Reclaiming Wholeness

In recent decades, mental health care has made profound strides in diagnosis and treatment–but often at the cost of fragmenting the systems that serve and the individuals these systems are meant to care for. With the introduction of medical specialization in the 18th century, patient bodies have been compartmentalized, requiring several separate appointments and practitioners to care for a single person. Traditional models of healthcare still tend to reduce people to symptoms, a diagnosis, and medication plans, overlooking the full context of a person’s lived experience. A growing movement in the field is now pushing back against this siloed view, calling for the return to a holistic approach–one that honors the mind-body connection, social context, and personal history of trauma. 

Emerging research has brought into mainstream awareness the benefits of somatic practice and integrative trauma treatments. These approaches recognize that healing is not merely the absence of symptoms but the cultivation of emotional, physical, and relational well-being. As the World Health Organization reminds us, health is “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” 

This increase in research and awareness reflects a growing understanding that somatic and behavioral “symptoms” are not simply pathologies to be suppressed, but signals–possible entry points into deeper healing and transformation. For our practice, this means taking a step away from just providing “treatments” in order to empower patients to join us as we seek to understand what approaches would support their optimal wellness.

We stand by the notion that patient care is an ongoing and dynamic experience, a conversation and collaboration that is agreed upon by the patient and practitioner as they sustain a therapeutic relationship. This guiding principle hopes to model a healthcare system that moves away from fragmentation. Bodies are not like car parts, which can be sold, maintained, and switched out. Rather, we see the body similar to an orchestra. If one instrumental section is out of tune, we would consider multiple perspectives to realign the sound to maintain the symphony. A conductor wouldn’t replace the entire section of an orchestra ensemble; she would listen deeply to each section to identify if there are certain aspects of say, the violinists or percussionists that might need attention and support to work harmoniously with the rest of the orchestra. 

Integrative treatments that are focused on whole-person care hold the most promise to be reparative for individuals seeking mental health treatment. Whole-person approaches might incorporate somatic, cognitive, emotional-focused therapies, paired with community-based interventions, to support relational and systemic healing. Mental health therapies are a great place for healing to start, but do not necessarily need to focus on only the two individuals in the therapy room. This is a call for comprehensive mental health care that conceptualizes its approach as a multi-system endeavor, which starts with the individual, and ultimately serves to connect them to greater communities in which they originate and hope to join. This ideal is foundational to our practice; we aim to uphold whole-person healthcare as the norm, not the exception, to everyday encounters with the clients we serve and support. 

References & Notes:

This blog post is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional mental health treatment, diagnosis, or consultation. Reading this content does not establish a therapist-client relationship. If you are experiencing distress or need support, please reach out to our practice or another licensed mental health professional. 

Anderlini, D. (2018, May 31). The United States health care system is sick: From Adam Smith to overspecialization. Cureus, 10(5), e2720 https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.2720 

Mitrečić, D., Alves-Rodrigues, A., & Pochet, R. (2019). A call for unification: How to defragment the human brain, medical professions, and national strategies? Croatian Medical Journal, 60(2), 69-70. https://doi.org/10.3325/cmj.2019.60.69 

Williams, E. (2024). What’s Wrong?: Personal Histories of Chronic Pain and Bad Medicine. Abrams ComicArts. 

World Health Organization. (2019, October 8). Declaration of Alma-Ata. International Conference on Primary HEalth Retrieved July 20, 2025, from https://www.who.int/teams/social-determinants-of-health/declaration-of-alma-ata

Cover Photo by Aaron Boucicault on Unsplash