We may often forget how relatively young the study of the human brain remains compared to other medical disciplines. For a good portion of the young history of pyschology, treatment centered on a limited arsenal of time, talk and medication, often associated with negative connotations. But thanks to the exploding understanding of the human brain, we have a fascinating array of new strategies for helping us achieve mental wellness across the lifespan.
We are wonderfully resilient and adaptable. We can bounce back, even from tragedy and trauma. We can heal and grow and there are an increasing number of methods to do just that. For example, while more than 8.5 million Americans suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder at any given time, treatment options include a mix of therapies, medications, self-care and group support with a growing track record of success. This increased efficacy helps us all when you consider that more than 70 percent of Americans report some form of serious trauma in their lifetime, according to ptsdunited.org.
While more than 8.5 million Americans suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder at any given time, treatment options include a mix of therapies, medications, self-care and group support with a growing track record of success.
ENHANCEMENT
Mental health is now more than just treatment of problems, but wellness techniques that also enhance our well-being, our relationships and our mood. Large-scale random surveys indicate that 30 to 50 percent of the general population use some form of alternative care.
A recent Center for Mental Health Services Fact Sheet, describes complementary approaches to mental health care including self-help, diet and nutrition, expressive therapies, acupuncture, yoga, and relaxation and stress reduction techniques and highlights how these approaches and practices can play an important role in recovery and healing.
In addition to the growing sophistication of conventional therapies from psychoanalytic to cognitive-behavior therapy, research has shown effectiveness in expressive therapies that use the mind/body connection.
TREATMENTS
- Art therapy - the purposeful use of visual arts materials and media in intervention, counseling, psychotherapy, and rehabilitation with all ages and in group or family treatment settings.
- Music therapy - the prescribed use of music to effect positive changes in the psychological, physical, cognitive, or social functioning of individuals with health or educational problems.
- Drama therapy - the systematic and intentional use of drama/theater to achieve the therapeutic goals of symptom relief, emotional and physical integration, and personal growth.
- Movement therapy - connects the body and mind in the psychotherapeutic use of movement as a process that furthers the emotional, cognitive, and physical integration of the individual.
- Bibliotherapy - the intentional use of poetry and other forms of literature for healing and personal growth.
- Play therapy - the therapeutic powers of play to help clients prevent or resolve psychosocial difficulties and achieve optimal growth and development.
- Sandplay therapy - a creative form of psychotherapy that uses a sandbox and a large collection of miniatures to enable a client to explore the deeper layers of his or her psyche in a totally new format.
- Integrative approaches - involves two or more expressive therapies to foster awareness, encourage emotional growth, and enhance relationships with others.
Although some people with serious mental health problems recover using alternative methods alone, often people combine alternative approaches with more traditional treatments such as psychotherapy and medication. In the medical field, the use of alternative healthcare practices such as acupuncture, stress reduction and mind/body interventions have been documented to be effective in the treatment of physical and psychological problems such as hypertension, chronic pain, cardiac arrhythmia, anxiety, and the symptoms of both cancer and AIDS.
MINDFULNESS FOR EVERY AGE
The World Health Organization estimates that roughly 450 million people suffer from some form of mental or neurological disorder.
The good news is modern medicine has recognized the power of human awareness or “mindfulness.” You are still more likely to have heard this phrase in a yoga class or spiritual retreat than a doctor’s office, but thanks to growing research evidence, that’s changing.
Research has shown mindfulness and meditation-based programs to help with treatment of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder, among others.
"We've seen this in the clinical domain for many years. People, in concert with their physicians... actually going off their medications for pain, for anxiety, for depression, as they begin to learn the self-regulatory elements of mindfulness."
Jon Kabat-Zinn
Founder of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction
RESILIENCE
In psychological terms, resilience is the ability to cope with life’s challenges and to adapt to adversity. Our resilience protects us against the development of some mental health problems, while helping us maintain our well-being in difficult circumstances. Being resilient doesn’t mean going through life without experiencing stress and pain. The road to resilience lies in working through the emotions and effects of stress and painful events. The best news is that resilience is not an inherited trait. We learn the skills over time through knowledge, treatments and self-management skills.
Previously at the fringes of scientific research and western medical care, mindfulness and other non-medicated approaches are now at the center of treatments that build resilience in individuals, families and entire communities. If we can increase the prevalence and quality of alternative treatment options, we can imagine and build a health care system that supports whole mind-body health.
Innovations in research and treatment offer new hope, but a final critical piece is essential in truly transforming how we approach mental health. We must increase our understanding of the issues and beat back stigma.
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Empathy and Advocacy →
RESOURCES
The Gerontologist. “Use of Complementary Medicine in Older Americans: Results from the Health and Retirement Study.”
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1557639/
The Attuned Therapist. “Does attachment theory really matter?”
http://www.drdansiegel.com/uploads/The-attunded-therapist.pdf
World Health Organization Media Center. “Depression Fact Sheet.”
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs369/en/
Canadian Journal of Psychiatry. “Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy: theory and practice.”
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22340145