Healing Beyond Words: Trauma, Sobriety, and Brain-spotting with Darran Zenger

In this powerful and heartfelt episode of The Blind Chick, hosts Penn and Moses Street sit down with Darran Zenger, a licensed clinical social worker at Cirque Lodge in Utah. Darran shares his personal journey with Usher Syndrome, his experience with cochlear implants, and how his own life challenges led him to become a trauma-informed addiction counselor. He introduces us to brainspotting, a groundbreaking therapeutic approach rooted in EMDR, and explains how it helps clients unlock stored trauma in the nervous system. This episode is a deep dive into resilience, recovery, and redefining life after trauma. ⏱️ Chapter Markers: 00:00 – Welcome to The Blind Chick 00:28 – Meet the hosts + Moses’s “muse” confession 01:30 – Intro to guest Darran Zenger 02:36 – Darran’s background and where he’s from 05:01 – Living with Usher Syndrome and hearing loss 07:20 – Public school with accessibility support 09:19 – Becoming a stay-at-home dad & finding his calling 10:37 – Fear, faith & the journey to cochlear implant 12:44 – Music, retraining the brain & the power of sound 15:10 – Adjusting to dual cochlear implants 17:38 – Discovering social work & substance use counseling 20:00 – Working at the Moran Eye Center 22:02 – Brainspotting: What it is and how it works 24:27 – Real stories of healing through brainspotting 27:00 – The miracle moments of trauma therapy 29:00 – Closing thoughts & feedback invitation 📞 Contact Info: Email us: [email protected] Call us: (720) 712-8856 Website: aftersight.org