Treating the effects of that growing up or living in poverty has on our mental health is vital to our healing as individuals and as a community. But often the only way that individuals can access treatment of any kind is through an emergency room or a community clinic that is over worked with limited availability. Living in conditions where your basic needs aren’t being met can potentially teach your brain to constantly be on the defensive, to engage in activities that are not necessarily logical or helpful but is a survival instinct that is scrambling for some kind of feeling of security. Working on these types of symptoms helps us to make more productive decisions about our present and future, and helps us to relax and be more at peace in the present.