How EMDR And Creativity Help Traumatic Memories Heal with Tessa Groshoff

Send us Fan MailHealing can be rigorous and creative at the same time. We sit down with EMDRIA-approved trainer and LMHC Tessa Groshoff to unpack how EMDR intensives and expressive arts therapy work together to help people process traumatic memories, find regulation, and rewrite the beliefs that keep them stuck. Tessa’s story stretches from early arts-based calming on cross-country travels to co-founding Coast to Coast EMDR, a small team with a big reach built on authenticity, integrity, and careful training.We break down EMDR in clear language: the Adaptive Information Processing model, eight phases, and the three-pronged focus on past events, present triggers, and future templates. Tessa shares why intensives can compress months of progress into a week, how clinicians keep clients grounded after long sessions, and where insurance and access still lag behind need. We also explore the natural fit between Internal Family Systems and EMDR—naming protectors, firefighters, and exiles; using compassionate curiosity to map inner parts; and pairing that insight with targeted reprocessing for durable change.Beyond techniques, this is a candid look at the realities of trauma care. We talk business wins, word-of-mouth growth, and the commitment to small class sizes that create ripples of skilled therapists worldwide. Tessa opens up about managing cortisol and staying within the window of tolerance, offering practical self-care for clinicians who carry heavy stories. If you’re curious about EMDR, intensives, IFS, or expressive arts therapy—or you’re a practitioner looking for a clear, humane framework—this conversation delivers science, heart, and actionable wisdom.If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a colleague, and leave a review telling us what you want to hear next. Your feedback helps more people find trauma-informed tools that work.Tessa Groshoff, LMHC, REAT is a trauma therapist, EMDRIA-approved trainer, and founder of Coast to Coast EMDR. With a background in expressive arts and architecture, Tessa brings a uniquely creative and structured lens to trauma work. She specializes in EMDR intensives and trains clinicians worldwide in integrating expressive modalities with evidence-based care. Her mission is to create ripples of healing by equipping therapists with tools to support deep, lasting transformation.Contact Details🌐 Website: https://coasttocoastemdr.com💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tessa-groshoff-256311113Subscribe on SubstackVoices in Health and Wellness is published on Substack, as part of The Diagnostician. Every episode lands there with written notes and reflections you won't find in the podcast feed. Free to subscribe.👉 https://thediagnostician.substack.com/s/voices-in-health-and-wellnessAbout the podcastVoices in Health and Wellness features conversations at the intersection of medicine, lifestyle, and human potential, with clinicians, scientists, and thinkers shaping the future of care.About Dr Andrew GreenlandUK-based medical doctor and founder of Greenland Medical, specialising in Integrative and Functional Medicine. Trained in both conventional and root-cause approaches, Andrew helps people optimise health, performance, and longevity, with a focus on cognitive resilience and healthy ageing.