Laura Rhodes-Levin, LMFT., is a licensed therapist who specializes in the evaluation and treatment of anxiety, depression, and trauma. She holds a Master of Science in Counseling and is known for her unique approach in the understanding of anxiety and anxiety disorders.
Laura is the Founder of The Missing Peace- Center for Anxiety, a facility that offers a variety of modalities, including Psycho Therapy, Neurofeeback, Art Therapy, Olfactory Anxiety Reduction, Group Therapy, Movement, and more to help ease the nervous system and restore the brain, body, and mind to a place of calmness and relaxation.
FWM: The Missing Peace Center for Anxiety combines therapy with modern technology. Take us through the process.
My Clinic avails our clients to several different healing modalities, in order to address their issues from head to toe, quite literally. We use therapy techniques to treat the mind/thinking such as CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) EMDR (Eye Movement Desenitisation Reprocessing) to name a few. We use the technologies Neurofeedback, Alpha Stimulation and PEMF (Pulse Electronic Magnetic Field Therapy) to address over/under activated brain activity and celluar frequencies. There is a strong emphasis on calming the body through our senses with olfactory anxiety reduction, music therapy, art therapy, massage, and nutrition. Then to top it all off, we do energy and body work to raise the vibrational state of our bodies and create flow and positive thinking. We also take most insurance PPO’s making the treatment affordable.
FWM: Post-pandemic, why are people reaching out to your center?
We were thankfully open and doing in-person treatment during the pandemic and remain busy post-pandemic. Most of the population has just experienced a potentially life threatening environment for the first time in their lives that hit globally and at home. I am 54, and never in my life time have I experienced this level of hypervigilance and potential threat to my life on a global level. Seeing people walking down the street in masks, and being forced to stay at home, has had an tremendous impact on people’s mental health. COVID impacted lives in a positive way in some cases, causing them to re-evaluate what is important them and appreciate life in a different way. But, many people have been frightened and are having trouble re-emerging into the world and feeling safe.
FWM: Why is talk therapy not enough?
While I think I’m a good therapist, it takes more than flour to make cake. Anxiety, Depression, and Trauma are experiences felt in our brain, body, mind, and energy field/spirit. It is so important to address our mental health holistically. By putting all the modalities that we have together in one place makes a big difference in the outcome. For example, many of clients will say initially, “well I’ve tried therapy, I’ve tried massage, I’ve tried using essential oils, and it didn’t work.” Going back to the cake analogy if you put eggs in the oven, you do not get cake, if you put flour in the oven, still no cake, even that tiny 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla…who knows what that does, but we rarely bake without it, lol, that alone does not make cake. However, when you combine all of these therapeutic modalities together the outcome is much more powerful and I have found to be an extremely successful reciipe for healing and well-being.
FWM: Share your philosophy behind your treatment.
I was born with anxiety! My sister and I would go to bed, and she would be asleep in two minutes, and I was sure that I saw a bear in the closet! Why? Some of us are born with anxiety, and some of us are exposed to trauma early on, or at some point in their lives and their worlds start getting smaller and smaller. In my mid-teens, I finally found a way to soothe myself and fuel my confidence, unfortunately it was, pot, booze, later on pills, that helped me to find quiet in my brain. I am grateful to be sober for almost 15 years now, and I am very glad their are treatment centers and 12 Step programs to help people escape those deceiving and horrible devices. But I couldn’t help but wonder, “Why aren’t there places to learn how to address anxiety and teach real self-care??? Why did I have to hit such a terrible bottom to achieve mental health and the basic coping skills we all need to navigate this wonderful yet complicated life? They taught me math, but they never taught me how to love and forgive myself when I faltered, or how to sooth myself when I was in pain…and I don’t mean being given ice-cream when I was sad.” . That was the peace I needed in my life. That was The Missing Peace. And so, my I created my facility, and I continue to help it grow, as I grow and watch my clients grow. I am always open to ingredients that make the cake better! I once had a friend say to me “Do you make more money by adding that modality?” I say “No, probably less, but if my clients get better, its worth it, and in the long run the better we are the more we can help, so it all balances out in the end.”
FWM: Tell us about the IOP Intensive Out-Patient Program.
Most of our clients are enrolled in the Intensive Outpatient Program, involving several hours a week in which they learn how to heal the deepest of pains, divest themselves of shame and guild, and experience self-soothing techiniques and tools. I tell my clients “I cannot make you any promises, except that we will all do our absolute best to help you achieve the goals you came to achieve, and hopefully more.” While I don’t guarantee anything, in my experience, with a few exceptions of course, our clients leave the program connected to a a life experience they never thought possible. Most people come to an intensive program as a last ditch effort. They have lost hope, they are in extreme pain and they are willing to try anything to feel even the slightest bit better. It is this willingness and desperation that they come with, that allows us to teach them a way to live that they could not dream of having, after such hardships. I am so proud of the work we do, and honestly blessed by my treatment team, who are so caring and effective with the clients. We help each other too! I also consider it an honor to work with anyone who walks in our doors, shares their pain with us, it’s an honor none of us take lightly. We are just as grateful to them, as they are to us.You offer many services including art therapy. Who is art therapy for?
Art therapy is for anyone who has feelings. Being an artist has nothing to do with it, it sometimes can even impede the process a little. It’s also a great way to confront perfectionism, lol, seriously. With are therapy we are accesing a completely different part of the brain, than when we do talk therapy. Here is my favorite art therapy story. Our Art Therapist supplied little wooden bird houses to the group. They were directed to paint the house as if the house represented “self”. One woman painted her house pink, both inside and out. But she painted the roof black. When she explained her design, she shared with the group that the roof was black because “from now on…anyone who looks down on me goes into a void.” Wow. How do you get that in a talk therapy session. Not possible. I hope that answers the question.
FWM: Why is spirituality vital to mental health?
This is a great question. Let me first say that in the work we do, spirituality has nothing to do with religion. It can, but for our purposes it is about hope. Everyone needs hope in therapy. If a person comes to treatment and I say “this probably won’t work, but let’s give it a shot” the results are not going to be that great. Restoring faith in a person’s world is so important to healing. This can be the higher self, the ability to trust oneself to navigate the world safely, or some higher power that a person can count own when all seems lost. For me personally, spirituality is about energy. Energy is science. Every single element in our universe has energy. When experiencing trauma, anxiety, depression, mental anguish, our energetic frequency is very different than it is when we are happy, connected and grateful for our life experiences-both good and bad. To tap into that energy, in my opinion, makes a profound shift in our ability to heal and feel joy again.
FWM: You have received the Unsung Hero Award by the city of West Hollywood. What did this mean to you?
It meant a lot, but was a surprise. I love the work I do, this award was for volunteer work I did with kids in schools. I knew I was impacting the children, and it filled me up so wonderfully. Kind of like a fountain. I would give to them, and seeing them heal and shine filled me back up to give more. Corny, but so true. But, I had no idea it would be recognized on a bigger level, and it made me realize the ripple effect healing has went wider than I thought. It was kinda cool and special to me
FWM: As a well-known expert in your field, where can we expect to see you?
Only the universe knows! If you asked me where I would be in 5 years, 5 years ago, I would never have imagined where the center is now. That goes for my personal life as well. My desire, however, is to continue to be able to help more and more people each year, and continue to create avenues to mental health for anyone who values it. Any maybe help someone value their mental health who doesn’t yet do so. I also want to teach by experience by living a happy and fulfilling life myself. I am blessed to have an amazing team outside of the clinic that work every day to get the word out there, whether its on news shows, speaking engagements or making information about the clinic available to the public. Check back with me in 5 years, and I’ll update you! T.
www.missingpeace4anxiety.com
