Wellness can only be maintained by a balance of four types of health:  Physical, Mental, Social, and Spiritual-Emotional.

Many of us place too much emphasis on just one type of health, neglecting or ignoring the other types. For example, you cannot be physically healthy simply by eating right, exercising and taking whatever medicine your doctor prescribes. Your mental wellness, social wellness and spiritual-emotional wellness all have either positive or negative effects on your physical wellness. Each area of wellness: Physical, Mental, Social, and Spiritual-Emotional, affects your life balance and therefore your ability to be productive and effective.

Life balance should be a goal for all of us. We often need to refocus our priorities in order to achieve an overall life balance. At SteppingStone Retreat for Enhanced Living, you can complete a Life Balance Checkup to test your balance with physical, mental, social, and spiritual-emotional health. The Life Balance Checkup helps you identify the areas in your life on which you can focus as you  begin to improve your wellness and balance.

Each individual’s life has meaning and purpose. No matter what background you come from or in what circumstances you now find yourself, you have a God-given potential for meaning and purpose. By discovering your potential and purpose, you can live your life with joy.

Often it is difficult to determine what choices you should make, what path you should follow, which opportunities to take and which to pass up. Life can be confusing, which is why many of us never discover our true potential. Your life is too short and too precious to be wasted! No matter what your current age or financial situation, you can take steps toward reaching your potential.

At SteppingStone Retreat for Enhanced Living, we offer individual sessions to lead you and support your efforts to live a happier, healthier, and more meaningful life.

Your mind is a wonderful gift which can be powerfully effective when you allow your mind and body to cooperate to reach your goals. We often think that mind and body are two separate things. They are actually very interconnected. The mind is the pilot. You can learn how to use your mind to assist your efforts to enjoy extended physical health. 

Many of us try to overcome habits such as smoking, overeating, alcohol and drug abuse by using medications or by substituting alternate habits. You may try to eliminate stress, fatigue, chronic disorders, and abusive situations by simply getting rid of the symptoms instead of dealing with the real cause of the problem.

Your mind is a marvelous, mysterious creation! By learning to harness its power, you can overcome many difficulties. Physical healing and health maintenance are quicker and more effective for those who have learned techniques of mind and body interaction. At SteppingStone Retreat for Enhanced Living, you can learn mind and body techniques through individual sessions. Learn how to use this gift that you already possess!

Everyone needs to be independent in some areas and part of a team in others, but we all need to be connected always to God, Family and Community. 

Great relationships don’t just happen. You make them happen. There are several key reasons why relationships fail: poor communication; lack of understanding; taking the relationship for granted; spending too little time nurturing the relationship; inability to forgive yourself or others; and laziness, which is being unwilling to do what it takes to make the relationship a good one.

Committing yourself to developing a great relationship is not only good for the person receiving your commitment, it’s good for you! You can gain personal fulfillment by learning to give and receive love in every aspect of your life, even when it seems difficult or impossible.

Often we need to refocus our priorities in order to achieve great relationships. You can benefit by insights and suggestions offered by a qualified professional. It is never too late – just as healing can occur for a critically ill hospital patient, healing can occur even in relationships on the brink of failure.

Take advantage of SteppingStone’s retreats, groups, couples, family or individual sessions to develop a wonderful, fulfilling, exciting relationship with your spouse, your child, your parent, your career, or your God.

Hypnosis is a highly relaxed state in which your conscious and unconscious mind is focused and receptive to therapeutic suggestion. Do not confuse stage hypnosis with clinical hypnosis. Stage hypnosis is done just for entertainment, and in a public setting. Clinical hypnosis is done in a private setting, and it serves therapeutic purposes by addressing a specific problem or need. Clinical hypnotherapy is frequently used along with other forms of therapy.

Clinical hypnosis was approved as a legitimate therapeutic technique by the American Medical Association back in 1956. It has been used effectively for the treatment of various conditions. Trained hypnotherapists can help people stop smoking, control their weight, avoid or manage pain, prevent panic attacks, manage stress, and gain self-confidence.

Almost everyone has experienced a hypnotic trance at some time. For example, think of a time when you were driving and caught yourself briefly unaware of what you were doing, or think of a time when you were so engrossed in watching TV that you were unaware of when someone entered the room or spoke to you. In these situations, you were in a light form of hypnotic trance.

Hypnotic trance is a natural process. There is nothing to fear, since hypnosis is a safe procedure when used professionally. The relaxation you experience is pleasant and refreshing. All hypnosis is self-hypnosis in that it is entirely voluntary. You are in control and you cannot be made to do anything against your will.

The professional serves as a teacher and facilitator. Hypnotherapy is a clinical skill learned through specialized training and supervised experience. Look for a clinically trained professional. At SteppingStone Retreat for Enhanced Living, hypnotherapy is performed by a certified professional.

The most common clinical diagnoses for emotional and mental conditions are depression and anxiety. Millions of Americans suffer from depression and anxiety, and millions more have panic attacks or phobias. Symptoms of depression include sadness, disturbed sleep, low energy level, inability to enjoy life, feeling hopeless, and social isolation. Symptoms of anxiety include tension, stress, nervousness, fear and avoidance. Phobias are fears of specific things or situations, such as crowds or airplanes. Panic attacks are sudden episodes in which you feel overwhelmed by anxiety. Panic attacks may occur in both public places and at home. When they first occur, you may believe you are having a heart attack, because the symptoms include a racing heart rate, shortness of breath and excessive perspiration.  A panic attack also causes a feeling of impending disaster, and makes you feel the need to run away or escape.

People suffering from depression, anxiety, phobias or panic attacks often try to eliminate or mask the symptoms through the use of medication, avoidance of uncomfortable situations, and sometimes through withdrawal from family and society. These approaches just temporarily hide the condition. They do not cure the condition or solve the problem.

Depression, anxiety, panic or phobia does not have to control your life. You can overcome them, but you may need the help of a professional. If you suffer with depression, anxiety, panic attacks or phobias, seek help from a licensed professional psychologist. A trained and caring psychologist can help you to identify the cause of your condition, and help you deal with the cause or eliminate it, so you may enjoy a more healthy and meaningful life. 

At SteppingStone Retreat for Enhanced Living, individual sessions with a licensed professional can help you live without your problem or live beyond your problem. Your life is too short and too precious to waste. Take advantage of the help available.

Life transitions are experienced by everyone. They include entering school, adolescence, marriage, parenting, career changes, divorce, loss of a job, empty nest, loss of loved one, moving or relocation, aging, retirement, serious illness or tragedy.

Stepping stones provide a way for a person to move from one place to another or across an obstacle. You can use life transitions and difficulties as stepping stones to achieve personal growth. Life often presents people with difficulties or disasters, such as divorce, career setbacks, physical conditions, abuse, or death. Many people will experience feelings of pain, rejection, anxiety, frustration, grief, and anger. You may become depressed or anxious, may withdraw from family and society, and sometimes even withdraw from your own self.

All of life’s transitions and difficulties, no matter how painful or devastating, can be used as stepping stones to understand your God-given potential, meaning and purpose. At SteppingStone Retreat for Enhanced Living, we serve you as a guide to shine a light upon the stepping stones in your life so you may reach your destination and enjoy personal growth and renewal. We support you in your time of need, helping you to gain strength.

In order to be effective, a therapist must have appropriate training and qualifications. Most states license qualified professionals who have the required advanced degree, training and internship experience, and who pass rigorous comprehensive examinations. In Tennessee, licenses are issued for qualified social workers, counselors, psychologists and psychiatrists. Licensed professionals must follow strict guidelines of confidentiality, and they must follow the ethical guidelines of their regulating boards. While there are many good people offering help and advice, you may be better off to seek the help of a licensed professional.

Licensed  psychologists combine scientific methods with skills and experience to offer you the opportunity to overcome life’s difficulties and achieve personal growth. Treatment is holistic; chemicals and drugs are not used. You will get more than sympathy, more than just a shoulder to lean on. A psychologist helps you identify effective ways to cope with difficult situations, or to make personal and positive change in constructive and creative ways. 

When choosing a licensed therapist, look for one who is willing to speak with you about their philosophy, their approach to therapy, and the various times, settings and formats from which to choose. Look for someone who can express their views clearly and with whom you feel comfortable. Some psychologists specialize; others are holistic in their approach to wellness.  Don’t be afraid to shop around before making a choice. At SteppingStone Retreat for Enhanced Living we offer you a brief, free telephone consultation to help decide if it is appropriate for us to work together.

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