old. Psychiatrists have given me anti-depressants, Lithium and Xanax for 29 years. At one point, 5  milligrams of Xanax was a normal day. Nothing seemed to worked. I was able to function. However, I was not living. I was ready to give up and very tired of living. Jason came into my life about two years ago. He was my last hope. Jason started introducing me to a therapy called BLAST. He brought out this little light and told me it could change my life. I honestly thought he was a little crazier than me. Guess  what? He proved me wrong. BLAST therapy changed everything.  The healing I have experienced, I cannot put into words. Through BLAST therapy I no longer take any Xanax or Lithium. Life holds so much hope now. I smile and think of things to come. Things of the past no longer control my thoughts. BLAST therapy has enabled me to live my life one day at a time. I will gladly follow that little light and smile the whole time I’m doing it!

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I have been in therapy for over 20 years, some have helped, but I never really got the answers or help to heal. I have done several different types of therapy (DBT, CBT, ect …) I have had good, bad, great, and everything in-between when it comes to therapists. With all of my experiences in therapy, I believe I can confidently say that BLAST Therapy has been life changing. I have been in BLAST Therapy with Jason for a little more than a year, and I have never had these results with anyone else. I have changed in a good way so much. My husband has never been happier for me or us. Being happy is a new concept for me and is taking some time to get used to. Don't get me wrong I still have bad days and setbacks, however I am now able to work through them easier. I still have a long way to go, but I believe this is the best therapy I have ever had. 

~Danni