For as long as you can remember, others have labeled you as “too shy” or “too sensitive.” It sure doesn’t feel good to hear this, but it does describe your reality on the daily. Thinking about it, you’ve always felt alone, or very different. You may be more reactive than most to the moods of others, criticism can feel especially hostile, external stimuli and energy drains you. These are just a few examples of what it’s like as a Highly-Sensitive Person (HSP), also known as deep-feelers, neurodivergent individuals and Sensory-Processing Sensitivity (SPS). Navigating a noisy, demanding world as a highly-sensitive person can be disabling for many especially as you attempt to accommodate and manage the accompanying anxiety and depression. But remember, sensitive folks have great gifts. They tend to experience high levels of perceptivity and intuition, empathy and super-attunement, and even high levels of creativity. Sometimes, your exquisite sensitivity feels like a gift; it can also feel like a curse. Please know that you are not alone and you do not need to suffer in silence.

Mental health recovery and trauma recovery is not a linear process, and thinking that it should be only creates more shame and defeat. As you walk the path of healing, It’s important to remember that…

• the grief process is not linear

• mental health recovery is not linear

• addiction recovery is not linear

• healing a broken heart is not linear

• trauma processing is not linear

• learning to set healthy boundaries is not linear

• self-growth in therapy and counseling is not linear

Be kind to YOU and offer yourself compassion and grace every time you stumble or fall. This is how you heal.

Couples or those working with others in partnerships or other kinds of relationship dyads often need skills and tips on how to enter a discussion, and the best strategies for keeping it calm, and ultimately successful. Beginning an important discussion can be fraught with conflict, apprehension and fear. What follows are some simple tips to keep the conversation constructive. While the goal might be to make a point, have your point taken seriously, right a wrong or solve a problem, many conversations devolve into screaming matches. What follows are some simple communication pointers to keep important discussions from spiraling out of control.

Healing Trauma: How Holistic Psychotherapy Can Help You Reclaim Safety, Stability, and Emotional Freedom

Trauma changes the brain—but healing does too.

At Holistic Psychotherapy & Wellness NY, we understand that trauma—whether it’s a single overwhelming event or a history of chronic, developmental adversity—can fundamentally alter your nervous system, sense of safety, and ability to trust yourself and others. But we also know that with the right therapeutic support, the brain and body have an extraordinary capacity to rewire, rebuild, and recover.

Trauma Rewires The Brain—But So Does Healing

When traumatic experiences go unprocessed, they can keep the nervous system stuck in survival mode. Over time, the brain creates protective loops that perpetuate hyperarousal, emotional numbing, flashbacks, and a persistent feeling that the world is unsafe. These patterns are reinforced through repeated rumination, re-telling, and avoidance, deepening the grip trauma has on daily life.

The good news? Neuroplasticity—the brain’s natural ability to form new neural connections—allows us to release old trauma loops and build pathways rooted in safety, connection, and regulation. Therapy can support this transformation by offering resourcing, co-regulation, and reparative experiences that tell the body and brain: it’s safe to heal now.

“It’s Not Safe To Be Well”: The Hidden Belief That Keeps Trauma Alive

Many trauma survivors come to therapy with a surprising inner conflict—they deeply want to heal, yet feel resistance to feeling “well” or “whole.” This resistance is often rooted in a subconscious belief: if I relax, I won’t be ready for danger. Healing may feel unsafe, even threatening.

This belief is a survival strategy. After all, if you’ve been harmed before, staying hyper-vigilant can feel protective. But this chronic stress response blocks access to joy, connection, and rest. At Holistic Psychotherapy & Wellness NY, we work gently to explore and reprocess these beliefs so that you can begin to experience wellness without fear.

What Does Trauma-Informed Healing Involve?

Each healing journey is unique. Whether you’re struggling with the effects of childhood trauma, sexual trauma, emotional abuse, medical trauma, or PTSD, our practice supports you in cultivating safety—internally and externally—before processing painful memories.

We offer therapy for trauma using modalities like:

How Meditation and Mindfulness Support Anxiety, Depression, and Emotional Healing: A Holistic Psychotherapy Perspective

Many of my clients in New York City come to therapy and wellness coaching seeking relief from persistent symptoms of anxiety, depression, addiction, disordered eating, and emotional overwhelm. Increasingly, they are drawn to holistic practices like meditation and mindfulness—natural tools that help regulate the nervous system, improve mood, and promote emotional resilience.

Motivated by both personal curiosity and promising research, these clients are looking for therapeutic strategies that support healing without relying solely on medication. For individuals seeking integrative, non-pharmaceutical options, meditation and mindfulness practices can be powerful complements to psychotherapy.

The Science Behind Mindfulness And Mental Health

Over the past decade, peer-reviewed studies and neuroscience research have shown that consistent mindfulness and meditation practices lead to positive changes in brain function and structure. These changes include:

• Decreased activity in the amygdala (the brain’s fear center)

• Increased gray matter in areas related to emotional regulation

• Improved connectivity in regions associated with focus and executive functioning

• Reductions in cortisol levels and blood pressure

• Enhanced immune system response and resilience to stress

For clients struggling with panic disorder, generalized anxiety, or mild to moderate depression, mindfulness-based interventions have been shown to reduce emotional reactivity, increase present-moment awareness, and support behavioral change.

A Therapist’s View: Why Mindfulness Belongs In Mental Health Care

As a psychotherapist trained in both traditional and integrative modalities, I have long encouraged interested clients to incorporate mindfulness, meditation, and body-based practices into their healing process. Especially for those who prefer a non-medication route, a multi-modal treatment approach can include:

This week in my eating disorder seminar, we revisited the concept of distress tolerance—the quiet, powerful skills we call upon when emotions feel overwhelming. As we explored how to navigate emotional intensity, I found myself reflecting on one of the most grounding practices we have: radical acceptance.

In a culture that urges us to fight, fix, or fake our feelings, radical acceptance invites something entirely different. It asks us to soften. To lean into the truth of what is, without judgment or resistance. It doesn’t mean we approve of pain or give up hope. It means we stop fighting reality—and begin meeting ourselves with compassion and clarity.

What Does Radical Acceptance Look Like?

1. Choosing to accept, fully and from within
   True acceptance isn’t performative or forced. It’s not bypassing, and it’s not pretending. It comes from within, and it begins with the willingness to be honest about what’s here.

2. Recognizing that pain is part of being human
   Every one of us experiences fear, sorrow, grief, shame, and heartbreak. These emotions are not flaws. They are evidence of aliveness. When we stop judging our pain, we begin to suffer less.

3. Stopping the fight against reality
   Resisting emotions often amplifies them. Avoiding pain often deepens our distress. Radical acceptance helps us release the exhausting need to control what cannot be controlled. And in doing so, we begin to make space for peace.

It’s not the emotion itself that overwhelms us. It’s the struggle against it.

Improving the Moment: Skills from DBT Therapy

When radical acceptance feels out of reach, distress tolerance skills from Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) can help us get through the moment without making things worse. One helpful acronym is IMPROVE, which offers small, doable strategies to shift your state and calm your nervous system.

Imagery
Visualize a safe or peaceful place. Allow yourself to engage all your senses. Imagine what you see, hear, smell, and feel in that space. Let your body respond as if it were real.

(by Kim Seelbrede, originally posted on urbanzen.org, Nov 10, 2010)

Mark Hyman, MD Returns to Urban Zen: A Functional Medicine Approach to Reversing Diabesity and Chronic Disease

The Urban Zen Center was honored to welcome back Mark Hyman, MD, a visionary leader in functional medicinewho lovingly refers to Urban Zen as his "second home." On October 30, 2010, a packed studio gathered in the heart of New York City’s West Village for a full-day workshop on one of the most urgent health crises of our time: Diabesity—a metabolic epidemic at the intersection of obesity, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes.

Dr. Hyman, a best-selling author and founder of The UltraWellness Center, delivered a compelling, science-backed message: chronic disease is not inevitable—and it is often reversible through lifestyle and systems-based medicine.

Understanding Diabesity: A National Health Crisis

“Diabesity” is the term Dr. Hyman uses to describe a spectrum of metabolic dysfunction that ranges from mild blood sugar imbalances to full-blown type 2 diabetes. And the numbers are staggering:

• Nearly 3 out of 4 Americans are classified as overweight or obese.

• 1 in 3 military volunteers is considered unfit for service due to obesity.

• Children today may be the first generation not expected to outlive their parents.

This epidemic isn’t just a public health concern—it’s been labeled a national security threat by military leaders.

Dr. Hyman challenged us to rethink what we’ve been told about health and disease. The problem, he explained, is not genetic fate or bad luck—it’s the failure of conventional medicine to address the root causes of chronic disease. Instead of masking symptoms, we must treat the whole system. That’s where functional medicine steps in.

Functional Medicine: Treating Root Causes, Not Just Symptoms

Throughout the day, Dr. Hyman introduced key concepts that underpin his functional medicine approach, including:

• Epigenetics & Nutrigenomics: We may carry genes for disease, but lifestyle choices can influence whether those genes are expressed. By addressing nutrient intake, inflammation, and cellular stress, we can “turn down” harmful genes and “turn up” healing ones.

Making the decision to begin therapy is a significant and empowering step. But for many in New York City—where therapy options seem endless—the process of choosing the “right” therapist can feel overwhelming, even paralyzing. Whether you’re seeking therapy for yourself, your relationship, or your family, understanding the landscape of available approaches can make all the difference.

If you’re unsure where to begin, a helpful resource is The Huffington Post's article on different types of therapy, which offers an introductory look at several major modalities: Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Family Therapy, and Group Therapy. While not exhaustive, it’s a useful starting point for understanding how therapy styles align with specific mental health needs.

Therapy Is Not One-Size-Fits-All

At Holistic Therapy & Wellness NY, we frequently hear from individuals and couples who have tried therapy before and felt it “didn’t work.” Often, the issue wasn’t therapy itself—it was a mismatch between their needs and the therapist’s approach.

• If you’re struggling with self-defeating or self-sabotaging patterns, Psychoanalytic or Depth Therapy can help uncover unconscious motivations that drive behavior.

• If your concerns revolve around anxiety, panic, or trauma, evidence-based treatments like EMDR, Somatic Psychotherapy, and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy can be transformative.

• Couples in conflict should seek a therapist trained in Couples Therapy, ideally using structured methods like the Gottman Method, Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), or Imago Relationship Therapy.

• For high-achieving professionals, creatives, and public figures in NYC, a discreet, holistic approach that integrates neuroscience, somatic healing, and emotional intelligence is often most effective.

How To Choose The Right Therapist In NYC

While directories like Psychology Today can help you browse local therapists, sometimes a brief phone consultation isn’t enough to make an informed decision. Many of our NYC clients find that a paid consultation with an experienced, licensed psychotherapist provides the clarity needed to choose the best therapeutic path. In these consultations, we explore your goals, challenges, and preferences, and make personalized recommendations tailored to your emotional, relational, and nervous system needs.