On a typical week in my holistic therapy practice, I notice patterns. Not in a mystical, predictive way, but in an energetic, emotional way. Themes and seasons tend to present themselves across multiple clients’ lives, despite these individuals being drastically different and living in different areas across California.
This past year, the Year of the Snake, felt like one long shedding.
Clients ending relationships they once thought were a perfect match for them.
Clients grieving identities that used to feel solid.
Clients outgrowing coping mechanisms that once kept them safe.
Clients saying, “I don’t even recognize myself anymore. SO much has changed over the last several months”
It was uncomfortable and disorienting, but necessary.
I don’t use the Chinese zodiac as a diagnostic tool, and I don’t present it as evidence-based treatment. However, I do use symbolic frameworks such as lunar cycles and Chinese New Year philosophy as reflective tools for holistic therapy. Because when we can name the season we’re in, we tend to tolerate it better.
The Snake represents shedding, renewal, and quiet transformation. The slow, often invisible process of outgrowing a former self. When clients understood that this was a “shedding year,” something softened. Instead of, “Why is everything falling apart?” It became, “Maybe this is me outgrowing what was no longer serving me.”
That subtle shift, from self-judgment to meaning making, is deeply therapeutic.
Let’s be honest though, shedding doesn’t feel spiritual when you’re in it. It feels like:
- Anxiety
- Fatigue
- Uncertainty
- Grief
- Irritability
- Loneliness
- Identity confusion
In therapy, we often talk about distress tolerance, the ability to sit with discomfort without collapsing or self-sabotaging. When clients viewed their pain through the lens of shedding, they were sometimes able to say: “This hurts… but maybe it’s for my greater good.” That belief didn’t erase discomfort, but it increased capacity. And capacity changes everything.
From a psychological standpoint, humans regulate better when their suffering makes sense. When experiences feel random or chaotic, the nervous system stays on high alert, but when we can place our struggles inside a larger narrative (i.e. seasonal, spiritual, developmental) the brain has a better chance of relaxing.
Symbolic systems like the lunar cycle, mindfulness practices, or spiritual reflection aren’t about bypassing reality, they’re about contextualizing it. In holistic therapy, where we honor mind, body, spirit, culture, and environment, that context matters.
After a year of shedding, the Year of the Horse brings a very different energy. If Snake was internal, Horse is momentum. The Horse symbolizes:
- Forward movement
- Independence
- Vitality
- Confidence
- Courage
- Expansion
And I’ve already begun hearing it in the therapy room:
“I’m ready.”
“I don’t want to stay stuck anymore.”
“I think I’m starting to trust myself.”
The work of shedding creates space. The energy of the Horse asks: What will you do with it?
To be clear, following the lunar cycle or Chinese zodiac philosophy is not a replacement for evidence-based therapy, but it can be a powerful complement. In my integrative, holistic therapy practice, I weave together:
- Evidence-based psychotherapy
- Mindfulness and somatic awareness
- Eastern wellness philosophy
- Trauma-informed care
- Spiritual reflection (when aligned with the client’s beliefs)
The goal isn’t to convince anyone that a zodiac year determines their fate. The goal is to support insight. Because when clients track cycles (emotional cycles, relational cycles, seasonal cycles, etc.) they become more attuned to their internal world. And increased attunement leads to:
- Better emotional regulation
- More self-compassion
- Greater resilience
- Stronger decision-making
- Deeper alignment
If this past year felt like loss, change, endings, or identity shifts: What might you have shed? If you feel the stirrings of motivation or restlessness lately: Where might you be ready to move?
You don’t have to believe in the zodiac for these questions to be useful. You just have to be willing to reflect.
My approach to therapy is rooted in clinical training and ethical care, and it also makes space for spirituality, symbolism, and intuitive reflection when appropriate. Because healing isn’t purely cognitive. It’s emotional, somatic, relational, cultural, and spiritual.
We are cyclical beings living in a cyclical world. When we stop fighting the seasons and start working with them, something shifts. If you’re feeling like you’ve been shedding, or you’re ready for forward movement, holistic therapy can help you navigate that transition with clarity and support. You don’t have to do it alone.