An Integrative Approach to Health & Wellness

Holly L. James, Registered Psychologist

B.A (Psychology)
B.S.W. (Social Work)
M.A. (Psychology)
M.A. (Energy Medicine)

Central to my approach is the mind-body connection.  Rooted in eastern medicine, virtually every system of healing throughout the world has treated the mind and body as a whole. Only in more recent times have we moved away from this idea. We are now seeing a resurgence of scientific inquiry into our emotional and spiritual life, and its importance in our innate ability to heal.  Integrative psychiatrist James Lake, MD, of Stanford University, writes that "extensive research has confirmed the medical and mental benefits of meditation, mindfulness training, yoga, and other mind-body practices."

Body-mind therapy combines the strengths of “talk” therapy with a body focus which includes breathwork, postural alignment and exercises that bring greater awareness. Also known as mind-body or somatic therapy, it assists us to “become deeply aware of their bodily sensations including emotions, images and behavior." As you become more conscious of how you breathe, move and speak, you will gain insight into long held patterns of discomfort. This increased awareness about how the body holds physical stress and emotional injury informs and directs the therapy process, allowing clients to work through patterns of limitation that are not often resolved on the level of the mind alone. As the one of the innovators of body-mind psychology explains it, “Unacknowledged feelings from past experiences are stored in your body and then unconsciously have a powerful effect on who you are, how you behave, and how you feel about yourself. Using the body as the gateway to awareness, buried feelings and memories can surface, freeing you from old patterns and energy blocks that keep you feeling stuck and unable to live life to its fullest. Your mind may avoid certain emotions and memories, but your body remembers it all.”

Easily learned and integrated into treatment is the practice of mindfulness.  Mindfulness meditation has been shown to be helpful with conditions such as high blood pressure, chronic pain, psoriasis, sleep trouble, anxiety, and depression. It’s also been shown to boost immune function and stop binge eating. 

"Although the practice of meditation is associated with a sense of peacefulness and physical relaxation, practitioners have long claimed that meditation also provides cognitive and psychological benefits that persist throughout the day," says the study’s senior author Sara Lazar, a Harvard Medical School instructor in psychology.

http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2011/01/eight-weeks-to-a-better-brain