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THE  HOLISTIC NATURAL THERAPY   HOME PAGE

 

CONTACT INFORMATION FOR: appointments, e-mail, telephone, office address

 

BIOGRAPHY PAGE:  Dr.  ERIC RISS and  Dr.  MIRIAM RISS

 

INFORMATION, TREATMENTS, and EFFECTIVE CURES FOR:

Depression,  Panic Attacks,  Anxiety,  Bipolar  Problems,  ADD,  ADHD,  Sleep Problems,   Post-Traumatic Stress,  Eating Disorders,  Career  Issues, Communication and Relationship Problems,  Postpartum Depression,  Trust Issues  etc.

 

COUPLES THERAPY, MARRIAGE  COUNSELING, PREMARITAL COUNSELING

 

INDIVIDUAL THERAPY - HOW TO BE and DEVELOP ONE'S SELF

 

FREEDOM AND THE GOOD LIFE

 

HOW TO ACHIEVE POSITIVE and CONSTRUCTIVE CHANGES IN ONE'S LIFE

 

ARTISTS, WRITERS, ACTORS and PERFORMERS PSYCHOTHERAPY

 

HOW TO ELIMINATE PSYCHOLOGICAL SUFFERING BY MAKING CONSTRUCTIVE LIFE CHOICES

 

LINKS TO USEFUL WEB SITES

 

READINGS AND REFERENCES

 

Professional World-Wide Network

 

Question of the Month

 

 

 

   

INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOTHERAPY

AND

COUPLES THERAPY

FOR

COMPREHENSIVE  WELL-BEING,

HAPPINESS AND HUMAN DIGNITY

(HOME PAGE)

 

WELCOME !

Natural psychotherapy, developed by New York Drs. Eric and Miriam Riss is a therapy focused not only on good results, but on results that last. 

It is an alternative holistic treatment that helps people of all ages deal constructively with personal problems, relationship difficulties and "mental illness" issues such as depression, anxiety, panic attacks, bipolar disorders, etc.

This natural treatment does not use psychiatric diagnosis and labeling, psychiatric drugging, psychiatric electro-shocking, psychiatric trans-cranial magnetic tinkering, or any of the negative, risky, and unproven ideas and practices of psychiatry. (Please see FAQs  #1, #2, and #3, below)

Instead, in this positive natural therapy - whether individual holistic therapy, couples therapy, couples counseling, or marriage counseling - something truly beneficial occurs:

     Women and men of all ages and backgrounds learn how to acquire the necessary practical skills for new and creative problem solving, effective stress management, and the maintenance of a life of psychological balance and human dignity!

* * * * *

And then what happens?

What significant benefits occur when depression, anxiety, and panic are understood and treated naturally and holistically without drugs or so-called "medications"?

Two important results take place when you start using this  alternative and comprehensive

highly effective therapy, treatment and help for depression, panic attacks, anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder - PTSD, attention deficit disorder - ADD, ADHD, obsessive-compulsive disorder - OCD, phobias, schizophrenia, communication and relationship problems, sex problems, trust issues, postpartum depression, eating disorders - anorexia, bulimia, etc., sleep disorders, career issues, creative blocks, spiritual problems, etc.

1.  The first thing that happens in this safe, solution-focused therapy is that you start feeling better!

2.  And secondly, what is even more significant then occurs: You discover and learn practical new ways not only to get better, but actually to stay better! 

* * * * *

CLICK HERE for CONTACT INFORMATION and learn how you can actually acquire the information and techniques to overcome depression, anxiety and panic naturally; how you can develop fulfilling relationships and really thrive in your personal life!

* * * * *

Find out how, in this complex world of so much stress, conflict, and suffering one can attain and maintain a constructive life style and comprehensive well-being.

And, most importantly, also discover how you can clarify where you are in life, where you want to go, and how you can actually get there!

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AVAILABILITY

Local and World-Wide:

HOLISTIC HEALING is available  at The Psychotherapy Center of New York and in every state of the U.S.A. and every country in the world.

Local:

This holistic, alternative treatment is available locally in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, Staten Island, Connecticut, and New Jersey by means of in-office personal therapy, couples counseling, and marriage counseling.

World-Wide:

And throughout the U.S. and internationally, this effective healing process is offered on a global, world-wide basis via special e-mail and telephone sessions.

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NEW YORK CITY

MANHATTAN OFFICE HOURS: Mon.- Fri., Days and Evenings (By Appointment Only)

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NEW YORK CITY LOCATION for effective problem-solving techniques:

The Holistic Psychotherapy Center

174 East 73rd Street

NYC, NY  10021

TO  M A K E  A N  A P P O I N T M E N T  FOR  NATURAL PSYCHOTHERAPY, COUNSELING,  OR COACHING, PLEASE CLICK HERE

                                                     

                              L E A R N   H O W   T O   G E T  

                                   T H E    R E S U L T S

                            Y O U   R E A L L Y   W A N T 

  * * * * *

DISCOVER

 how you can successfully treat, heal, and cure

any psychological problem as well as any of the so-called "biochemical mental disorders"

without psychiatric interventions!

  * * * * *

Learn how "TO BECOME"

Learn how "TO BE"

 FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN ATTAIN and MAINTAIN EACH OF THE FOLLOWING

P R E S C R I P T I O N S

FOR

LASTING WELL-BEING and HAPPINESS :

 

*be positive and constructive*

*be curious, doubting, questioning, exploring*

 *be loving, humane and kind to yourself and others* 

 *be compassionate and ethical to yourself and others*

*have an active, responsible, and healthy life style*

  *do research, be logical and think clearly*

   *be bold, be free, and be your self*

  *have relationships you love*

  *do work you love*

   *stay focused*

    *stay relaxed*

    *thrive*

 

    * * * * *

J U S T   C L I C K   H E R E  FOR A MORE SATISFYING, MORE FULFILLING, AND MUCH BETTER WAY OF LIFE

                                                        * * * * *

 

FAQ - FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

 

1. Which problems, "mental illness" issues and symptoms does this holistic, natural therapy help resolve and how does it accomplish that?

2. * In what specific ways is natural psychotherapy, counseling and coaching mind-freeing and self-empowering?

3. How does a natural treatment differ from a psychiatric one?

4. What are the main aims of natural holistic psychotherapy?

5. *How does this holistic natural therapy actually work?

6. How are medical problems dealt with constructively in a natural therapy and natural treatment approach?

7. How are chemical imbalances regarded in relation to life problems?

8. How does holistic natural psychotherapy view mind-altering drugs?

9. What is it best to do if one has become habituated to mind-altering street drugs or prescription drugs?

10. What are some specific benefits of holistic, natural psychotherapy?

 

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FOR CONTACT INFORMATION please click HERE

Answers to FAQ: 1-10

 

1.WHAT TYPES OF PROBLEMS, SYMPTOMS, AND ISSUES DOES THIS ALTERNATIVE NATURAL TREATMENT AND THERAPY HELP RESOLVE?

1 A - The "mental illness" issues natural therapy helps resolve:

If you are feeling excessively depressed, anxious, angry, bored, "in a fog" or emotionally overwhelmed, this practical, solution-oriented talk-therapy and effective non-drug treatment and healing can be of definite help.

Yes, you can definitely learn ways to treat and cure depression, panic, anxiety and the large variety of emotional problems listed below, with no medication and no drugs.

Yes, natural holistic psychotherapy is the best depression treatment, the best anger treatment, and the best anxiety and panic treatment!

This natural treatment will help you develop and maintain a healthy and satisfying life style.

Holistic psychotherapy is a cure that works

It is the road to well-being, happiness and human dignity.

* * * **

As the list below illustrates, natural therapy and holistic healing consist of alternative, holistic treatments without medication and drugs that can successfully resolve and cure issues and problems such as the following:

troubled relationships, emotional stress, and poor communication, as well as more complex issues such as panic attacks, bipolar disorders, post-traumatic stress, conflicts in identity, and even, treatment-resistant depression, and treatment-resistant schizophrenia.

* * * * *

FOR FULL LIST OF THE ISSUES THAT CAN BE HELPED AND PROBLEMS THAT CAN BE SOLVED, OVERCOME AND CURED PLEASE SEE THE COMPREHENSIVE LIST BELOW

DISCOVER HOW Holistic Natural Psychotherapy and its NATURAL REMEDIES AND CURES can enable you to benefit from effective, no-drugs, no medication, no psychiatric hospitalization approaches. 

FOR CONTACT INFORMATION just click HERE

 

WHAT IS OFFERED

At the Natural Therapy Center in New York City, and also World-Wide on a global international basis, each of the following is offered:

 

Holistic natural therapy, treatment, life coaching and effective problem-solving for any issue and symptom of the (so-called) "mental illnesses."

Holistic, natural, alternative drug-free help, therapy and cure for any emotional problem, stress, or crisis.

Facts and information about alternative treatment, therapy and cure for depression and also for treatment-resistant clinical depression. 

Information about treatments for depression and treatments for bipolar disorders that bring consistent and positive results.  

What makes Natural Therapy's depression treatments or bipolar treatments truly effective is being holistic, solution-focused, positive and thoroughly constructive.  

Holistic depression therapy, depression treatment, and bipolar therapy are highly effective when the treatment for depression or the treatment for bipolar disorders is holistic and without any drugs or so-called "medications."

Holistic counseling, psychotherapy and treatment for depression consistently works.  It works for mild, moderate, or severe depression, seasonal depression, holiday depression, holiday blues, recurrent depression, postpartum depression, major clinical depression, bipolar disorder, or any mood disorder or emotional ups and downs.

Comprehensive holistic psychotherapy and life coaching for positive and lasting resolution of couples problems, and marital and family anger management.

Sex therapy for sexual addiction problems, sex coaching and sex counseling for ways to increase love, intimacy, erotic excitement, spiritual closeness, honesty, commitment, responsibility, trust, and joyful interaction.

In-depth holistic, cognitive therapy and natural treatment of fears, anxiety disorders, panic attacks, depression, panic disorders, fear of panic attacks, confusion, conflict and guilt issues, as well as issues of spiritual and religious conflicts, for people of all ages - children, adolescents, young adults, adults, seniors, and the elderly.

Therapy, treatment, life coaching and executive coaching for personal, spiritual, situational and financial stresses and panic reactions.

Comprehensive (step-by-step) learning of positive, constructive and realistic communication and relationship patterns.

Information and treatment for depression, including information, therapy and effective healing and cures of bipolar disorder, general mood-swings, seasonal depression, manic states, hypomania, racing thoughts, euphoria, impulsivity, and "socially inappropriate" acting out.

Focus on learning how to heal, how to thrive, how to develop positive ways toward self-empowermentself-confidence, self-reliance, self-direction, self-fulfillment and self-growth in one's relationships, ones career and one's work.

Learning to deal constructively with issues of personal identity, identity conflicts, independence, self definition, self actualization and satisfying psychological balance by means of role-playing and creative, holistic educational approaches.

Holistic, natural therapy of excessive introversion, social withdrawal, and Asperger's Syndrome.

Holistic guidance, counseling and coaching in constructive role-playing and the learning of comprehensive ways to move in the direction you want to so you can bring more joy and purpose into your relationships and into your life.

Natural treatment, psychotherapy and cure for attention deficit, ADHD, ADD, impulsiveness and hyperactivity patterns.

In-depth holistic treatment, therapy, and remedies for catastrophic disasters, post-traumatic stress and current emotional stress reactions related to experiences and situations of pain, suffering, abuse (abuse and trauma in one's early or later family life while growing up, general other abuse, emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, etc.), exploitation, cruelty, injustice, financial hardships and financial crises, poverty, hunger, starvation, deceptions, oppression, serious accident, disease, natural and other disasters, catastrophic events, terror, crime, war, bombings, kidnapping, torture, mutilation, and other trauma or horrors of life.

Holistic therapy, counseling and spiritual coaching for feelings of psychological and emotional distress, hopelessness, self-doubt, insecurity, fears, phobias, spiritual despair and panic reactions.

Comprehensive holistic guidance, role-playing, and educational counseling and coaching for postpartum depression and postpartum stresses, parenting problems, child development issues and issues of child confidence, child competence, and child happiness.

Natural therapy and holistic role-playing for excessive fault-finding and habits of blaming and being impatient with oneself and others.

Learning how to balance creativity, work and career issues and stresses with one's spiritual well-being and personal happiness in natural and constructive ways.

Natural therapy, stress management and holistic executive coaching for difficulties in concentration, organization and focus.

Natural integrative, cognitive therapy and in-depth natural treatment and natural therapy for impulsive behavior and actions.

Constructive natural treatment, therapy, and relationship coaching for burnout and exhaustion - for taking on too much or putting oneself last.

Natural therapy, executive coaching, stress management, and workable solutions for outbursts of temper, reactions of anger and rage and especially for lack of effective anger management.

Holistic and comprehensive natural treatment with no medication and no drugs for reactions of religious and spiritual emptiness, alienation, loneliness, boredom, withdrawal and lack of goals and lack of purpose in life

Natural therapies and alternative treatment and cure for chronic fatigue, immune, allergic and somatic reactions.

Holistic and in-depth natural treatment and therapy for panic attacks: mild, moderate or severe panic reactions and panic disorders.

Natural therapy, holistic counseling and lasting healing for reactions of grief, as well as for complicated grief and unremitting grief and feeling of hopelessness and despair.

Comprehensive alternative natural treatment and psychotherapy for obsessive and compulsive reactions and patterns and behaviors labeled as OCD.

Intensive psycho-social, integrative, cognitive and in-depth natural treatments and life style changes for psychotic reactions, behavior, habits, patterns and symptoms.

Intensive, alternative, non-psychiatric, psychosocial, natural in-depth treatment and therapy for schizophrenia and all types of so-called schizophrenic and paranoid reactions and issues.

Holistic and psychosocial, non-psychiatric, in-depth alternative natural treatments for current reactions or long-term habits and patterns of delusions or hallucinations

Comprehensive and in-depth holistic and psycho-social therapy, treatment, cures and constructive changes in life-style for drug addiction, alcoholism patterns, problem drinking, cigarette smoking and computer addictions.

Constructive holistic treatment, psychotherapy, and life-style changes for eating and weight problems, "eating disorders," anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, obesity, weight preoccupation and patterns of unhealthy or damaging food intake habits.

Holistic coaching and therapy and effective help for lacks in overall, comprehensive well-being - physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Immediate and long-term constructive stress management and stress reduction with no psychiatric drugs.

Natural sex therapy and  holistic sex coaching and sex counseling for  issues of sexual satisfaction, "too little" or "too much" sex and erotic excitement, sexual addictions, paraphilias, compulsive, offensive, or antisocial sexual behavior and the varieties of sex problems people have.

In -depth coaching and natural therapy for love, love-hate and intimacy and anger issues.

In-depth natural treatment and therapy for altered states, confusions of identity, conflicts in identity, and dissociation responses.

Natural therapy, holistic role-playing, educational coaching and real help for toxic and harmful interpersonal relationships, such as abuse, deception, exploitation etc.

Holistic counseling, treatment and intensive, creative role-playing for passivity and passive-aggressive reactions.

Learning to deal constructively, positively and creatively with problems arising out of conscious and unconscious self-defeating, harmful and destructive life-styles and daily life stresses.

Comprehensive therapy and very practical guidance, coaching and compassionate help for family relationship issues involving troubling and upsetting past, present and possible future family interactions.

In-depth cognitive and integrative treatment, creative role playing, very practical guidance, coaching and the learning of original, truly helpful, bold psycho-social techniques to deal constructively with generalized feelings of inadequacy,  inferiority and powerlessness or "delusions of inadequacy" related to negative, unloving, disrespectful and abusive treatment in the present and in the past, by parents and other family members, peers, friends, the school system, work environment, and/or one's culture or society.

Natural psychotherapy, symbolic clarification, and effective insight therapy for nightmares.

Natural therapy and non-psychiatric, holistic coaching and help for sleep problems, sleep disorders, occasional insomnia, chronic insomnia, sleep deprivation, early awakening and excessive tiredness.

Natural therapy, stress management and constructive holistic guidance and practical coaching and help for eating problems, eating disorders, anorexia, bulimia, digestive problems and irritable bowel symptoms and responses.

* * * * *

FOR CONTACT INFORMATION please click HERE                              

 

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1 B - How natural therapy resolves the issues and stresses listed:

As this evidence-based alternative Web site will show you, every issue or problem listed above, actually is not - as psychiatry claims - a mental illness or mental disorder. 

Rather, they are all very real psychosocial problems, but not "psychiatric disorders" or "mental diseases."

As Thomas Szasz M.D., demonstrated long ago, the idea of mental illness is a myth.

Depression is not a medical disease.

Anxiety is not a medical disease; a bipolar pattern is not; schizophrenia is not; nor are any of the other problems and issues listed.

Rather, what the scientific evidence shows is that each listed issue is a problem in living - an understandable (though sometimes self-defeating) natural bio-psycho-social and spiritual reaction to a problematic, painful, depressing or emotion-arousing situation.

YES, your problems and issues are learned emotional reactions, but not permanent conditions

YES, the so-called mental illnesses are all psychological reactions and emotional difficulties which you can modify by means of this holistic, alternative therapy. 

NO, your stresses and problems in life are not permanent biological, medical illnesses or medical conditions.

As you will see on this Web-site, your stresses and problems (no matter how severe) are not conditions for which you "need" to be drugged, electro shocked, or worse.

In sharp contrast with psychiatric drugging or electro-shocking or magnetic tinkering for the so-called psychiatric treatment of mental illness, the focus of this alternative, natural and positive treatment is always on truly new self-understanding and the constructive resolution of personal and relationship issues.

In natural psychotherapy you gain natural and holistic prescriptions for constructive change. For positive changes that last!

By following natural therapy's constructive prescriptions for change you learn, specifically, how to find your self;  how to really heal in body and soul, how to achieve well-being and happiness by alternative, natural means.

Natural therapy thus is a drug-free way to search for, to find, and to maintain a state of natural happiness and natural well-being - on a regular basis! 

 

* * *

If you want more specific clarification, please go to READINGS AND REFERENCES

Carefully examine the strong evidence behind the questioning of the prevalent psychiatric treatment of so called mental illness presented by Mary Boyle, Ph.D., Paula Caplan, Ph.D., Peter Breggin, M.D., Grace Jackson, M.D., Lucy Johnstone, Ph.D., B.P.Karon, Ph.D., Lauren Mosher, M.D., Thomas Szasz, M.D., Robert Whitaker and others.

* * *

And most important: The incontrovertible hard scientific fact is that not one of the problematic reactions listed is a permanent "mental illness"!

The facts actually show that all the troubling aspects of a so-called mental illness are learned patterns and behaviors rather than physical genetic illnesses.

They were learned and with natural holistic psychotherapy they can all be unlearned!

The so-called mental illnesses are all transitional reactions to stress.  And they can all respond well to a solution-oriented, straightforward, natural psychotherapy and treatment.

These reactions and experiences of emotional distress require exactly what natural therapy and counseling offer:  a new perspective, and a new in-depth understanding of oneself, one's relationships and the complexities of one's situation.

1 C - What natural therapy can do for you:

Your natural, no-drugs therapist can show you specific ways to make constructive changes in your life.

As you make these changes you are enabled to really heal, to effectively relieve your pain and suffering by learning alternative, creative and new ways to resolve general or specific psychological, social, spiritual and biosocial issues and problems. 

You learn how to really help yourself!

How, specifically? 

First, you talk your problems over with your holistic therapist in a completely confidential, safe, problem-solving environment.

In this truly constructive setting your holistic, natural therapist enables you to help yourself to challenge your negative assumptions and negative ways of thinking about yourself or your problems.

Your natural and holistic therapist enables you to think and talk in positive solution oriented ways that help you actually find the healing solutions that work for you.

Second, you practice the actual daily giving up of any numbing negativism and paralyzing pessimism you may have acquired in the past.

You learn how to rid yourself of any delusions of inadequacy or hopelessness from which you may have suffered.

Third, as you give up your habits of negativism and pessimism, you learn new ways to tap into your inborn, natural creative abilities to heal and change for the better. 

And, most important, no matter how bad your past was, nor what your age is today, natural therapy can now enable you to use and to experience the strengths and the creativeness of your real self! 

As a result of this integrated constructive talk therapy and constructive action therapy you become more self-reliant and more self-confident - on a daily basis.

* * *

And how is that accomplished in natural, holistic psychotherapy?

This is done by means of comprehensive, eclectic, integrative psychological treatments that include: cognitive, psychodynamic, bio-social, eco-psychological, Zen Buddhist, and humanistic concepts and practices. 

And in addition, in natural therapy there is an emphasis on finding new directions in one's search for psychological health by means of a variety of natural treatments.

What the variety of natural treatments include:

These natural and positive treatments include: relaxation therapy, stress management, anger management, holistic and spiritual life coaching, focused breathing, financial planning and financial management, executive coaching, physical exercises, natural hypnotherapy, nutritional guidance and positive life-style enhancement. 

Each of these is always useful in one's quest for comprehensive physical and spiritual health and well-being.

In fact, these natural, holistic and positive psychological ways can increase and promote the body's natural abilities to heal neurological, circulatory, endocrine, musculoskeletal and other body systems.

* * * * *

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1 D - What is a NATURAL approach?

By means of natural therapy one can discover when and how it is actually possible (and when it's not possible) to use the positive psychology of a natural approach.

And what specifically is a NATURAL AND HOLISTIC POSITIVE THERAPY APPROACH ?

A NATURAL HOLISTIC APPROACH is a way of life in accordance with nature and "reality," without falseness and artifice.

A natural holistic approach is consistently focused on in-depth understanding of what is going on in your situation in life.

And if you use this holistic approach you find out that it always is a constructive prescription for positive actual changes.

Positive natural changes that can be relied on to make your life better!

* * *

1 E - How to become free and self-empowered:

By gaining  in-depth understanding of your self and your situation you can learn to become free; truly free to get on - and stay on - roads of self-discovery and positive change! 

You learn how to become free and how to stay free to be responsible for the choices you make.

You realize how you can empower yourself to actually choose to make positive or negative choices.

Your start to realize through natural therapy, that it is you, in the end, who can learn new approaches to shape your life positively and to choose the roads on which you want to travel.

Through actual practice in your therapy you find out how, specifically, you can choose the roads that lead to self-realization and the freedom to be your authentic self !

FOR CONTACT INFORMATION click HERE

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2.  DISCOVER IN WHAT SPECIFIC WAYS NATURAL AND HOLISTIC PSYCHOTHERAPY IS MIND-FREEING AND SELF-EMPOWERING? 

2 a.

In natural psychotherapy, counseling and coaching you can learn how to take a variety of fresh, new roads that lead to self-empowerment and freedom to become true to your unique self.

These natural roads to freedom can take you from a life of emotional distress, depression and anxiety to an authentic, self-assertive and productive life of well-being and joy.

And along these roads and ways, you learn how to find, value and cherish your uniqueness and your unique ways of interacting with and benefiting from the natural world!

You learn how to actually attain the positive changes you seek so that you achieve a greater degree of general well-being and happiness.

* * * * *

You learn to attain a kind of excellence!  

As Aristotle so clearly said it:

"Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then is not an act but a habit."

And in natural therapy one learns that the habit of excellence can indeed be acquired. 

One comes to see that excellence is nothing more and nothing less than the habit of being truly alive!

* * * * *

In the words of Howard Thurman, "Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive."

* * * * *

Please click here for CONTACT INFORMATION and find out how natural therapy can help you "come alive."

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2 b.

THE SPECIFIC GOALS OF FREEDOM, AWARENESS and CREATIVE SOLUTIONS:

In this holistic, gentle and truth-seeking talk-therapy and positive action-therapy, you learn to free your mind from stress and worry.

You develop the freedom to examine your problems, issues and goals in alternative and creative new ways.

And at the same time, in this holistic and natural psychotherapy, you start to practice to put your new insights into actual positive and constructive actions.

You develop the ability to free yourself from stress by freeing yourself from paralyzing inhibitions, negative attitudes, emotional impulsiveness, self-destructive behavior patterns, and conscious as well as unconscious self-defeating actions and reactions.

You learn how to become more aware of yourself, your current situation and your past. 

As a result, you start to understand yourself better and integrate your thoughts, feelings and actions in constructive and realistic ways.

You get to be more awake to reality!

And your new awareness brings new hope and new formulations of all your issues.

You become free to see how your real problems in life - even those which produce severe emotional pain - can be treated constructively and creatively - no matter how severe the emotional pain, or how serious a catastrophic event in your life.

 

* * * * *

2 c.

The SEVEN STEPS TO BECOMING MORE AWAKE TO REALITY:

First, you gain positive, creative and constructive insights.

Second, you acquire and develop abilities to perform positive acts based on these insights. 

Third, you gain the power to free your mind from mind-altering medications or street drugs.

Fourth, you practice to free yourself from an array of distractions and ways you may have acquired to "block out" reality.

Fifth, You learn to focus on practical plans to do something positive and constructive for yourself - every day

Sixth, you start to focus on the here and now:  not on guilt or regret over a past that cannot be changed, nor on worry about a future that is always unknown. 

Seventh, you practice, practice and practice the skills you have acquired of giving up blame.  Yes, you practice performing positive, alternative, constructive actions on a daily basis - 24/7.

And as you move away from practicing blame (of yourself and others) you start to feel the freedom of being truly in the constructive realm of choosing - and working for - a life that is truly good for you.   

A life of new ways of thinking, new hope, new approaches.   

A fresh and wholly better life!

And significantly, during this natural healing process you acquire and consistently increase the power to free yourself from the damaging influences of irresponsible, negative, harmful people.

You especially distance yourself from the propaganda of critical, fault-finding family members, "friends" "authorities" and "experts."  (See: FREEDOM AND THE GOOD LIFE  )

 

* * * * *

 

2d.

And at the same time, you acquire skills in better ways of relating to yourself, so that you can can free yourself from negative and destructive ways of relating to your own self.

It, in fact, becomes especially gratifying in natural therapy to learn how to free yourself from all the negative ways of life you may have learned!

You learn creative new ways to free yourself from impulsive outbursts of anger or rage, passive-aggressive patterns, unethical or harmful behaviors, automatic tendencies of withdrawal into depressing passivity, paralyzing fearfulness, or self-defeating unassertiveness.

* * *

2e. 

In natural therapy and counseling you can learn how to free yourself from ever being a victim of toxic relationships with others.

You learn to free yourself from becoming a victim of destructive or irresponsible actions, toward yourself or toward others, that you yourself may have acquired.

You acquire the skill to manage stress and anxiety so that your focus can be on the active development of a positive and truly satisfying life!

In this holistic therapy you learn how to acquire the power to shape your life constructively.

* * *

To truly become free to be yourself, your unique self, you learn how to regularly emancipate yourself from false ideas, from ignorance, damaging preconceptions and prejudices, superstitions, obfuscations, lies, unnecessary fears and unresolved (but resolvable) conflicts and ways of inhibiting yourself.

That may certainly feel like a tall assignment, but it gets easier and easier once you get started.

You start to welcome the truth and to appreciate that indeed the truth does make you free.

You discover the benefits of focusing on the practice of truth-seeking, self-emancipation and creative self-realization on a regular (24/7) basis.

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* * *

2f. 

In this comprehensive and holistic psychotherapy you find out how to free yourself to discover and use your inner strengths and powers to actively shape your life in positive ways. 

You become skilled in both stress management and stress reduction.

You practice shaping your life in ways which really make sense to you, which fit your sense of ethics, your personal sense of right and wrong, and which you truly desire and truly value.

You become open and willing to actually choose alternative, new, original and creative ways to attain your goals and values.

* * *

2g.

You learn how to exercise your capacity to choose, plan for, and actually bring about (what you consider to be) an over-all responsible, fulfilling and truly productive way of life.   

As a result of living a productive, responsible and fulfilling lifestyle you stop feeling "tired," "fatigued," or "hopeless." 

Rather, to your surprise, you start to develop a much happier and emotionally exciting life for yourself and others.

You start - and continue - to experience the "natural highs" of comprehensive creative well-being!

   

FOR CONTACT INFORMATION please click HERE

                                                                            

3. HOW DOES A NATURAL HOLISTIC VIEW DIFFER FROM A PSYCHIATRIC ONE?

3a) Natural therapy is an alternative treatment and therapy that does not approach psychological problems as medical illnesses.

Natural psychotherapy is a comprehensive and effective treatment for the natural healing of life's problems and difficulties - from the simplest to the most severe.  It carefully avoids psychiatric theory and practice as carried out by the average biologically oriented psychiatrist today.

Natural psychotherapy is, in fact, one of a growing number of creative, constructive and positive psychosocial treatments that have completely and successfully resisted the medicalization of psychotherapy. 

Natural therapy has successfully avoided and actually has protected many from the attempts of biological psychiatry to practice "mind control" masquerading under the name of "psychiatric treatment" or "medical treatment of mental illness."

* * *

HOW NATURAL PSYCHOTHERAPY SUCCESSFULLY HEALS AND AVOIDS PSYCHIATRIC TREATMENT

 

Natural holistic psychotherapy is a therapy of no psychiatric theory and practice, no psychiatric labeling and none of psychiatry's risky treatments:  

No psychiatric medication and drugs, no ECT (electro-convulsive shock therapy), no surgical body implants, no surgical brain implants, no magnetic interferences with your brain, no neurological and brain surgery, no laser brain surgery and no forced psychiatric hospitalization, falsely called "psychiatric treatment."

 

What natural psychotherapy offers instead, is an effective "psychological, creative talk and problem-solving therapy."

Natural therapy is a treatment that shows you how to make and sustain a choice of positive actions: Actions that enable you to achieve positive results that last.

 

 

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3b)  In this alternative holistic therapy at The Natural Psychotherapy Center one is given Psychological Prescriptions for Constructive Change:  one learns how to become more curious, how to let the truth make one free.

Instead of getting psychiatric prescriptions of risky and hazardous psychiatric medication and drugs, one gets psychological prescriptions for constructive change.  

Peter Breggin, M.D. contends that in counseling and psychotherapy, one should "avoid starting patients on medication or to referring them for medication evaluation..." 

As he puts it, "When people are already feeling emotionally overwhelmed in the extreme, the last thing they need is a big dose of brain dysfunction."   (Breggin, Peter. (2008). Practical Applications: 22  Guidelines for Counseling and Psychotherapy. Ethical Human Psychology and Psychiatry, 10, 43-57.)

Therefore, in natural psychotherapy one finds out how to free oneself completely from the mistaken psychiatric idea that there is something biologically wrong with people who have psychological problems or who behave in ways which others find not acceptable.

One learns the truth that distressing and troubling psychological reactions or socially unacceptable behaviors are not the results of a mythical, non-existing brain disorder, chemical imbalance or mental disease.

And as one makes progress in natural psychotherapy, one gets to see clearly that one's emotionally upsetting and disturbing experiences are really transitional emotionally charged reactions to problems in living or to self-defeating and damaging life styles.  

 

*Again, please see the strong evidence supporting this view presented by Mary Boyle, Ph.D., Paula Caplan, Ph.D., Peter Breggin, M.D., Grace Jackson, M.D., Lucy Johnstone, Ph.D., B.P.Karon, Ph.D., Lauren Mosher, M.D., Thomas Szasz, M.D., and Robert Whitaker by clicking  READINGS AND REFERENCES!

 

Of course, actual neurological, physical, organic, medical problems that should be medically treated do exist. And they should be diagnosed and treated with competent, compassionate and suitable medical methods.  But these are not what modern psychiatry refers to in its mistaken view of labeling social, psychological, and spiritual problems as "mental disorders."

Real medical conditions can, of course, actually be verified by physical, neurological, physiological, and laboratory tests. And then such actually verified medical conditions can be treated and hopefully cured by appropriate medical procedures. But the hard fact is that such verification is not possible, for what psychiatrists label mental illness.

The so-called mental illnesses are not real medical conditions.

What are they then?

They are:  psycho-social and spiritual crises that can be resolved and cured by appropriate natural and healing psychological methods!

 

* * *

The fact is that none of psychiatry's so called mental illnesses can be verified as biological diseases by means of any scientifically and medically valid procedures.

There exist no blood tests, no x-rays, no lab-tests, no physical examinations to do this!

* * *

 

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3c) Too many psychiatrists miss the simple and obvious fact that human beings do indeed have psychosocial problems and issues that result in biological disturbances, but are not caused by biological disturbances.

In fact, there are numerous neurobiological and neuropsychological studies that demonstrate that psychological cognitive processes selectively alter the way the brain reacts to and uses emotional and psychosocial stimuli. (e.g. Mario Beauregard: Evidence from neuroimaging studies of emotional self-regulation, psychotherapy, and placebo effect.  Progress in Neurobiology, 81, (2007), 218-236.

* * *

Each person is an ever-changing and ever-growing being who has complex feelings, thoughts and values, and who lives in complex human situations and interactions.

And it is within these complex human bio-psycho-social situations that these problems (whether called depression, schizophrenia, etc.) have their origin and maintain their current existence.

One always needs to look carefully and compassionately at the whole context of someone's psychological, spiritual and social situation before trying to "help" in any way.

Natural therapy should, in fact be more accurately called "wholistic" or holistic, since it always considers the whole context and all the complexities of one's situation, experiences and goals. That is the kind of respect and realistic, truly scientific, understanding that every person, and especially a troubled or upset person, always needs!

What a trouble person does not need is to have her or his brain or body chemistry tinkered with or assaulted by the reductive, mistaken theories and harmful practices of current psychiatry.

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3d) The Psychiatric View is Reductive and Pathologizing:

 

* * *

Natural therapy regards most of psychiatry's ideas and procedures of treating "mental illness" as scientifically unsound, logically flawed, therapeutically harmful and morally bankrupt.

* * *

  

Therefore, the natural therapist does not ever resort to psychiatry's damaging ways of "treating mental illness."

The natural psychotherapist does not resort to the usual psychiatric, unscientific, immoral, and pathologizing ways of regarding and treating distressed and emotionally troubled people.

Instead, a natural psychotherapist treats everyone with respect.

Troubled people are seen, and learn to see themselves, as what they really are: basically healthy but often perplexed, frightened, or troubled human beings caught up in transitional or long-standing emotional situations of suffering - situations and contexts that need to be understood and dealt with constructively - not masked or hidden by psychiatric drugs.

* * *

In this effective, evidence-based holistic alternative to the disempowering methods of psychiatry, people get to realize the following:

One just does not need to get endlessly, and too often forcefully and brutally, labeled, drugged, electro-shocked, get devices implanted into one's brain and body, get a variety of risky "patches," get the vagus nerve electrically stimulated, be given magnetic brain stimulations, or be subjected to destruction of vast numbers of brain cells by means of lobotomies, brain implants or laser brain surgery. Especially since safe, constructive and self-empowering natural methods are available, and have been proven to work.

* * *

In natural therapy people get to understand why the methods of biological psychiatry are not only inhumane, but are also unnecessary, outdated, and can be seriously damaging.

* * *

FOR CONTACT INFORMATION please click HERE

 

3e) A Psychosocial Empowering Perspective Rather than a Psychiatric Disabling One:

Besides making those who are emotionally stressed feel even more disabled, helpless and hopeless, current psychiatric practices too often are downright damaging!  Too often people undergoing such thoroughly inhumane "psychiatric treatments" are disabled for life.

3f)  Why Upset and Troubled People are Never Classified With Psychiatric Labels:

Why are persons in natural therapy never stereotyped and classified by means of psychiatric labels?  

Because human beings are unique; their minds and spirits are much too complex and individualistic for that kind of naive oversimplification. 

Troubled human beings don't need to be classified and labeled by a psychiatrist; they don't need to be insulted and negated by being called "mad" or "crazy".

What people called "mad" are actually doing, is fighting control by others.

What they are seeking is power to control and shape their own lives.

Often, however, they don't know how to get the power they seek and feel frustrated and discouraged by that lack of knowledge.

Because of this, they need to be encouraged to learn how to become autonomous, how to become free, and be proud to be themselves in their difference and uniqueness. In fact, they need to be treated with dignity, with utter respect for their uniqueness.

Thus, emotionally troubled and perplexed human beings must always be treated humanely, compassionately and with utter respect and dignity by their psychotherapist.

They must be given gentle encouragement, and afforded steady promotion of their resilience and natural powers to heal themselves.

They certainly do not need the labels of mythical "mental illness" (e.g. The DSM series) which are really "accusations" that can deprive them of their human, civil and legal rights.

They certainly do not need to be arrogantly "accused" of "mental illness" under the guise of being medically "diagnosed." 

Such "accusations" are too often part of the totally immoral process of "incarcerating" them in "mental hospitals" and subjecting them to forced psychiatric drugging, electro-shocking, and worse.

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3g) From Passive Patient to Active Self-Healer

In non-drug psychotherapy people are made psychologically stronger by learning how to use problem-solving solutions that last.

* * *

Rather than being told to rely passively on psychiatric medication for life, they are shown by their therapist how to change in positive ways, how to make better and healthier choices in life and relationships.

They learn how to use their inner strengths, to heal, and actually to become their own healers for the rest of their lives.

* * *

How?

They are coached by their therapist on how to attain life-long mental health, physical health, and spiritual well-being - they learn how to avoid toxic aspects of their environment in the best ways.

They learn to exercise and have healthy physical activities on a regular basis. (e.g., walk, run, do physical work, get involved in aerobic, stretch and weight exercises, learn meditation, focused and spiritually uplifting breathing, yoga, kung fu, regular dance or form-free dance, etc.)

They learn how to improve their diet, how to live in over-all  healthier ways, how to develop greater awareness and greater clarity of thought and purpose.

They learn how to discover, and actually choose to practice, realistic, healing, dignified and workable ways to enhance their own well-being and the well-being of others and the environment.

* * *

In natural therapy people learn that when they are anxious, panicky, troubled, depressed, etc. they, of course, produce natural chemicals in their bodies that are harmful and that upset them even more. 

However, when people learn to live a balanced, healthy and productive life their bodies naturally produce chemicals that make them feel good and  that enhance their well-being. 

Psychiatric or street drugs don't truly help! They may make one temporarily feel better.  But the good feelings don't last!

However, learning how to live a healthier, more productive and balanced life and having fulfilling, positive relationships always helps! And not only temporarily, but on a long term basis.

* * *

FOR CONTACT INFORMATION please click HERE

 

h) The Central Approaches of Natural Therapy:

The approaches that are always focused on in natural therapy are the following:

Learn how to choose and get engaged in a way of life that you value and that you find emotionally and spiritually satisfying. 

Become involved in goals and relationships that you find morally worthwhile, that you desire from your heart and the depths of your soul!

Learn how to help your true spirit come fully alive!

* * *

(To find out how to make your spirit come alive by making "good" choices in life, choices that actually work, please click MAKING LIFE CHOICES )

 

 

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FOR CONTACT INFORMATION please click HERE

 

4. IN ADDITION TO THE AIMS MENTIONED BEFORE, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE OTHER AIMS and SOLUTIONS OF NATURAL PSYCHOTHERAPY?

In addition to helping you resolve your problems, the main aims of natural psychotherapy are to enable you to value and respect your complexities and to develop your ability to change for the better.

This holistic, global treatment always aims to enable you to achieve self-actualization and actually choose the "good life." 

This means that in this natural therapy you learn how to change certain specific ways of how you have been living.

At the Natural Psychotherapy Center you discover that natural treatment for depression, for panic, for stress work.

 

You become empowered to attain the actualization of your freedom, the fulfillment and growth of your uniqueness, your strengths, your spiritual strivings, your interests, and your true, ever-changing and adaptive self.  

And beyond that, other important aims are to enable you to use natural psychotherapy to actually become more creative, more productive and help you live well.

The over-all aim of natural therapy is to show you specifically how to find constructive solutions to your problems and bring more emotional and spiritual satisfaction, more happiness, more dignity, and more joy into your life.

 

    What Natural Therapy Can Help One Accomplish

 

In the course of resolving your problems, this very practical therapy can show you how to:

      (1) be in charge of your relationships and life in balanced, productive ways

      (2) eliminate self-defeating unconscious habits and automatic reactions

      (3) achieve what is meaningful and important to you

      (4) bring more love and joy into your daily existence

      (5) attain and then maintain comprehensive (physical, emotional, spiritual) well-being

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5. HOW DOES NATURAL THERAPY ACTUALLY WORK? 

 

5a.

IN NATURAL THERAPY THE FOCUS IS ALWAYS ON NATURAL SELF-HEALING, SELF-REALIZATION AND THE ATTAINMENT OF SATISFYING RELATIONSHIPS AND THE GOOD LIFE.

HOW?

Natural psychotherapy works by being not only a psychological talk-therapy but also a psychological action-therapy.

Its truth-seeking, jargon-free and down-to-earth approaches for positive change work for all ages.

People learn - one day at a time - to live in better ways. Ways that maximize self-actualization and the attainment of greater happiness by natural means.

And as that happens they get to feel better - not just once in a while, but on a regular basis.

The focus of this evidence-based, global treatment is a workable integration of both - constructive in-depth talk and constructive actions:

 

The Talk Therapy

The talk-therapy involves:

(1) in-depth, natural conversation  -  a collaborative search by means of straightforward, honest, open and bold dialogue  

(2) creative brainstorming for constructive, new, completely original solutions.

And the therapeutic atmosphere that always fosters such talk is one that is positive, patient, gentle, calm and thoroughly realistic.

The aim of such collaborative conversations with one's natural psychotherapist is always to understand, in depth, what really is going on and has been going on in your life. 

And especially to get to understand - through constructive conversation - what you really want to be going on in the future. And how - realistically - to attain that kind of future.

 

* * *

 

The Action Therapy

The actions-therapy involves your actual practice of actions, behaviors and ways of thinking and communicating that you find truly constructive.

This change to the truly constructive and positive happens when you choose to put the insights you have gained through your therapeutic conversations into the practice of your everyday behavior and relationships.

This means giving up old destructive patterns of acting and of communicating you may have learned (and over-learned) in childhood.

In natural actions therapy, you learn to become bold and actually try out the completely new and more productive ways of behaving you have evolved in the natural talk therapy. 

That the constructive new ways actually work is totally surprising to those in whose family background either one or both parents were authoritarian, dictatorial, angry, moody and abusive.

* * *

Research findings indicate that the very doing and practice of constructive, honest and responsible talk and actions speeds all three: biological, psychological and spiritual healing processes. You learn how to achieve states of natural happiness and well-being.

 

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The way feelings change in natural therapy:

As people become progressively freer and empowered to think clearly and to act positively and constructively, their feelings start to change.

Though they may feel strange or guilty when they start to act in ways that primarily consider their own needs, goals and preferences, these negative feelings get to become less frequent and less intense over time.

After people practice constructive and positive actions and constructive ways of communicating with others on a regular basis, they gradually get to feel better each day. 

At the beginning, they may feel guilty for taking care of themselves primarily and not putting others first. 

But over time, they stop feeling bad or guilty and actually feel good when they truly take care of themselves. They find that then they are in a better and stronger emotional state to take care of others also.

They discover that it is only after they act and behave in constructive ways, that they can start to feel more comfortable being themselves.

They thus discover that feeling better is a product of acting better!

Their own well being and their relations to others improve.

They become more optimistic, and simultaneously more realistic.

Wishful thinking gradually looses its attractiveness. 

They give up seeking the non-existent "quick fix," the "escape" from logical thinking.

Despite a feeling of resistance to want to give up old, and by now automatic patterns of damaging behavior, they are willing to try new ways of searching for and actually learn how to attain states of natural happiness and general well-being.

They become more assertive in positive and constructive ways.

They learn how not to be mistreated, not be a victim, and not be involved in abusive relationships - either with themselves or with others.

As a result, they become less frustrated, less unhappy with themselves and less fearful, less depressed and less anxious.

At the same time (because they become less frustrated and spiritually more fulfilled) they become less hostile, less abrasive, less fault-finding, and less belligerent or antagonizing.

They thus learn how to differentiate among withdrawal, hostile relationships and assertive ones. 

Each person learns how to separate her or his authentic values from her or his inauthentic values.

One learns how to pursue and how to live by one's authenticity.

And as people start to feel more authentic and real, they get to feel more and more self-empowered, and to feel more free to express their uniqueness and creativity.

They also gain the desire and the power not to be victims of their own blind and destructive impulses.

And then, they can become more caring and more able to create and work toward the kind of self, the type of relationships and the kind of environment they truly value.

 

5b)  HOW TO ACCOMPLISH ONE'S GOALS:

To accomplish these goals, natural psychotherapy has evolved an eclectic, yet unified and holistic treatment approach that is deeply influenced by the findings and principles of ecopsychology.

The comprehensive approach of natural psychotherapy is bio-psycho-social, interpersonal, cognitive, spiritual, and psychodynamic.

Natural therapy's in-depth approach is centrally a humanistic and humane treatment. 

Natural psychotherapy is an effective, practical, and dignified alternative to the ineffective and harmful psychiatric drugging and other invasive biological techniques of psychiatry.

FOR CONTACT INFORMATION please click HERE

 

5c) THE INTERPERSONAL AND PSYCHODYNAMIC PERSPECTIVE:

From the interpersonal viewpoint, natural therapy regards human experience as always related to one's situation, interactions, and relationships.

And in its natural state, human experience is always suffused with culture in all its aspects, be they social, linguistic, spiritual, traditional, religious, historical, political, economic, legal, etc. 

* * *

In natural psychotherapy people start to explore both conscious and unconscious influences on their everyday behavior, and especially on their emotional reactions to events.

They start to see that what they feel and do is always related to what has come to be called psychodynamic influences. 

This simply means that the nature of the relationships one has with oneself and others is influenced by aspects one is aware of and also aspects one is not aware of. 

And through greater self-understanding one comes to see how totally unconscious influences have their roots in one's present psychosocial situation as well as in one's past.  

And once one explores how that happens, one's problems become much more understandable and, subsequently, more manageable.

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5d) THE GOAL OF EACH THERAPY SESSION:

In fact, under the umbrella of such a perspective, the purpose of every therapy session is to show one how to become aware of, and be able to use, one's inner freedom and power to attain the good life - responsible, reasonable, fulfilling and joyful.

And one becomes aware of the ways one may have denied that freedom and unconsciously repeated self-deception, superstitions and false ideas, self-defeating habits of thinking and feeling, and self-harming patterns of behaving and interacting negatively and destructively with others and with one's milieu.

 

 

Throughout, each therapy session is focused on gaining self-understanding of one's own complexities as well as of the complexities of the psychosocial situation related to one's suffering. 

The focus is on clear understanding of all the complexities of one's choices.

 

One steers clear of "foolish choices" and "quick fixes"!

 

One avoids the easy "escapes and distractions" of blame, regret, drugs, anger, withdrawal, passivity, irrational attachments, addictions and infatuations - all of which are self-destructive acts that can prevent self-understanding, self-growth and spiritual self-enhancement.

 

And during, as well as between sessions, the focus is on clarity of vision. 

 

One commits to put into actual practice the productive changes in self-understanding and self-growth which one has achieved.

One learns and practices positive self-direction!

 

 

 

5e) EFFECTIVE TEAMWORK - COLLABORATIVE AND CREATIVE BRAIN-STORMING:

What open, natural, and positive dialogue really becomes when it works well is effective teamwork.

The teamwork is effective when both the person seeking therapy and the therapist work together cooperatively and patiently on all the issues and problems a person faces. Then such teamwork becomes a naturally creative kind of joint brainstorming by the person seeking creative solutions and the natural therapist. 

Both join - as a team - in the search for constructive, natural, healing solutions!

* * *

One of the many reasons such brainstorming conversations have to be collaborative is that you are the only one who really knows - even though you may not be fully in touch with that knowledge - what your  conscious and unconscious perspectives and assumptions about life are, what your basic healthy goals are, which human values you want to develop and foster. 

* * *

And the natural psychotherapist with a global holistic approach, is the one with the know-how to enable you to become fully aware of that knowledge and use it constructively.

* * *

You gradually learn to avoid potentially destructive, or actually destructive ways of doing things.

For example, you become able not to focus on changing others, finding fault with others or blaming others.

Instead, you learn how to focus on carefully thought-out ways through which you can make your life really better - physically, emotionally, spiritually.

* * *

And as you make your own life better in truly constructive and realistic ways you inevitably increase your self-confidence and self-reliance and become able to actualize your true self.  And as you keep doing that you start to feel better and better!

* * *

Your daily existence becomes more satisfying as you keep on developing and improving your own natural resilience, creativity and strengths!

* * *

And most important, you learn that if you want creative and really constructive solutions, differences of opinions, of perspectives and even of values you and your therapist may have, are the beginnings of conversation, and never the end!

* * *

You learn the real value of being honest, patient, and reasonable in working out your differences with you therapist (and with others) in constructive, moral and life-enhancing ways: constructive conversation and clear thinking.

You learn how and why to continue dialogue for a reasonable length of time before giving up having dialogue.

And natural therapy is the best place to practice how not to stop therapeutic conversation prematurely!

Thus in natural therapy one learns - often for the first time - the magic of kind, calm and reasonable conversation. 

One learns how to explore, and slowly get to truly understand, the differences and disagreements one may have with another human being and how to use these very differences constructively.

* * *

And this may be the hardest to stick to: to practice, to practice and to practice: To make sure that you truly come to see that the new ways of life you are starting, really work and have been truly mastered by you.

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5f) LEARNING TO LIVE  BETTER IS A SKILL:

Learning to live well and productively, and in ways that you truly feel are responsible and in your best interest, is a skill like other skills, only more complex. That is why it is so important to persist and prevail in the open, totally honest therapeutic and natural conversations despite the time and the effort they may take.

Your emotional concerns, upsets, and any psychological disabilities you may have developed in the past, as well as the spiritual despair you may have experienced, are seen as transitional wake-up calls.

They are all experiences that can help you finally to get rid of misconceptions, of blind spots, and destructive patterns. 

And as that happens, you develop the ability to understand yourself better and become more and more skilled in living well!

 

5g) WHAT TO DO WITH NEGATIVE FEELINGS:

Unpleasant and distressing feelings, when approached with curiosity and patience, are always opportunities for greater self-understanding and for positive reorganization of yourself and your relationships. 

In psychodynamic, analytically oriented therapies the analysis of these experiences are called "analysis of transference" and they are always useful in natural therapy also.

They are feelings and behaviors people transfer form their childhood, their past, into the therapy experience.

 "Transferred feelings and behaviors" of course take place regularly in everyone's life, but can be especially significant when an unconsciously feared but important break-through is about to take place. And to understand them, makes it possible for therapeutic progress to continue in constructive ways.

* * *

As natural therapy progresses you start to realize that with the knowledge and strengths you gained through therapy, it is you who can become and stay responsible for how you use your freedom to shape your life.

You learn to explore the meaning of impulsive, anxious, or depressing feelings and not just to follow them blindly. 

You learn not to run away from negative feelings but to use them to gain greater self-understanding and self-empowerment!

* * *

If you wish a clearer and more specific explanation of how natural psychotherapy actually works please click on FREEDOM AND THE GOOD LIFE.

 

FOR CONTACT INFORMATION please click HERE

 

6. HOW ARE MEDICAL PROBLEMS DEALT WITH IN A NATURAL THERAPY APPROACH? 

A person, of course, may have a specific medical disease, actual medical symptoms, illnesses, or impairments that require proper medical evaluation, diagnosis and treatment.

Therefore, if any concern about an actual physical illness, impairment, or problem exists at the time one starts or is in the process of natural psychotherapy, one should always have a physical diagnostic checkup by one's regular personal or family physician.

And one should also, always, have a consultation with someone who is expert (e.g. board certified diplomate) in the areas of one's concern, whether it be an experienced specialist in cardiology, internal medicine, neurology, endocrinology, pediatrics, geriatrics, oncology, otolaryngology, ophthalmology, physiatry, or in any of the various medical specialties that may be relevant to one's concerns.

Competent, compassionate, expert medical diagnosis and treatment should never be avoided when any concern about physical illness is present!

Physical, medical disease or impairment always requires suitable medical diagnosis, intervention and treatment.

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7. HOW ARE CHEMICAL IMBALANCES REGARDED IN RELATION TO LIFE PROBLEMS?

Do people develop chemical imbalances when they get upset? 

The answer is: yes, after they get upset.

As a result of getting upset people develop adaptive chemical changes.  These changes and imbalances are the result of the emotional and physical distress they have experienced.

The body is exquisitely sensitive to any kind of stress, even mild stress; and it reacts accordingly.

One's psychological problems in living can therefore cause chemical changes, as well as musculoskeletal and other physical changes.

Thus it is important to remember that there is overwhelming research and clinical evidence that psychological experience causes changes in body chemistry and physiology. 

However, research shows that generally it is not the other way around:

it is not that people have "mental diseases" or "genetic defects" that cause their chemical imbalances.

When their psychological and social problems are resolved, so is their mental upheaval, their suffering, and their chemical imbalance.

Thus drugs do not eliminate the psychological and psychosocial reasons that caused the chemical changes in the first place !

* * *

And furthermore, the crude "treatments" by means of psychiatric drugs not only can have serious and damaging side-effects, but also tend to impair the mind's and body's natural healing and reparative responses to stress. 

So what is one to do if told by a "professional" that one has a chemical imbalance not related to and caused by one's psychologically upsetting situation? 

If that happens, one should always ask what specific laboratory tests one can take to demonstrate and determine exactly and clearly what the imbalance is.

* * *

And remember this:

 No medical examinations or laboratory tests exist showing that chemical imbalances precede mental distress!  Not even one!

There are no laboratory tests or medical findings in existence today that can point to actual medical and laboratory findings with regard to chemical imbalances causing mental problems, as exist with other problems such as diabetes, TB, cancer, infections, actual vitamin or mineral deficiencies, etc.

* * *

And one must not forget either that psychiatry has promised definitive medical tests for "mental illness" for over 150 years. And it has still not delivered!

* * *

Why?

Because, as Thomas Szasz M.D., has so clearly pointed out in his many books: the task of finding such tests is hopeless.

This is so because the very idea of "mental illness" is a mistaken idea, a myth.

Or, to put it more bluntly - a false idea, a completely erroneous idea.

Actually, the idea of mental illness is a delusion of psychiatry.

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FOR CONTACT INFORMATION please click HERE

 

 

8. HOW DOES NATURAL THERAPY VIEW MIND-ALTERING STREET DRUGS AND PSYCHIATRIC DRUGS?

(a)  The choice:

Whether people choose to take or not to take mind-altering drugs relates to the culture, religious influences and the laws under which they live.

All, of course, should arrive at the choices they make regarding the use of mind altering drugs in well-informed and carefully thought out ways.

In a democratic society probably the less the government actively interferes with, prohibits or punishes such behavior the better.

Thus people should have the legal right to take drugs if they choose to do so, whether the drug is cocaine, ecstasy, Prozac, "grass", alcohol, nicotine, Xanax, heroin, Zyprexa or any other mind-altering substance.

But under no circumstances should they be coerced, cajoled or pressured to take these chemicals! 

And the reason for this is clear: all mind-altering chemicals can have serious and damaging side-effects.

Educated about these chemicals, YES.  Pressured or coerced to ingest them, NO!

 

(b)  OK to start natural therapy while still drinking, smoking or using mind-altering drugs:

Even though drugs may make it easier to avoid dealing constructively with one's problems, experience over the past three decades has shown that one can benefit from natural therapy even while still using them.

Thus the use of excessive alcohol, nicotine, or drugs, whether one uses them out of choice, habit, because one is in the process of weaning oneself off them, or because one is committed to their use for recreational, tranquilizing or analgesic purposes is never a reason not to start natural therapy.

It is always beneficial to explore psychologically the pros and cons of one's risky life styles. 

It is always beneficial to explore specific ways to stop taking risky drugs and chemicals.

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(c)  Limited use of drugs in special emergency situations:

In natural psychotherapy medication is hardly ever used. And if a person wants it, it is used in minimal amounts in order to reduce acute upset in emergency situations.

However the emphasis always is on therapeutic dialogue and therapeutic problem solving..

Constructive dialogue is encouraged and reliance on cigarette smoking, alcohol and drugs is discouraged.

If someone is acutely distraught and agitated, or in the throes of deep depression, tranquilizing and mood altering drugs may be advised if quick calming down is necessary and serious health or management crises exist. 

Clinical evidence demonstrates that a safe, structured, caring, personal and compassionate therapeutic environment is mostly sufficient to bring about a general calming down. 

But if a safe, loving, caring and structured environment is not available and potentially dangerous emergencies exist, psychoactive drugs are prescribed and should be prescribed.  Ideally, by someone who is expert in, or at least congenial to, alternative, holistic medicine - either a prescribing holistic psychologist, psychiatrist, internist, psychopharmacologist, or psychiatric nurse-practitioner.

Thus, in certain serious situations, judiciously prescribed use of psychoactive drugs may be of help on a temporary basis and may definitely be required. 

Each individual's safety, welfare and comprehensive well-being are always of prime consideration!

 

(d)  Response to drugs varies:

Some individuals respond very quickly (even in minutes or hours) to psychotropic medication.

Some respond slowly, over weeks.

Some don't respond to drugging or medication at all, or respond minimally. Some respond negatively with negative side effects.

Prescribed mind-altering drugs can thus sometimes be of help in jumpstarting someone into psychotherapy or in helping them overcome an acutely disturbing transitional episode.

Once some stability has been achieved, the tranquilizing or mood altering drugs are used to the minimal degree necessary to maintain focus on the psychosocial issues that caused the emotional disturbances and upsets in the first place. This should be done in consultation with those professionals familiar with the person's psychosocial and medical history and background.

 

(e)  The focus in natural therapy is always on one's natural healing powers:

In holistic natural psychotherapy one focuses on the organism's natural ways of healing, on its natural inner healing powers and resilience. These natural powers to heal oneself are consistently encouraged and stimulated in natural psychotherapy.

It is self-empowering to go through the process of natural therapy since one gradually learns how to make use of the hormones and chemicals naturally produced by one's own body.

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FOR CONTACT INFORMATION please click HERE

 

9. WHAT IS IT BEST TO DO IF ONE HAS BECOME HABITUATED OR ADDICTED TO MIND-ALTERING STREET DRUGS OR PSYCHIATRIC PRESCRIPTION DRUGS?

In the event one has become habituated or addicted to street drugs, psychiatric drugs, or toxic levels of alcohol, it is not advisable to stop impulsively or abruptly.

The reason not to stop abruptly is that some people can have very serious negative physical and psychological reactions and side-effects if they do so. 

As Peter Breggin, MD has put it: "Most psychiatric drugs can cause withdrawal reactions, sometimes including life-threatening emotional and physical withdrawal problems. In short, it is not only dangerous to start taking psychiatric drugs, it can also be very dangerous to stop them."  (www.breggin.com)

It is therefore important to remember that some psychiatric prescription drugs can be far more addicting, damaging, and habit forming than many biological psychiatrists and psychopharmacologists are willing to admit.

If one decides to stop excessive alcohol or excessive taking of prescription or non-prescription drugs, it is important to wean oneself off carefully and slowly

And such a decision should only be carried out with the help, the planning, the guidance and the supervision of a caring, responsible, knowledgeable and experienced, licensed professional clinician.

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10. WHAT ARE SOME SPECIFIC BENEFITS OF NATURAL THERAPY?

 

Natural psychotherapy is a therapy in the old sense of the word (from the Greek therapein, to attend to, to heal, to make whole):

In Natural Psychotherapy you learn how to attend to and heal your psychological wounds and become whole.

 

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And this therapy, this attending to your self, consists of care for your self: truth-seeking, constructive conversation and creative brain-storming for positive and lasting solutions.

In this process you are enabled to learn how to consider, love, and respect yourself and others - more compassionately and more comprehensively.

You learn the value of a committed, responsible and trusting relationship of love, of caring, of dignity, of reason and of kindness.

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In natural psychotherapy you acquire the skill of being realistic - to see things, yourself, and others as they actually are.

You become able to give up "spacing out" and just passively "hoping" that "things will get better" or that "others will one day change for the better."

You become able to achieve realistic, constructive changes: 

You learn how to actually make your life better in active ways!

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In natural therapy you gradually acquire the skill to become your own therapist.

You learn how to become truly responsible for the direction and quality of your life.

Throughout the natural psychotherapy process you learn how to come alive, how to love, care for, and find joy in yourself, in others, and in the natural world.

 

 

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CONTACT INFORMATION:

              

 Appointments can be made either by e-mail or by telephone.

                                Office hours are: Mon. - Fri., days and evenings.

Click here to send e-mail for an appointment for therapy, counseling, coaching, and emotional support. 

If, however, you prefer to telephone for an appointment, just click here also.

If the line is busy or you get the answering machine, don't worry. Just click here and send the e-mail form in. You'll get a quick response - generally within a day or so.

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IF YOU LIVE FAR FROM NEW YORK CITY OR DO MUCH TRAVELING:

Though the office is located in New York City, natural psychotherapy is also available - nationally and internationallyvia telephone and e-mail. 

Persons who live in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, Staten Island, or Long Island and New Jersey generally come to the office for therapy.

Persons who live far from the New York City office often have a session in person and then continue their natural therapy sessions by e-mail and telephone.

Natural therapy sessions work well by telephone and bring productive and positive results.  This is borne out by over thirty years experience of using such "long-distance natural therapy."

In many situations people who live far from New York work with their international natural therapist only by e-mail and telephone.  Such sessions work very well and can bring constructive, long-lasting, and very positive results.  

E-mail and telephone therapy sessions are also very useful to persons who do a lot of world-wide traveling and only occasionally can stop in New York City for a personal natural therapy session.

GETTING STARTED:

So whether you live in New York, in the United States, or in any country in the world, any of the ways of natural, holistic psychotherapy can be especially useful.

Find out how natural therapy can help you get started on the road to a more meaningful and productive life, better relationships, and more consistent general well-being!

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Note:

All natural therapy, counseling, and coaching sessions are specific for each person in terms of her or his uniqueness and unique interrelationships.

In contrast, this Web site is designed to provide general information.

This Web site thus is for informational purposes only.

Since its pages are not tailor-made for one's personal or interpersonal issues or problems, the pages cannot be substituted for one's own actual counseling, coaching or therapy.

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Copyright © 1999-2012 Natural Psychotherapy International, Eric Riss and Miriam Riss. 

All pages, content and aspects of this Web site - including text, design, arrangement of material, underlying source code, images, flow-charts or other charts, and all other content and material - are copyrighted by Dr. Eric Riss, Dr. Miriam Riss and Natural Psychotherapy International, all rights reserved.

Last Update: Saturday, January 28, 2012, NYC, NY, USA