anahatawellness

Beyond Talk Therapy: Missing Links to Optimal Healing, Health and Wellness

Sun, 30 Nov 2025 09:12:45 GMT

Beyond Talk Therapy and Mindset Work: Why your wellness model might be failing you:

Do you ever feel like you’re doing all the right things - pouring your time, energy and resources into therapy, mindset work, personal growth books and podcasts, and yet somehow you still find yourself repeating the same patterns?! If you feel like you are stuck, plateauing in your healing journey or that you might just be a lost cause, I am here to tell you that most likely there is nothing wrong with you, you just might be needing to incorporate what I call the missing links to healing . This article lays out some of the why’s that patterns can be so stubborn and resistant and some of the hows to create more lasting change. Keep reading to awaken the forgotten path to healing.

First: Who I am I and why listen to me?

I always think that’s an important entry point. I have been a therapist for almost 20 years. I know, that might seem impossible and it always amazes me when I say that out loud but I started when I was very young. It was a calling to say the least! I’ve always had a deep and profound interest in people, a desire to understand them, their stories, their struggles and the depths of what shapes one's life. Through a lifetime of frequent travel, often solo travel, I have learned to view life through many different lenses, often through curiosity, compassion and authenticity.

As a result of my own family experiences with mental health challenges and my own personal experiences with trauma, complex ptsd and trauma healing, I developed an even greater affinity towards understanding humans and the mind body connection. This path led me to advanced studies in mental health and holistic approaches to healing, including the biology of trauma and attachment, the physiology of stress, the polyvagal theory and the science of safety and danger. I continued my body mind studies with certifications in mindfulness, yoga, subtle energetic anatomy and vibrational healing through flower essences.

As for my clinical experience I have done counseling in settings from psychiatric hospitals, non profits, foster care, schools, in homes and in private practice settings between NY and CA and I have had the privilege of working with people across the age span navigating mental health challenges and imbalances. Throughout this time, I have come to develop a very unique lens in healing the mind-body connection, one that includes some of what I call ‘the missing links’ to creating healing from the inside out.

Why we Struggle to create lasting change:

I am not sure your experience, but as a therapist for almost 20 years, I have heard a lot of stories of therapies past. Most people share experiences of symptom management not resolution- hence repeating patterns and stuckness. Let’s start with what I feel should be discussed in psych 101, something I find most of my colleagues are unfamiliar with even after decades of study and practice - the etymology of ‘psyche’- the root of psychology and psychiatry. Most people understand ‘psyche’ to mean the study of the mind, hence why there is so much focus on observing, challenging and restructuring thoughts and the mind to change behaviors, beliefs and patterns. Herein lies an important correction and how this may explain the forgotten roots of healing. What most people get wrong is that the etymology of psyche actually translates to breath, life and soul ! See the problem? Most ‘psyche’ practices and modalities are forgetting or ignoring the most important aspects of healing. So what does this mean? Psyche work has to do with more than just the mind. We must incorporate breath, body and soul! Enter: bottom up approaches.

What are bottom up approaches?

Have you ever been told to just ‘change your thinking?’ If it were only that easy, the world would be a better place. Have you ever tried to catch your thoughts realtime, in the moment? Even to simply try and observe thoughts can be a challenge, let alone try and change them. Thoughts tend to move very quickly, especially in a 5 G world, and just to normalize this, most of our thoughts move very quickly, often without conscious awareness. Have you ever noticed most of your thoughts are often full of worry and worst case scenarios- also normal. Here is the science behind this, in the biology and physiology- human thought patterns tend to err towards the negative or worst-case scenarios. This tendency is known as the negativity bias and actually serves function . Historically it is rooted in survival: anticipating potential threats gives us a better chance of protecting ourselves should there be danger. This is why a simple thought about dinner can quickly spiral into worry or catastrophic thinking. Again, this is a normal human tendency! It is literally in our biology. It is because of this survival functionality that thoughts need to move very quickly, literally at lightning speed. Making it even more difficult to track is that thoughts are invisible. We cannot see them nor hold them. Insert a missing link:

What is helpful to understand here is that the body and mind are always in communication, and the body will always match the state of the mind. When the mind is racing, fearful, or tense, the body mirrors that state- quick moving, tense and rapid thinking and speech.

The good news is that this connection is bidirectional ! Just as the mind influences the body, the body can also be used to influence the mind. This is the foundation of bottom up approaches. By becoming aware of physical sensations in the body- such as speed, volume, tension or even posture-we can use the body as an entry point to regulate the nervous system and shift our mental state.

This is why bottom-up methods are so powerful, because body cues and movements are tangible and observable: you can feel, see, and hear them. Simply using awareness, meaningful change becomes possible.

The How?

Bottom up approaches are simply bringing awareness to the body, for example, how is it moving, what is it doing, and where is it in the world, literally. In yoga we call the body soma- the root of somatics. You can try this as you read. Bring your attention to where your shoulders are. Are they up in your ears or can you relax them some. Notice your hands. Are they clenched in fists or can you soften their grip? What about your stomach? Can you relax your stomach? Now just start to notice what happens when you tune in to your body. Almost inevitably when we bring our attention to these spaces, we can relax them! Most of our default movements are in contraction, constriction and tension.

Let’s do one more. Without trying to change anything, I want you to just start to observe your breath. Notice how it is moving: Does it feel short, shallow, constricted or full and expansive? No right or wrong here, just observation. And did you notice that just by bringing your attention to your breath, it naturally began to change? Maybe slower, more full. Did you notice anything change in your mind state? This is how bottom up approaches work. Many people find it easier and more tangible to manipulate their breath than their thoughts. Now let’s go back to the etymology of psyche: Breath. Life. And soul.

Breath, posture, movement, and nervous system awareness give us tangible ways to access and calm the mind. Instead of fighting against runaway thoughts, we can anchor into the body and create a pathway for the mind to follow. This is the foundation of bottom-up approaches—and why they are often the missing link in healing and lasting change.

Simply by observing without judgement of the movements and sensations of this present moment. This is mindfulness . We first need to gain awareness of what state the body is in, then we can begin to shift it.

Are you ready to learn more? Dive into one of my community classes in The Space, connect with me at info@growinthespace.co or find me on IG @anahata_wellness. I would love to share these missing links, practices and education and help you move into more in bodied healing.

Putting the WE back in Wellness

Sun, 30 Nov 2025 09:12:45 GMT

Putting the WE back in wellness: why many of our wellness models are failing us?

Why putting the WE back into wellness is the game changer for healing, health and wellness.

As a therapist for almost 20 years, working in settings from psychiatric hospitals, foster care, non for profits, education systems and private practices across NY and CA and with a diversity of ages, bodies and imbalances, I have come to deeply understand our body mind connection, many of our wellness models, and also why they might be failing us. The answers lie in some of the roots and etymologies. In this article I am going to break down and help you remember some of the forgotten paths to wellness… and they are simpler than you think.

I always feel the answers, remedies and solutions lie right in front of us, just waiting to be seen. For example, in a world of conflict, disconnect and ever increasing divisiveness here in the States, there is a giveaway of the remedy in the name... UNITED. How very simple, right there in plain signt waiting to be remembered.

Ready to go a little deeper. Let’s try the word wellness. Big buzzword right now. How many times have you seen this word, especially if you are on the healing path? Have you ever paid attention to the first two letters? W. E. are the most important and overlooked literal entry points to our wellness. We. Community. Collaboration. And connection is the wellness. Let's get into it.

The power of this critical healing element actually has its roots in the survival patterns of our biology and taken from the polyvagal theory. The poly vagal theory basically explains the science of safety and danger and what happens in the brain- body connection when the body is in a state of safety or a state of danger.

I’ll save the deep dive for another conversation but in a short summary, when the body is in danger, whether real or perceived, many of the brain body circuitry systems go offline in an attempt to maximize the outcome of safety. What does this mean? No higher thought processes like logic, decision making, or critical thinking. Learning or memory go offline. Higher heart qualities go offline, meaning no compassion, kindness, understanding, forgiveness. Social engagement systems go offline- there is no need to socialize when we are in danger. Digestion, immune system and reproductive systems all go offline, as there is no need to digest food, heal or procreate if we are going to be food. Makes sense, but also makes sense why healing gets halted.

Whether healing a relationship, a memory, an experience, a perception, or a lineage- the required components are offline.

Here’s the piece we may not know. These systems are bidirectional. Meaning, we can reverse the process if we work from the bottom up. If we work with the body to teach it it is not in danger we can turn those systems back online. Said differently when we can engage in, encourage and reintroduce community and social connection, we can turn on the required components for healing. Why are we not taught this as 101 healing?

This is the crux of my work and why I have created The Space. A space where one can access weekly education, practices and community to have the body and brain remember safety so we can turn those healing circuits back online. Why this may be profound for the times is that it’s not just individual circuitry we are activating and impacting. When we access individual healing circuitry, we turn back online the healing circuitry of humanity.

We learn to be less reactive because we learn how to move out of the fear systems. We begin to trust more, we can respond from a higher heart and higher thought space instead of from an impulsive and threat based circuitry, i.e.Run, fight, fix/ fawn or shut down.

Thinking of your wellness model, how much of your wellness has included community and connection?

If you’re wanting to dive in deeper into nervous system awareness and training, begin to understand deeper the mind-body connection or start to learn my work, I started sharing the foundations on the Align with Love podcast and if you are wanting to learn, connect or practice with me, check out inthespace.co for the rotating class calendar or find my coaching work on Instagram at anahata_wellness. I would be honored to support you on your journey and help you learn the missing links!

Psyche As Soul: What is the Soul of Therapy?

Wed, 08 Jan 2025 09:12:45 GMT

What we are getting wrong about the 'psyche' in psychology.

Submitted by Erin Cutrone, LMHC

What a beautiful prompt to go into the new year with and what a powerful one to bring attention to both in the field and in these current times we are living in. Speaking my language here!! I have been a therapist for almost 20 years. I started young and right out of college and now own my own practice centered around heart centered healing. What is so interesting about writing on this topic right now is that just yesterday one of my mentees asked me, how did I know this was what I wanted to do?

I have always had a deep yearning for curiosity, being fascinated by the mechanics of things: how they work, why they are a certain way, with most things: weather patterns, celestial patterns, electricity, you name it, I am curious about it, but especially humans. I have always found us so intriguing: so complex, yet, as I have always understood us, also so very simple. My interest in people and understanding people took many forms: as a waitress and bartender supporting my life through my undergrad and masters degrees, I would talk to people every day and listen to people and observe. As an avid traveler and wanderer I would chat with people from all walks, inquiring about the details of family, of communications, of lifestyles and habits and practices, of norms and taboos. I would, and still do, pay attention to how we act when we are hungry, lost, or confused or how we speak when we are hurt, when we feel rejected or abandoned, when we are in love, or when we are excited. It all just came natural to me- curiosity and wonder of people's stories and how they came to be the person they are. Psychology is my nature.

And now as a therapist I bring those components and curiosities to the forefront, helping us find and understand the patterns and the mechanics and what’s underneath it all? What’s underneath the behavior? In our work, those behaviors come with labels- anxiety, anger, depression, outbursts, dissociation, rage. This is also where I insert a lot of tenderness as we explore these (what I call) mechanisms and adaptations. I call this practice delabeling, because although helpful to understand, if I accept and identify myself as ‘x’, how can I be ‘not x,’ and well, isn’t that the point of therapy- to create shifts and change. So I look to those behaviors as expressions- they are expressions of something deeper. What’s underneath it? A memory, a core wound, a fear, an insecurity, a need or perhaps a desire?

As I often see it, those patterns and mechanisms and adaptations are often protections of the heart and all the ways the mind and body protect itself from pain, even when we are not aware. Our bodies and minds are so acutely tuned into what could hurt us, or what has hurt us, even if it is just a resemblance of pains past, even if it is not even happening at all. Our bodies have learned some way of adapting to protect themselves. Sometimes we push away before it can even have the chance of hurting us, sometimes we avoid those instances we think we might get hurt. Sometimes we project, sometimes we shut down, sometimes we fix or fawn. As therapists, we are taught to pathologize these things, but what if we actually tried to really understand them?

Insert the soul of therapy. Why I love this prompt is a fun fact and one I speak to in my practice all the time. What most people understand psyche and psychology to be is the study of the mind. However, the etymology of psyche is in fact ‘breath, life, and soul.’

Going back to my own prompt: what's underneath the behaviors- is what the soul is trying to express: a need, a desire, a longing to take down the walls we put up around our hearts and all the ways we have created separation. It is trying to express the need for connection, for vulnerability, for humanness. And often, it is in those things that we tend to avoid because they are also associated with pain points, that we will find our healing and our deepest truths. Our souls desire for connection and belonging and experiences. One might think safety, but as I ponder this, I believe the soul trusts in it’s safety. It’s the body that needs safety. Soul work is a deeper level of understanding this.

I think being a therapist today, for me, is the practice of holding these deep and core truths sacred. It requires us to understand and listen for all of the ways the body and mind simply try to protect themselves from pain and at the same time, highlight the center point as the balance between those fears and our basic needs of connection. My practice centers around just this: a word and symbol taken from the yoga philosophies and really energetic anatomy: the center point between our past and our future, what is below us and what is above us, the physical fears and the souls desires, all come together in the heart. Anahata. And for so long I was going to scrap that as the business name, but when I really sit with it, it is the thing I think we all need to remember most.

I think as a therapist and as a human, to access this, requires the practices I teach and do myself daily- tuning into the nervous system and understanding what each body does when it feels a sense of safety and a sense of danger or threat, including our own, and learning how to disarm the defense mechanisms and lower those walls. I think as therapists it requires us bringing the hummanness back into the field- the vulnerability, the rawness, that we too have histories, have fears, worries, concerns- and when we can watch our own bodies in fear and communicate with them and be curious and ask them ‘what are you trying to tell me?’ ‘Is it true?’ ‘Is it perceived?’ ‘What do I truly need here?,’ we lead by example.

We live in a world where most nervous systems are operating in a threat and survival system. This is where I was so drawn to polyvagal theory. When our bodies are already primed for threat, we actually take in different information… from the very same experience, conversation, stimuli, even if that stimulus is neutral. A neutral expression will be interpreted as two very different cues depending on what nervous system we are operating from! I think bringing more nervous system awareness, and more specifically, nervous system training (a little different than regulating but in the same vein) will be pivotal in our practices, and not just in therapy, in the world!

Being a therapist today requires understanding our innate hummanness, and I believe this takes not just vulnerability, it requires softening. And I think we protect it in our field and in the world, by embodying it. When we ARE it, people feel it. When we ARE it, people see it. When we ARE it, we spread it and it can most definitely become contagious. And I believe that is the soul of therapy, remembering the soul of our humanness.

Want to dive deeper with me, find me on the Align with Love podcast where I lean into my own deepest fears and share more of my studies, contemplations, observations, curiosities and rants backed by science, philosophy and the endless pursuit to reconnect us to the power of love, our hearts and our true path to healing from the inside out or join us in The Space where we practice the art of inner mastery to achieve global wellness. I hope to see you there!