If you are looking into holistic mental health practices in Scottsdale, it helps to know what they actually involve. At Redefine Wellness, eight core practices shape how we care for the whole person, not just a diagnosis. Some are evidence-based clinical therapies. Others are body-based or brain-based tools that help the nervous system settle.
None of them work in isolation, and none of them replace medical care. What follows is a plain-language look at each practice, what it tends to help with, and how it fits into a real plan at our Scottsdale center.
This article is for general education and is not a substitute for professional diagnosis or treatment. If you are in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, or call 911. If you take medication for a mental health condition, do not stop or change it on your own; any changes should be made with the clinician who prescribes it. Individual results vary.
Why a Holistic Approach to Mental Health Matters
Mental health is not just something that happens in your head. Sleep, stress, past trauma, and the state of your nervous system all shape how you feel day to day. A holistic approach treats those pieces together rather than one at a time.
The need is widespread. More than one in five U.S. adults experience a mental illness in a given year, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Interest in mind and body practices has grown alongside that need: adult meditation use rose from 7.5 percent in 2002 to 17.3 percent in 2022, the largest increase among the complementary approaches the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health tracks.
Treating Root Causes, Not Just Symptoms
At Redefine Wellness & Treatment, a Joint Commission accredited outpatient center in Scottsdale, care is built around the individual. The goal is to address what is driving distress, not only to quiet the surface signs of it. That is why a plan often combines evidence-based clinical therapy with body-based and brain-based practices that many programs do not offer.
Who This Is For
These practices support adults working through trauma, stress, anxiety, depression, and substance use, including working professionals who need care that fits a real schedule. None of this replaces a clinical assessment. A licensed clinician decides, with you, which practices make sense for your situation.
The 8 Holistic Mental Health Practices We Use
Here are eight practices we use most often at Redefine, what each one is, what it tends to help with, and how it fits into a plan. They sit on a range of evidence. Some, like EMDR and somatic experiencing, have strong clinical research behind them. Others, like PEMF and red light therapy, are supportive practices we use to aid relaxation and nervous-system regulation alongside clinical care, not as standalone treatments for any condition.
1. Neurofeedback
What it is
Neurofeedback is a form of brain training that shows you your own brain activity in real time and rewards calmer, more regulated patterns. It is non-invasive, and it does not involve medication. It is a different thing from qEEG brain mapping, which is a separate assessment some clients choose; neurofeedback is the training, not the map.
What it helps with
Clients often use neurofeedback to support sleep, focus, and emotional regulation while they do deeper therapeutic work. Research on neurofeedback continues to develop, and we treat it as one supportive tool inside a larger plan rather than a cure for any single condition.
How we use it at Redefine
We use neurofeedback to help clients stabilize the nervous system so that talk therapy lands more easily. Many people describe feeling less hijacked by their reactions after a series of sessions.
2. EMDR
What it is
EMDR, or eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, is a structured therapy that helps the brain reprocess distressing memories using guided bilateral stimulation, often side-to-side eye movements. It is one of the most studied trauma therapies available.
What it helps with
EMDR is used for trauma and post-traumatic stress. The American Psychological Association conditionally recommends EMDR as a treatment for PTSD in adults. It can also help with the painful memories that sit underneath anxiety and depression.
How we use it at Redefine
Our trauma-trained clinicians deliver EMDR as part of a paced plan, so the work stays inside a window each client can tolerate.
3. Somatic Experiencing
What it is
Somatic experiencing is a body-based approach that helps you notice and release the tension and survival responses that trauma can leave stored in the body. It works with physical sensation, not just thoughts and words.
What it helps with
It is used for trauma, chronic stress, and the physical symptoms that often travel with them. In one randomized controlled trial published in the Journal of Traumatic Stress, somatic experiencing reduced PTSD symptoms compared with a waitlist group.
How we use it at Redefine
We pair somatic experiencing with talk therapy so clients can process difficult material without becoming overwhelmed by it.
4. Internal Family Systems
What it is
Internal family systems, or IFS, is a talk-therapy model that treats the mind as a system of parts, each carrying its own role and history. Instead of fighting the parts that feel stuck or critical, you learn to understand and lead them.
What it helps with
IFS is used for trauma, anxiety, depression, and the inner conflict that keeps people feeling at war with themselves. Many clients find it a gentler way into hard material.
How we use it at Redefine
We offer internal family systems as a core therapy and often combine it with body-based work so insight and physical regulation move together.
5. Breathwork
What it is
Breathwork is the guided, deliberate use of breathing patterns to shift how the body feels. Slowing and deepening the breath can quiet the stress response and bring the nervous system back toward calm.
What it helps with
People use breathwork for anxiety, stress, and emotional overwhelm. In a randomized controlled study published in Cell Reports Medicine in 2023, a daily five-minute breathing practice improved mood and lowered anxiety compared with mindfulness meditation over one month.
How we use it at Redefine
We teach breathwork as a skill clients can use in session and carry into daily life, especially in moments of high anxiety.
6. PEMF Therapy
What it is
PEMF, or pulsed electromagnetic field therapy, delivers gentle, low-level magnetic pulses to the body. At Redefine we treat it as a supportive, complementary practice for relaxation and recovery, not as a treatment for any mental health diagnosis.
What it helps with
Clients use PEMF to support rest, relaxation, and a sense of physical calm alongside their clinical care. Evidence for PEMF in mental health is still emerging, so we are careful not to overstate what it does.
How we use it at Redefine
We offer PEMF therapy as one comfort-focused option within a broader plan, never as a stand-in for therapy or medical care.
7. Red Light Therapy
What it is
Red light therapy uses low levels of red and near-infrared light. Like PEMF, we offer it as a supportive, complementary practice for relaxation and recovery, not as a treatment for a specific mental health condition.
What it helps with
Clients use it to support rest and a feeling of physical restoration. The research on red light therapy for mental health is early, so we frame it as a comfort practice rather than a clinical treatment.
How we use it at Redefine
We include red light therapy as an optional supportive practice for clients who find it calming, layered on top of their core clinical work.
8. Yoga and Meditation
What it is
Yoga and meditation are mind-body practices that combine movement, breath, and focused attention. Together they help train steadiness and presence.
What it helps with
Both are widely used to manage stress and support emotional balance. About 16.8 percent of U.S. adults practiced yoga in 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and meditation was the most used complementary approach that year.
How we use it at Redefine
We weave yoga and meditation into the week as part of our holistic therapies, giving clients practices they can keep using long after a program ends.
How These Practices Work Together
The point of holistic care is not to collect treatments. It is to combine them well. At Redefine, modalities are delivered together and tuned to the person rather than run as a fixed sequence of steps. A client might use neurofeedback and breathwork to steady the nervous system, then do EMDR or internal family systems once that foundation is in place.
That is the difference between a list of services and a plan. The right practices, in the right order, reinforce each other.
How to Choose What Fits You
You do not have to figure this out alone, and you should not try to self-prescribe a set of therapies from a list. The right starting point is an assessment with a licensed clinician who can match practices to your history, your goals, and your current level of distress.
Start With an Assessment
A clinician looks at what you are dealing with, what has helped before, and what has not, then suggests a combination of practices. That plan can change as you go. This is care, not a fixed package.
When a Higher Level of Care Helps
If symptoms are making daily life hard to manage, a structured program may help. Our Partial Hospitalization Program runs five days a week, 25 to 30 hours weekly, while our Intensive Outpatient Program runs three days a week, 9 to 12 hours weekly. Both can hold several of these practices in one coordinated plan.
When to Seek Immediate Help
If you are in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, do not wait. Call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, or call 911. And if you take medication for a mental health condition, keep taking it as prescribed; any change should be made with your prescriber, never on your own.
A holistic approach treats the mind, body, and nervous system together rather than focusing on symptoms alone. It combines evidence-based clinical therapy with body-based and brain-based practices, and it tailors the mix to the individual instead of using one fixed formula for everyone.
Parts of it are. Therapies like EMDR, somatic experiencing, and breathwork have clinical research behind them. Other practices, such as PEMF and red light therapy, are supportive and still being studied, so we use them to aid relaxation alongside clinical care rather than as standalone treatments.
Redefine is an out-of-network provider, so coverage depends on your specific plan and benefits. We do not guarantee reimbursement. The best step is to call us and review what your plan looks like before you start, so there are no surprises.
Neurofeedback is non-invasive brain training that shows you your own brain activity and rewards calmer patterns. It is separate from qEEG brain mapping, which is an assessment. At Redefine we use neurofeedback to help the nervous system settle so that therapy work is easier to take in.
Traditional talk therapy works mostly through conversation. EMDR adds guided bilateral stimulation, often eye movements, to help the brain reprocess distressing memories. The American Psychological Association conditionally recommends EMDR for PTSD in adults. Many people use it alongside talk therapy, not instead of it.
Breathwork can help calm the body in the moment, and research supports it. A 2023 study in Cell Reports Medicine found that a daily five-minute breathing practice improved mood and lowered anxiety over a month. It works best as one skill within a fuller plan, and individual results vary.
Not as standalone mental health treatments. The research is still emerging, so we offer PEMF and red light therapy as supportive practices that aid relaxation and recovery alongside clinical care. We do not present them as a cure or as a replacement for therapy or medication.
No. Holistic practices work alongside medical care, not instead of it. If you take medication for a mental health condition, do not stop or change it on your own. Any change should be made with the clinician who prescribes it, as part of a coordinated plan.
Yes. Redefine Wellness is an outpatient mental health center in North Scottsdale, near the 101 and the Scottsdale Airpark. We serve clients across Paradise Valley, Cave Creek, Fountain Hills, and the greater Phoenix metro, with programs in person Monday through Friday.
Start with an assessment. A licensed clinician reviews your history and goals, then suggests a combination of practices and adjusts it over time. You do not need to choose from a list yourself. Call us and we can walk you through the options and your coverage.
