You would laugh if you knew how many hours we spent trying to name this practice. It seems like a small decision compared to some of the other things we had to do, like find an office space or hire an accountant. But for some reason, it was picking a name that we went around and around about for months on end.
Maybe we were overthinking it. But we had so much meaning that we wanted our brand to convey, and it felt like the name was the crux of it all. How do we want our practice to run? What is our niche? What details are priorities to us? To our potential clients? We had so many questions and discussions and decisions to make about “who we are” as a practice, and then how to encompass that in a name that would be memorable, approachable, and (the most heartbreaking obstacle) not already in use. It was a longer process than we anticipated.
As we mulled through thesauruses, searched across web pages, and compiled a massive list of possibilities, we kept coming back to the idea of helping people “orient” themselves in both psychiatry as a whole and within their own heads.
The Crazy World of Psychiatry
The human mind is complex. We start with biological components of the brain, and add to that our experiences, beliefs, circumstances, surroundings, and so on, until each individual person becomes a massive web of thoughts, emotions, and physiological responses. So how do you take all the beautiful, confusing complexity of a human mind and precisely nail down the source of any problems? Well… there are a lot of opinions on how to answer that question.
Like any area of study, the world of psychiatry has its own debates, controversies, theories, and opinions. The leading book of psychiatric diagnosis, the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual), itself is full of contradictory theories. The book focuses heavily on using symptoms to diagnose purported chemical imbalances and “diseases,” while at the same time acknowledging the effect of past trauma on mental health. So which is it? The issue is that psychiatry has been changed over the years to mimic the biomedical model: a diagnosis and a med to match. But attempting to medicalize the human soul is a mistake. We may be able to manage symptoms, but ignoring things like trauma, circumstances, and beliefs when talking about mental health will not lead to long term healing. Psychiatry can do better.
Our goal at Atlas is to be a guide to those trying to orient themselves in the wide world of psychiatry. We want to teach others about the pitfalls that can occur when the assumed cause of the problem is misplaced. And we, most of all, want to help our clients learn and experience methods that lead to lasting mental healing.
The Brain’s Defense Mechanism
Even after we’ve oriented ourselves in the wide world of psychiatry, we have the issue of figuring out what’s going on in our own heads. There are many methods that our brains employ to protect us from experiencing emotional pain. They are complex systems of self-protection, and are especially defensive when we are children and are too young to accurately process our experiences and surroundings. As we grow and have negative experiences, big and small, we form beliefs about ourselves and others that can be untrue. Our brain may have protected us from experiencing the pain in the moment, but it leaves us with residual issues caused by false beliefs. One of the ways to relieve mental health struggles is to locate and revisit those painful places so they can be healed. It can be difficult to navigate toward hidden false beliefs and bring the right truth to soothe the pain, but you don’t have to go alone. We would love to be a guide for you as you go to your vulnerable places and put the pieces back together correctly so you can experience relief.
We are Atlas
When you go on a journey, you bring along the tools that are going to help you get to your destination. Both in the mess of psychiatry and the mess within your own head, we desire to be a guide for you. We chose the name “Atlas” because just like an Atlas helps you see the big picture and find your way, we would like to help you understand mental health so you can succeed in the journey toward mental freedom and genuine change.