Information for Mental Health Professionals

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-What is Yoga Therapy?
-Expectations for Individuals
-Expectations for Couples
-Traditional Therapy Clients
-Articles from PRYT

Yoga on the Mat

As a longtime devotee of both the therapy couch and the yoga mat, I was curious how the two blended together in phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy.[read more...]

Could your clients benefit from Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy?

Heather Whittington works with therapy, healthcare and corporate professionals to incorporate Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy into individual and group therapy plans. Operating under the assumption that the body is a repository for all life’s experiences, both positive and negative, Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy opens tensely held parts of the body so pent-up feelings, fears and resistances are revealed and transformed. When combined with traditional mental health therapy, it can be highly successful in dealing with:

Anger management
Eating disorders
Addictions
Sexual identity
Parenting/family issues
Depression

Grief management
Job stress
Fears and phobias
Caregiver issues
Self-esteem issues

Reversing body coping strategies.

PRYT is based on the premise that unresolved emotional experiences are stored in the body. Across time, our bodies reflect deep-seated tensions, not always within our conscious awareness. Individuals tend to develop body coping strategies similar to psychological and emotional defense mechanisms.

Heather respects all professional relationships and is happy to team with you and work with your clients and patients under your direction to combine therapies for the best possible results. She accepts referrals for private and couples sessions. She is also available for group therapy sessions and corporate and professional groups, including all ages from adolescents to seniors.

For example, adults who were verbally or physically abused as children, may tend to hunch the shoulders, reflecting a depressed poor self-image. Women who were sexually abused often experiences numbness, constriction or tension in the pelvic or hip area. And people who take on everyone else’s burdens and responsibilities may develop chronic neck and shoulder tensions. Through yoga therapy, they can realize their “pain in the neck” is a signal to stop taking care of the world and begin putting their own needs first. Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy helps clients explore these body patterns and change them.

How PRYT compliments the work of other professionals.

Unlike traditional mental health therapy, in PRYT the practitioner doesn’t offer direction, therapeutic assessment, treatment plans or interpretation. Sessions typically begin by getting out of the head and into the body. As opposed to talking about a problem, Heather guides a meditation intended to slow the mind and encourage the client to focus upon the body. The dialoguing techniques are reflective listening, nondirective and client-centered. The body-mind experience usually culminates in a new awareness of what changes are needed in the individual’s current situation to support their physical and emotional well-being. The client learns to rely on his or her own resources and inner wisdom.

Call 240-446-3030 today to learn how this modality can support your clients needs.