Well+Being Holistic Mental Health
Emotional Health & Wellness Tips From The Therapy Couch And Other Places
Amino Acid Therapy To Heal Your Brain & Improve Your Anxiety, Depression, ADHD & More.
Some common reasons people reach out for therapy and counseling is to address their new or longstanding mental health challenges. Symptoms such as anxiety, depression, addiction, insomnia and lack of motivation are often so debilitating that they are unable to live the life they desire. In my experience, psychiatric medications are essential for many, and truly life saving. But for those who have not had success with traditional psychiatry, it’s worth considering the highly-effective natural solutions that are rarely offered in conventional medicine.
Many mental health symptoms are all indications that levels of neurotransmitters such as serotonin, GABA, and the catecholamines dopamine and norepinephrine (there are more) are low. This is otherwise known as neurotransmitter dysfunction or imbalance. There are four main neurotransmitters involved with mood and behavior, and they are: serotonin, GABA, endorphins and the catecholamines (dopamine/Norepinephrine). The main focus with Amino Acid Therapy in clinical practice is on the serotonin-catecholamine system. Low levels of each of these, lead to a very specific pattern of mental health symptoms. It’s important to know that there are many reasons why brains become depleted and imbalanced, such as, trauma, chronic stress, chronic pain, loss, poor nutrition, addiction, hormonal changes and genetic predisposition, and thankfully, there are effective and powerful ways to restore brain health.
Our bodies need amino acids to work properly, and they are crucial to metabolic function. Some amino acids are made by the body, and others come from your diet. Typically, when you consume a protein, your body breaks it down and what's left is the amino acid. Amino acids are precursors to neurotransmitters, and when these vital messengers are deficient or imbalanced, information is not relayed optimally in the brain, and symptoms arise. Amino acid therapy aims to heal and restore the brain to optimal functioning by supplementing what’s missing based on history, symptoms, behaviors and response to trial treatment.
Essential Oils For A Balanced Life
For nearly two decades, I have received the benefits of essential oils in my health and well-being and at home. I continue learning and refining my understanding of these healing plants and their chemistry, and how they powerfully assist healing and balance. Essential oils can be used for a range of physical and emotional wellness applications, either single oils or complex blends all have an impact at the cellular level. Many integrative therapists and wellness practitioners artfully add aromatherapy to enhance their yoga, ayurvedic or Reiki practice. Essential oils are usually administered by one of three methods: diffused aromatically, applied topically, or taken internally as dietary supplements. I love these oils and use them daily in my life and to enhance my personal yoga practice.
Nurse, Heal Thyself
(by Kim Seelbrede, originally posted on urbanzen.org)
The Healing Power of Self-Care for Nurses: A Reflection on Urban Zen Integrative Therapy at the NSNA Convention
As delicate snowflakes danced across the Utah sky, a sea of passionate and ambitious nursing students gathered in Salt Lake City for the 59th Annual National Student Nurses Association (NSNA) Convention. Beneath the buzz of clinical discussion and future-focused enthusiasm, a quieter and more essential invitation was extended to these frontline caregivers: to pause, to receive, and to restore.
In a serene space known as The Sanctuary—generously provided by Johnson & Johnson as part of their Campaign for Nursing’s Future—student nurses were welcomed into the calming embrace of Urban Zen Integrative Therapy (UZIT). It was here that many of them experienced, for the very first time, the profound impact of receiving care instead of providing it.
Nurses, Self-Neglect, and the Culture of Overgiving
The nursing profession is one of devotion, long hours, emotional labor, and unrelenting resilience. Nurses are celebrated as compassionate givers—but rarely taught the parallel art of receiving. In fact, many nurses internalize the idea that self-care is indulgent, or worse, selfish. As burnout and compassion fatigue become chronic conditions within the field, a new conversation must emerge: How do we care for the caretakers?
What many nurses are not taught in school—but urgently need—is the practical, embodied experience of self-care. Not a buzzword, not a spa day, but a deep nervous system reset. A return to being rather than constant doing. This is the heart of the Urban Zen Integrative Therapy model.
Creating a Healing Environment for Healing Professionals
Inside The Sanctuary, student nurses were guided through gentle restorative yoga poses, supported by skilled Urban Zen Integrative Therapists offering Reiki, essential oil therapy, and mindful breath awareness techniques. The results were immediate, visible, and profound. Stressed shoulders softened. Eyes welled with tears of release. Breathing slowed. Presence returned.
As one nurse quietly shared, “You’ve inspired me to take time for myself—to breathe and rest. I didn’t know how to do this.” Another student confided, “I feel blessed to have met you today. I’m finally able to be ‘in’ my body.”
These reflections speak to a deep and unmet need in the nursing profession: the need to feel safe enough to slow down and reconnect with the body. The need to be more than a set of hands. To feel held, witnessed, and restored.
Why Nurses Need More Than a Reminder—They Need a Roadmap
Nurses are often told to care for themselves, yet few are taught how. The Urban Zen Foundation responds to this gap with a practical and nourishing self-care curriculum that blends Eastern healing traditions with Western science—designed by healthcare professionals, for healthcare professionals. This model includes:
Breathwork to regulate the nervous system
Restorative movement to release tension
Aromatherapy to shift emotional states and stimulate the limbic system
Reiki to restore energetic balance
Mindfulness practices to create calm and improve focus
These are not just self-care techniques. They are professional survival tools. When nurses are given permission and guidance to nourish themselves, they show up more fully—not only for patients but for their own lives.
Reclaiming Wholeness in a Fragmented System
The burnout crisis in healthcare is not simply about long hours and heavy caseloads—it’s about disconnection. Nurses have been trained to override their own needs for the sake of others. This disconnection from the self is unsustainable. Without intentional practices of reconnection, even the most skilled and passionate caregivers will feel depleted.
Our time in Salt Lake City was a call to action. As healthcare professionals and advocates, we must do more than remind nurses to take care of themselves—we must equip them with the knowledge, experiences, and embodied tools to make that care accessible and sustainable.
Try A Little Mindfulness In Your Daily Life
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:
Lifestyle Changes To Reduce Chronic Pain, Inflammation And Depression
Understanding the Link Between Depression, Inflammation, and Mind-Body Healing
As a holistic psychotherapist in New York City, I frequently work with high-functioning professionals, creatives, and individuals navigating emotional and physical symptoms that overlap. Many clients come to therapy reporting concerns such as fatigue, low energy, insomnia, body aches, loss of interest in daily activities, reduced libido, social withdrawal, and appetite changes.
While these symptoms often resemble depression, the underlying cause isn’t always psychological. Chronic inflammation and physiological stress can also manifest as mood changes and emotional distress. At Holistic Psychotherapy & Wellness NY, I take an integrative approach—helping clients address emotional pain while exploring contributing physical and lifestyle factors.
What Is the Connection Between Depression and Inflammation?
Emerging research reveals a strong, bidirectional relationship between inflammation and depression. According to the American Journal of Psychiatry, chronic inflammation can contribute to depressive symptoms—and depression itself may activate inflammatory processes in the body.
Inflammation plays a role in several chronic health conditions, including:
Type 2 diabetes
Cardiovascular disease
Metabolic syndrome
Rheumatoid arthritis
Multiple sclerosis
Asthma
Psoriasis
Chronic pain syndromes
These conditions are also associated with an increased risk of depression and anxiety.
What Causes Chronic Inflammation?
Inflammation is the body’s natural response to injury, trauma, or infection. However, when inflammation becomes chronic or systemic, it can create a cascade of physical and emotional health problems. Contributing factors include:
Chronic stress and elevated cortisol
Poor diet and blood sugar instability
Hormonal imbalances
Food allergies and intolerances
Environmental toxins
Hidden infections
Sleep deprivation
Over- or under-exercising
If you experience persistent depressive symptoms, pain, or fatigue—and lab markers such as C-reactive protein (CRP) are elevated—it may be time to address inflammation as part of your wellness plan.
Conquering Food Addictions With Dr. Neal Bernard
On a crisp autumn day in the West Village, the Urban Zen Center hosted acclaimed physician and nutrition researcher Dr. Neal Barnard, founder of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. The focus of the event? Winning weight battles, curbing food cravings, and reversing chronic disease through the power of a plant-based diet.
Titled “Winning Weight Battles and Conquering Cravings,” the six-hour workshop offered guests a rich blend of nutrition science, practical strategies, and mouthwatering vegan food demonstrations—all centered on addressing the epidemic of food addiction and the growing burden of lifestyle-related disease in America.
Food Addiction And The Brain: The Science Behind The Cravings
Dr. Barnard explained that common comfort foods—especially cheese, chocolate, meat, and sugar—can trigger addictive responses in the brain. These foods stimulate the release of dopamine, the brain’s “feel-good” neurotransmitter, through mechanisms similar to those seen in substance addiction.
When we consume these foods regularly, the brain learns to associate them with reward and pleasure, making it difficult to resist cravings. This neurological loop can lead to overeating, weight gain, insulin resistance, and increased risk for chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and even depression.
According to Dr. Barnard, the food industry, backed by government subsidies and aggressive marketing, capitalizes on this natural craving response—creating a cycle that’s hard to break without intentional dietary change.