Listen through to the end of the episode for a bonus!
🧠 Episode Overview
In this inspiring conversation, Cody sits down with fellow holistic psychotherapist Emma Donovan, MA, LPC to explore what it really means to take a holistic approach to mental health. They unpack the difference between “holistic,” “integrative,” and “conventional” therapy, and discuss Emma’s groundbreaking concept of Regenerative Mental Health — a philosophy that goes beyond root cause healing to ask: How can we live so well that symptoms don’t arise in the first place?
Defining “Holistic” Therapy: Looking beyond mindfulness or energy work to truly address the whole person — body, mind, spirit, environment, and community.
Conventional vs. Integrative vs. Holistic Therapy: Why symptom management alone isn’t enough and how integration doesn’t always equal holistic.
What is Regenerative Mental Health? A forward-thinking model for prevention and sustainability in mental wellness.
Root Causes of Mental Illness: From trauma and toxic environments to spiritual disconnection and tech overuse — how modern life fosters disconnection.
Reconnection Practices: Exploring Emma’s Holistic Wellness Questionnaire and tools like the Wellness Wheel for self-assessment and awareness.
Medication and Mental Health: A nuanced discussion on when medication may serve as a temporary bridge versus a long-term solution.
The Therapeutic (Naturopathic) Order: Understanding the pyramid of interventions — from foundational lifestyle supports to high-force interventions. See more about this here.
Convenience Culture & Disconnection: How comfort and technology weaken our resilience — and what we can learn from nature.
Depression as a Symptom: Considering depression as both a biological and adaptive response to imbalance.
The “Introvert Hypothesis”: Can physical or environmental factors influence personality traits like introversion?
“Holistic means truly looking at the whole person — body, mind, spirit, environment, and community.” — Emma Donovan
“We’ve created a convenience culture that’s deprived us of resistance — and resistance is how we grow stronger.” — Emma Donovan
“Health isn’t a luxury; it’s about meeting your basic human needs.” — Emma Donovan
“Living in a city is a recipe for depression — sometimes making life less convenient can make it healthier.” — Cody Cox
Emma’s Websites:
Alternative Therapy STL — Holistic psychotherapy, nutrition, and spiritual counseling
Holistic and Functional Psychology — Professional education, retreats, and Emma’s Holistic Wellness Questionnaire
Holistic Wellness Questionnaire: Free for practitioners and available in a brief version for the public
Book Mentioned: Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Weston A. Price
Upcoming Retreat: Costa Rica, February 2026 — for therapists and wellness professionals
Interested in free testing or becoming a practice client? Contact Cody through his website if you’re in or near Cache Valley, Utah.
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