Iris Healing Arts - Mental Health and Wellness Therapy
If you are struggling with emotional distress, a wellness approach to therapy will nourish your inner self and help you become conscious of your true needs. It will then become easier to honor them.
Welcome to my therapy page! Here, I introduce my wellness and therapy practice. I look forward to helping you achieve your personal, relational, and health goals.
You may be new to therapy or among those who have sought help and yet continue to feel overwhelmed with stress or experience chronic feelings of anxiety, depression, or loneliness. Or perhaps you struggle with weight gain, insomnia, fatigue, or low motivation. If so, I offer a comprehensive wellness approach to therapy that will motivate and empower you to resolve any issues that have thus far eluded you.
For example, you may have noticed that models of care that focus primarily on your symptoms have not led to full recovery. My work as an integrative mental health therapist incorporates a strength-based positive psychology model that facilitates whole-person healing. This approach enhances your internal strengths and resourcefulness, allowing you to meet your challenges with courage and resilience.
If you prefer to talk with me, please get in touch with me below for your free initial consultation. Thanks.
Integrative health is an aspect of holistic health, and the terms are often used interchangeably with the term ‘wellness.’ They represent a paradigm shift that is becoming increasingly popular globally. The Integrative health model blends the best of traditional healthcare models with what was previously called alternative medicine. Many clinics use more integrative and holistic wellness methods; some may choose not to use this terminology. This is because effective healthcare is holistic. However, many practitioners, such as me, prefer to use terms that reflect their advanced training and philosophy of care.
The holistic health and wellness model promotes optimal health by nurturing your body, mind, and soul and your relationships with people, animals, and the natural environment. My style is warm, intuitive, and empowering. My broad, diverse experience in the medical and mental health fields will also benefit you. For more information about my credentials, see my About page. Thanks.
The Flowering of Self-Trust Leads to Healthy Relationships
You may be aware that any past or current trauma may impact your ability to trust. Rather than being stuck blaming others, healing involves trusting your ability to feel your pain and to move through it successfully. It then becomes possible to trust those who have earned it and who you choose to have in your life.
Additionally, the pandemic impacted many people who continue to suffer from loneliness and social alienation. The internet has provided a way to connect, but it may not meet your need for close relationships. Disconnection from others exacerbates any emotional pain you may already be feeling.
When ready, reach out to me below for support and healing strategies.
Removing Barriers to Healing: a Wellness Model of Care
A wellness model of care identifies and removes obstacles to health and healing. These obstacles may include unhealthy relationships, active addiction, excessive internet or social media time, and loneliness. Various physical, dietary, or environmental toxins are examples of physical barriers to optimal health. Psycho-spiritual issues like low self-esteem, unworthiness, or guilt may also need to be healed.
My strength-based model will help you build upon what has been helpful thus far. Often, making just one or two changes can be quite transforming. This gentle, compassionate, step-by-step approach is reinforcing. When you create healthy habits, whether attitudinal or practical, your self-esteem and confidence will also improve.
Improve Motivation with Integrative Mental Health Approaches.
Low motivation is another major obstacle for many people. For example, you may not feel like getting out of bed in the morning to face your day. Or you may be frustrated with not doing the things you want to do. You may use TV, internet, work, excessive exercise, stress eating, or other addictive behaviors to manage anxiety and depression. Still, if your motivation is low, how can you expect to make any significant lifestyle changes?
You can train your brain to help increase motivation. For example, you may repeatedly fail to reach or maintain your goals because of habits that contradict how your brain works. The limbic system is the part of your brain that controls emotions, survival needs, and immediate gratification. The neocortex is responsible for conscious thoughts, decision-making, and willpower. You can support the neocortex by reinforcing positive thoughts and willpower with intentional changes in behavior.
By creating healthy habits, you can make it easier to succeed in following your intentions. For example, you can bring only healthy foods and drinks home. Thus, it becomes easier to make healthier choices when you feel emotionally vulnerable or tired. You can also choose to schedule personal time for self-care activities, such as exercise, yoga, rest, social support, or meditation.
My traditional counseling skills and expertise in integrative therapies will help you to increase motivation and create healthy habits. You may also benefit from my expertise in nutritional counseling, plant therapies, and mind-body approaches such as yoga therapy. For information on yoga and breath work, see Resources, Yoga and Healing. Thanks.
The Importance of Balancing Dopamine, Serotonin, GABA and Cortisol
Three primary neurotransmitters—dopamine, serotonin, and GABA—and the hormones cortisol and oxytocin control motivation, mood, pain, anxiety, stress, how connected you feel to people, and your trust and safety. Please check out my chronic stress and stress-eating blogs for cortisol and adrenal support information.
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter made in your brain and gut. It is associated with motivation, mental energy, pleasure, and satisfaction. When motivation is impaired, dopamine levels are often low. Many integrative medicine approaches can naturally boost your dopamine levels. Thankfully, exercise raises dopamine. Setting attainable goals and modifying them as needed without self-judgment is essential. However, if you need additional help following through with your plans to exercise, eating foods containing tyrosine or taking professional nutritional supplements that boost dopamine may benefit you. This is an area of my clinical expertise.
Serotonin, another important neurotransmitter made in the brain and gut, affects mood, sleep, and digestion, reduces worry and anxiety, and has many other functions. Since all our neurotransmitters work together, supporting serotonin simultaneously along with dopamine is optimal for improving health and wellness. This is because when dopamine is low, serotonin may be high, and vice versa.
Additionally, if anxiety or panic accompanies physical symptoms, GABA, another brain chemical, may need to be enhanced. Importantly, each person is biochemically unique; what helps one person may not work for another.
An Integrative Medicine Approach to Balancing Neurotransmitters
If you are ready for a professional consultation, please get in touch with me below. We will discuss which integrative therapies, including nutritional and nutraceutical approaches, will help balance your neurotransmitters and support your health and wellness.
Neutraceuticals (professional nutritional supplements) augment pharmaceuticals; i.e., they make them more effective by supplying the nutrient co-factors depleted by medication. For example, stress and medications often deplete Vitamin B6. Also, many people have genetic predispositions that require supplementation with the active form of Vitamin B6 (P5P) for optimal assimilation.
When your symptoms improve, you may be able to more comfortably and gradually wean off or lower your medication. Success for many people means being on less medication, not more. Integrative medicine applies the best evidence-based methods from both conventional and holistic therapies. Please also coordinate care with your provider, especially if you take medication.
Balancing Oxytocin: the Feel-Good Hormone
Oxytocin is called the love hormone because it increases the feeling of wellness and happiness. It is enhanced by social activities such as creating loving, trusting relationships with people, animals, and yourself. For example, taking a warm bath increases Oxytocin. Physical touch and exercise also boost Oxytocin. Here are some specific ways you can improve your your Oxytocin level:
Physical intimacy: Healthy sexual activity and orgasms followed by loving bonding also increases oxytocin. Hugging, cuddling, and kissing will do so as well.
Play and Exercise: Physical activity and play, including martial arts and yoga, especially done with others, can elevate Oxytocin levels.
Massage and Bodywork: Giving or receiving a massage can stimulate oxytocin production.
Hugging and petting animals: Spending quality time with your pets can trigger oxytocin release.
Spending quality time with loved ones, like sharing meals and having meaningful conversations, increases Oxytocin.
Acts of Kindness: Performing acts of kindness, including volunteering, expressing gratitude, and doing something nice for someone else, including meditation and prayer, can enhance Oxytocin.
Music and singing: Listening to music, especially when singing in a group, can boost Oxytocin.
Plant Medicine is a Popular Health and Wellness Modality
Plant medicine is an essential aspect of integrative mental health and wellness therapy. Botanical (plant) medicines have existed for thousands of years, and many benefit psycho-spiritual issues. They are often used in conjunction with other therapies. These botanicals assist in reducing many invisible impediments to healing. Examples include plant therapies that improve sleep and recovery from burnout and exhaustion.
Numerous botanicals also modify symptoms of anxiety and depression. For example, if you are a worrier or struggle with racing thoughts, some formulations will calm your mind and make it easier to meditate.
Additionally, some symptoms and conditions cannot be remedied with medications or supplements that primarily affect the physical body. For example, if you are feeling a bit lost or disconnected from your life’s purpose, some forms of plant medicine directly impact the psyche and may be a missing key to your full recovery. For more information, check out my Plant Therapies blog.
If you are uncertain where to begin or have found the information on the internet confusing or overwhelming, I can help you achieve clarity. The above-mentioned tools will improve your motivation and naturally and gently support you.
Additionally, many people reach out for help because of relationship stress. This may be one of your primary issues. Your needs and goals are my priority. My work will also help you become more resilient to life’s challenges.
Please contact me below for more information or your free initial consultation. I look forward to supporting you!
For more information about my credentials, see irisheal.com, and About Therapy with Deborah Lee.
Also, see Services, Integrative Medicine for Mental Health,
Resources, Health Information,
and my Blogs, Stress Eating, and Nature Healing.