ReMind Body therapy

The energetic climate of the last few years has been intense to say the least, and for a lot of people, mental health took a hit. You can say the whole world is going through a healing crisis of sorts. However, what we call “mental health” isn’t limited to just our mental aspect , the whole term is somehow misleading. Emotional health would perhaps be a better name for it , but again it is limited. We have to look at a human as a whole - an ecosystem that is complicated, yet very intelligent. There is a tendency in the West to view the mind and the body as two separate entities, largely thanks to the Cartesian philosophy of the duality between the two. There is also a tendency to predominantly live in our minds - to think (and overthink), rather than feel and notice somatic (body) sensations.

As a result, a lot of us are disconnected from our bodies on a daily basis. Despite my mental health benefitting enormously from yoga classes, for a long time I didn’t connect the two, and it was almost a paradigm shift to learn just how important it is to include the somatic (body) work in the healing process of the so called “mental health”. By supporting the nervous system with the various tools and healing modalities available these days. By noticing , acknowledging, feeling and witnessing the sensations without the perpetual analysis of a thinking mind. Not an easy task if one chronically hasn’t felt safe in their body.

This is why I am very glad that this information is now available in the mainstream, and every day there are more places and individuals who understand this connection, this missing link in the recovery, and work to help people to feel better. “Re- Mind body therapy center” in West London is one such place, offering a wide range of therapies for the body, mind and spirit. Their team is passionate about supporting the community in these challenging times by offering both traditional talking therapies, as well as somatic treatments for affordable prices. I visited them couple of months ago and tried acupuncture, as well as craniosacral therapy, and found both very helpful with things like insomnia and anxiety.

While the talking therapies are no doubt essential and can give great results , there are times when they are simply not enough. If a person is severely traumatised, and emotinally disregulated as a result, somatic approach maybe what is needed at first to bring them to a place of feeling safety. The changes that happen in ones system due to the adverse experiences, aren’t only psychological- they are largely physiological, which is why the cognitive approaches to healing - thinking your way out of distressing symptoms don’t always work. When we are in a trauma response, the emotional zones of our brain such as amygdala and limbic system are activated , and we are pretty much unable to access the prefrontal cortex part of our brains. This is why thinking straight proves nearly impossible when in a highly disregulated state . As well as why expressions such as “it’s all in your head” don’t actually make sense. Head and body are in this together, nervous system covers everything, not just the brain.

Men and mental health. Another thing that I find inspirational about the “ReMind Body therapy centre”, is that they stress the importance of looking after mental wellbeing of men. It is no secret that there are sort of double standards for the two genders in the society when it comes to ones emotional expression. While both men and women are vulnerable at times, only women are “allowed” to be. Vulnerability and sensitivity are considered weak, as well as feminine traits. In reality they are neither weak, nor strictly feminine, but certain prejudices can be very pervasive and limiting for many. As a result, it is very hard for many men to even admit to themselves that they are struggling, let alone to seek help, and many suffer in silence. ReMind body therapy Center team are aware of this tendency, and are on the mission to change the stereotypes and prejudices, and hopefully help men with their mental health. See the Instagram slideshow post below for some statistics on the subject:

To sum things up - ReMind body therapy Center takes the best of both worlds - the Western cognitive/analytical modalities, as well as the Eastern holistic traditions, and as a result targets all layers of human system in their approach to healing. Complex approach to support complex creatures in these unprecedented times. The health and happiness of a society starts with the health and happiness of the individual. Physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. Which is why we need to build more communities that are trauma informed, and use the holistic approaches to help people heal the root course of their pain, as opposed to only addressing the symptoms.