Psychotherapy and the Tao of Trauma are both approaches to mental health treatment, but they differ in their principles and methods.

As a psychotherapy patient, you’ll mostly spend your time with me talking about your struggles and concerns. Psychotherapy alone can have great results depending on your needs and goals.

Tao of Trauma is a more integrative approach to healing trauma that combines principles from traditional Chinese medicine with modern Western trauma therapy. It emphasizes the balance of energy and harmony of the body’s system. It can include more body-oriented techniques that will help you regulate your nervous system from a physical place as well as an emotional one.

Not using insurance for mental health offers greater privacy about your symptoms and treatment, more freedom in selecting a therapist, better control over your treatment plan, and higher quality therapy since therapists can focus more on their clients without dealing with insurance paperwork. However, it is important to consider that this option may only be viable if you can afford the full cost of therapy out-of-pocket.