Over the past few decades, science has shown a clear link between emotional well-being and physical health. The common link between mind and body problems is stress. The stress response, the body’s “fight or flight” reaction to environmental danger, is necessary to survival.  But continued, chronic stress also causes a cycle of mood disturbances – depression, anxiety, irritability –  that are linked to medical conditions ranging from headaches to coronary problems, even diabetes and gastrointestinal conditions.

Research has demonstrated, for example, that anger is a risk factor in heart disease, that anxiety worsens skin conditions and asthma, and that depression is linked to high blood pressure.  In fact, many physicians believe that lowering the stress response is the single most important thing you can do for yourself to prevent disease.

In recent years, psychotherapists have incorporated mindfulness techniques, meditation training, and relaxation approaches to help clients regulate emotions and stress.IPG therapists are trained in Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), which use these techniques. IPG therapists also can help clients learn mindfulness meditation; we have blended meditation training into our therapy for many years.

Fortunately, our minds have the potential to control the stress response.  Meditation and other relaxation training block the physiological mechanisms that create stress, and many cognitive behavioral techniques promote stress resiliency.  Our staff is trained in a variety of disciplines that offer a holistic approach to wellness, an approach that combines the emotional and physical.