Facilitating Self-Agency in Mental Health Through Integrative Psychiatry
“In my practice, one of the central goals of healing is to support individuals in reclaiming self-agency—the ability to make empowered choices, align with personal values, and feel a sense of autonomy in their mental health journey. Whether working with depression, anxiety, PTSD, or OCD, we focus on building self-efficacy, fostering self-worth, and helping people reconnect with meaning. Healing is as much about rediscovery as it is about transformation.
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- Ben Medrano, MD
Empowerment Over Dependence
While traditional psychiatry has its place, it’s disease approach can sometimes reinforce a sense that . Medications are often helpful—and at times essential—but our goal is to reduce long-term dependence when possible. Instead, we focus on tools that strengthen inner resources and support lasting growth.
We treat the whole person, not just symptoms. Our integrative approach blends multiple disciplines to facilitate each person’s capacity to heal themselves. When people begin to connect with their inner healer—or higher self—there’s often a natural shift toward resilience, vitality, and wholeness.
A Multidisciplinary Path to Self-Agency
Healing is a partnership. Our team offers a range of modalities tailored to the needs of each individual, supporting the mind, body, and spirit.
Mindfulness Practices: Meditation, breathwork, and present-moment awareness help regulate the nervous system and build self-mastery—key elements of agency.
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP): In a safe therapeutic setting, KAP can unlock insight, reconnect individuals with their inner wisdom, and create space for profound emotional healing.
Somatic and Trauma-Focused Therapies: Trauma often disrupts our connection to the body and sense of safety. Somatic work helps release stored trauma and restore grounding in the present.
Transpersonal Approaches: Healing includes reconnecting with purpose and something greater than oneself. Transpersonal work supports spiritual and existential growth.
Nutrition and Lifestyle: Mental health is closely tied to physical well-being. We support changes in sleep, diet, and movement as foundational to emotional balance.
Community and Connection: Isolation undermines healing. We encourage connection—with others and with the broader world—as a path to meaning and belonging.
Rediscovering the Inner Healer
A core belief in our work is that everyone has access to an inner healer. Disconnection from this part of ourselves can lead to despair and confusion. Reconnection—through KAP, somatic work, mindfulness, or community—opens the door to hope and transformation.
Healing Through Connection
Healing is also about reconnecting with the world around us. Many people find that as they strengthen their self-agency, they also rediscover a sense of interconnection—with others, with nature, and with something larger than themselves. This balance between the personal and the universal is often where the deepest healing happens.
Healing is not linear, and there is no single path.
Our role is to support each person in uncovering their strengths, growing self-compassion, and finding meaning that feels true. As these elements come into focus, self-agency grows naturally—and people begin to not just survive, but thrive.
At New York Integrative Psychiatry, we offer more than treatment—we offer a space for personal, multidimensional healing. Whether you’re seeking ketamine-assisted therapy in Manhattan, trauma-informed care, or a more integrative approach to mental wellness, our team is here with expertise and compassion.
Schedule a session—we’re here to walk the path with you.