As a mental health professional, I am gratified that therapy is becoming more the norm these days. By normalized, it seems that more people of all ages, backgrounds, and ethnicities are seeking support. Parents of elementary-age children are reaching out for their kids to develop coping skills and have a safe space to talk about their young feelings. This is a good thing.
As a therapist, a woman, a wife, and a mother, I am concerned that there is so much intensity and chaos in our world. Therapists need therapists! We all need support. These are surreal times. It’s hard enough to be human without all the extra noise from global politics and climate concerns.
Looking for a therapist that will be a good fit is usually a little anxiety-provoking. Many providers still accept insurance for their services, but an increasing number do not. Psychology Today
(Psychologytoday.com) is a great resource for finding a therapist in your area and for learning about their services and how they think about the work. The profiles will also indicate whether they accept insurance, their rates, and other relevant details.
For me, the type of therapeutic work offered is of the utmost importance. Experiential body-oriented work can be a game-changer. Our bodies and nervous systems carry all our confusion, our hurts, our rage, and our powerlessness. There are many experiential therapeutic modalities that can help get us outside our thinking selves. For example, equine-based therapy, art therapy, and the like.
Thankfully, there are what I refer to as the best of the East and the best of the West evidence-based and evidence-supported modalities that have stood the test of time. Movements like Yoga, Tai Chi, Qigong, Pilates, and hands-on bodywork such as Acupuncture, Massage, Reiki, and Cranial Sacral work are significant therapies.
Body-centered psychotherapy is expressive, creative, and present moment-centered. Breath is typically a central component in both stabilizing and deepening the therapeutic process. A powerful technique I call Transformational Breathwork aids in processing unresolved pain and trauma. Incorporating guided breathing techniques with trauma-informed sensibilities and music, this breathwork approach reveals and releases restricted breathing patterns and somatic tension — and it can connect us to the subconscious mind and higher states of consciousness.
I strongly recommend that only licensed, trained mental health service providers guide others in this kind of work. Safety and trust are sacrosanct to the healing process. We must remember that it is a process, so taking it slow and steady is a good rule of thumb. Please take care of yourself and don’t hold back in seeking support.
Molly Fleming, LPC-MHSP, YT, is a Body-Centered Psychotherapist who specializes in helping people heal from trauma — especially attachment-based injuries. She is a longtime student and teacher of yoga and other mindfulness-based practices. She is proficient in a range of breath-centered and somatic modalities that increase personal awareness and treat anxiety, depression, and chronic pain.
By Molly Fleming, LPC-MHSP, YT
