71: Chris McDonald - The Power of Subtle Yoga, Brainspotting, Breathwork and Other Holistic Counseling Modalities

This week's guest, Chris McDonald, is a breath of fresh air in a world beset by false dichotomies between "traditional" and "holistic" approaches to mental health.

Chris is a holistic therapist, yogi, meditation teacher, author, and host of The Holistic Counseling Podcast. She owns a group online practice called Path to Hope Counseling. Chris is a 200 hour Registered Yoga Teacher, is certified in brainspotting and offers gentle yoga to clients in session, and offers private yoga sessions. She specializes in treatment of anxiety, depression, trauma and grief in young adults.

As the author of Self-Care for the Counselor, she has helped many therapists prioritize their own mental health and wellness. She is a Meditation Teacher on the Aura app and Insight Timer.

On this week's episode, host Nikhil Torsekar and Chris cover myriad areas, including:

• The state of mental health among mental health practitioners, especially after COVID. How self-service mindfulness techniques like three part breathing can help combat burnout and compassion fatigue.
• How holistic modalities like yoga, breathwork, and guided meditation can be beneficial in getting to the root of the issue vs. superficially addressing symptoms
• Brainspotting, a modality developed by Dr. David Grand as an offshoot of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). How therapists can leverage the basic, yet powerful adage that "where you look affects how you feel" to help their clients effectively process trauma - sometimes moreso than with traditional talk therapy
• Subtle yoga, which can help ground us, strengthen our connection with the present, find the "window of tolerance" and strike a balance between our sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system.
• The importance of finding community - whether through Facebook groups, virtual / in person happy hours, hosting a podcast, or yoga circles - in navigating the sometimes overwhelming "rabbit hole" of holistic modalities
• The wisdom of Thich Nhat Hanh (known as the "father of mindfulness"), Kristine Weber (the founder of subtle yoga) and other figures who have influenced Chris in her holistic counseling journey

Interested in learning more about subtle yoga, brainspotting, or the other modalities discussed on this episode? Check out The Holistic Counseling Podcast or join the Facebook group. Additionally, click here to claim your 30 day Aura app guest pass from Chris McDonald; find peace and get restful sleep with Chris today!

Therapists can check out her book entitled Self-Care For the Counselor at Amazon.

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