A colorful crayon drawing featuring a purple circle surrounded by yellow and orange glows

What Does a Trauma-Informed EMDR and Somatic Creative Arts Therapy (Working With Me) Session Look Like

By Wen Chang-Lit, MA, LCAT, MT-BC, C-EMDR

Many people come to therapy believing they need to talk about their problems and figure out how to fix them. And yes, talking can be important—but it’s not the whole story.

Oftentimes, trauma, grief, anxiety, and emotional pain live deeper than language. Sometimes clients tell me, “I am very self-aware, but I still feel stuck.”

This is because healing is not only cognitive—it is emotional, somatic, relational, and nervous-system based.

My approach to therapy is trauma-informed, somatic, experiential, and creative. I integrate EMDR, somatic therapy, parts work, and creative arts therapy to help clients reconnect with themselves in a deeper and more compassionate way.

Because every person is different, therapy with me does not follow a rigid formula. Sessions are collaborative, intuitive, and tailored to your unique needs, nervous system, and healing process.

Therapy With Me Is Not About “Fixing” You

I do not view my clients as broken, disordered, or “too much.” Instead of pathologizing symptoms or behaviors, we explore them with curiosity and compassion.

Many coping strategies that people judge themselves for—numbing, perfectionism, overthinking, people-pleasing, emotional shutdown, anxiety, avoidance, and addiction—often began as intelligent survival responses.

Together, we work to understand what your mind and body have been trying to protect you from. Through that understanding, you’ll start befriending the parts of you that have been abandoned, rejected, or polarized.

I Help You Move Out of Your Head and Into Connection With Your Body

Many people have learned to disconnect from their emotions and bodies in order to survive. In our work together, I gently help clients reconnect with their internal experience in ways that feel safe and manageable.

This may involve:

  • Slowing down
  • Noticing body sensations
  • Exploring emotions underneath thoughts
  • Developing awareness of nervous system states
  • Learning how to stay present with emotions rather than automatically suppressing or intellectualizing them

Often, the body tells the truth and it knows what you need to do to heal! Real healing requires surrendering to the body!

Red cherries arranged as musical notes on white chalk staff lines with a treble clef on a black background.

Sometimes We Don’t Just Talk—We Create

Sometimes words are not enough. Creative expression can help access emotions and experiences that feel difficult to explain verbally—or even deeper truths that may not be easily available in your conscious awareness.

Depending on your needs and comfort level, sessions may include:

  • Drawing emotions, parts, or inner experiences
  • Music making, drumming, singing, or songwriting
  • Guided imagery and imagination work
  • Movement and breathwork
  • Sound and vocal expression
  • Symbolic or creative exploration of different parts of yourself

You do not need to be artistic or musical to engage in this work. The goal is not performance or talent—it is expression, connection, and healing.

I Integrate EMDR, Somatic Therapy, and Parts Work

I often combine EMDR with somatic approaches, parts work, and creative arts therapy to support trauma healing in a more holistic way.

This may include:

  • Building nervous system regulation and internal resources
  • Processing trauma stored in the body
  • Exploring protective parts with curiosity and compassion
  • Using imagery, drawing, or creative expression alongside EMDR
  • Supporting clients in developing greater emotional capacity and self-connection

I work carefully and collaboratively, honoring each client’s pace and nervous system.

Silence Can Be Part of the Healing

In our culture, there is often pressure to immediately explain, analyze, or “figure out” emotions. In therapy with me, there is space for slowing down, pausing, and listening inward.

Sometimes we pause to notice:

  • What is happening in the body
  • What emotions are arising underneath the thoughts
  • What impulses, memories, or sensations are emerging
  • What feels unspoken or held beneath the surface

We also pause after arriving at a new realization and insight to embody this new sensation and deepen the new internal experience. This allows embodied integration necessary for deeper healing.

Therapy as a Space for Safety and Authenticity

At the heart of my work is creating a space where clients feel emotionally safe enough to soften, explore, and be more fully themselves.

Many people carry fears such as:

  • “If people see the real me, they will leave.”
  • “I’m too much.”
  • “Something is wrong with me.”
  • “My “negative” emotions only bring me trouble.”

Healing often happens through having a different relational experience—one where you are deeply seen, accepted, and supported without needing to hide parts of yourself.

What Clients Often Experience Over Time

Over time, clients often begin to:

  • Feel more connected to their bodies and emotions
  • Understand themselves with more compassion
  • Develop greater nervous system regulation
  • Feel less emotionally overwhelmed
  • Feel more confident in their capacity to feel their emotions
  • Access creativity, joy, and authenticity again
  • Build deeper self-trust
  • Feel more present and alive in their lives and relationships

Healing is not about becoming someone else. It is often about reconnecting with the parts of yourself that had to be hidden, silenced, or disconnected in order to survive.

About the Author

I’m Wen Chang-Lit (she/her), and I hold space for people who feel deeply, carry too much, and are tired of performing strength. As an Asian American therapist and music therapist, I bring a trauma-informed, somatic, and creative approach to healing—one that honors every part of you, including the ones that feel messy, scared, or not enough. 

I know what it’s like to grow up in a world that demanded perfection and silence—and how lonely it can feel to navigate life with a tender heart. My work is rooted in deep listening, cultural humility, and the belief that healing happens not through fixing, but through reconnecting—with your body, your story, and your authentic voice.

Ask Me Anything

Fill out the form below to ask me (Micah Fleitman, LPC) questions about this article, how to heal from trauma, or anything else that’s on your mind.
FORM PLACEHILDER

Welcome to INTEGRATIVE CREATIVE Therapy

This is a space for sensitive, creative souls who are craving deeper healing, softer ways of being, and a return to their true selves. Whether you’re navigating burnout, old family wounds, or just feeling a little lost—you’re not alone.

What is Creative Arts Therapy?

Creative Arts Therapy is a way of healing that goes beyond words—using music, art, movement, and imagery to gently access what’s been buried or hard to say. It’s not about being “good” at art; it’s about reconnecting with your emotions, your body, and your inner truth. In this space, creative expression becomes a bridge to safety, insight, and self-compassion.

Latest Posts

Please fill out this form to access our calendar and schedule your appointment.