Anxiety and/or depression impact a high percentage of clients who come into my office. It keeps us awake, it disrupts emotional regulation, and it robs us of our mental and emotional energy. There are many effective ways to work through mood instability, including talk therapy, somatic approaches, and even pharmaceuticals for severe cases. But many of these miss the impact of the “2nd brain,” referring to the gut, on brain health and mood.
To put an integrative approach to mental health very simply, the gut and the brain are intimately connected by the vagus nerve, which is responsible for communicating emotions and feelings. Most of the neurotransmitters responsible for feeling happy (serotonin) or motivated (dopamine) are located in the gut. The food we eat, the stress we carry, our sleep habits, the ways we move our bodies, and environmental influences all impact the health of our gut which always impacts the health of our brain.
An integrative approach to mental health considers the whole person, not just the feelings and thoughts that impact our well-being. When considering the whole person, we realize that we can do all kinds of therapeutic interventions for depression or anxiety, but if one is eating a highly inflammatory diet (like the Standard American Diet), or suffers from insomnia, or never moves their body, we’re missing a big piece of the puzzle in the process of working towards long term lasting change.
My hope for engaging an integrative approach to mental health is for clients to experience a deeper and more holistic understanding of the ways their lifestyle, nutrition, exercise, sleep, and stress impact their mental well-being, particularly in the context of anxiety and depression.
If you’re interested in exploring a Personalized Integrative Plan related to your gut health and mental health, I’m offering a new package as an adjunct service to psychotherapy. You can engage this offer either as a current psychotherapy client or as a separate deep dive into your nutritional and mental health with the option to engage in continued support as needed. Just click the button below to learn more!