Enlightened Ways Therapy

12/16/2025

Holiday Strategy #3: Utilize Mantras

Using mantras can be a powerful way to steady yourself during stressful or emotional moments—especially around the holidays. A mantra offers a simple, grounding phrase you can return to when you feel overwhelmed, helping you regulate your nervous system and shift your internal dialogue. Whether it’s “I can handle this one step at a time” or “I deserve peace,” repeating a mantra can create a sense of calm, clarity, and emotional safety. It’s a small tool with a big impact, giving your mind something reassuring to hold onto when things feel chaotic.

Tip for success: Rehearse these mantras regularly in advance of the potentially stressful situation.

1. “I can pause before I respond.”�You don’t have to react immediately—taking a breath creates space for clarity and calm.

2. “My feelings are valid, even if others don’t understand them.”�Your emotional experience matters, and you don’t need external permission to honor it.

3. “I can choose what I engage in and what I step away from.”�You have agency—boundaries are an act of care, not conflict.

4. “This moment is temporary, and I know how to ground myself.”�Focusing on the present (your breath, your senses, your body) can reduce overwhelm and help you stay steady.

12/16/2025

FYI: Our phones will be closed 12/24-12/28 and 12/31-1/4 for the holidays! 🎄

12/08/2025

At Enlightened Ways Therapy, we know the holidays can bring both joy and challenges. Throughout this month, we’ll be sharing practical holiday strategies, coping tools, and gentle reminders to help you prepare for—and make it through—the season with more support and intention. Follow along for weekly tips to protect your mental health during the holidays.

This week’s focus is on planning ahead and communicating your needs clearly. Deciding what you will and won’t attend, how long you’ll stay, and what support you may need can reduce stress and prevent misunderstandings. Sharing your plan with trusted people helps set realistic expectations and protects your emotional energy.

12/06/2025

The holidays aren’t always happy—and you’re not alone if this season brings grief, family tension, or emotional overwhelm. Our newest blog, “The Holidays Aren’t Always Happy: Tools for Grief, Boundaries, and Healing,” offers practical coping skills, boundary-setting tips, and gentle reminders to support your mental health during the holiday season.

Read the full post and find tools to help you navigate the holidays with more care and compassion. https://www.enlightenedwaystherapy.com/blog/the-holidays-arent-always-jolly-navigating-grief-relationships-and-healing

12/03/2025

11/27/2025

Happy Thanksgiving from Enlightened Ways Therapy 🦃

Today we hold space for gratitude, connection, and celebration, while also acknowledging the reality that holidays aren’t easy for everyone. This season may bring joy, but it can just as easily stir up grief, family stress, loneliness, or emotional overwhelm. If this time of year feels complicated, you are not alone, and your experience is valid.

Here are a few gentle ways to care for yourself during the holiday season:

• Set boundaries — It’s okay to leave early, say no to conversations, or protect your peace.

• Create your own traditions — Meaningful moments don’t have to look traditional to matter.

• Take breaks when you need them — Step outside, breathe deeply, reconnect with your body.

• Seek connection in ways that feel safe — A friend, a support group, a call, a quiet moment together.

• Practice self-compassion — However you’re showing up today is enough.

Whether today is warm and full or tender and heavy, we see you. We’re wishing you moments of comfort, grounding, and the reminder that your well-being matters today and every day. 🧡

11/23/2025

In honor of Native American Heritage Month, we’re grateful to share teachings and cultural knowledge from our therapist, Lindsay Dillon, who is Ojibwe and from the Loon Clan.

Lindsay reminds us of the importance of the Four Directions in Native cultures—represented by the colors yellow, red, black, and white, and reflected in the medicine wheel.
• East: new beginnings, inspiration
• South: warmth, growth
• West: reflection, life cycles
• North: patience, wisdom, strength through hardship

She also highlights the holistic view of mental health in many Native communities, where healing is collective and deeply rooted in ceremony, connection, and culture. Generational trauma from residential schools and genocide continues to impact Native families today. If you want to learn more, Lindsay recommends the documentary Sugarcane.

Important statistics:
• Native Americans experience higher substance-use rates, with 10% living with a substance use disorder and 25% reporting binge drinking.
• Native youth face higher substance use compared to non-Native peers.
• The crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) remains urgent—violence rates on some reservations are up to 10× higher than the national average, and thousands of Indigenous women and girls remain unaccounted for.

Some beautiful parts of her culture include—traditional dances, the healing power of drumming and flute music, and the meaning behind beadwork as “good medicine.” She notes that hair is sacred for many Native people, symbolizing connection to Creator, ancestors, and identity.

And for those wondering: Lindsay notes that everyone is welcome at powwows and to support Native artists by purchasing beadwork. The only caution is around white sage, which is sacred and often over harvested—other forms of sage are fine to use respectfully.

We share Lindsay’s teachings with gratitude and respect. May this month inspire us all to learn, listen, and honor Indigenous communities.

11/17/2025

Did you know that a free, 24/7 crisis line exists just for all service members?

The Veterans Crisis Line is simple to use, just dial 988 then press 1 or text 838255 for free, confidential support.

If you or someone you know is a service member struggling, our clinic is here to help. Whether you're coping with trauma symptoms, navigating reintegration, or managing everyday stressors, you deserve care that understands your experience.

Reach out anytime to learn more or schedule an appointment.

11/16/2025

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11/13/2025

Men face unique challenges when it comes to mental health. Too often, stigma and societal expectations keep men from reaching out for help — but taking care of your mental health is a sign of strength, not weakness.

🧠 Here’s how we can support men’s mental health:

-Start conversations: Ask the men in your life how they’re really doing and listen without judgment.

-Normalize therapy: Encourage therapy as a healthy, proactive tool — not a last resort.

-Check in regularly: Even small messages or calls can remind someone they’re not alone.

-Promote healthy outlets: Exercise, hobbies, community groups, and mindfulness can all help manage stress.

-Model openness: Men seeing other men talk about emotions helps break the cycle of silence.

Let’s change the narrative — mental health matters for everyone.

11/06/2025

In the world of mental health, therapy should feel like a place where you can show up exactly as you are. For many neurodivergent people—those with autism, ADHD, dyslexia, or other forms of neurological difference—that hasn’t always been the case.

Neuroaffirming care is changing that. It’s a growing movement in therapy that recognizes neurological differences as natural variations of the human brain, not as problems to fix. This guide explains what neuroaffirming therapy means, why it matters, and how to find care that truly supports you.

Read more at: https://www.enlightenedwaystherapy.com/blog/a-clients-guide-to-neuroaffirming-therapy

11/05/2025

November brings an opportunity to honor and uplift Indigenous voices during Native American Heritage Month. To highlight the profound contributions that Native American scholars and clinicians have made to the field of psychology, here are a few important Native American figures to know about:

Carolyn Lewis Attneave (Delaware Tribe)-a pioneering psychologist who developed network-therapy approaches that honored family and community connections and was among the first Native American women to earn a PhD in psychology.

Marigold Linton (Morongo Band of Cahuilla Mission Indians)- the first Native American in the U.S. to earn a doctorate in psychology (1964), whose research in long‐term memory and advocacy for Indigenous students advanced both science and equity.

Logan Wright Jr. (Osage Nation)- often called the father of pediatric psychology, who became the first American Indian to serve as president of the American Psychological Association (APA) and helped shape practices that integrate psychological and medical care for children.

These trailblazers remind us how Indigenous perspectives — emphasizing holistic health, community connection, cultural strengths, and healing from generational trauma — enrich and broaden the field of psychology.

When we honor the past and invest in the future, we support a more inclusive and culturally responsive field of psychology that reflects all of us.