Specialties

The clinical psychologists at NY Health Hypnosis & Integrative Therapy are experts in using hypnosis, mindfulness and integrative therapy techniques to help individuals make changes and move forward. Our specialties focus not only on delving into the past, but also helping our clients to incorporate changes to prevent them from falling back into the same patterns.

Anorexia, Bulimia & Emotional Eating
Dr. Sera Lavelle, Dr. Rebecca Hoffenberg, Dr. Karolina Pekala, and Dr. Meghan Downey are Clinical Psychologists who specialize in using hypnosis and therapy based on clinical research to help people overcome their battles with food — specializing in anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, and difficult relationships with food. Their goal is not just to end the behavior, but to help clients stop viewing food in terms of good and bad in order to break the cycle of overindulgence and self-blame. Our therapists have been featured in Elle Magazine and Allure, and they have helped hundreds of people end their struggle with food. Read more...

Habits
Dr. Rebecca Hoffenberg and Dr. Kimberly Fishbach are New York’s experts in using hypnosis and integrative methods to help clients moderate or refrain from unwanted habits, such as nail biting, skin picking (dermatillomania) and hair pulling (trichotillomania).  Our technique involves examining and resolving the core issues, such as anxiety and depression using integrative therapy techniques, at the same time working to eliminate the unwanted habits that result because of those core issues by incorporating hypnosis. . Read more...

Sleep & Insomnia
Dr. Samantha Gaies and Kimberly Fishbach are Clinical Psychologists who combine hypnosis, mindfulness, interpersonal techniques and CBT to help people suffering from insomnia. Their approach focuses on helping clients understand their relationship with sleep and uses a variety of techniques to alter sleep habits in order to help clients sleep more soundly and for longer periods of time. These approaches offer an understanding about the relationship between sleeplessness and negative emotions, which in turn helps to alleviate feelings of depression, anxiety, and irritability, and greatly enhances day-to-day functioning. Read more...

Confidence & Motivation
Dr. Sara Glazer, Dr. Kimberly Fishbach, Dr. Karolina Pekala, Dr. Meghan Downey and Micah Zylstra specialize in using hypnosis to boost self-confidence and motivation and address issues of self-esteem. Through the power of positive suggestion, they promote an innate curiosity of the mind to build a stronger sense of self. They have extensive experience helping artists, performers, athletes and business executives move past emotional blocks and change their self-image by accessing and amplifying inner strengths that have lain dormant. Read more...

ADHD & Concentration
Dr. Kimberly Fishbach and Dr. Meghan Downey are New York’s experts in using hypnosis for adults and teens 16+ with attentional issues such as ADHD and difficulty concentrating. Based on their vast experience in clinical and educational settings, their method helps clients achieve a focused state through hypnosis and also teaches evidence-based clinical tools to navigate difficulties such as impulsivity, distractibility, procrastination and lack of motivation. Their approach helps both adolescents struggling with school issues as well as adults with high powered positions navigate the hurdles and strengths of having a mind that is both energized and distractible at the same time. Read more...

Anxiety, Stress, & Panic
‍Dr. Sara Glazer, Dr. Rebecca Hoffenberg, Dr. Kimberly Fishbach, Dr. Karolina Pekala and Dr. Meghan Downey have developed a specialized method to treat anxiety, social phobia, public speaking and panic attacks. In reaching a relaxed and reflective state, their patients are able to decrease the intensity of their anxious feelings while gaining insight into the root causes of their behavior. By tapping into their inner resources and creative problem-solving skills, patients are able to challenge the irrational beliefs and catastrophic thinking patterns so often associated with anxiety while also using hypnosis to learn how to calm the somatic symptoms associated with anxiety. Read more...

OCD, Fear & Phobia
‍Dr. Kimberly Fishbach is our expert in helping individuals who have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). She uses a combination of CBT and DBT in conjunction with hypnosis and mindfulness to empower her clients to reduce avoidance, alleviate hyperarousal, change their mindset, and reclaim control over their lives. Dr. Karolina Pekala and Dr. Downey are our experts in helping people overcome fears and phobias, such as fear of needles, fear of heights, fear of flying, medical phobias, and fears related to animals (e.g., snakes). They combine their expertise in CBT, DBT, Jungian Therapy and psychoanalysis to help their clients recognize and embrace their inner strengths when confronting fears and phobias, while using hypnosis as an impactful tool in helping them quiet their fears and visualize positive interactions with the things in which they fear the most.. Read more...

Depression, Grief & Loss
Dr. Sara Glazer, Dr. Rebecca Hoffenberg, Dr. Meghan Downey and Micah Zylstra specialize in working with depression, grief and loss. Depression is a bidirectional struggle, requiring a bidirectional approach. When people are depressed, they find it difficult to incorporate changes in their lives. Feeling stuck, on the other hand, also perpetuates feelings of hopelessness and depression. The therapists at NY Health Hypnosis & Integrative Therapy have created an approach to treating these issues by focusing on tangible goals through hypnosis, while also working to resolve underlying feelings of depression through integrative therapy. Read more...

Infertility & Pregnancy Loss
Our therapists use a variety of techniques and expertise in the field to provide an integrative and healing approach to help individuals and families struggling with infertility and difficulties surrounding pregnancy. We help navigate a process that is difficult both emotionally and physically by providing support, education, and the connection with top resources, while using integrative therapy and hypnosis for positive visualization, to promote relaxation, and to address anxiety and fears. Read more...

Pregnancy & Hypnobirthing
Dr. Samantha Gaies, Dr. Karolina Pekala, Dr. Meghan Downey work with clients throughout the pregnancy process. They offer a supportive, nonjudgmental form of therapy, which allows clients to discuss and explore their thoughts and feelings about pregnancy, while also bringing expert knowledge of the pregnancy process and available resources. Dr. Meghan Downey additionally is fully trained and incorporates hypnobirthing into her work with the pregnancy and birthing process in order to offer her patients an additional tool to quell anxiety and have a more relaxed and stress-free birth. Read more...

Postpartum & Parenting Support
Dr. Karolina Pekala and Dr. Meghan Downey work with individuals and couples to support issues that arise in terms of identity and techniques for parenting. They use mindfulness and hypnotherapy to support new mothers through postpartum issues and individuals as they transition into parenthood. They understand the struggles women face upon becoming new mothers, such as hormonal fluctuations, loss of identity, trouble breastfeeding, navigating difficult career and financial decisions, sleep deprivation, isolation, and new strains on relationships.. Read more...

Trauma & EMDR
Dr. Samantha Gaies, Dr. Sara Glazer, Dr. Kimberly Fishbach and Dr. Meghan Downey use a combination of hypnosis, mindfulness, and exposure therapy to help people who are suffering from psychological trauma caused by distressing or life-threatening events. Additionally, Dr. Hoffenberg incorporates EMDR therapy to address the uncomfortable and lasting impact of these events. Our therapists help clients gently confront and work through difficult memories and experiences, while also learning to live more fully in the present and regain control over their lives. Through understanding the relationship between past trauma and current psychological distress, clients are able to free themselves from painful memories and once again feel like who they were prior to the trauma. Read more...

Chronic Pain & Sexual Health
Dr. Kimberly Fishbach and Dr. Karolina Pekala are experts in chronic pain and sexual health. Dr. Fishbach integrates hypnosis into her approach to chronic pain conditions, such as headaches, back and neck pain, arthritis, neurogenic pain (from nerve damage), and psychogenic pain (pain existing without medical explanation). Her approach utilizes a variety of techniques to help clients minimize their severity of pain and learn to embrace life again. Similarly, Dr. Karolina Pekala utilizes integrative methods and hypnosis in her holistic approach to sexual health issues in women. Their unique approaches blends mindfulness, psychoeducation, pain-minimizing techniques, and a CBT perspective to address pain as well as a variety of issues related to sexual health for women. Read more...

Relationships & Couples Therapy
Relationships and partnerships can bring us joy, allow us to become better versions of ourselves, and help us through difficult times. Many of us, however, have difficulty maintaining relationships due to the fear of rejection or worry about becoming dependent. Dr. Samantha Gaies, Dr. Sara Glazer, Dr. Karolina Pekala and Dr. Meghan Downey work with individuals and couples struggling with relationships to help them face their fears and understand the reasons why they push people away or attract the wrong people. Read more...

Children, Adolescents & Teens
Dr. Karolina Pekala and Dr. Meghan Downey use a combination of hypnosis, mindfulness, and integrative therapy to treat adolescents and teens with a variety of struggles. Children and teens can benefit greatly from integrative therapy, in that it aligns well with their curious nature while allowing them relief from issues common in this age group, such as difficulties in school, ADHD, anxiety, eating disorders, and struggles with friends and relationships. Read more...