Our mental health is essential to our physical and emotional well-being. However, we can shy away from beginning therapy because we don’t want others to think we are “crazy.” The fear of being labeled or what happens in therapy can keep us from addressing our mental health needs.
Mental Health Stigma
The stigma of therapy creates a hesitancy to engage in individual or group therapy. While the media, entertainment, and social media are working to destigmatize mental health treatment, some misconceptions remain.
Also, in some cultures, mental health treatment is viewed as a weakness or unacceptable. We can enter treatment and, at a later point, involve our family to help break down the stigma and educate them about the benefits of therapy.
The idea of sitting and talking to someone can seem daunting. Some people don’t feel comfortable talking to a person or others about their feelings. Others may have traumatic experiences that are difficult to talk about or share. Therapy isn’t a one-size-fits-all experience. Mental health providers and treatment centers offer various therapies, including traditional, dialectical behavior therapy, and cognitive. Holistic therapies, yoga, or writing therapy are other forms of therapy.
Finding the Right Fit
When we begin therapy, we can discuss with our therapist our comfort zones and then set out on finding the right type of therapy for our treatment. Then, when we work with our therapist to find a style or type of therapy we respond to, we step forward in healing our mind and body.
Perhaps we find cognitive behavior therapy combined with acupuncture meets our needs. Or maybe we try eye movement desensitization and reprocessing to help us with our well-being. Our therapy treatments can evolve or change as we proceed further into our treatment.
Sometimes we need more than bi-weekly or weekly care. If we agree we can benefit from the intensive treatment, we can enter into an inpatient program. Inpatient programs allow us to focus on our mental health needs without outside distractions. Spending time focused solely on our psychological and physical health will enable us to dive into our past experiences, our coping mechanisms and build healthy traditions. Before we finish inpatient care, we will create an aftercare plan that includes individual sessions and tips to maintain new yoga, aqua, or art therapy skills. We will also learn how to cope with the stress and pressures in our everyday lives.
The stressors in our lives play an integral role in how we feel emotionally. At times, the environment that we live in dictates how we think or behave towards others and ourselves. We can’t always change our setting, but we can choose to change how we view our lives. Avalon Malibu’s scenic, peaceful setting guides us to focus on our well-being. Through our comprehensive care-traditional and holistic forms of therapy, we can find what feels right. Our search for our well-being deserves compassionate, comprehensive care. To learn more, call Avalon Malibu, (844) 857-5992.
