Far too often, mental health takes a backseat to our physical health, our busy lives, and the needs of others. While it may not seem that significant, mental health can colour every aspect of our lives; in other words, it can impact a lot more than just our day-to-day emotions. Mental health encompasses all aspects of our psychological well-being, and can impact our abilities to deal with stressors, learn new information and skills, and function on a daily basis. It can also impact any disorders, disabilities, or conditions related to imbalances in other areas of our genetic or environmental makeup. Similar to our physical health, it can take a combination of both treatment and time to heal any “injuries” to our mental health. However, it can be difficult to find the types of therapeutics required for our specific needs. Unlike how we associate a band-aid for a cut or a sling for a broken bone, finding a “fix” for our mental health may not be as easy as a trip to the doctor’s office or the drugstore. We may feel like something is wrong, but we may not know how to fix it.
At Evolve Therapeutic in Richmond, we offer not only physical health treatments, but mental health treatments as well. Two of our main types of mental health treatments are counselling and acupuncture, both of which are natural and non-invasive therapies. Let's learn together how these two types of treatments can benefit you and your mind.
Counselling for Mental Health
We’ve all heard of counselling, but how many of us really understand what goes on during a session? Here are some important points about the counselling process.
1. Counsellors are licensed professionals
During the first couple sessions, a counsellor will get to know you and your needs by asking you important questions about yourself and your life. They are licensed professionals who can use different assessment tools such as scales, diagrams, and questionnaires to determine how to approach any problems that you may have.
2. Counsellors work with you to create goals and plans
During the next few sessions, you and your counsellor will work together to create a game plan to tackle the most prominent problems you are facing. This can include a variety of mental, physical, or emotional methods. Throughout your next few appointments, you will work together to find out which methods are most effective for continued use in the future, and which methods may need to be adjusted or swapped out.
3. Counsellors help you maintain your progress
Ongoing treatments with a counsellor can create accountability and maintain the progress you have achieved through regularly scheduled appointments. While different problems may arise in your daily life, you can count on your counsellor supporting and encouraging you to continue using the techniques that can help you during tough situations.
Counselling is a unique, non-invasive type of treatment that can help you acknowledge your feelings, pinpoint the problems causing those feelings, and work towards a resolution with a mental health professional.
Acupuncture for Mental Health
Now that we’ve learned about a communication-based treatment for mental health, let's investigate the world of physical health treatments for the mind. Acupuncture is a type of physical health treatment that can indirectly and directly influence mental and emotional health.
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the mind and the body are deeply interconnected on many levels. Feelings such as emotional instability, depression, and anxiety, can be due to imbalances in the flow of energy within the heart, spleen, and lungs, according to these ancient teachings.
By restoring balance to the flow of bodily energy through acupuncture, acupressure, cupping, scraping, and other traditional Chinese medicine methods, acupuncture treatments can help achieve the following:
1. Calm overactive nervous systems
During treatments, an acupuncturist can stimulate your parasympathetic nervous system, which is the system in charge of putting your body in “relaxation” mode. In other words, it can override and calm the systems that are responsible for putting your body into “fight or flight” mode. By tapping into the parasympathetic nervous system, acupuncture treatments can encourage the body to naturally engage in natural processes such as resting, digesting, and healing, and can decrease stress and anxiety.
2. Regulate cortisol and increase endorphins
In conjunction with activating the parasympathetic nervous system, acupuncture treatments can also decrease the overproduction of cortisol, also known as the stress hormone, and increase the release of endorphins, which naturally enhance our mood and reduce feelings of pain. This can help reduce feelings of depression and stress, and make us feel better on a daily basis.
3. Improve quality of sleep
Our sleep is an important process to rest and refresh both mind and body, but when we do not get enough of it, negative emotions are found to increase, and can contribute to the worsening of mental health problems. Acupuncture can prevent this from happening by improving the quality of your sleep; by stimulating specific pressure points to reduce blockages or disruptions in the flow of energy, and stimulating the production of natural melatonin, this treatment can improve sleep, and treat your mental health along the way.
An important aspect of acupuncture as a mental health treatment is that acupuncture does not suppress emotions, rather, it helps your body process and release them in a healthy and natural manner.
Working Together: Mind and Body
At Evolve Therapeutic, we understand the importance of mental health and its effects on our everyday lives. We want to give you the tools you need to work on your mental health, with professionals who have the background and experience to effectively help you through the ups and downs of life. We recommend trying either treatment, or both treatments simultaneously. Both counselling and acupuncture can provide you with the support, symptom relief, and stability that may be missing from your life. Both these treatments can work together to help you understand the physical, social, and emotional factors impacting your mental health, and both can alleviate the strain of daily and ongoing hardships.
If you or someone you know needs mental health help, we encourage you to contact our clinic to see if our treatments are right for you.
