TESTIMONIALS

Location:

530 West 113 St. #2A

New York, NY 10025

U.S.A..

212-662-7604

917-355-5741

giora.carmi@verizon.net

Psychotherapy
Through
Art

Change
Your
Life

TESTIMONIALS

I guess you could call my first meeting with Mr. Carmi a happy accident. I stumbled across his profile while joining the Freelancer's Union, and was instantly intrigued by the concept of art therapy. Intrigue led to an email, which almost immediately turned into an appointment once I heard what he had to say. As someone who's been in and out of therapy and on and off meds since the tender age of 10, I've heard it all before. At least, that's what I thought until my first session with Giora! In an age where therapy patients are often treated as nothing more than an isolated set of symptoms, his holistic, decidedly non-clinical perspective was a refreshing one indeed. In fact, he always felt more like a friend or mentor than anything else - albeit a very effective one!

I think what's so effective about his methods - counterintuitive as it may seem - is that it doesn't involve talking. In regular therapy, I always felt like the true gravitas of what I was experiencing was lost in the left-brain pursuit of forcing something very intangible into concrete words. But visual expression cuts out the middle man, like a conduit straight into the soul. I could no longer filter or rationalize what I had to say, because the "language" was no longer obvious to me - but it was always pretty clear to Giora! Having the patterns pointed out to me that correspond to what's going on inside was so much more productive than rehashing the same old complaints aloud. It helped me see things in a totally different way, and to grasp what's truly at the root of my problems, instead of just focusing on the same old symptoms.

One thing that's really telling for me is that more than once, I was REALLY not in the mood for a session - work had been hellacious, I was exhausted and upset - but by the time I left Giora's, I felt like a different person! Clearly, powerful forces are at work.

My only wish is that the psychotherapy community at large would take a page from Mr. Carmi's book and realize that mental recovery is a process of the entire mind, body, and soul that can ultimately only come from within. In my opinion, strictly verbal, by-the-book analysis is the epitome of professional laziness, teaches patients to look to others to solve their problems, and entirely misses an incredible opportunity: trusting the individual's subconscious to reveal the symbols and tools needed for his or her own healing. I would like to think this is where therapy is headed, and Mr. Carmi is a true pioneer!

Robin F.

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My sessions with Giora were very helpful. I was new to art therapy, so I had something of a learning curve in knowing how to approach it and knowing what to expect. Giora made this very easy by simply asking me to draw according to my sense of what is beautiful.
For someone who hasn't done any of this, I can tell you that it is not simply finger painting to release tension. I had years of conventional therapy, and it took years and year to uncover many of my issues.
Working with Giora in any medium I chose - pastel, crayon, pencil - I simply drew what needed to be drawn. Giora would then look at what I produced. This is not art criticism. He always assessed the work according to what was going on inside of me, not how well or badly I was expressing it.
Sometimes I drew things that pleased me. Sometimes they disturbed me. Giora is very very perceptive and he would examine my drawings in great detail, and decide that one point or another needed delving into. I would then make subsequent drawings, going deeper and deeper. I'm nothing like an artist, but I found that I could express myself perfectly well for this kind of exploration. I could draw stick figures or simple faces or just shapes.
Very quickly, patterns in what I was drawing arose. Areas of tension, areas of blockage appeared. This information was not coming from my thinking mind. It was from the past, childhood, the unconscious - things that one might think are buried, but one quickly finds that these underlying fears, desires, and motifs so powerfully influence us right here in the present from moment to moment - they're not buried so much as they are unseen.
Using this information, I was able to relax into some of the difficult situations I find myself in.
I was able to give myself a break and at the very least not exacerbate a bad situation.
This doesn't' mean that all of my problems have disappeared, but, working with Giora for a very short time, I made remarkable progress.

Harry M.

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Personally I am very relaxed and at peace with myself. I have not felt those pains in my stomach since our last session. And everything is very good, life is great, college is great. So far everything is “normal.” I am very thankful to you and your approach and also your patience and attitude towards me. You have awakened my creativity once again.

F.R.

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... I also want you to know that I am really impressed by how you read my art. I am amazed each time you analyze my artwork. I have to admit, you are really great at your job. My doctors also think the same thing and you are amazing. They feel this has been helping me a lot. Anger is my main issue they have been helping me with. My doctors always ask how you are. I tell them he is doing great. I am also amazed at your calmness. I wish I had that. You’re such a sweet doctor and I enjoy working with you. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. Also for helping through some trying times.

In my wildest dreams I did not think art therapy was going to work. I am glad to be working with you. Thank you sooo much.

L.T.

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