What do Martin Luther King Jr, Princess Diana, Isaac Newton, Florence Nightingale and Marilyn Monroe have in common? They all suffered from variations of mental health disorders, ranging from depression to bipolar disorder to psychotic episodes. According to the World Health Organization, one in four people will experience mental health challenges in their lifetime — that’s one-quarter of the world’s population. While treatments are available, what prevents the vast majority of people from seeking help from a mental health professional?
Simply put: embarrassment and shame.
Nearly two-thirds of people with a known mental disorder never seek help, because stigma and discrimination prevent people from reaching out. If we’re not ashamed when our bodies get sick, why should we be ashamed when our minds are unwell?
When it Comes to The Mind, There is no Normal
Every single body and brain are built differently. While we’d like to think of some behaviors as “normal,” there honestly isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution for anything when it comes to whole health. To help remove the stigma around mental health, it might help to be reminded that no one is immune to suffering from depression, regardless of how fortunate – or challenging – your life circumstances may be.
And if you think you’re the only one to experience shame in your life, then perhaps it’s worthwhile to revisit Brene Brown’s powerful TED talks on vulnerability and shame, which have been viewed over 49 million times. Obviously, it’s a topic that hits home, because it’s something so many of us struggle with.
Getting Help for Your Mental Health is a Sign of Strength
The more we talk about the vitality of mental health, the more normal it becomes. According to Lea Seigen Shinraku, MFT, a therapist in private practice in San Francisco, “Shame relentlessly repeats a very convincing story about how a person is not acceptable as-is; that in order to belong and to be lovable, they have to be other than how [and] who they are.”
Occasionally, shame can serve as a protective mechanism to prevent you from looking at the root of your depression and anxiety. That’s why it can be helpful to reframe seeking alternative treatments for depression and anxiety as a sign of strength; a sign that you’re willing to face your shadows head-on and work through them in order to truly live well.
What Kinds of Alternative Treatments for Depression and Anxiety are Helpful?
Deepening your self-compassion, building your self-esteem, and connecting with others are the starting blocks for a holistic-based treatment for wellness. By working with therapists in both individual and small-group settings, you’re able to dive into inner work and practice receiving support from others who are on a similar journey.
And, with an integrated approach that includes nutrition, bodywork, acupuncture, herbalism, Energy Medicine, Functional Medicine, psychology and psychiatry, you’re able to address the core and outer lying issues for sustainable healing.
Read more about our holistic treatment approach in our article, Healing The Whole: Why We Offer Alternative Treatment for Drug Addiction That Connects the Mind, Body, Soul, and Spirit.
If you’re ready to be free of the guilt and shame around mental health that so many of us have experienced, call us at (877) 710-3385 or email us at [email protected] today.