Holistic Growth

11/20/2025

Impacto psicológico del estrés migratorio

Por la Doctora Graciela

Descargo de responsabilidad:
Este mensaje no busca obstruir ninguna operación. Su propósito es ofrecer orientación psicoeducativa y recursos de apoyo para la comunidad inmigrante. No reemplaza asesoría legal ni constituye psicoterapia individual.

En los últimos días, las intervenciones de ICE han generado en la comunidad latina niveles elevados de terror, pánico e incertidumbre. La evidencia en salud mental muestra que, ante riesgo de detención o separación familiar, aumentan la ansiedad severa, la hipervigilancia, el insomnio y los síntomas depresivos. Estas respuestas son neurobiológicamente esperables en contextos de amenaza.

Tres intervenciones simples, accesibles y basadas en evidencia pueden ayudar a regular:
Regulación fisiológica: respiración diafragmática lenta (4-6 segundos) para disminuir activación simpática.
Apoyo social directo: contactar a una persona de confianza para modular la respuesta de amenaza.
Estructura mínima diaria: mantener patrones básicos de sueño, alimentación y actividad para reducir la sensación interna de caos.
Higiene informativa: limitar exposición a rumores o cadenas no verificadas que amplifican el miedo.
Estoy habilitando un grupo virtual gratuito de apoyo emocional para quienes necesitan un espacio seguro para regular estrés e incertidumbre en este periodo.

11/10/2025

INNER STRENGTH IS PRESENCE.
By Dr. Graciela

We spent years confusing urgency with strength.

If we were moving fast, pushing hard, doing more —

we thought we were being strong.
But inner strength is not intensity.
Inner strength is presence.

It’s the ability to stay connected to ourselves
when everything around us demands urgency.
When our nervous system is calm, we don’t react.

We choose.
We don’t prove.
We align.
Real strength is quiet.

— Dr. Graciela

11/05/2025

NOURISHING OUR ENERGY
By Dr. Graciela

Life always brings challenges — people who need something from us, responsibilities, expectations.

We can’t always control what happens around us, but we can choose how we take care of our energy.

Nourishing our energy isn’t a luxury.
It’s a daily practice of self-love.
It’s honoring body, mind, and spirit.
This is what fills my cup — what nourishes me, sustains me, and brings me back to my center every single day:

• Spirituality
• Meditation A profession I love
• Authentic connection
• Conscious nutrition
• Movement & exercise
• Water
• Sunlight / Outdoors
• Rest
• Expressive arts

When we nourish our energy, our presence changes —
and becomes strength, clarity, and calm.

10/27/2025

Choosing
By Dr. Graciela
The decisions that define our path are rarely born in comfortable settings. More often, they arrive on cold, rainy mornings filled with excuses. That is when it matters to remember: it is not about what is easiest, but about what aligns with our values. Every choice, no matter how small, is a declaration of who we are and the direction in which we choose to grow.



Elegir
Por Dra. Graciela

Las decisiones que definen nuestro camino rara vez nacen en escenarios cómodos. Muchas veces llegan en mañanas frías, lluviosas y llenas de excusas. Allí es cuando importa recordar que no se trata de lo más fácil, sino de lo que responde a nuestros valores. Cada elección, por pequeña que parezca, es una declaración de quién somos y hacia dónde queremos crecer.

10/15/2025

Decluttering Your Closet, Decluttering Your Mind

By Dr. Graciela

When we declutter our closet, we are doing much more than making space and looking organized. We are also creating flow—removing stagnated energies that linger in forgotten garments. Every item of clothing carries a history, an imprint of the moments we lived in it. When we hold on to pieces that no longer serve us, we are also holding back the natural current of life. Letting go means inviting freshness, clarity, and vitality into our homes and into ourselves.

The benefits are many: mental clarity, efficiency, a sense of lightness, and an energetic cleansing that uplifts our environment. Decluttering is not only about order—it’s about mental health, creativity, and ease in our daily lives.

I declutter twice a year, in the spring and the fall, when I feel nature itself invites renewal.

I follow simple criteria to release clothing. Some pieces I loved and wore so much that they fulfilled their purpose in my life; I enjoyed them deeply, and with satisfaction I let them go. Others were purchased with good intentions, yet stayed untouched for years—those I release so someone else can enjoy them. And then there are the garments that are simply too worn out; still, someone may find value in them, so I pass them on.

Before I give my clothes away, I always pause to thank each garment: thank you for being with me, for accompanying me through this chapter. May you bring joy to someone else now. In this way, the act of decluttering becomes an act of gratitude and conscious release.

Decluttering your closet is decluttering your soul. What changes could flow into your life if you opened space with gratitude—space in your closet, in your home, and in your heart?

10/07/2025

10/01/2025

CARING FOR YOUR MENTAL & EMOTIONAL HEALTH IS POWER

From Dr. Graciela
WE PROVIDE INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP THERAPY IN BOTH ENGLISH AND SPANISH

When your mind and emotions are not okay, it’s impossible to be your best in any area of life. Stress, trauma, relationship struggles — they don’t just stay in your head, they affect your whole body and performance.

Seeing a therapist is not a weakness. It’s strength. It’s self-care at the core of your being — your mind, your emotions, your heart.

At Holistic Growth, we offer evidence-based psychotherapies, as well as holistic approaches, and soul centered workshops to support people with their mental and emotional needs. Do yourself a favor: seek therapy.
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Dr. Graciela Aires Rust, Ph.D., LCMHC, CRC, IWLC, RYT-200, is an Argentinian-born American citizen, a board-certified licensed clinical psychotherapist, life coach, yoga instructor, certified rehabilitation counselor, and doctor in Holistic Counseling. A bilingual (English/Spanish) speaker, writer, and educator, she brings together over 20 years of training in alternative therapies with more than 12 years of clinical psychology practice.

Founder of Holistic Growth Integrative Counseling in Raleigh, NC, Dr. Graciela blends psychology with holistic practices including mindfulness, movement, and energy work. She created HolisticFlow® and Mind-Body-Spirit Belly Dance™, immersive methods that inspire healing, empowerment, and connection.
To explore our workshops and therapies, reach out via direct message on social media.