Our society has done a good job destigmatizing emotional distress. These days, it’s become popular—even trendy for people to see a therapist or take medication for mental health challenges. According to Rasmussen Reports, nearly 25% of Americans have been diagnosed with a mental health condition, and about 20% are currently on prescription medication. And that doesn’t even count the people quietly suffering, trying to get through on their own.

But here’s the real question: do people really feel better, and if they do, have they addressed the underlying cause of their distress in a satisfactory way that actually fixes their life?

I’d like to briefly outline the options that already exist and introduce you to an alternative called Mental Freedom®. It’s different. It’s not about numbing or masking the pain, endlessly revisiting the past or constantly talking about your feelings, or waiting for someone else to provide the answers. Instead, it equips you with the knowledge and tools to help yourself.

Medication

For many, medication is the first stop—and sometimes the only stop. It can bring relief, but it doesn’t address the root causes. Psychiatrist Dr. William Glasser compared it to “taking Novocain for a toothache.” It numbs the pain, but doesn’t fix the tooth or the underlying problem.

Medication feels appealing because it provides an explanation—“I have a chemical imbalance”—and the effects are fast. But side effects, dependency, and tolerance often mean increasing dosages, adding more medications, and even taking drugs to treat the side effects.

Counseling or Therapy

Counseling has helped countless people gain insight, process emotions, and feel supported. Yet for some, it can become an endless cycle of talking and emoting without meaningful change. You may feel lighter after a session—only to return the next week for the same relief. Therapy can be powerful, but it isn’t always the solution for those ready to move forward with practical tools.

Coaching

Coaching began in the 1980s and has grown popular in many segments of the population. It focuses on growth, achievement, and personal goals. It’s designed for people who are generally healthy but want to get more out of life. Coaching can be motivating and inspiring, but it typically doesn’t address emotional pain directly.

Mental Health First Aid

This international movement educates people to recognize and respond to signs of mental or emotional challenges or substance use. It’s a valuable “first responder” model—like CPR for mental health—offering immediate support until professional care steps in. I like and mention it here because, like Mental Freedom®, it is psychoeducational in nature.

Mental Freedom®: A More Empowering Alternative

Mental Freedom assumes that, barring any brain injury, people are capable of healing themselves from mental and emotional distress when they have the right information and apply it. Like Mental Health First Aid, it’s psychoeducational—but it’s designed for people who want to take responsibility for their own healing instead of relying solely on medication or counseling. Many people even add Mental Freedom to other treatments to build resilience.

What sets it apart?

• Empowerment from the start. It assumes you already have what it takes to heal and grow.
• No judgment. Every past choice is seen as your best attempt in the moment to get what you want. You can learn, expand your options, and choose differently moving forward.
• Efficient and practical. In just six sessions—individually, in groups, or through video—you get all the tools you need.
• Privacy respected. It’s self-directed. You don’t need to share personal details unless you want to. The process still works. People can even decline to apply some of the principles if they aren’t ready or don’t buy in. Mental Freedom is always invitational, never prescriptive.
• Respectful and authentic. Your past and your feelings are honored as genuine experiences, but they aren’t a place to stay stuck.
• Transformative. By finding the GLOW (Gifts, Lessons, Opportunities, Wisdom) in painful experiences, you can shift emotional and even physical pain into something neutral, freeing yourself from its hold.

Mental Freedom® is for people who want more than symptom management. It’s for those ready to build resilience, take responsibility, and grow themselves to become bigger than anything life throws at them.

Final Word

Medication, therapy, coaching, and Mental Health First Aid each have their place. But if you’ve tried other approaches and still feel stuck—or if you want an approach that puts you firmly in control of your healing—Mental Freedom® may be exactly what you’ve been looking for.