The theory is genius in its simplicity, but then again, isn’t that the basis of all great ideas?

It’s no great revelation that the mind and body are intimately connected. So if the mind is suffering, the body can’t help but share the pain. Doesn’t logic therefore dictate that equal attention must be paid to the body when releasing the mind? That is the idea behind Yoga Psychotherapy.

Danielle McDermott discovered in a yoga class at age 19, that certain stretches and poses induced unexpected emotional releases. Realizing that body movements can help release pent up feelings, she knew this discovery was worth exploring, and so began a path that would lead to her present career.

To get a strong footing in the understanding of psychology, she set out to get her Masters in the field, which she then followed with a certification in yoga therapy to develop her own unique approach to counselling.

What this entails is traditional talk therapy coupled with certain yoga techniques. When we experience emotions, we experience them with our whole body, so it holds a lot of tension. Think of how tight your neck and shoulders get when you’re under a lot of stress. Those with anxiety or anxiety disorders chronically hold a lot of tension in these areas and the buildup often manifests itself as indigestion, back pain, and other “psychosomatic disorders.” The benefit of yoga psychotherapy is that in addition to addressing the underlying emotional or psychological issues through talking, it also helps release the physical tension with concurrent stretches and poses.

A typical session would begin with a face-to-face “intake,” during which you and your therapist discuss goals, expectations, and some history to contextualize the issue at hand. From this you’d usually go straight to the massage table where you’d integrate the body into the dialogue. Through this process, Danielle identifies where you are holding emotional tensions and what techniques she can use to release them. You can’t solve a problem unless you understand it and in this kind of therapy, that is achieved because how you are feeling directly affects the way your body reacts to the moves and this increases self-awareness.

Breathing is a huge component in health. Most of us are not breathing properly. If you check in with your breath right now, you might notice that you’re holding your stomach, or you’re holding your breath, or you’re doing short shallow breathing which isn’t getting much further down than your upper chest. When we’re breathing, we need to be doing most of it with our belly, so deep belly breathing is very important. This communicates to the nervous system that everything’s ok. When we’re stressed, it shoots out messages that create the cascade of responses in the body called the “Fight or Flight” response. One of the quickest and most effective ways that we can counter the stress response is by engaging the “Relaxation Response,” and the best way to do that is through the breath. So slow, deep breaths with very slow exhales from the belly, combined with some yoga stretches is the way to go.

An area that people hold a lot of tension in are the hips. You’ll notice that you’re unconsciously clenching throughout the day. If you’re driving for example, and avert an accident, check your hips, your lower back, and your breath. Guaranteed they’re all really tight and constricted. People hold a lot of fear and a lot of anger in their hips, so one of the things that Danielle often tries to do is stretch the area with some hip openers to release some of the chronic holding and constriction.

Arms also get a lot of attention because massaging pressure points and stretching them release the shoulder and try to bring it some relaxation. Danielle pulls them down to release tension and then brings them overhead to get to the upper back and the neck. People love this move because it lengthens the body. Combining deep breathing adds more traction to the stretches because during the exhale, the body gets heavier and heavier, which pulls against Danielle’s pull of the arms.

One of Danielle’s goals during a session is to reset a person’s basic stress level. Most of us are operating at a base level of relaxation that is way higher than what it should be. As a result, when we have a stressful evet in our lives, the stress level goes off the charts. We then come back down to where we think is our relaxed place, but in fact it’s still quite elevated. Danielle therefore incorporates relaxation exercises and takes clients through some guided imagery and meditation to start getting that base relaxation level much lower.

It is important to note that no prior experience in yoga is necessary. You don’t need to be able to do deep stretches or deep belly breathing because Danielle does all the work. What you get is a very relaxed treatment much like Thai yoga massage as you talk and work out your problems with your therapist.

Yoga psychotherapy is a great option for anybody who’s going through tough times in their lives or having a hard time coping with life’s many challenges. Danielle brings in cognitive behavioural therapy and solution focused therapy to teach you some coping strategies that will help you manage whatever situation is causing you distress.

People who are struggling with reproductive health can also benefit because so much of fertility can be linked to stress. Danielle also works a lot with people suffering from cancer who need to learn relaxation techniques to help them deal with chemotherapy and radiation.

If this sounds like something you’d like to try, Danielle McDermott is one of the few people in Vancouver that offer this kind of therapy. She is also probably the gentlest, calmest, most genuine person I’ve ever met so don’t be surprised if you find yourself telling her things you never thought you’d say out loud!

Contact:

Danielle McDermott, MA, CYT
Psychotherapist & Certified Yoga Therapist
355 Burrard St, Suite 1400
Vancouver, BC V6C 2G8
Tel: 604.608.6193
Email: danielle@mindbodyhealing.ca
www.mindbodyhealing.ca