When working through mental health illnesses, past trauma, and relationship issues, counseling can be a very beneficial tool. The conventional form of counseling has provided this form of treatment in a very modern way, including medicine and talk therapy. But recently, there has been a rise in holistic psychology. We all know that the mind and body are interconnected, and that’s what holistic psychology brings to the table and uses to treat a patient during counseling.
Recent trends in psychology are bedding towards the holistic approach of treating patients. They have now known the relationship between mind and body and use this connection to help a client out. Counselors who are using holistic methods to treat the patient consider the mind, body, and spirit connection. They believe that to understand a person and their issues fully, you need to look at all their experiences and lifestyle to help them recover. Research shows that holistic methods help reduce stress, anxiety, and anxiety.
When a holistic psychologist recommends a treatment method, they consider the mind, body, and spirit. Holistic treatment methods are so popular that even the military is being helped using these holistic methods like meditation, hypnosis, spiritual, and energy healing.
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What is holistic psychology?
Holistic psychology is an approach that helps treat a client by seeing them as a “whole.” A holistic psychologist considers the entire human being, their experiences, mental, emotional, physical, and mental needs. Looking at the patient from all these angles can provide holistic treatment methods to deal with the “root” causes of these problems rather than treating the result without checking out what’s causing all the symptoms.
A holistic psychologist will ensure the patient gets treatment for their mind, body, and soul. Holistic psychologists believe that treating all these areas of a human being, the chances of these symptoms coming back are very slim. They help the patient implement new behaviors, which leads to a more rounded overall treatment preventing future relapse.
Holistic psychologists work alongside other medical professionals to provide supplementation besides the western kind. Their role is to guide patients on adopting lifestyle changes and even refer them to other professionals if they feel they need it. They provide additional support and guidance to patients suffering from ongoing chronic illnesses. But even patients without a specific health issue can consult them on ways to maintain the healthiest lifestyle for their mind, body, and soul. They help individuals understand themselves in all their forms and use evidence-based treatment methods to meet the patient’s needs.
Holistic psychology looks at the individual through lenses like:
Physical aspects
Most holistic psychologists believe that physical aspects of a body affect mental and emotional factors. The body can affect all the other components of holistic health, and counselors analyze your body’s symptoms and suggest several alternative therapies to help the patient achieve general wellbeing. Counselors can choose an area where they would like to specialize, like reiki, yoga, energy healing, massage therapy, and others.
You will find holistic psychologists offering services like weight management, dietary issues, mineral and vitamin supplementation, and developing proactive health measures. When it comes to your diet, what you consume immensely affects how you feel. That’s why it’s majorly known as “gut feeling.”
When working with a holistic psychologist, they will look at your daily diet and let you know things you should cut out and things that are missing from your diet that could help improve your general health. Most times, patients are asked by the psychologist to cut off alcohol, processed foods, and sugars since these food groups typically increase a person’s depression and anxiety levels.
The way your body aligns typically affects your mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing. Chiropractic care or yoga practice can help align you mentally and physically. There are sensory treatments that can help heal the body and allow it to function optimally to promote physical and mental aspects. Treatments for the senses include saltwater chambers or sensory deprivation chambers.
Spiritual components
According to holistic psychology, the human spirit is intricately involved in healing a person’s mind, body, and soul. A holistic counselor helps patients explore themselves thoroughly to find a deeper connection with their spiritual components. Holistic psychologists tend to create an environment that allows patients to discover who they are deep down and their beliefs and use that to support their healing journey. They help you do this by asking you questions that will help bring your true discovery to the surface. Sometimes clients find their spiritual component in their religion, and other times the psychologist helps them discover this integral part within themselves.
Psychological or mental components
Holistic counselors are also concerned with their client’s mental wellness. Holistic counselors are greatly concerned and attentive to a client’s mental condition. Holistic psychologists are well-equipped with skills to help support a client with psychological support moving forward. People who undergo holistic treatment tend to be more self-aware, have higher self-esteem, and be more self-accepting.
Who founded holistic psychology?
Nicole LePera is the founder of holistic psychology. She decided to make self-healing something anyone can access because there are people who can’t see a psychologist or therapist, while others cannot get any help they need. Some people have attended therapy or seen a psychologist for many years without seeing any tangible results. That’s why Nicole LePera decided to help her followers by giving holistic tips and tricks to work through their trauma, and she’s a big advocate of reparenting.
She turned to holistic psychology to self-healing while reading the same content online. Before she knew it, she had a “cult-like” following of people who wanted to embrace their self-healing journeys through holistic ways rather than mainstream psychology.
Nicole realized the loopholes in modern-day psychology when studying to become one. She noted how it treated the body and mind as different components even though they make one, and she wanted to change this.
What does a holistic psychologist do?
Holistic psychologists focus on the relationship between the mind, body, and spirit, and that’s how they prescribe treatment plans. They believe that all aspects of the body are co-related, causing ailments, whether mentally or physically. A holistic psychologist can help you work your way through your problems and recover completely, keeping the symptoms away by analyzing all these three aspects.
For example, suppose one is suffering from anxiety. In that case, a holistic psychologist will look at the triggers leading to these anxieties and look at their diet and spiritual aspects. There are foods believed to increase the chances of anxiety, and a holistic psychologist will help the patient eliminate these types of foods and introduce healthier meals that won’t cause the body and mind any harm. Then, they will also lead the patient to explain their spiritual beliefs, which could prompt either the inclusion of meditation or other ways to be still and prevent the mind from racing.
When it comes to the physical aspect, a holistic psychologist recognizes how a sedentary life can increase anxiety and help the patient develop ways to include movement in their routine. It could be something as simple as a walk-in nature of yoga practice. It all depends on the patient and what makes them comfortable.
Unlike modern psychology, holistic psychology’s emphasis on looking at all aspects of the human mind dramatically affects the speed of recovery and also aids in keeping away the symptoms. After all, these aspects are covered, and the patient follows instructions given by their psychologist to the latter, they will recover much quicker. If they ever relapse, they know how to find their way back to recovery.
What is a holistic mental health counselor?
A holistic mental health counselor looks to treat an individual’s mental problems by observing them as a whole. They do this by addressing their mental, emotional, and physical needs. The mental health counselor takes a deeper look into the patient’s cultural and social surroundings. Understanding it makes it easier to help a patient face their problems and recover.
A holistic mental health counselor believes that a patient’s spirit, mind, body, and socio-cultural identity significantly affect their mental wellbeing. So, after analysis, a holistic mental health counselor will develop ways for you to deal with all these aspects of your life to promote mental and general wellbeing.
What is the difference between holistic Counselling and Counselling?
Traditional counseling looks at psychological symptoms, but holistic counseling looks deeper and aims to uncover a person’s root of beliefs and patterns. Traditional counseling also treats a patient as a sick person, but in holistic counseling, things are different. The counselor acts more like a life coach. They only advise the client on what’s best for their life and show them what could bring healing; then, it’s up to the patient to achieve these desired outcomes.
A holistic counselor helps a client develop skills and habits to achieve the desired outcome. But in mainstream counseling, a patient is analyzed and told what’s wrong with them; then their counselor starts treating that. Sometimes a holistic counselor can see where the client’s problem is but won’t pinpoint it until they’re able to see it on their own, recognize it fully and stop being in denial. It’s only then can they heal.
Holistic counseling gives the client tools to help them grow and achieve the goals they desire. The role of the counselor is to listen to what the patient desires then offer them tools that can help them meet these desired outcomes. Patients aren’t categorized into groups, and they are seen as perfect.
Final Thoughts
Holistic psychology is the way to go. It is gaining momentum in counseling, psychology, and therapy, and it is proving to be a good thing. Unlike mainstream psychology and counseling, looking at the body, mind, and spirit as one will help patients heal much faster and even heal part of themselves that they didn’t know was causing the problem. It’s one of the newest treatment types out there like EMDR Therapy and even Music Therapy.
Humans are more than just their minds, and that’s what holistic psychology is trying to prove. To heal, you’ll need to consider the mind, body, and spirit.
