United Healing Center

Hi Friends, Family, and Community,

Please read and consider donating to help support my dear Aunt Wendy. She was the pillar of our family all throughout my childhood, but with many years of recent struggle, she became homeless and we lost contact with her. We’ve now been reunited and my mom has been diligently helping her get into stable housing. Any donation means so much to our family - thank you!

Donate to Support Wendy: A Journey from Homelessness to Healing, organized by Melanie Vallee My sister Wendy has endured unimaginable hardship over the past s… Melanie Vallee needs your support for Support Wendy: A Journey from Homelessness to Healing

🌟 Exciting News! Join Us for an Unforgettable Journey - EFT Practitioner Levels 1 & 2 Training in Beautiful Kirkland, WA 🌟

We are thrilled to announce our first in-person event, and it's one you won't want to miss! Experience the transformative power of Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) up close and personal in the picturesque surroundings of Kirkland, WA.

Event Highlights:

Date: December 8 - 10, 2023
Time: 10 AM - 6 PM
Location: Kirkland, WA | Exact location TBA
Hosts: Aspen Vallee & Melanie Vallee
To Register: Visit https://unitedhealingcenter.org/events or email [email protected]

Why This Event Is a Must-Attend:

Limited-Time Offer: Secure your spot now and enjoy the exclusive rate of just $399 until November 19th. After that, the price returns to the regular $799, and spots are limited. Don't wait – seize this opportunity to become an EFT Practitioner!

Any donations beyond the course fee will be dedicated to supporting single mothers, providing them with the opportunity to attend our life-changing EFT Trainings. Your contribution can help change lives, and we're grateful for your support in making a positive impact in our community.

Join us for this unforgettable event in Kirkland, WA, where you'll embark on a journey of self-discovery, healing, and transformation to help both yourself and your clients. It's time to create a brighter, more fulfilling future. See you there! 🌞

The ways in which we protected ourselves from trauma may have been sensible at the time. But they often hold us back later and becoming aware of them helps us break free of them. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/evolution-the-self/202209/you-don-t-choose-your-defenses-your-defenses-choose-you

You Don’t Choose Your Defenses, Your Defenses Choose You It’s crucial to identify, evaluate, and revise probably outdated defenses.

Many of the thoughts that cause us pain are irrational. Therapy can help us to realize this and reduce their influence on us. https://www.verywellhealth.com/cognitive-distortions-5226061

Cognitive Distortions: What Are They? Cognitive distortions are irrational thought patterns that can habituate negative thinking. Review causes, types, and treatment options here.

Some of the terminology around addiction and substance abuse disorders has changed in recent years. This article explains the most common phrases and what they mean for treatment. https://www.healthline.com/health/drug-dependence

Drug Dependence: Symptoms, Treatment, and Outlook Drug dependence is now referred to as substance use disorder. Here’s what you need to know about this condition.

"High-functioning" is a phrase some people use when symptoms of depression don't match their stereotype of it. But those cases are still serious and can be improved through mental health services. https://www.verywellmind.com/high-functioning-depression-causes-symptoms-and-treatment-5324550

What Is High-Functioning Depression? 'High-functioning' depression is not a clinical diagnosis but is instead a lay term for hidden depression that goes unnoticed. Learn the signs and what you can do.

Mental health treatments can help teens whose problems vary in severity. But it's always better to intervene early rather than late. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/lack-of-adequate-mental-health-care-places-heavy-burden-on-young-people

Lack of adequate mental health care places heavy burden on young people The U.S. surgeon general issued a rare public advisory in December, warning of a “devastating” mental health crisis among American teens. Symptoms of depression and anxiety for children and adolescents have doubled during the COVID pandemic. Special correspondent Cat Wise reports on why accessin...

Some people abuse substances as a way of trying to mitigate the effects of depression, but will end up worse in the long run. Clinical treatment for substance abuse disorders can help people develop better coping mechanisms while they safely stop abusing drugs. https://www.healthline.com/health/depression/forms-self-medication -abuse

Recognizing Forms of Self-Medication People with depression may try to cope with feelings like sadness, loss, and anger on their own by “self-medicating” (engaging in substance abuse as a form of medication). Learn how to recognize forms of self-medication and to understand how substance abuse is related to depression and other psy...

Genetics play a role in a person's vulnerability to addiction, but they aren't the only one. There are may factors, and understanding them is important for prevention and treatment. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/understanding-addiction/202206/understanding-individual-vulnerability-addiction

Understanding Individual Vulnerability to Addiction What makes one person more susceptible to addiction than another?

Depression is a varied disease, and different forms of it can last for a long time. However, chronic depression can still be manageable. https://www.verywellmind.com/chronic-depression-symptoms-causes-and-treatment-5410277

What Is Chronic Depression? This article explores the symptoms, causes, and diagnosis of chronic depression, as well as some treatment options and coping strategies that may be helpful.

Social media has helped many teens become more familiar with conversations about mental health, but those conversations are often entry-level or unreliable. There's no substitute for professional help. https://www.healthline.com/health-news/what-to-know-about-using-tiktok-as-a-mental-health-resource -for-mental-health

How TikTok Became a Mental Health Resource TikTok has now become a platform for thousands of healthcare professionals, including psychiatrists, therapists, and mental health advocates, who use the app's widespread reach to talk to audiences about everything from depression to ADHD.

People recover from substance abuse disorders when they feel internally motivated to do so. That is often difficult because of how addiction changes the brain's way of processing rewards, but it is possible through professional treatments. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/evolution-the-self/202208/why-it-s-so-easy-get-addicted-and-how-best-treat-it

Why It’s So Easy to Get Addicted, and How Best to Treat It We’re vulnerable to getting hooked on anything that helps us feel better.

Recovering from a substance abuse disorder requires both medical and psychological treatment. Although brain changes can be permanent, with treatment and time, they can often be corrected. https://www.verywellhealth.com/is-addiction-a-disease-or-choice-5219387

Is Addiction a Disease? Addiction is considered a disease, specifically called substance use disorder. Learn how the brain changes, causes, and more about treatment programs.

When parents are worried for their teenage-children, it's easy for them to come across as judgmental and critical. But keeping communication open will allow a teen to act with more information, even if they don't seem to agree. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/adolescents-explained/202208/why-won-t-our-teens-open-and-really-talk-us

Survivor's guilt is a common response to trauma. It isn't rational, but exploring it is often necessary for growth. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-new-brain/202210/understanding-survivor-guilt

Understanding Survivor Guilt Why do human beings suffer survivor guilt, and how can it be managed?

It's hard for anyone to imagine what their lives will be like decades down the road. But for people in recovery, it's especially important to be working toward something. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/quantum-leaps/202205/utilize-your-future-self-help-overcome-addiction

Utilize Your Future Self to Help Overcome an Addiction Being connected to your future self provides inner strength in the moment.

People often become more vulnerable to developing substance abuse disorders after experiencing trauma. Treatments are becoming more mindful of this and tend more to focus on mental health holistically. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/use-your-brain/202207/how-treat-trauma-and-addiction

Kids need opportunities to develop their decision-making skills before they're independent, and part of that is the risk they'll make a poor decision. But parents can still be supportive by helping their kids think through likely outcomes rationally. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-self-driven-child/202208/helping-kids-become-good-decision-makers

Trauma sometimes results in cognitive distortions that sabotage us. These distortions tend to follow certain patterns that we can learn to guard against. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/understanding-ptsd/202209/how-negative-self-beliefs-can-impact-your-life

How Negative Self-Beliefs Can Impact Your Life Self-defeating beliefs can quickly devolve into self-sabotage.

People with substance abuse disorders tend to be slower to change their behavior in response to negative outcomes. Understanding this is an important part of self-awareness. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-neuroscience-emotion-and-decisionmaking/202207/why-do-some-continue-drug-use-when-it-ruins

People who struggle with substance abuse and other compulsions can learn to notice when the compulsion is becoming harder to manage. At those times, it may still be possible to shift one's train of thought through practice. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/more-feeling/202207/breaking-the-chains-addiction

A panic attack may be scary to watch, even though it isn't life-threatening. If you see someone having one, there are things you can do to help. https://www.verywellhealth.com/calm-someone-down-panic-attack-5323892

How to Calm Someone Down From a Panic Attack How you act and speak to someone experiencing a panic attack is important. Learn how to calm someone who is having a panic attack.

Breathing exercises aren't just for when you're having an anxiety attack. They can be practiced regularly, reducing symptoms such as insomnia. https://www.verywellhealth.com/breathing-exercises-for-anxiety-5088091

Breathing Exercises for Anxiety Breathwork can be a soothing cure for anxiety symptoms. Here are some breathing exercises to try when you’re experiencing an anxiety attack.

People with substance abuse disorders are able to commit to recovery when they determine that the price of substance abuse is outweighing the benefits. But for that to happen they have to weigh what benefits they thought they got from the substance in the first place. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/sober-curiosity/202209/how-make-sense-addiction

How to Make Sense of Addiction Identifying the beginning of the “love affair."

The vast majority of people who suffer from depression show improvement with treatment. But treatments are easier and more effective when they are sought quickly. https://www.verywellmind.com/major-depressive-disorder-symptoms-causes-and-treatment-5270926

What Is Major Depressive Disorder? Major depressive disorder causes sadness, loss of interest, and other serious impairments. Learn the symptoms, causes, and treatments of major depressive disorder.