Community Spotlight: Seiyu Institute

Meet Tony Parmenter, the owner and main practitioner for Seiyu Institute!

Tony is a Certified EMDR therapist and EMDRIA Approved Consultant™, as well as an avid tenkara angler, and has combined his passion for both to offer a unique, nature-based experience for those who may suffer from PTSD or stress-related conditions. He is also the developer of Therapeutic Fly-fishing with EMDR (TF-EMDR)℠.

To get to know more about Tony and how he incorporates fishing into his practice, we thought it would be best to start with a little bit of background.

Tony had joined the Air Force in 2001, which led to him being stationed in Japan, and his experiences there changed the trajectory of his path in life in many ways. The first experience was during his time in Okinawa, following some mandated counseling sessions that helped him start to see things differently. Later on, following a deployment and being stationed around Asia, he experienced "the other side of counseling" as a volunteer on Japan's English-speaking crisis telephone line. 

In 2007, Tony left the Air Force, but remained in Japan teaching English and studying online. It was around this time that he mentions a possible first encounter with tenkara while on a camping trip with his friend. Tony recalls the experience, saying, “I wasn’t really fishing then, I had been fishing in my life but I wasn’t fly fishing, so I didn’t know the difference between what I was doing and anything else.”

His professional and school life led Tony down a path that ultimately brought him back to the United States with his wife and kids, to pursue a degree in the mental health field. His goal at that time, as he states, was to “help people improve and live healthier lives.” As he progressed past schooling, and into practice, circumstances brought him to a deeper understanding of trauma, and an EMDR training course, that would influence a change in Tony’s approach to therapy.

As for what EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is, and how the practice of it goes, Tony explains it as “an approach that starts more at the bottom of a trauma and works outward” (instead of starting with the story of what happened first). EMDR works by engaging both sides of one's brain, using physical movements that allow for bilateral stimulation - such as tracking fingers or an object with the eyes, tapping left and right on the body, or doing anything else physically "back and forth". The body is able to work through a full memory (usually a traumatic experience) and process the experience while in an environment that is more grounded and safe so that when the individual experiences something that triggers the sensory associated with that past trauma, the body’s response is reconditioned in a way that doesn’t react the way it previously did. 

EMDR follows a phased process which is meant, when it is done, to help change the way that someone responds to a memory with a felt understanding that it is done, and in the past. Tony states that unprocessed trauma often leaves a bigger footprint on a person's life than they might be aware of - and that most problems that a person may experience are actually patterns that a person's body may, at one point, have relied on to survive through trauma. 

How Tony incorporates fishing with a tenkara rod into this practice is by using the tracking of the line as the first way to engage the brain for bilateral stimulation. Though, as he states, "it is much more than that now" - acting as a more complete method that engages a person's natural and adaptive information processing all while in a setting in nature.

As far as how Tony was introduced to tenkara, or at least where it became a part of his hobbies and practice, it all came about from learning to fly fish. He mentions having made a comment to a friend about bow-and-arrow casting with his 5-weight rod, and the friend likened it to the tenkara technique. This piqued Tony’s interest and led him to researching and discovering a more simple way to fly fish. “I got a TenkaraUSA rod and started using it, and I realized I enjoyed tenkara better, for many reasons.” Tony says, adding, “I didn’t catch many fish at first, but all the things about it really resonated with me. It tied me back to my own personal growth in Japan and helped me to relate to that through parts of tenkara.”

Being fairly new to EMDR at the time of getting into tenkara, and already experimenting with EMDR and traditional fly-fishing, Tony started to quickly see how the two could work well together. “I’m watching this fly and this rod with my eyes as I’m casting. I’m feeling really good out here anyway... and it is easier without the reel and so much line” he recalls thinking to himself, wrapping up his realization by adding, “it's become much more of a whole body experience, being outside and integrating trauma healing with nature.”

With the incorporation of tenkara into his practice, Tony then came to a point where he wanted to design a rod. After "stalking US tenkara brands" and finding potential manufacturers, Tony designed the Seiyu Therapy 33 rod to fit the needs and specifications that he felt would better facilitate the work. With quality materials in mind, a built-in line management system for a quick and easy way to wrap the line, and an idea of how he wanted the rod to flex with a fish on the end, Tony worked with a manufacturer to produce a rod that he uses in his sessions. “I only intended to use it for my clients and for them to have one that worked well for therapy, but also to have a really nice beginner rod, you know, a high quality rod to take home and use. They deserve that.” says Tony. Having run a fundraising campaign prior to the production of his rod, he found more interest than anticipated, with many donating to help make the rod a reality, while being able to offer some to supporters who'd also like to fish with it. “I didn’t know it would connect me to the tenkara community in a bigger way, which I’ve really appreciated. Almost everyone who’s bought a rod from me, I feel like I have had a personal exchange with. It’s been really nice to have a bigger personal connection to a lot of folks that way". He further states that "to me, it demonstrates that many people resonate with the idea of healing in nature, and through tenkara."

Today, Tony is the sole practitioner of Seiyu Institute and is based out of Battleboro, Vermont. Through Seiyu Institute, he offers both sessions for individuals, as well as training for licensed therapists who are looking to add TF-EMDR to their own practice. If one is interested in either, the best way to get in touch with Tony is through his website,