Mindful Journey Center

Irene M. Rodriguez, LMHC, REAT, is a Boricua Caribeña, cisgender female, and native of Puerto Rico. She lives with the privileges of being able-bodied and middle class and moves through the world with humor, heart, and a spiritual—though not religious—lens. Irene is a bilingual EMDRIA-Approved EMDR Trainer and Consultant, Registered Expressive Arts Therapist, and trauma specialist with over fifteen years of clinical experience. She teaches EMDR Therapy through the lenses of attachment, Polyvagal Theory, and the demystification of dissociation, helping make complex concepts accessible without intimidation during the learning process. She is the founder of Mindful Journey Center, where she offers therapy, retreats, consultations, and EMDRIA-approved EMDR Therapy trainings in English, Spanish, and bilingual formats, with an integrative focus on expressive arts, mindfulness, and parts work. She also serves as the Director of the Certificate of Expressive Arts Therapy Program, which includes the Dancing Mindfulness Facilitator Training. Irene specializes in supporting clinicians working with complex trauma, dissociation, and attachment wounds. Her trainings and consultations are trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and grounded in creative, body-based practices that support both client healing and therapist well-being. She is also a certified Laughter Yoga and Meditation Facilitator and a Sound Healing Practitioner. She has presented at EMDRIA Summits and EMDRIA Conferences and is a contributing author, alongside Dr. Jamie Marich, in the book EMDR Therapy and Creative Arts Therapy. As an expressive artist, Irene uses mixed media to tell stories as she feels them, blending intuition, creativity, and clinical knowledge. Her approach to learning spaces is both grounded and playful—creating environments that are welcoming, compassionate, and inclusive. In everything she does, Irene brings both depth and humor, believing that art is not only a form of expression, but also a pathway to healing, connection, and reclaiming joy. She currently lives on her beloved island of Puerto Rico with her rescued dog, Lucky Bones, and twelve very expressive lovebirds.