10 alternative therapies for anxiety, depression, and PTSD

Alternative therapies for mental health conditions

FOX 26's Melissa Wilson gives us a look at 10 alternative therapies for conditions like anxiety, depression and PTSD.

HOUSTON - Talk therapy and medications are the gold standard to treat mental health conditions. The American Psychiatric Association says it does help 75% of those who try it.

Here are ten alternative options that supplement that and advance care to a new level.

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1. We'll start with EMDR: Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing. Many patients at Wilson Counseling hope to lessen feelings of anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic disorder. EMDR is helping them work through the pain.

"It actually stands for eye movement desensitization and reprocessing. It's a lot of fancy words for your eye movements like REM sleep for processing stuck memories in the brain," says Lisa Smith, a licensed professional counselor.

The trauma treatment vibrates the hands and combines eye movements to help process things differently and more positively. It's been a life changer for Nikki Corso.

"It really does work! It's not voodoo or magic! I was skeptical, but my anxiety is much more decreased and I find peace and being able to move forward in my life," exclaims Nikki. For more information, click here.

An eye-opening endorphin rush is what clients often get at HUEMN. The next seven ideas on our list are offered there, including a three-minute plunge in 37-degree water.

2. Cold plunge "ice bath": It doesn't literally have ice in it, but probably feels as though it does. We talked to Germany Mayfield about it, who has tried different options at HUEMN.

"If you can make it through the first sixty seconds, you should be golden. The trick is to make no movements at all, even the smallest movement. It almost feels like it's a complete reset, to like saying get out, get out, get out, but obviously it's better to just go ahead and stay and bravely face it and to develop more resiliency. It's obviously just above freezing and here's what you can learn from the cold: just accepting things as they are and believing in yourself. The temperature is what it is, and I feel like if you can accept that as it is, and know you chose to do it and can brave a traumatic experience, because it is a sort of a traumatic experience, it can help you when you have things come into your life that are unexpected. You can think back to wow, I dealt with 37 degree water, this this should be somewhat easy or manageable at least," explains Germany. For more information, click here.

3. After that chilly water: warm up in the infrared sauna! "The cold is the constriction and then the heat is the dilation, so you're giving yourself a vascular exercise of both hot and cold. One of the really good things about mental health and what the cold therapy do in the water is it trains your body to adapt with stress and being okay," explains Bill Hanks, the owner of HUEMN.

Studies show that an infrared sauna can optimize natural antidepressants in our brain, including dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin. This, while lowering cortisol in the body, which is the chemical known to cause stress. For more information, click here.

4. Cryotherapy: Jessica Ciosek calls it exhilarating to take a dramatic step into cryotherapy at -140 degrees.

"It does take your breath away the first time, but you can listen to your favorite song and really amp yourself up and motivate yourself stay in there and I promise you when you leave, you feel incredibly energized. It really is a self-talk situation where you have to tell yourself that you can get through it and then find ways to tolerate it. That might be by moving around dancing, jumping, or simply breathing. I have walked into the cryo chamber feeling really tired, and I always feel energized when I walk out. I've also walked into the cryo-chamber feeling frustrated or upset, and it really lifts your mood," states Jessica. For more information, click here.

Studies show it gets blood flowing and balances the nervous system to reduce anxiety and depression. It also stimulates the vagus nerve, which can temporarily lower blood pressure, spark alertness, and help reduce stress.

5. Shift wave chair: It is designed to increase the sympathetic nervous system to teach the body and brain to work through stress. Put on some headphones to help lead you, an eye mask, lean back, and relax in the chaise lounge-type chair and meditate. MRI scans actually show meditation reinforces connections between brain cells, which can improve mood.

"The shift wave chair is like meditating for a year in ten minutes. What we're doing is using mechanical vibrations up and down the spine, all the way to the back of the calves and feet, and then listening to tones and doing breath work," explains Bill. For more information, click here.

6. Targeted red light therapy: Research shows the right light can boost mood. HUEMN offers a helmet that just fits on the head for targeted therapy to help stimulate brain cells.

"The red light therapy works really well with a science called photobiomodulation, helps produce more adenosine triphosphate, which is ATP. You can do it every single day too if you're trying to overcome something, but three times a week is optimal. Anytime you can make the cells work better and do their jobs better, it's going to help with all of those. It was designed for Parkinson's, but it works well for all of the functions of the brain," says Bill.

7. Photobiomodulation therapy for entire body: It looks like a tanning bed, but without the UV light. The bed full of LED lights was created to reduce pain and inflammation, increase ATP, improve tissue repair, and optimize cellular health. Germany believes in it and the overall power of alternative therapy.

"It helps to reduce inflammation in the body, it kind of gives you the reset! Helps with cellular energy and things of that nature. It's nice too because I believe it's about 13 minutes, and they have different modes you can choose," explains Germany.

"The reason we like that one is because we are about 20 trillion cells and when you're in the bed, all of those lights are hitting the cells and the entire body. So now your muscles, organs, skin, and cognitive health are getting the benefit," explains Bill. For more information, click here.

8. Nano float pod: Bill says this pod is the only commercial one available in the country to put the body into a parasympathetic state, prompting relaxation and a recharge.

"This is oxygenation nanobubble flow. It cavitates and creates small oxygen particles, which you soak in just like you do the float," Bill says. For more information, click here.

9. Psychedelic-guided therapy: A different route now to other patients, who are taking treatment to new heights by finding clarity through guided psychedelic therapy.

"Our first phase III trial was published in Nature Medicine, and demonstrated that two thirds of people who went through this protocol no longer have met the criteria for PTSD diagnosis," explains Liana Gillooly with Multidisciplinary Assoc. for Psychedelic Studies, known as MAPS.

Preliminary results show it's lowering thoughts of suicide!

"There are more and more instances of practitioners who are offering these services currently, including in the state of Texas. So psychedelic-guided therapy can be really impactful for treating depression and active suicidality. It's giving us this first wave of understanding how to support and treat the population but because they haven't done trials, it's being prescribed as what's called off label. So, that means there's no insurance coverage available for it and the treatments can be expensive. Part of our goal in creating FDA-approved treatments is that we can increase accessibility through things like insurance coverage," states Liana.

Everyone at MAPS is also helping spread the positive side of this treatment.

"We have had to really work hard against the stigma and really the misinformation around the potential therapeutic uses of these substances. There was a lot of research done in the 1950s and 60s that was super promising, and our body of work is really building off the research that was initiated then by psychiatrists, psychologists, and therapists, and people who really were looking for better interventions for treating mental health conditions. We've had to work really hard and provide rigorous science and data-driven information to demonstrate to people that there may be a safe and effective way to work with these substances," explains Liana.

Mushrooms and chemical compounds make up the psychedelic prescriptions and are combined with therapy at the same time. Governor Greg Abbott signed into law a bill that will allow research into the novel treatment. Now a first of its kind study using psychedelics will take place at the Michael E. Debakey VA Hospital in Houston in an effort to help veterans, in collaboration with the Health and Human Services Commission and Baylor College of Medicine. The suicide rate is terribly high for veterans, often because of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and the hope is new treatments will lower those numbers.

For more information, click here.

For more about the study in Houston, click here.

10. Finally, artificial intelligence (AI) art: A dopamine rush from art! Artificial intelligence on the website, https://creator.nightcafe.studio makes it easier than ever to spark creativity and connect with others.

"A lot of people are going through very similar situations as them, so they're using it for therapy or as fun or as a hobby. And a lot of people don't have artistic skills to begin with or they're not able to create art for a number of different reasons, including mental health challenges," explains the co-creator, Elle Russell.

You just type a few words and colors to express yourself, then witness the artwork come to life before your eyes.

"One type of our AI generator is unlimited and free. If you want to get into the more advanced types of creations, or you're wanting to delve deeper into the program, then we charge a fee," explains Elle.

Different colors can also affect the way you express your emotions.

"So, they might use a lot of reds, for instance, or use a start image that has a lot of reds. And then they might use different terms, like gravity or heavy or things like that. That can help really influence the way that they perceive things as well. So, I know one of the big things that people create happy landscapes, so they can feel very natural and at ease when they create landscapes and gardens," explains Elle.

These are ten different types of creative therapy to help process pain. The most important thing is finding something that works well for your own body!

Doctors say eating a healthy diet and exercising can also naturally boost your mood. It’s crucial to recognize if you’re struggling and then realizing that plenty of help is available and can be effective, when you find the right modality for your own body.

Here's an example of how effective alternative therapy can be, click here.

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