Why is holistic care so crucial when it comes to addressing mental health challenges?

Holistic therapy: Heal mental, emotional, and physical challenges by addressing root causes and rewriting your story.

Why is holistic care so crucial when it comes to addressing mental health challenges?
Denise (Dj) Coger
Denise (Dj) Coger
Clinical Social Work/Therapist, MSW, LSWAIC (she, they)

Our mental well-being is intricately connected to our emotional, mental, spiritual, and physical health, and vice versa. Holistic care seeks to treat the whole person in therapy, delving beyond just surface symptoms. As a therapist, I am deeply passionate about integrating holistic care into my practice by meeting my clients where they are in their journey, whether they are facing mental, emotional, spiritual, or physical health challenges. My own personal struggles with physical disabilities and mental health issues have shown me that true healing goes beyond simply addressing symptoms; it requires delving into the root cause.

So, what is the true underlying problem? It may be tough to hear, but many of my clients eventually realize that their beliefs and behaviors are hindering their healing process. Subconsciously, our actions and long-held patterns often keep us trapped in cycles of suffering. Moreover, our brains can become addicted to stress, releasing hormones like adrenaline, cortisol, and endorphins in response. While these hormones are helpful in acute stress situations, chronic stress can lead to trauma responses that can negatively impact our mental/emotional, physical, and behavioral well-being.

Mental health challenges can stem from a myriad of factors, including co-occurring medical conditions, trauma, chronic stress, and early childhood experiences. Holistic care considers the whole person's medical history, family dynamics, social environment, educational experiences, racial background, culture, diet, exercise habits, and current life circumstances.

The holistic counseling techniques that have proven most effective for my clients involve grounding practices, mindfulness, nutritional neuroscience, meditation, and breathwork. If you are seeking to explore the connections between your mental, emotional, and physical health, learn effective coping strategies, or address past traumas that are holding you back, holistic counseling may be the solution for you.

When I began my career in mental health services at Mind in Camden in London, I came to understand that mental health is not isolated from other aspects of our lives. Anxiety and depression are not just clinical terms; they are reflections of our unresolved traumas, stress levels, unhealthy habits, and alignment (or lack thereof) with our core values.

In my holistic counseling practice, I strive to illuminate unconscious patterns that may impact your life, empowering you to rewrite your story and emerge as the hero of your journey.