In today's fast-paced world, prioritizing our mental well-being is crucial to maintaining a healthy life balance. Traditional therapy offers valuable tools, but have you considered exploring holistic therapy?

Holistic therapy delves deeper into the understanding of a person's core psychological issues such as Depression, which may be a result of relational issues, life stressors or grief and may present as mental and somatic symptoms. Most often, Depression symptoms are evident by persistent feelings of sadness, low mood, loss of interest and head and body aches which are debilitating symptoms that may disrupt any human's life.

Types of Holistic therapy:

Eclectic or Integrative Therapy

Eclectic and Integrated Therapy also known as evidence based practices, modified to each client's needs in order to achieve their desired mental well-being. Therapists are available to provide treatment in various Therapeutic modalities such as, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Motivational Interviewing, Strength Based Approaches and Heartmath Techniques (Biofeedback). Drawing from various modalities, allows for each client to receive tailored treatment with the goal of increasing mental health stability to continue living fulfilling lives.

Mind-Body Therapy

Therapists provide a nurturing environment for their clients to feel safe as they embark in a healing journey by prioritizing their mental health, body functioning and relaxation. As our clients embark in this journey, they are supported through development of healthy habits such as, proper nutrition and hydration, increase of nutritional density in foods, considerations of food timing, including natural supplements to daily routines, developing healthy sleep habits, embarking on self-soothing treatments such as meditation, yoga, massages, chiropractic adjustments and encouraging regular connections with nature by participating in walks or simple awareness of our outside world.

Somatic Therapy

Somatic Therapeutic interventions focus on body movement through, breathwork, dance, meditation, massages and chiropractic adjustments. We encourage clients to incorporate Somatic Interventions to their treatment to assist with release of undesired emotions, memories, stored traumas and aids in regulation of the nervous system.

Spiritual Therapy

We provides a safe and non-judgmental space to explore each client's situations, feelings, emotions, and reactions while taking the client’s belief systems and spiritual faith into consideration. For clients who lean heavily on faith, allowing you the opportunity to explore your spiritual beliefs as we process, can be a very powerful tool for you to find comfort and joy.

Depression and Holistic Therapy

Depression is a debilitating condition that may manifest through feelings of persistent sadness and loss of interest. As with any mental condition, Depression can be caused by many reasons outside of our control, but we are determined to support you through identification of those core issues exacerbating your symptoms and assist you with developing a Holistic treatment regimen that leads you into a journey of healing to regain control of your life. By seeking treatment, you are taking a vital step towards our inner healing.

Anxiety and Holistic Therapy

Are you finding yourself barely functioning after a poor night sleep due to Anxiety manifesting as uncontrolled worries and racing thoughts? We strive to help our clients navigate these somatic symptoms by increasing awareness of their condition, identification of triggers and incorporation of somatic therapeutic interventions such as self-soothing techniques. Our mind and body are connected and both require attention to ensure a well-regulated nervous system and mental well-being.

Embracing the Interconnectedness of Mind, Body, and Spirit

In order to embrace the Interconnectedness of Mind, Body, and Spirit, it is important for a person to be attuned to internal changes and imbalances. Being attuned with your internal self, means that a person is self-aware of their mood, energy and behavioral changes and is prepared to implement effective techniques to manage emotions and challenges ahead. As an example, serves, managing Anxiety through meditation techniques. Quieting our mind through meditation does not mean to force fidelity of the meditation process and remain still. Instead, it is about initiating meditation in your safe space and throughout the process, listen to your thoughts, move, feel and release. This is your process of healing, listen to your mind, body and spirit.

Promoting self-awareness and self-healing

Self-awareness is the ability to be attuned to internal and external factors that may change an individual's emotional and physical stability. We strives to support its client’s with increasing their self-awareness of symptoms and empowers them to incorporate self-healing techniques that will transcend beyond the therapeutic environment.

Effective Practices for mindful healing

Let’s explore some effective practices of a holistic approach that consider the whole person’s well-being:

● Mindful Eating: Nourish your body with intention. Pay attention to the colors, textures, and flavors of your food.  Take your time eating your food and chew about 20 times before you swallow.

● Mindfulness: Cultivate present-moment awareness. Breathe consciously, observe

sensations, and release judgment. Mindfulness practices reduce stress, enhance

mental clarity, and promote overall wellness

● Spiritual Practices: Engage in rituals that nourish your spirit. Whether through prayer,

meditation, or connecting with nature, spiritual practices anchor you in a deeper

sense of purpose and interconnectedness.

● Meditation: Quiet the mind’s chatter and feel your body. Explore various meditation

techniques—guided, mantra, or mindfulness. Meditation enhances self-awareness,

reduces anxiety, and supports emotional balance.

● Breathing and Relaxation Techniques: Breathe intentionally. Deep, rhythmic breaths

activate the body’s relaxation response. Explore techniques like diaphragmatic

breathing or progressive muscle relaxation

Holistic therapy vs Traditional therapy  

Holistic therapy strives to enhance an understanding of connections between the mind and body while addressing psychological issues directly and promoting self-care techniques. Holistic therapy combines aspects of traditional talk therapy with non-traditional approaches like nutritional considerations for mental health, breathwork, meditation, exercise and mindful movement. A Holistic therapist will encourage you to implement many of these self care techniques and lifestyle changes in order to help manage depressive symptoms and regulate the nervous system for overall improvement.

Traditional therapy utilizes primarily talk therapy, clinical techniques and as needed, utilizes psychiatric medication to manage extremely debilitating symptoms. Although there is a time and place for medication, for people willing to do the lifestyle work, we can work to reduce dependence on psychiatric medication through lifestyle changes, breathwork, exercise, supplements and nutritional interventions. As with any intervention, limitations to Holistic therapy effectiveness may vary based on an individual's unique needs or their ability to implement interventions or lack of adherence.

Conclusion

We understand that each individual’s experience of mental illness and path to recovery is different and may be influenced by factors such as age, gender, culture, language, faith, sexual identity, relationship status, life experiences, and beliefs. Rather than focusing solely on illness conditions, Zen and health’s Holistic approach is ready to support you on your individual healing journey.