6 BENEFITS OF HOLISTIC PSYCHOTHERAPY
When looking for a therapist, you’ll likely come across a range of terms in how a therapist describes their style or approach. One of the most important elements of finding a therapist is finding someone who has an approach to therapy that resonates with you and your beliefs about healing and what you think works for you. Finding the right “fit” with a therapist has an impact on outcomes; the more connected you feel to your therapist, the more likely you’ll experience a benefit from the work you do together. So, how do you know what approach fits best? There are so many approaches out there, in this post I’ll share a little bit about Holistic Psychotherapy.
Holistic psychotherapy is an approach to mental health treatment that considers the whole person, including their mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being. Rather than simply treating symptoms, holistic therapy aims to address the root causes of issues by promoting overall wellness. This approach can be incredibly beneficial for those who are open to learning how the mind, body and spirit interact and influence one’s sense of wellbeing. Here are just a few of the ways that holistic therapy can help:
Addresses multiple factors
One of the biggest benefits of holistic therapy is that it considers the many factors that contribute to mental health challenges. These might include stress management, sleep quality, nutrition, exercise habits, relationships, and more. By looking at the big picture, holistic therapists can help clients develop a personalized plan that addresses these factors in a comprehensive way.
Supports Personal Agency
Holistic therapy emphasizes the importance of personal empowerment, which is a crucial component of mental health and finding one’s sense of agency and identity. Clients are encouraged to prioritize activities like self care, exercise, meditation, healthy eating, connecting to community, setting boundaries, feeling pleasure and fun and spending time in nature. These practices can help reduce stress, improve mood, and increase overall feelings of well-being.
Focuses on Mind-Body Connection
Holistic therapy recognizes the important connection between the mind and the body. Chronic stress and patterns of dissociation or disconnection from the body can have a significant impact on mental health, and vice versa. By focusing on deepening the awareness and connection to the body, holistic therapists can help clients achieve balance, regulate emotions, negotiate difficult and trying times more easily and improve their overall health.
Addresses multiple experiences and dimensions of a person
Holistic therapy addresses multiple parts of one’s lived experience including: PTSD, c-PTSD, trauma recovery, sex and intimacy, family of origin concerns, childhood trauma, attachment issues, spiritual trauma, generation and lineage trauma, explorations of consciousness, emotions, deepening self-awareness and finding meaning.
Supportive of other holistic approaches
A holistic psychotherapist will be supportive of clients who are working with other holistic providers such as integrative medicine, functional medicine, acupuncture, aromatherapy, herbal medicine, plant medicine, energy healing and more. By offering a variety of options, holistic therapists can tailor treatment to the individual needs and preferences of each client and be a complementary component to one’s holistic approach to healing and growth.
Provides Long Term Benefits
Finally, one of the biggest advantages of holistic therapy is that it can provide long-term benefits. By promoting overall wellness and addressing the root causes of issues, holistic therapy can help clients achieve lasting improvements in their mental health.