Driftless Integrative Psychiatry

09/03/2025

Being empowered with your health means understanding the scope and training of the practitioners you are working with.

When choosing holistic health support, ask about training, collaboration, and whether they know when it’s time for medical evaluation.

06/04/2025

It is tick season. Infections, Immunity, and the Mind: A Field Guide.

1 | Why this matters more than you might thinkRecent studies have moved the “infection‐psychiatry” link from interesting footnote to front-page science: • Lyme & tick-borne illness. A 2024 scoping review of >700 papers found that neuropsychiatric symptoms—brain-fog, mood lability, panic su...

05/22/2025

I’m excited to share that I’ve completed the ILADS Physician Training Program with Dr. Casey Kelley at in Chicago!

This comprehensive training in tick-borne infections and complex chronic illness honed my ability to evaluate and manage psychiatric symptoms rooted in infectious and inflammatory processes.

A huge thank-you to Dr. Kelley and the ILADS community for an inspiring experience.

I’m not taking patients right now, but I do keep a waitlist. We have 100+ people on it and I anticipate returning to doing some outpatient work starting early Winter 2025. If you’re dealing with treatment-resistant mood, anxiety, cognitive fog, or other psychiatric concerns linked to tick-borne or inflammatory illness, visit: www.driftlessintegrativepsychiatry.com ➡️ Work with Me

Dr. Erica Burger

05/15/2025

Psychiatrists are often characterized as "prescribers" and while that is one facet of our work, we have four years of general medical school training and one year of residency dedicated to working on internal medicine, neurology, pediatrics, and emergency medicine services.

This experience is essential because it helps us think critically and holistically to address a broader etiology of mental health symptoms - rather than just prescribing medications.

One of the conditions we assess for and manage is catatonia, which often has both medical and psychiatric manifestations. Infections and autoimmune conditions are known to cause catatonia, as well as psychiatric conditions such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and depression.

In pediatrics, kids with autism and genetic disorders are much more likely to develop catatonia than those without.

There is so much we don't know but likely some underlying denominator of immune system dysfunction.

Learn more about catatonia and the role the immune system plays in this condition here:

Traditional teaching: think benzodiazepines, think ECT. Emerging science: also think immune system.

05/01/2025

For decades, mental health treatment has largely focused on symptom management. The dominant paradigm in psychiatry has been about identifying a disorder in the DSM and prescribing a medication that modifies brain chemistry—usually with the goal of reducing symptoms like anxiety, depression, or intrusive thoughts.

While this approach has helped many people, it also has limitations.

Psychedelics such as ketamine offer something different. Instead of suppressing symptoms, these medicines can facilitate a deeper, more expansive experience—one that can help patients process trauma, access new insights, and create lasting changes in how they see themselves and their lives.

This is a paradigm shift in how we think about mental health care. We’re moving from a model focused on symptom reduction to one that includes nonordinary states of consciousness as a tool for healing.

Excited to share more at the Minnesota Holistic Medical Group meeting on Saturday and in training with the Caught Dreamin' Therapy Clinic team in Marquette, MI next week.

05/01/2025

Feeling overwhelmed by the latest health “hacks” flooding your feed? You’re not alone. Between keto vs. plant-based debates, shiny new supplements, and catchy program names, it’s easy to end up exhausted, out of pocket—and worse, mistrustful of real experts.

On the blog this week, we break down five practical steps you can start using today to separate sound advice from marketing hype:

Spot the Source
– Who’s sharing this tip? Look for MDs, DOs, RDs, RNs, PTs—and real clinical or research experience.

Unearth Financial Interests
– Are they selling something? If every post comes with a discount code, ask whose wallet is winning.

Scrutinize Credentials
– Beyond flashy titles: verify licenses through state or national boards. Not all “certifications” are created equal.

Prioritize Nuance Over Novelty
– Good advice weighs pros and cons. Does the post mention potential trade-offs or barriers?

Honor Your Unique Context
– Will this fit your budget, schedule, and health goals? Trial for two weeks, track how you feel, then decide.

Read more here: https://www.driftlessintegrativepsychiatry.com/post/navigating-the-noise-why-it-matters-and-how-to-find-trustworthy-health-advice-online
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This guide is for general education and doesn’t replace personalized medical advice.

We live in an era where advice on diet, supplements, and lifestyle trends floods our social feeds. It can feel empowering to discover a new “hack” that promises better energy, clearer skin, or faster results. But without a clear way to separate marketing hype from qualified expertise, we risk co...

04/13/2025

When every medication seems to make things worse, it’s time to look deeper. In this post, I explore how Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) may underlie psychiatric symptoms that are often misdiagnosed or misunderstood.

Some people are told they’re too sensitive. Too anxious. Too much. Especially when every medication seems to make things worse. Especially when they keep returning to the doctor, or the ER, and no one has clear answers.But what if the issue isn’t just in your mind? What if your body is sounding ...

04/09/2025

While an unconventional venue, Driftless Medical Spa is now offering TMS in Prairie du Chien. Dr. Amber Crawford is a friend and trusted colleague of mine! In psychiatry, this is a game-changing treatment option for depression and anxiety. TMS involves non-invasive magnetic pulsing that targets specific areas of the brain. Most people find it pain-free and comfortable. I had long thought about ways to afford a TMS machine like this for the clinic but couldn't figure it out - so it's incredible we have this in the Driftless area!

We've had a few inquires on our NEW treatment offered at Driftless Medical Spa!! We're exciting to introduce......EXOMIND💙🧘‍♀️🩵🧠!!!!

💙Your mental health is a priority!!
🩵 Help improve your focus and sleep!!
💙Decrease your cravings!!
🩵Restore healthy brain activity!!
💙Decrease stress!!

📧Save the date Wednesday, May 14th from 4:00-6:00 p.m. We also have 8 spots available for a consult that evening. Feel free to contact us with questions or to reserve a spot 608-844-8545 or email driftlessmedspa@gmail.com

04/04/2025

There’s often a quiet shame people carry when they come to see a psychiatrist.

By the time someone reaches me—whether on an inpatient unit or in a ketamine session—they’ve often internalized the belief that they’ve failed. That struggling means something is broken.

But that story usually comes from systems that diagnose normal survival responses and reduce distress to “chemical imbalances.”

There’s another way to practice psychiatry.
One that starts with presence instead of a checklist.
One that makes room for the full complexity of being human.

Sometimes that looks like asking: – What matters to you? – What’s something that’s gone well this year? – What’s one thing you’re proud of that no one sees?

It might not seem like much. But in a psychiatric setting, those questions can change everything. They remind people they’re still a person—not just a diagnosis or a crisis.

Yes, medications can be helpful. But so can talking about sleep, gut health, trauma, relationships, food. The work, at its core, is about holding space—not fixing.

A diagnosis can offer clarity. But it can also flatten something mysterious and alive.

I think psychiatry can be something else.
Something more generous.
Something that says:

You are more than what you're going through.
You don't have to feel better to be worthy of care.
You are allowed to change.

Maybe this isn’t just for the people we serve.
Maybe clinicians need it too.
Permission to slow down.
Permission to be human.

More here:

There is so much shame wrapped up in the decision to see a psychiatrist.By the time someone finds their way to me—whether in an inpatient unit, a private consult, or a quiet ketamine session—they often carry a heavy internal narrative: "Something is wrong with me. I’m broken. I failed to manag...

04/01/2025

What’s the connection between hypermobility, MCAS, and anxiety?

Connective tissue differences affect your joints and your nervous system.

Mast cells dump histamine + serotonin onto your nerves.

New research just published this week shows that your brain’s insula and amygdala (the fear center) become hyperactive to internal signals.

Basically, what you feel isn’t “too much” - it is a real physiological response. Your brain is trying to decode signals from a loud body.

Support looks like:
✨Nervous system regulation
✨Mast cell support
✨Somatic and trauma attuned therapy
✨Collaborative care across systems and disciplines

New blog post: https://www.driftlessintegrativepsychiatry.com/post/hypermobility-and-anxiety-why-some-bodies-feel-everything-more-deeply

New research about hypermobility and anxiety: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/the-british-journal-of-psychiatry/article/neural-processes-linking-joint-hypermobility-and-anxiety-key-roles-for-the-amygdala-and-insular-cortex/32D1E47DA52705D1213B32C0650A8A7E

03/30/2025

Do you have or know someone with really bendy joints and also has mental health struggles?

New research just got published connecting joint hypermobility (like in Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome) with anxiety—and it’s all about how the brain and body communicate.

People with hypermobility and anxiety showed increased activity in the amygdala (threat response) and insula (body awareness), helping explain why many feel everything more intensely.

Anxiety isn’t always psychological. It can be the brain responding to signals of inflammation, pain, and autonomic instability. And if we only treat the brain, we’re missing half the story.

It’s not “just anxiety”—it’s a real physiological response that starts in the connective tissue and nervous system.

Read the study here: https://sussex.figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Neural_processes_linking_joint_hypermobility_and_anxiety_key_roles_for_the_amygdala_and_insular_cortex/28350236

Blog post about the connection between hypermobility, mast cell activation, and mental health coming this week!

Background Anxiety symptoms are elevated among people with joint hypermobility. The underlying neural mechanisms are attributed theoretically to effects of variant connective tissue on the precision of interoceptive representations contributing to emotions. Aim To investigate the neural correlates o...