In this episode, we dive into the transformative power of complementary therapies and the importance of reconnecting with your inner child. Dr. Jaap shares her journey from conventional psychiatry to integrating holistic approaches like EMDR, energy medicine, and trauma-based therapies, revealing how these methods have profoundly impacted her patients' healing journeys. Through personal stories and professional insights, you'll learn how addressing underlying imbalances—whether nutritional, energetic, or emotional—can unlock deeper healing and harmony in your life.

Key Takeaways:

• Understand the benefits of complementary therapies like EMDR for processing trauma and fostering emotional freedom.
• Explore the concept of the inner child and how reconnecting with your younger self can bring clarity, joy, and healing.
• Learn how to identify and address hidden barriers to achieving your maximum abundance and well-being.
• Gain actionable steps to integrate holistic and conventional methods for a balanced approach to mental and emotional health.

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Full Episode Transcript:

[00:00:00] Calling all women, smart, successful, spiritual women, we need to talk. I'm Dr. Jaap, board certified psychiatrist. Welcome to the podcast where we tackle anything standing in the way of your maximum abundance, your best health and harmony. Here, I share with you what I've learned in my 30 years of treating thousands of patients.

and what I continue to learn.

Professionally, I'm a board certified psychiatrist with a subspecialty in addiction medicine. I've worked in hospitals, various clinics, and private practice, seeing patients in the office. For about 15 years, I was medical director at an intensive outpatient services program. Some patients I followed over 20, 25 years.

I learned a lot about others and about myself. I'm so grateful to have been of service to my patients and for the many gifts I received. I wasn't fully satisfied though with the [00:01:00] results I received by using medications, various therapies, even ECT.

And so I started researching. I learned about complementary therapies such as acupuncture, traditional Chinese medicine, homeopathy, osteopathy. energy medicine, Reiki, trauma based therapies such as EMDR, and I supported my patients who were interested to pursue these complementary therapies in addition to their conventional treatment.

Events in my environment would point me in certain directions. Back in 2010, when a family member was diagnosed with severe vitamin B12 and vitamin D deficiencies, I did a lot of research on the subject, and then I lobbied for vitamin B12 and vitamin D levels to be added to the routine lab work obtained on every patient admitted to the hospital where I was working.

Because what good will medications do if there's an underlying nutritional [00:02:00] deficiency?

As I studied and learned more, I realized that many complementary therapy modalities have at their base. The concept of energy and manipulation of energy meridians and channels is used to bring about relief of symptoms and healing. In this process, I was automatically undergoing paradigm shifts.

We as humans operate from certain frameworks. With my education in psychiatry, I had been trained to approach health and illness from a certain perspective. For many decades, especially the lateral half of the 21st century, the theoretical focus in psychiatry was on neurochemicals and neural pathways, and how imbalances led to psychiatric disorders.

And the logical solution then was use of psychiatric medications to restore chemical balance. In real life, things didn't go as smoothly as intended. Patients frequently had side effects to medications, and the [00:03:00] improvement in symptoms was often disappointing.

So imagine my excitement when a complimentary therapy actually worked. In 2019, I treated a young woman. She'd had back to back psychiatric hospitalizations in a short period of time. She was on several medications and was already experiencing side effects. She appeared to have a loving husband, so good social support.

And yet, she remained suicidal, actively suicidal.

At the time, I was studying informally and offering to certain patients a variation of EMDR. EMDR therapy uses bilateral stimulation. For example, moving the eyes laterally or tapping on the knees, alternating left and right, while focusing on a traumatic event. The intended result is a decoupling or a separation of emotions.

from the memory of that event.

That's how EMDR [00:04:00] initially developed. And at first it was used for combat veterans. Later, we understood that many other people could benefit from EMDR, even those with childhood trauma. And we learned that positive memories, which strengthen the person could also be reinforced with this technique.

decided to offer this therapy to the young woman I was treating as she tapped on her knees. We searched for a moment in time when she felt absolutely and completely loved. When she found that moment way back in her childhood, the suicidal thoughts disappeared. It took us two sessions. I was so grateful and so humbled.

In my heart of hearts, I had never fully accepted the paradigm in which I'd been trained. Because I believed in the power of prayer. Prayer is invisible. It is asking for, receiving, sending. What, exactly? intention and [00:05:00] energy.

Let me be clear though. I know many amazing healers who work in the current medical system, and I am so grateful for the advancements made by modern medicine. My goal is maximum potential healing for each person. And if that means a certain percentage of improvement with conventional treatment, plus a certain percentage with complimentary therapies, So be it.

There came a time, actually around the pandemic, when I realized that I wanted to share with more people everything I've learned, my experiences and my unique abilities to impact healing, and I made the decision to retire from my general practice and start it. an online consultation and mentorship practice.

And that's when my real work began. It wasn't enough to know about healing. I had to work it in my own system. And that meant going back to the age of [00:06:00] six.

I was born in Punjab, Chandigarh to be exact. And I was enjoying my life immensely. I was living with and receiving so much love from my nani, my maternal grandmother. And then my parents decided to emigrate.

I wasn't told where we were going, so it was quite a shock to me when we landed in the U. S. And, here I was. On the outside, I looked the same, but on the inside, I had changed completely. Because my inner child, my younger self, had chosen to stay behind.

And with her stayed my voice. say my voice because, for one, my ability to speak Punjabi, my mother tongue, vanished. And when Nani came to visit us, I couldn't even speak to her. And then at the age of 11, I decided I would learn to speak Punjabi again. And while I was at it, I taught myself the script and I learned to read.

and second, voice to me [00:07:00] means the ability to know your truth and speak and live it with absolute confidence. . That ability, along with a sense of rootedness and belonging. stayed behind when we emigrated to the U.S.

It took me over 50 odd years to even realize that my inner child had stayed behind. And then I began the process of reconnecting with her. The term inner child is thrown about quite a bit, but what does it actually mean? And how does disconnection with our inner child impact us as adults?

In episode two, I'll look in detail at the inner child and share with you how you can reconnect with her. She holds tremendous power and clarity that you need right now. Without her, I wouldn't be here right now.

Thank you for joining me today. If you enjoyed this episode, please share, [00:08:00] like,

and comment. If you'd like to work with me one on one, please visit my website for details. Until next time.