Rebranding
Grace Therapy and Wellness Center Where Mental and Physical Wellness Intersect
Hello and welcome to our exciting rebrand!!! We are grateful to have you here.
Let us re-introduce ourselves:
Grace Therapy and Wellness Center began as Grace Couple and Family Therapy (GFCT). With the imminent opening of our new space in downtown Oak Park, we have evolved to include services beyond mental health with the knowledge that our mental and physical wellness are strongly intertwined.
Services provided will include: Individual, couple, family, and group therapy, mindfulness-based therapies, trauma-informed yoga, acupuncture, massage therapy, and art therapy.
The mind-body connection is at the root of our entire human experience, influencing how we perceive and feel our inner and outer worlds. Often, when our mind is in distress, physiological symptoms arise, and vice versa. Physical pain, harm, or threat of harm - whether injury, illness, abuse, or other - can affect the perceptions we hold of ourselves, the way we behave and relate to others, and the way we view the world. When we are in a situation of physical danger and feel a lack of control over our bodies, there is a lasting emotional, mental, and physical impact. Our bodies hold onto the experience, creating new brain pathways and behaviors, to protect itself. However, when the threat of danger or physical harm has passed, the learned behaviors often remain (Van Der Kolk, 2014).
So, what happens then?
While at one time these behaviors served a purpose – protection, safety, comfort – they can become inhibiting to our mental and physical wellbeing when the threat or harm has ended. These learned responses may no longer serve their original purpose, making it difficult to experience or develop feelings of safety, movement, and healthy connections. Our bodies remain in survival mode, whether we are conscious of this or not, and respond accordingly. Oftentimes, this can look like irritability, stress, distrust, lack of focus, or physical tension and discomfort (Van Der Kolk, 2014).
Sometimes talk therapy is not enough. Our bodies hold information, whether consciously or not, about our experiences. Activating, or tuning in, to our physical selves through manual or movement-based healing modalities - such as massage, yoga, and acupuncture - can bring about change in a deeper, more impactful way than talk therapy alone.
Inviting curiosity, openness, acceptance and love – or, COAL, an acronym created by Daniel Siegel - into a wellness routine that incorporates physical and mental practices, can help strengthen our mind-body connection. Beginning to notice how our bodies and minds respond to physical sensations and emotional experiences, helps tune into what our bodies hold so that we may release what no longer is beneficial to our wellbeing (Siegel, 2007).
The movement of our physical selves can activate the movement of emotions. Charles Darwin, in his book The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals theorized that the purpose of emotions are to cause movement in order to meet our basic needs of safety and physical equilibrium. He observed that all physical or emotional movement served a basic survival instinct to meet our needs (Darwin, 1872).
Yoga is impactful for healing trauma through its combination of physical movement and mindfulness. Yoga is a series of movements that combine focused breathing, gentle stretching, and strength building that contribute to overall mental clarity.
Different yoga practices have unique goals, but an overarching theme in yoga is the combination of intentional breath and movement. By moving our bodies, our emotions begin to move; yoga with mindfulness helps direct our focus towards the movement of our breath to guide and deepen our connection to our bodies and minds (Iyengar, 1966).
Acupuncture is another supplemental healing method useful in alleviating symptoms of physical tension. It can support therapeutic work by strengthening our mind-body connection through improved mental clarity and physical restoration. Acupuncture is a process where fine, sterile needles are inserted into specific points in the body to treat a variety of symptoms (Li et. al, 2013). This process helps to stimulate our central nervous system, making biochemical changes that promote wellbeing through the release of natural healing chemicals in our bodies.
Massage works similarly, in helping our bodies release tension in order to shift our mental and emotional states. Massage can bring about a deep state of relaxation through the tools and techniques provided. But more than that, massage therapy helps restore feelings of safety, security, and physical wellness when done in an intentional, supportive, and compassionate environment (Wheeler, 2020).
Grace Therapy and Wellness Center is dedicated to supporting client’s holistic healing. This means considering each client’s unique needs and experiences with compassion and purpose, to best support their individual healing.
Our supplemental healing modalities are offered with the knowledge and understanding that mental and physical wellness are deeply connected. Used in conjunction with traditional forms of therapy, tools such as mindfulness, yoga, acupuncture, and massage can support and strengthen our mind-body connection and deepen our understandings of ourselves to bring about meaningful change.
References
Darwin, C. (1872). The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals. London: J. Murray.
Iyengar, B. K. S. (1965). Light on yoga: Yoga dipika. London: Allen & Unwin.
Li, Q. Q., Shi, G. X., Xu, Q., Wang, J., Liu, C. Z., & Wang, L. P. (2013). Acupuncture effect and central autonomic regulation. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine. eCAM, 2013, 267959. https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/267959
Van der Kolk, Bessel A., (2015). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. New York, New York: Penguin Books.