Laurel Therapy Collective

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The 6 Most Common Diagnoses And How Holistic Therapy Can Help

Psychologically-minded people are often curious what the most common diagnoses are. Those who receive a diagnosis might wonder how common theirs is. If you've received a diagnosis like anxiety, depression, or PTSD, you’re in good and plentiful company. We want to explore, inform, and offer hope for your struggles. Below is a list of the most common diagnoses from the last few years and how therapy, particularly holistic therapy, can help.

What Is Holistic Therapy?

Holistic therapy recognizes the interconnectedness of our physical, emotional, and environmental well-being. After a thorough assessment, it offers personalized strategies to address the root causes of problems. It goes beyond treating your symptoms to uncovering the root of the problem. If you're struggling, consider exploring the holistic therapy options. They may lead you on a path towards healing, balance, and improved overall well-being.

Let's dive into the power of this approach for common mental health issues.

1. Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Generalized anxiety is when you find yourself worrying way too much about lots of things, even when there's no clear reason. You just feel anxious and on edge a lot. Living with persistent anxiety can be draining.

How Holistic Therapy Can Help Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Holistic therapy provides a multiprong approach to managing anxiety. Therapists often incorporate mindfulness techniques and relaxation exercises to address anxiety. They also look for hidden reasons you feel anxious. Through collaboration, you can gain insight and make changes that lead to reduced anxiety levels.

2. Adjustment Disorder

You might not have heard this one before, but it's quite common. You might call it big life changes that impact your emotional wellbeing. Adjustment disorder happens when you feel sad or anxious because something big changed in your life, like a breakup or losing your job.  It could be moving away from your hometown or going through a tough loss. It can even be a positive thing, like getting married or having a child. Life throws some curveballs, at all of us, and it's normal to have a reaction. It's normal if you end up feeling all mixed up and stressed, even if you're not sure why.

How Holistic Therapy Can Help Adjustment Disorder

Holistic therapy helps identify and manage big stressors. Holistic therapy encourages self-reflection, helping you understand and cope with emotions. By exploring aspects of your life, such as relationships, work, and trauma, holistic therapy helps pinpoint sources of stress and develop strategies. Therapists help you cope while making positive life adjustments. Holistic therapy also promotes self-compassion and self-care, crucial elements in managing emotions. Holistic techniques such as meditation and yoga can also be effective in calming the mind.

3. Depression

Depression can look different in different people. Some people go through phases where they feel really down. Others feel numb and detached. Others get irritable and angry. Most people lose interest in things you used to enjoy, feel tired or heavy all the time, and it just keeps happening.

How Holistic Therapy Can Help Depression

Holistic therapy takes a comprehensive approach to treat depression. It goes beyond medication by incorporating insight, compassion, trauma processing, and lifestyle. By addressing the physical, emotional, and environmental factors contributing to depression, therapy empowers you to regain control of your life. It's worth living, after all. But depression can make us feel otherwise.

4. Anxiety

Generalized anxiety was first on this list, but this category is a little more specific. It might be a specific phobia or fear, or only be experienced in certain situations. Dealing with ongoing anxiety and nerves that don't fit into a neat category can still mess with your day-to-day life.

How Holistic Therapy Can Help Anxiety

Holistic therapy aims to uncover the root causes of anxiety. Be it past traumas, environmental stressors, or lifestyle factors, there's always a reason you feel anxious. By addressing underlying issues, therapists guide you towards long-term relief and overall calm.

5. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

PTSD is a complex and evolving diagnosis. The experience has existed for as long as humans have existed, but our clinical understanding is young. As recently as the 1970s, most people believed only combat veterans could get PTSD.

Trauma can look a lot of ways. You might be feeling really shaken and having scary memories, flashbacks, or nightmares after going through something really traumatic. You might be feeling constant distress and anxiety because of an event that happened a while ago, and it's still affecting you.

How Holistic Therapy Can Help Heal Trauma and PTSD

Healing from trauma often involves more than conventional therapy. This is where holistic therapy shines. By hacking the mind-body connection, you can experience true relief rather than distraction. Holistic therapy might involve approaches like Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) or mindfulness-based therapies. Your holistic therapist can help you process trauma and develop healthier coping mechanisms.

Chronic PTSD can be particularly challenging, but holistic therapy offers a range of tools to help you regain control of your life. Holistic approaches can complement traditional treatments to address the long-lasting effects of trauma.

6. Relationship Problems

Relationships are complicated and get messy. We all struggle to communicate sometimes. When you and your partner are having a tough time in your relationship, it makes sense to feel distressed. When you're not getting along as well as you'd like and it's causing problems, many people seek therapy.

Individual Holistic Therapy For Relationship Problems

Holistic therapy extends its healing power to relationships as well. It fosters better communication and understanding between partners. By helping you be the best version of yourself from top to bottom, your relationship will be healthier too. You might try techniques like couples counseling, meditation, and relationship-focused mindfulness practices.

Couples Therapy For Relationship Problems

Couples therapy requires expert training and experience. It's not a good idea to approach it unstructured. Though there are various methods that can work, we use Gottman Method Couples Therapy to help couples. Gottman stresses improved communication, more effective conflict, and strategies to feel closer and build shared meaning. We think it's the best model out there. Holistic practices can be incorporated into Gottman Method Couples Therapy.

Harnessing the Mind-Body Connection To Help You Heal

Holistic therapy recognizes the profound connection between the mind and body. Stress, anxiety, and depression often manifest physically, leading to various health issues. Research backs this up. If you want to read a ton of evidence-based support, check out Bessell van der Kolk's seminal book The Body Keeps The Score. Holistic therapists emphasize practices like yoga, tai chi, and mindfulness meditation to strengthen this connection. By calming the body and mind, you can experience physical relief and reduced mental distress.

Holistic therapy can use a variety of mind-body interventions, such as biofeedback and guided imagery. These techniques empower individuals to gain control over their physiological responses to stress, pain, or anxiety, leading to improved mental well-being.

Exploring Alternative and Complementary Therapies

Holistic therapy embraces alternative and complementary therapies that extend beyond traditional talk therapy. These therapies can include art therapy, equine-assisted therapy, acupuncture, and even wilderness therapy. These unique approaches can unlock new pathways for self-expression, healing, and growth.

Embracing Lifestyle Changes

Holistic therapy encourages individuals to take a proactive role in their well-being. This includes adopting a holistic lifestyle of regular exercise, stress management, and self-care. When integrated into daily routines, these practices can provide a solid foundation for mental and emotional resilience.

Self-Exploration and Healing Through Holistic Therapy

Beyond symptom management, holistic therapy encourages self-exploration and personal growth. Through practices like journaling, art, and breathing, you can gain insight into your experiences. Holistic therapy also often fosters a sense of community and support. Group therapy or wellness retreats offer ways to connect, share experiences, and receive encouragement from others on similar journeys. Being part of community and feeling connected always improves our mental health.

Long-Term Wellness and Prevention

Holistic therapy takes a proactive approach to mental health. By giving you tools and strategies for ongoing self-care, it empowers you to maintain well-being long after therapy ends.

Holistic Therapy Online In California and Florida

Holistic therapy offers a mind-body approach to healing and personal growth. It acknowledges that mental health is influenced by interconnected factors and embraces a wide range of techniques to address them. Whether you're grappling with anxiety, depression, PTSD, or relationship challenges, holistic therapy can provide a path forward. Seeking support is a courageous step toward a brighter and more balanced future. Your holistic healing journey awaits. Transformation and a deeper connection to your true self start with a free consultation.

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