Rock to Stone Program

Rock to Stone Program

Our office distinguishes itself by offering a program called Rock to Stone. It provides patients with eight hours a week of treatment that combines Western and Eastern Medicine. The foundation of our program comes from Dr. Rafael E. Padro’s research. This research shows that patients in group therapies experience the closest environment to the patient’s community and social life while being in a safe place surrounded with professionals.

It is recommended for patients to attend the program for at least two to four weeks. Currently, the program runs Monday through Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The first hour of each day is group psychotherapy and the second hour is a combination of alternative healing therapies. The combination of Western and Eastern Medicine helps patients:

• Understand themselves better
• Recognize their limits
• Recognize their needs
• Recognize their environment
• Feel comfortable with their true self
• Learn healthy coping skills
• Learn how to be present in the moment

We believe CONSISTENCY is KEY for everything in life.

Therapies Provided and Their Benefits

Group Psychotherapy

When you are considering getting therapy, the idea of group therapy might seem intimidating. However, there are many benefits that group therapy can provide which you might not receive from individual therapy sessions. In fact, many individuals find group therapy rewarding because it:

• Provides individuals with a supportive network
• Acts as a sounding board for difficult feelings and emotions
• Provides accountability throughout your journey
• Helps individuals put their own problems in perspective

Group therapy also provides an effective solution to feelings of isolation and loneliness as it helps individuals realize they are not alone in their struggles. There are many personalities with different backgrounds with each individual in a group setting. The dynamics of a group often mirror those of society in general, and learning how to interact with the other members of the group can help you in your relationships outside the group. Every person in the group “holds up a mirror,” allowing you to see yourself through their eyes and understand how the behaviors of others affect you and how you may affect others. By understanding this, it helps to uncover the blind spots that may be blocking your ability to overcome your problems and you learn how to be more empathetic and compassionate when interacting with others in your life.

As part of the group therapy session, members try to change their old ways of behaving in favor of newer, more productive ways. If you would like to learn more about the Miami group therapy sessions we offer here at Mind & Soul Therapy, contact us today.

Restorative Yoga

Our restorative yoga classes will revitalize and reinvigorate your body and mind, leaving you with less tension and a greater sense of well-being.

Each class includes only passive poses, done either seated or lying down — no standing poses. Props are used to support most major joints. This allows the muscles that work throughout the night and day to relax and soften, creating openness and releasing tension.

The use of breathing techniques and guided relaxations will enhance the benefits of this nurturing practice. In addition, you will learn centuries-old yogic techniques for relieving stress, living a more balanced life, and strengthening your communication.

Restorative yoga is also an insightful practice. With regular practice, you will become more aware of your reactive patterns and the tension that results from them. Restorative yoga can help you sleep more soundly, perform better at work, communicate more clearly, and enjoy greater focus throughout your day.

Private restorative yoga classes are similar to group classes, except each session is tailored to your individual needs and symptoms. During one-on-one sessions, we will use additional pose variations and props, as well as more sophisticated techniques.

Qi Gong

QiGong is a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) technique that is believed to be more than 4,000 years old. It is practiced through the motion and movement of your body into different forms. This practice is a powerful tool for overcoming mild to moderate depression, as well as overcoming anxiety, worry, fear, and stress.

QiGong is an exercise that works both body and mind, by the flow of the Qi being guided through breathing and forms which helps to the relaxation of your body and mind. By doing so this exercise will help in balancing emotions, depression, and anxiety. Also, results of this exercise help provide overall body improvements such as memory, focus, sharpening of the mind, energy, and vitality.

While certain medications can help individuals struggling with depression, we believe that they are often only a temporary solution. This is because they temporarily lift the patient out of their depressive state, but fail to address the condition effectively. At Mind & Soul Therapy, we believe the key to effective treatment is achieving internal Qi balances and learning how to regulate emotional reactions to external stressors to reduce other internal imbalances.

Mindfulness/Meditation Therapy

Mindfulness meditation emphasizes acceptance of feelings and thoughts without judgment and relaxation of body and mind. It is possible that this unique form of therapy can also help reduce the anxiety that often accompanies our thoughts about the future. This is because mindful meditation interrupts several of the body’s natural processes that are triggered by depression. For example, there are many thoughts, feelings, and sensations that occur within the mind and body during a depressive episode. Researchers have determined that these automatic processes often coincide with negative thoughts and memories related to past events during an episode of depression. In turn, this correlation increases the incidence of anxiety and physical conditions, such as aches, pains, sleep disturbances, and fatigue.

Meditation therapy helps us learn how to recognize our sense of being so that we can untangle our sense of self from our thoughts and moods. This is particularly helpful for individuals who get stuck in a negative feedback loop over and over again. This form of therapy helps individuals develop a healthy separation between thoughts, emotions, and their self, allowing all of these inner components to exist simultaneously in separate dimensions. Awareness of this separation can lead to healing as we learn how to use positive thought processes to disarm negative moods.

Researcher Emily Nauman from UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center provides further clarification on the connection between mindfulness and positive mood:

“Mindfulness practices of MBCT allowed people to be more intentionally aware of the present moment, which gave them space to pause before reacting automatically to others. Instead of becoming distressed about rejection or criticism, they stepped back to understand their own automatic reactions—and to become more attuned to others’ needs and emotions. Awareness gave them more choice in how to respond, instead of becoming swept up in escalating negative emotion.”

In other words, practicing mindfulness encourages individuals to be confident and assertive as they work to create a balance in recognizing their needs and the needs of others. It also allows for more productive, constructive communication as patients develop the skills needed to understand differing perspectives in order to focus on possible solutions. Many patients have reported decreased levels of depression, anxiety, and pain after incorporating meditation therapy into their lives. Through the use of this type of therapy, our goal is to help patients experience increased energy levels and fewer incidences of feeling overwhelmed by negative emotions, allowing them to better cope with and support others.

Movement Therapy

This type of therapy approach guides you through a variety of movements and breathing methods that encourage mindful connection with different parts of your body. By incorporating both stillness and dynamic, fluid motions along with relaxing rhythms and beats, participants learn a natural approach to working with the energy centers of their bodies to achieve balance and clarity within the mind, body, and soul. As living, breathing beings, we have an interconnected relationship with the world in that both our bodies and the world are infinitely moving. The beautiful dance of our lives is created with every breath and step we take. Movement therapy enables us to reconnect with the wisdom of our body as we listen to it without distraction.

Sometimes our movements are the result of other individuals or external forces. Other times, our movements are intuitively guided by our own inner selves and inward forces. It takes a lot of patience and practice to learn how to recognize the space from where our movements are created and to achieve a balance between inner and external forces. All too often, we move too quickly, hold onto undesirable movements too long, or let go of desirable movements before we should. This struggle often results in a feeling of unbalance, tension, and disharmony, which can lead to emotional and physical discomfort. Movement therapy provides individuals with the skills and mindset they need to be fully present through all movements, allowing them to achieve a balance between internal and external guidance. By slowing down and getting in tune with the rhythm of your own body, you can find freedom in creative form, liberating yourself from the tension that has previously weighed you down.

Join our safe space and experience the healing of mindful movement.