For many patients, the journey through psychiatric care can feel like an endless carousel of medications—each new prescription offering hope, only to fall short of true relief. When this cycle repeats for years or even decades, it may signal that something deeper is being overlooked. Emerging research suggests that a lesser-known neurotransmitter system, often overshadowed by more commonly discussed pathways like serotonin or dopamine, could be playing a pivotal role in mental health. When this system is underperforming, the result can be persistent symptoms that no medication seems able to fully resolve.

Why might such an important system be missed in conventional treatment? And more importantly, how can we support and restore it holistically, rather than simply layering on another drug? This article explores the answers to those questions—and invites you to look beyond the usual frameworks of mental health care. If you'd like to dive deeper, join me on Saturday, December 6 at 1 pm Eastern Time for a live group Zoom Q&A on holistic mental health. Details are available at the end of this article.

When I was invited to share a little about my work as a holistic psychiatrist, I was delighted—until I

sat down and tried to write it. How would I even begin? The problem with describing my work is that I have traveled so far into unknown territory that the conventional psychiatrist I was 23 years ago is as distant to me as the opposite hemisphere of the planet. For the past two decades, I have been interweaving functional, energy, and allopathic medicine into a cohesive healing approach. I had one underlying purpose: creative freedom. I measured my patients’ successes by one outcome: independence from psychiatrists. And my goal? Freeing one patient at a time. Being a holistic psychiatrist suits my interests. When I took the ACT Interest Inventory in high school, my test scores showed an extremely narrow interest in people and ideas, compared to things and data. My dot, representing where I belonged in the graph plotting every conceivable occupation, was placed in the middle where nothing existed, like an isolated island in a vast ocean. The second time I filled out that inventory, I tried to be less opinionated. But my dot barely shifted. Now, as an energy healer and psychiatrist, my work consists of thinking about people’s thoughts and using thoughts to heal people’s thoughts. I am lucky to have found my niche in the world.

SSRIs are best known for their effects on neurotransmitters, but their influence extends deeper into the body. This article explains how these medications—and especially the withdrawal process—can disrupt key hormonal systems that regulate stress, sleep, and overall well-being.

Through clinical experience, a clear pattern has emerged: months after stopping an SSRI, some patients develop anxiety, fatigue, insomnia, or low stress tolerance. These symptoms often look like a return of the original condition, but are actually linked to weakened hypothalamic, HPA, and HPG axis function caused by SSRI withdrawal.

This article outlines how these hormonal disruptions occur and offers natural ways to support recovery, including targeted adaptogens and nutritional supplements. Understanding this hidden connection can make SSRI withdrawal safer and more manageable for both patients and clinicians.

A basic principle of energy is that it flows. On August 19, 2025, my office moved near downtown Stamford, Connecticut. I'm flowing on to new adventures!

My new location is in a beautiful, cherry tree-lined residential neighborhood, a block away from Stamford Hospital, a five-minute drive from the Metro North train station, and a 20 minute drive to the HPN/White Plains airport. I'm also delighted to be surrounded by restaurants and hotels. Even New York City is less than an hour away. I am incredibly fortunate to be so centrally located!

I admit that I cheated a little to acquire my new office location. I used energy techniques to guide, support, and create my desired social outcome. 

Read on to learn more about how I used energy techniques to support the positive social changes I wanted. Have a wonderful week!

The article shares the story of S.T., who successfully tapered off Fluoxetine (Prozac) but later experienced symptoms resembling overdose due to the medication being released from lipomas that had formed during long-term use. Energy healing techniques, particularly those focused on improving mitochondrial function, were found to quickly relieve his symptoms and restore his energy. A key takeaway is the “copy and paste” method, where patients can replicate the benefits of a previous effective energy session by reconnecting to Life Energy and setting the intention to reproduce its healing effects.

In Season 3, Episode 4 of the Holistic Psychiatrist Podcast, I introduce a powerful healing technique called Story Form, using the metaphor of a carnival fun house to help patients process disorienting and chaotic experiences. This method guides listeners through visualization, symbolism, and metaphor, allowing them to become the protagonist in a transformative journey from confusion to clarity and peace. One patient found the experience so immersive and healing that she lost track of time during the session but emerged feeling grounded and calm.

In this episode of the Holistic Psychiatrist Podcast, Dr. Lee shares a powerful healing technique called “Story Form,” a meditative, story-based method that uses imagery, symbolism, and metaphor to support patients facing chronic trauma or health challenges. The episode features a spontaneous session with a patient named Emily, whose journey toward self-sufficiency is guided by this deeply transformative process. Following the session, Emily demonstrated increased confidence and readiness to become more independent, confirmed through energy testing.

In this episode of the Holistic Psychiatrist Podcast, Dr. Lee introduces a powerful energy healing technique (EET) to help release the emotional burden caused by political stress. She shares how this method helped a patient overcome deep anxieties by reconnecting with Life Energy and fostering inner peace. Listeners are guided through a transformative process to release inherited trauma, reclaim personal power, and choose healing in the face of uncertainty.

In this episode of the Holistic Psychiatrist Podcast, Dr. Lee explores the complex issue of protracted psychiatric medication withdrawal and its long-term effects on the body. She explains how factors like genetics, immune response, and improper tapering contribute to chronic symptoms. Dr. Lee also shares her holistic healing approach, including energy medicine techniques and targeted nutritional support, to help patients recover.

For years, I believed that healing the mind was the key to overcoming mental illness. But true healing, I’ve discovered, begins in the heart. Emotional wounds hold the key to lasting transformation, and when we embrace them with love and openness, real change becomes possible.

How can shifting your focus from the mind to the heart accelerate healing? What role do intention and emotional energy play in recovery? Join me as I explore these questions and share insights from my own journey in discovering a new, heart-centered path to healing!