My goal as a psychiatrist is not merely to help my patients alleviate their symptoms. While this is, of course, a necessary and ongoing focus of treatment, in many ways it is only the beginning of the work we are coming together to accomplish. Instead, my goal is to help patients reach their highest potential in all aspects of their lives—interpersonal, professional and spiritual. A lofty goal, perhaps, but life is short and I see no reason to aim lower than this.
I am unlike most contemporary psychiatrists in that I refuse to subscribe to the view that the internal phenomena underpinning the rich tapestry of a human being’s inner life can somehow be reduced to the functioning of their brain. The brain obviously has a crucial role to play in mediating the manifestations of human consciousness, and it would be foolish to argue otherwise. Nevertheless, I am not persuaded by reductionist, materialist arguments that attempt to categorically dismiss the non-material aspects of human experience as unimportant, trivial or not even real. These are, after all, the aspects of human experience from which we derive the most meaning in our lives. Despite the lush and impressive proliferation of advanced technology increasingly surrounding us each day, we humans remain limited creatures with limited cognitive and perceptual capacities; as such, we live in a Universe that remains profoundly mysterious to us in the most fundamental ways. Failure to maintain a healthy degree of humility in the face of this is apt to lead us to a variety of misguided notions about a good many things, starting with the phenomenon of human consciousness itself.
As an extension of these views, I do not believe that mental illness can be wholly understood or treated as the result of neurologic dysfunction. Rather, I believe it is equally important to view the symptoms of mental illness as signals from deeper aspects of consciousness, alerting us to the existence of hidden wounds and unresolved inner conflicts that must be brought to light and healed in the service of integration and wholeness, not at the level of the brain or even of the mind, but at the level of the suffering person’s entire being, which comprises both brain and mind but is limited to neither.
My practice uses an eclectic psychotherapeutic approach combining aspects of mindfulness, Internal Family Systems, cognitive behavioral therapy and Jungian depth psychology to identify and address these core issues. Medication will be used if necessary, but I make an effort to minimize or eliminate the need for this whenever possible.
To schedule an appointment:
Unfortunately I am presently operating near full capacity, and am thus accepting new patients by direct referral only.
Office Location:
7 Ryan Court
Bohemia, NY 11716
Casey A. Paleos, MD 