When it comes to mental health treatment, psychotherapy and medication are often hailed as the gold standard. And while these can be incredibly beneficial, these options certainly aren’t the only effective methods.
Optimal emotional well-being encapsulates both your physical and emotional health. Moreover, what works efficiently for one person may not yield the same benefits for someone else. You must find what works best for you, and this discovery may require some soul-searching and trial-and-error.
At The Resurface Group, we’re passionate about integrating alternative mental health treatment options into our comprehensive care. Let’s get into some of our favorite selections.
Life Coaching
Do you struggle with motivation and accountability? Is it challenging for you to commit and achieve the goals you set forth for yourself? You’re not alone- most of us struggle to succeed when left to our own devices.
Life coaching provides a unique opportunity for individual support and customized goal planning. You can work with a coach for a variety of issues including:
Improving self-esteem
Maximizing job performance
Fostering healthy relationships
Committing to long-term goals
Coaching can keep you on track even when your motivation wanes. Your coach will praise you when you’re doing well, and they will motivate you when you’re struggling to stay afloat.
EMDR
Research shows that a staggering 70% of American adults have experienced trauma at some point in their lives. Trauma doesn’t discriminate against the people it impacts, and its effects can be both insidious and detrimental.
While some people respond well to talk therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) can be a profound alternative mental health treatment option for individuals struggling with trauma-related symptoms.
EMDR entails learning, identifying, and moving on from painful life experiences. You and your EMDR therapist will identify reasonable targets for your treatment. Your therapist will introduce you to appropriate relaxation techniques to use when distressed. In subsequent sessions, your therapist will guide you in activating these target memories via sets of bilateral simulations.
If you become distressed, your therapist helps you shift your feelings and thoughts. Through these repetitive series, both your body and mind start to become desensitized to the traumatic material.
Peer Support
Peer support can be an essential asset for your mental health. Peer support is not a single intervention. Rather, it refers to a multifaceted set of resources. In its simplest form, peer support entails two or more people with similar life experiences coming together for healing.
Therefore, peer support may include:
Support groups
Accountability partners
Family involvement
Retreats and workshops
Professional coaching and companion services
You don’t need to struggle with your mental health alone. Isolation can be the greatest hindrance to your well-being. Likewise, the sense of belonging can be a profound attribute for your self-esteem and happiness.
Meditation
You’ve probably heard about the numerous perks of meditation. From decreased anxiety to enhanced attention span to pain management to blood pressure regulation, simply learning how to breathe and slow down yields incredible benefits.
Unfortunately, many people feel discouraged and disillusioned by meditation. They assume they need to carve out several hours to enjoy the perks. They also believe they need to know how to do it “perfectly.”
Meditation is a process. Just like any other type of exercise, it takes time and dedication to master. There is no “perfect” meditation practice; rather, it is a constant continuation of growth.
If you can take a minute out of your day to breathe, you can meditate. Focus on taking several deep breaths. Aim to focus on the sensations in your body, and try to accept any and all thoughts that may arise. That’s all there is to it!
Acupuncture
Acupuncture treatment is an ancient form of traditional Chinese medicine. It has been used to treat dozens of physical and emotional ailments. Acupuncture works by stimulating various pressure points in the body via inserting small needles into the skin.
A typical session includes lying still while a professional acupuncturist inserts approximately five to twenty needles for about 10-20 minutes. The acupuncturist may decide which points to treat based on a brief assessment.
Traditional Chinese medicine focuses on the intimate relationship between the mind and body. By focusing on healing the physical body, it is believed that the individual will feel less anxious and depressed.
Outdoor and Wilderness Therapy
When most people think of stereotypical therapy, they imagine a dimly-lit office with lined bookshelves and a comfortable couch. This kind of therapy can be incredibly helpful, but some people need to stretch their legs and get some fresh air!
Outdoor and wilderness therapy forces you out of your comfort zone. It helps you push your body to its physical limits- which translates into increased confidence, self-awareness, and an enhanced mind-body connection.
Research continues to show that our bodies love being outdoors. Being in nature decreases stress, but it increases our happiness, sense of kindness and altruism, cognitive functioning, and problem-solving skills. These undeniable benefits quite obviously translate into improved mental health.
Alternative Mental Health Treatment Options For You
At The Resurface Group, we’re constantly optimizing our program to best suit your needs. We don’t believe in a standard approach to mental health; we believe in tailoring and customizing our treatment for each client that enters our care.
Whether you benefit from conventional or alternative mental health treatment, we’re here for you. We’ll work with you and your loved ones to develop an ideal plan for improving your well-being.
Ready to get started? We’re ready for you! Contact us today to learn more.