If you follow this page, it’s been a minute since I posted one of these. Like a full year kind of minute. Over the past year I have been working to integrate my love for holistic healing and mental health services. Workings clinically, traveling, writing, reading, teaching. All getting me to this place, an integration of knowledge to help others. If you want to know more about these experiences check out our podcast Mental Maps. From a Shaman in Costa Rica to specialists in the field we have learned and continue to learn so much. What I have come to understand is that what we know in the world of health in western culture is a very small sample size in the grand scheme of health. Most psychiatric work in the west occurs inside a medical model focusing on diagnosing and symptoms management. For most of my career I have been in a role consisting of this. Throughout this time, I began to see the challenges with this model. People taking medication after medication with little to no improvement. Now not everyone is like this, and I have seen psychiatric medications be life changing for so many people. As I tell students all the time: no matter what your diet is or lifestyle looks like, if you’re in a psychiatric crisis these interventions won’t change it in the short term. Sometimes medication is needed, sometimes it’s not. This is where the integrative approach comes in. In a world where we live on extremes it can sound weird finding a balance. There is so much noise saying this one intervention or style of thinking is the fix all. “Do blank and you will be happy, healthy, and well.” For some the one intervention works. The diet or medicine or herb or workout creates balance. But for most this is not the case. I truly believe any form of wellness, including mental wellness is not achieved through one intervention. There is a way to use diet, supplements, herbs, therapy, and if needed medication. This is true healing, having all the tools and using them based on what the person needs. This is the goal of Arukah Well. So, if you are in need, schedule with us. Our goal is to truly identify the cause and provide personalized treatment using interventions we believe in. Healing is possible but it’s a journey, let us journey with you.
Dr. Josh