What is holistic psychotherapy?
With the rise of wellness culture, there is an increasing range of services available to people who want to take better care of themselves. Options are wonderful and simultaneously overwhelming. This is especially true about services that are revolutionary in their respective fields, which also means that they are not common knowledge to the general public yet.
You may have noticed a theme among these wellness services: the word holistic. The goal of this article is to help readers better understand what holistic practices are — and more specifically, what they mean for Theraworks. Keep in mind that because this is a pioneering area of health care, there are no exact criteria; holistic can be interpreted differently in various practices.
The big picture
Have you ever had a headache and played the "Where is my headache coming from" game with yourself? Hmm, it could be dehydration, a mineral deficiency, lack of sleep, allergies, too much caffeine, not enough caffeine, your hair tie … the list continues to spiral while you STILL have a headache and no starting point for eliminating it. At Theraworks, we find mental health symptoms can feel the same way. Something like anxiety can be confounded by poor sleep habits, inactivity, life stressors, caffeine intake, financial stress, burnout, and screen time.
There are intricate connections between the mind, body, and spirit. Ensuring that a person's physical, emotional, social, and spiritual well-being are all being addressed is what we mean by holistic psychotherapy at Theraworks. This allows you and your therapist to have a better, more comprehensive understanding of your symptoms.
What can holistic care treat?
At its core, holistic care is treating all aspects of a person's life and considering the interactions between mind, body, and spirit. Holistic care tends to look like a combination of different practices that collectively restore balance. Due to the inherent nature of helping people achieve healthy habits, it typically has a strong focus on prevention as well as healing.
Holistic care is used for the treatment of:
illness
emotional issues
transitions
professional struggles
trauma
sexual abuse
addiction
stress
depression
anxiety
What types of treatment are included in holistic therapy?
Holistic therapy interventions may pull from things like hypnosis, breathwork, meditation, or somatic bodywork. People often find holistic mental health care to be a complement to things like alternative medicine, biofeedback, yoga, chiropractic care, and acupuncture. Some parts of holistic care — like alternative medicine — can be a financial commitment due to lack of insurance coverage, but others like breath work are highly cost-effective.
Examples of Holistic Based Treatment Modalities:
equine therapy
expressive therapy like art and dance
breath work
yoga
mindfulness
guided imagery
What type of care providers use holistic treatment?
Holistic mental health care is an orientation rather than a specific intervention. Think of it like a lens that a person's treatment is provided through as the therapist simultaneously pulls from evidenced-based interventions like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and internal family systems (IFS). It is not a replacement for traditional talk therapy, but rather an additional style to provide more treatment options and enhance more traditional methods like psychodynamic, behavioral, and cognitive specialties. It means that your therapist values treating the whole person. This can be through the therapist themselves or with a team of providers.
Who might be on a person's holistic care team?
Therapist
Psychiatrist
Primary Care Doctor
Chiropractor
Acupuncturist
Personal Trainer
Dietician
Yoga Teacher
Massage Therapist
Equine Therapist
For instance, at Theraworks, founder and therapist Cara Mazurek provides holistic care as a licensed therapist, certified nutritionist, and fitness instructor. She also works collaboratively with her client's psychiatrists, physicians, and other providers, as welcomed by the client. Evidence shows this collaborative approach is the essential element to patient success with holistic treatments. When used in conjunction with traditional talk therapy, and with as-needed medication intervention, holistic care helps clients achieve more sustainable and effective results.
What are the benefits of holistic care vs. traditional mental health approaches?
Holistic care has benefits such as improved interpersonal skills, increased self-confidence, high rates of behavioral change, increased healthy habits, improved relaxation skills, and increased engagement in treatment. Research shows holistic psychotherapy has success in treating anxiety, depression, substance use disorders, trauma, emotion regulation issues, and relationship issues. Holistic interventions have been shown to improve sleep, reduce stress, and promote relaxation.
With this type of care, patients achieve balance. It is an empowering treatment because the patient is the active agent of change and they take charge of their own healing. People find they have more lasting change because holistic care builds tools and healthy habits clients can use long-term even after services conclude. It’s not uncommon for patients to report new levels of self-confidence from being able to take care of themselves.
If you are someone who is curious about how different parts of yourself connect, holistic care may be for you. Inquire about services at Theraworks today.
Resources:
Kendra Cherry, MSEd. (2023, November 11). Is Holistic Therapy Right for You?. Very Well Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/holistic-therapy-definition-types-techniques-and-efficacy-5196420
Tanya I. Edwards, MD. Holistic Psychotherapy. Cleveland Clinic Wellness. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/-/scassets/files/org/wellness/guides/holistic-therapy.pdf
Leah K. Walker, PhD, LMFT. (2023, October 31). Holistic Therapy: Definition, Examples, and Who Can Benefit. Oxford Treatment Center. https://oxfordtreatment.com/addiction-treatment/therapy/holistic/