Arati Patel, MA, LMFT, RYT

Arati Patel, MA, LMFT, RYT Integrative and holistic psychotherapy, mindfulness meditation mentor, and yoga teacher.

Private practice psychotherapy and counseling for individuals, young adults, and women.

11/25/2025

Let’s be honest:
Some families don’t gather for connection, they gather for commentary.

Especially in South Asian homes, Thanksgiving often turns into:
• unsolicited advice
• comparison
• fat-shaming
• marriage interrogations
• judgment wrapped in “we care”
• emotional pressure
• old-school respect rules that only apply to you

You’re NOT dramatic for feeling stressed.
You’re NOT disrespectful for wanting space.
You’re NOT selfish for protecting your emotional wellbeing.

You’re allowed to step away.
You’re allowed to give short answers.
You’re allowed to shut down conversations that cross the line.
You’re allowed to have boundaries, even during the holidays.

You don’t have to shrink just because it’s the holidays.

📍 CA + IL virtual
📍 Ventura, CA
🔗 Book a free consult (link in bio)

11/10/2025

If you grew up in a South Asian family, you probably didn’t talk about emotions.

You learned to stay strong, not to feel.

No one said “I’m sorry.”
No one named sadness or fear.
And now, as adults, we crave closeness, but shut down the second things get hard.

That’s not a lack of love, it’s emotional survival.
Your nervous system learned that feelings weren’t safe, so it protected you the only way it knew how: by numbing, overthinking, or pretending you’re fine.

Healing doesn’t mean blaming your family.
It means re-learning what you were never shown: that emotions are safe, human, and sacred.

If this hits home, tell me in the comments-were emotions talked about in your family growing up?

11/03/2025

From a South Asian therapist: strength was celebrated, softness was shamed.

We were praised for holding it all together, for being composed, capable, and calm, no matter what was happening inside.

But crying? Too emotional.
Asking for help? Weak.

So we learned to hide our softness to survive.
To stay busy instead of breaking down.
To make strength our personality, even when we were exhausted inside.

That conditioning doesn’t disappear when we grow up, it shows up in our relationships, our anxiety, our burnout, and our inability to rest.

Real healing isn’t about becoming stronger.
It’s about remembering that softness was never the problem.
It’s about learning that vulnerability is not weakness, it’s the doorway back to connection. 🌿

As a South Asian therapist, I help high-achieving men and women unlearn emotional armor and find safety in softness again.

🪷 Book a free 15-minute consultation through the link in my bio.

10/27/2025

So many South Asian professionals I work with carry the weight of being “the strong one.”

Gratitude. Achievement. Family expectations.

All of it can coexist, and still feel heavy.

I created Coming Home to Yourself as a free reflection guide for South Asian professionals navigating that quiet tension between gratitude and exhaustion.

Inside, you’ll find mindful prompts and gentle practices to help you pause, breathe, and reconnect with who you are beneath it all.

🌿 It’s free to download - link in bio.

🎉 Exciting news: I was quoted in AskMen’s expert feature on the best therapy approaches for men. 🙌🏾I shared how Internal...
08/25/2025

🎉 Exciting news: I was quoted in AskMen’s expert feature on the best therapy approaches for men. 🙌🏾

I shared how Internal Family Systems (IFS) can support men who feel like they’re always swinging between control and shutdown, striving and burnout.

The truth is, we all carry different “parts” of ourselves: inner critics, protectors, achievers and IFS helps bring compassion and clarity to those inner dynamics.

So many high-achieving men I work with are secretly overwhelmed. IFS gives them space to actually feel human again.

📖 Read the article: askmen.com → “Types of Therapy That Help Men”

💬 Curious about IFS or therapy with me? Let’s talk. (Link in Bio to connect)

Lately, I’ve been noticing how easy it is to rush through the day without really being in my body.Thinking. Planning. Do...
08/13/2025

Lately, I’ve been noticing how easy it is to rush through the day without really being in my body.

Thinking. Planning. Doing.

But not truly feeling.

That’s why I recorded my newest Insight Timer meditation: Coming Home to the Body.

It’s a short, 15-minute body scan that’s less about “relaxing perfectly” and more about simply showing up for yourself — breath by breath, moment by moment. No judgment.

No pressure. Just gentle noticing.

If you’ve been feeling scattered, stressed, or disconnected, this is an invitation to return to the home you’ve had all along.

🎧 Try it here → [link in bio!]

🌿 New Meditation is Live! 🌿I’m so happy to share my newest Insight Timer practice-Coming Home to the Body: A Mindful Bod...
08/12/2025

🌿 New Meditation is Live! 🌿
I’m so happy to share my newest Insight Timer practice-Coming Home to the Body: A Mindful Body Scan.

This guided meditation invites you to slow down, notice your breath, and gently reconnect with your body—without judgment or pressure to feel anything in particular.

It’s a calming, trauma-informed practice to help you:
✨ Ground in the present moment
✨ Release tension
✨ Reconnect with your body’s wisdom
✨ Feel more at home within yourself

🎧 Listen now → link in bio!
💬 I’d love to hear how you feel after trying it.

💔 When In-Laws Break the MarriageIt’s one of the most painful and least talked about patterns I see in therapy, especial...
07/24/2025

💔 When In-Laws Break the Marriage
It’s one of the most painful and least talked about patterns I see in therapy, especially for South Asian couples.
⠀
Toxic in-law dynamics don’t always look dramatic from the outside, but they can erode trust, peace, and connection over time.
⠀
In my latest blog, I explore:
→ Why this issue is so common in South Asian families
→ The emotional cost of loyalty and silence
→ How couples can begin to protect their bond
⠀
💻 Read now: Link in bio to blog
📍 Therapy for South Asian professionals in CA & IL

👇 Have you seen this in your own life or community?
⠀

You don’t have to hustle your way to peace.If you’re a high-achieving woman who feels like you’re always holding it all ...
07/23/2025

You don’t have to hustle your way to peace.

If you’re a high-achieving woman who feels like you’re always holding it all together for everyone else, this is your permission slip to pause. 🌿

Slowing down isn’t lazy. It’s not weak.
It’s a necessary act of care for your nervous system, your creativity, your mental clarity, and your overall well-being.

✨ In therapy, I often remind clients:
The mind needs rest to function.
The body needs stillness to regulate.
The soul needs silence to hear itself.

If you’re feeling anxious, overwhelmed, or burnt out, start here.
Start small. Start now.

I’ve provided you with 3 powerful reasons to slow down today and shared how doing so can support sustainable healing, growth, and clarity.

🌀 What’s one mindful practice you’ll try today to slow down?
💬 Share in the comments below.

📍 I specialize in therapy for high-achieving South Asian professionals navigating anxiety, perfectionism, and burnout.
I offer in-person therapy in Ventura, CA and online therapy across California and Illinois.

💌 Want support regulating your nervous system and reconnecting to your truth?
Download my free grounding guide! (Link in bio)

✨ Now accepting new clientsYou’ve built your life around achievement: showing up, doing it all, making it look easy.But ...
07/23/2025

✨ Now accepting new clients

You’ve built your life around achievement: showing up, doing it all, making it look easy.

But inside, the anxiety doesn’t stop. You’re exhausted, second-guessing yourself, and craving space to just be; without guilt.

I help high-achieving South Asian professionals untangle anxiety, perfectionism, and cultural pressure and come home to themselves.

🌿 Culturally-attuned therapy
💻 Online in CA & IL
📍 In-person in Ventura, CA

🗓️ I currently have a few openings.
Let’s connect to see if we’re a good fit.

📞 Book your free 15-minute consult (link in bio) or DM me the word THERAPY and I’ll send you the details.

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Our Story

You find yourself overwhelmed, forever tired, or feeling broken. You've tried everything you can think of to manage your life like self-help books, yoga, meditation, exercise, and all kinds of random things, but nothing seems to consistently help. Some days you feel like you have things under control but often, your life feels unmanageable. You feel stuck and frustrated and are wondering if therapy can help. Therapy can definitely help! It can feel weird to talk to a stranger about personal issues, I use humor and mindfulness to help take the discomfort out of starting therapy.

I teach and provide you with realistic skills to manage your life, become clear on what you want and need, and deal with obstacles that get in your way. I love helping people find their inner balanced zen-like space where they can breathe, feel grounded, and think clearly.

Let's work together to help you create and attain realistic and achievable goals that fit you and your life. Call me to set up a free 15 minute consultation to find out how you can begin living a more balanced, whole, and fully present life that you love.