Integrative/Holistic Therapy

An Example of Integrative Therapy for an Emotionally Abused Woman

Greta* was referred by a physician because of lower back pain that he couldn’t find a physical reason for even though he went through exhaustive testing with her. Greta was a middle-aged woman who initially presented as there were no problems in her life except the back pain.

With my training and knowledge of the maxim, “Our Issues are in Our Tissues,” I proceeded with the intention of at least reducing her pain. My approach was based on knowing that physical pain is always exacerbated by our emotional distress connected to physical injury and is very likely a result of an unresolved emotional conflict.

Greta focused on her back pain using Brainspotting and Bilateral Stimulation, the core element of E.M.D.R. (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), to see if we could least reduce the pain.

In the first session, we reduced the pain enough that she was convinced to return to continue trying to reduce the pain even more.

Over the next couple of sessions, it became clear to Greta that her lower back pain was related to her rather severe anger at her husband, who was emotionally abusive. The more she worked on this issue, the more the back pain released until it was gone entirely.

After the back pain was gone, she still needed to continue to work on her anger issues with her husband because he continued his abusive behavior despite Greta’s attempts at getting him to stop. She decided she would stay in the relationship because her husband was “so good to me in other ways.”

Greta also realized that her husband’s abusive behavior was more of the same abuse she suffered from her mother growing up. We processed this trauma, and she eventually learned how to put up better boundaries. She realized his abuse was not about her but him and his inability or unwillingness to deal with his childhood issues, causing his need to project his self-loathing behaviors onto others.

She stopped using the Brainspotting and the Bilateral Stimulation after a while because she was more comfortable working on her issues with other methods I taught her, like Reiki and one called Ask and Receive.

These methods are more spiritual in their makeup and use Universal Energy as Reiki is described. Ask and Receive is a simple method to connect with our Higher Selves to get our answers.

I also taught her how to meditate and do breath work to calm her mind down. She continues to practice those methods.

Greta continues to work on and improve her self-esteem, exercising regularly and getting involved in projects around the house and in the community that she enjoys, feeling much happier than when we first met.

What is Integrative Therapy?

Integrative therapy is a progressive form of psychotherapy that combines different therapeutic tools and approaches tailored to the needs of the individual client.

Integrative psychotherapists consider the individual characteristics, preferences, needs, physical abilities, spiritual beliefs, and motivation level of their clients. They use their professional judgment to decide the best approach to therapy for each client.

Different approaches may be used consecutively throughout various stages of the therapeutic process, or a single form of therapy may be used throughout, depending on the situation and the client’s preferences.

The integrative psychotherapy model aims to respond to the person with particular attention to affective, behavioral, cognitive, and physiological levels of functioning and spiritual beliefs.

It incorporates the fundamental principles of traditional psychotherapy and Holistic medicine to promote healing on all levels: emotional, physical, mental, social, and spiritual, thus providing treatment of your whole being and all of its parts and complete healing of your mind, body, and spirit.

Studies have shown that tailoring therapy to the individual client enhances treatment effectiveness.

By combining elements drawn from different schools of psychological theory and research, Integrative Therapy becomes a more flexible and inclusive approach to treatment than more traditional, singular forms of psychotherapy.

As an Integrative Therapist, I believe You Are an Individual, Not a Disorder or illness, or disease. Arguably the most convincing reason to choose Integrative Therapy is its customization. There is no one easy solution that applies to all individuals. However, through Integrative Therapy, medical professionals can treat the individual, not the disease.

I am trained in several different psychological theories and draw upon these different approaches to help each client in a way that best suits that person’s needs. By using lots of successful techniques, therapy can be more effective for each client.

To see an overview of some methods I may use, please visit the My Approach page. For a more detailed listing of all these therapies and methods I am trained in, please click here.

• Help you experience emotional healing from anxiety, worry, fear, panic, P.T.S.D., trauma, abuse, etc.
• Encourage you, motivate you, and empower you to overcome barriers and limiting beliefs, improve your relationships, resolve conflicts and set healthy boundaries,
• Help you find your true potential by removing the blocks that are stopping you from realizing your true power so you can develop an abundance mentality, and
• Help you become clear about what you want and begin attracting the life that you want.

Testimonial

“How do you thank someone who has helped you come to terms with some of the most difficult and all-encompassing issues of your life? Finally enabling you to come to terms with them and feel at peace for the first time in many years. That’s what I’d like to thank Dave Dodge for. And then he tells me it’s just the beginning.”
S.S.

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*Name changed to protect client’s confidentiality.