Can EMDR Really Help Me?

I never guessed after completing my grad program in Art Therapy Counseling that I would next pursue training in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). In the training, therapists practiced EMDR with one another. I chose to process a painful experience from my past. Initially, I had such doubt that I could ever find relief from this memory without all the physical and emotional pain that came packaged with it. What’s amazing is, after two sessions during the training, I just felt better and lighter. The memory is still there but without all the intense emotion and sensation. I also gained insights about the experience and now have so much more empathy for who I was when this happened.

I knew EMDR would be a pivotal part of my work to help clients get relief from their trauma. So, after this training, I thought, now what… I’m an Art Therapist. How do I add EMDR to art therapy? That’s when I sought out consultation, where therapists formally meet to discuss counseling work for sound and ethical guidance. I chose a therapist that was not only an EMDR Consultant, but also a Board-Certified Art Therapist. I learned how to help clients find ways to self-soothe, calm and balance. I witnessed how no two client experiences are the same, but EMDR provided a faster and safer way to process painful experiences. Over the next two years, we met for a total of 20 hours of consultation, where I honed and integrated my art therapy work with EMDR to become an EMDR Certified Therapist.

With Art Therapy and EMDR, I have worked together with my clients to first build your own creative approaches to gain balance and connection with yourself. Then I helped guide EMDR tapping movements to process your painful experiences without going into every detail. As a result, EMDR can allow you to get memories unstuck so you can gain useful learnings and reduce unproductive emotions, thoughts and body sensations. The hold of anxiety and depression symptoms lift away. I have witnessed my clients gain traction in their life, feel lighter and refreshed, knowing they don’t have to be stuck with all their past forever.

You don’t have to live with your painful past. Ready to start therapy and be guided with EMDR and art therapy to heal your anxiety and depression? Feel free to reach out for a free consult.

You can also learn more about the work I do on the Meet Andrea page.

Looking forward to meeting you,

Andrea Sutrick, ATR-BC, LMHC