You may have heard the following terms tossed around frequently: somatic, holistic, integrative, wellness, whole-body health. These words are sometimes used interchangeably, which can lead to some confusion. I would like to focus on the common thread between all of them, and that is this: our minds influence our bodies, and our bodies influence our minds. We need to heal and support both in order to achieve whole-body wellness. We are also more than just the symptoms we may be effected by; we are also our relationships, our economic status, our gender identity, our sexual orientation, our cultural histories, our employment/career paths, and so much more! We are systems within systems, and to simplify ourselves to a single set of symptoms invalidates our complicated and interconnected lived experiences as human beings.
Integrative wellness is an approach to therapy that I use at Journey Through. It is a collaborative approach, one where I use not only scientific researched therapies but also the invaluable information gathering and relationship building with the clients that I work with.
The ways in which I define integrative wellness are as such:
- One size does not fit all.
- Attending therapy is a unique experience for everyone who seeks it out. Each client is looking for different things and different supports based on their own life experiences and relationships. With that, it is important to acknowledge that not every treatment or modality style will work for every person – and that is a-okay! Journey Through aims to support clients via an individualized framework, valuing the information gathering processing and making sure to meet clients where they are at. With this, it also means as therapists, to acknowledge when something someone is seeking may be out of our scope of practice, or may not be an area of expertise for us. With that, your therapist will discuss with you best course of action, and to refer you to skilled therapists that are experts in that specific area.
- Preventative and Proactive.
- While someone may not be able to seek therapy as a proactive or preventative measure all the time, those skills are very much discussed and explored in therapy so that you can continue to use those skills many months after therapy ceases. Foundational measures are essential for supporting our mental health daily, monthly, and yearly. That is why I often will discuss not only past events and gaining further insight into your patterns and cognitions, but also on in the moment processing and future planning that may include skill building and self-care.
- Evidence-based and scientifically supported.
- It is really important that you are receiving mental health care that is evidence-based. What does this mean? It means that your therapist is using strategies and interventions that have been studied and shown to be helpful and beneficial to others, and that it can be scientifically supported through those measures. That is why when I chose trainings to advance my therapy expertise, I chose therapies that have been studied and have been measured in their effectiveness to help clients, such as Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and Brainspotting.
- Whole-body approach.
- This is all about the holistic framework of integrative therapies. Let’s quickly define holistic as well: “characterized by the treatment of the whole person, taking into account mental and social factors, rather than just the symptoms of an illness.” (defined by Oxford Dictionary: https://languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/). This means that I look at not only the symptoms being presented, but more in depth at the person, their relationships, and their environment as a whole – as all aspects are important.
References:
What is Somatic Therapy? (2024, May 2). Nourished Wellness Group. https://www.nourishedwellnessgroup.com/blog/what-is-somatic-therapy?rq=integrative%20