Therapy

The morning sun hasn’t fully warmed the balcony, but Poonam Malpani is already there with a glass of warm water in one hand, her other hand brushing over the leaves of her favourite money plant. “This is my grounding,” she says. “A glass of warm water and a few minutes with my plants.” In India,...

Recently, I found myself pouring my heart out, not to a human, but to a chatbot named Wysa on my phone. It nodded – virtually – asked me how I was feeling and gently suggested trying breathing exercises. As a neuroscientist, I couldn’t help but wonder: Was I actually feeling better, or was I just being...

Standard therapy often fails people whose brains work differently. Like those with autism. Meet Elias. He's 22, has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), and faces executive dysfunction, sensory overload, and communication barriers. Daily tasks overwhelm him. Unpredictable settings make talking about feelings nearly impossible. And traditional therapy hasn't...

Many people arrive at their profession by design, with their inspirational journeys being the stuff of TED Talks. However, 42-year-old Dr. Teena Augustine Joseph (aka Teena) arrived at hers by fire. Today, she runs Being Balanced, a psychotherapy practice based in Bengaluru that quietly challenges the noise and the performative nature of the mental health...

Have you come across people who seem to have sudden involuntary tics or movements? They could be living with Tourette Syndrome. Tourette Syndrome (TS) is a neurological condition that causes these involuntary movements and sounds called tics and is estimated to affect up to 1% of the world's population. These tics can make daily life...

Mental health services around the world are stretched thinner than ever. Long wait times, barriers to accessing care and rising rates of depression and anxiety have made it harder for people to get timely help. As a result, governments and healthcare providers are looking for new ways to address this problem. One emerging solution is the use of AI chatbots for mental health care. A recent...

Therapy is often misunderstood, especially in cultures where mental health stigma still runs deep. In this candid episode of the Therapy Room, counseling psychologist Jai Arora joins host Ankit Narasimhan to unravel the myths and realities around therapy, offering hope and clarity for those hesitant to seek help. Therapy and stigma: Why the fear? Jai...

Sometimes, the hardest step is not choosing to go to a therapist; it's choosing the right therapist for yourself. Looking for therapy for the first time can feel like stepping into a world full of similar-sounding titles. Psychologist. Psychotherapist. Psychiatrist. Counselor. It can be overwhelming and confusing to decide who is best for you. What...

How do you move forward when your past feels like it’s always right there, just behind you, holding you back? For someone with PTSD, it can feel like joy is something from the past, like a memory they can barely reach anymore. According to the National Mental Health Survey (NMHS) 2015-16, approximately 10.6% of adults...

Feeling overwhelmed? Stressed? Immersing yourself in nature can be one of the simplest yet most rejuvenating ways to recharge. This Saturday, February 22nd, from 7:00 AM to 8:30 AM, the serene Cooperage Bandstand Garden on Madame Cama Road, Mantralaya, Fort, South Mumbai, will host a Nature Picnic designed to help participants reconnect with themselves and the natural...

In a groundbreaking development, researchers at Cedars-Sinai have introduced a first-of-its-kind therapy platform that combines immersive virtual reality (VR) and generative artificial intelligence (AI) to support mental health. The platform, named after the robot Xaia, which stands for eXtended-Reality Artificially Intelligent Ally, provides AI-guided therapy sessions in calming virtual environments, offering users an experience designed...

From chatbots to virtual therapists, there's seemingly nothing that AI can't do. Yet, in a world that is increasingly tech-driven, how safe is AI? Are we trusting our emotional landscape to artificial intelligence at the cost of human intelligence? Mental health is at a fascinating crossroads. ● On one hand is the gung-ho rise of...

What does it take to mend strained relationships between parents and children? Misunderstandings, unresolved feelings, and emotional distances are often the primary reasons for rifts within families. For Aamir Khan, the journey toward rebuilding the bond with his children started with an unconventional and powerful tool—joint therapy or family therapy. In a candid conversation with...

As a first-person essay, our reviewers have not verified this. MyndStories doesn't necessarily endorse these views and should be considered as lived experience only. Sometime last month, I told my mom that I was restarting therapy, and she said ok. A few minutes into our drive, she asked, is your back hurting again? I said,...

As a first-person essay, this doesn't require verification by our team of expert reviewers. Please note that these views are of the author's alone. Personal experiences are as valid as peer-reviewed journals. Hello. I am different, and many times, I have been called different and have struggled to fit into societal norms. But in a...

"Achieving career success is often seen as the ultimate goal in life, but meaning and fulfillment can come from various sources. It's not just about a job or career but finding things that bring purpose and joy to your life." Dr. Anurakti Mathur is a seasoned counseling psychologist and coach with over 16 years of...

As a first-person essay, the views here are not vetted by our team of reviewers. These are lived experiences, and only small changes have been made for grammar and sentence structure. Shadow work – a term that I got to know only last year but little did I know, I had already been practicing it...

"The most rewarding aspect of therapy is to see a person move." These words, spoken by Mansi Aggarwal, a therapist with MyndStories and a co-founder and psychotherapist at Sehjeevan, echo the essence of her transformative approach to mental health advocacy as a therapist. With over 5 years of experience in the mental health space, Mansi's...

"Therapists understand that the therapeutic journey is not a linear path; it has its ups and downs. We have to be patient with the patient and trust in their process." Seeing people change and grow is the best part of therapy, says Deepanshi Gupta. Deepanshi hails from the National Capital Region (NCR) and completed her...

Statistics show that at any given time, around 50 million Indian children are living with mental disorders. This number could be much higher if the adolescent population is also considered. Unfortunately, people of all ages who suffer from mental disorders in India don’t have access to proper treatment and care. When childhood mental health issues...