holistic mental health

Here you’ll find stories related to holistic mental health. As we’ve learned through our research and interviews, the importance of the mind-body connection cannot be overestimated. Our mental, psychological, spiritual, and emotional state of mind has a direct impact on the physical health of our body, and vice-versa. To this end, any holistic approach to healing must also address mental health, and do so in a holistic manner that prioritizes root cause healing over symptom masking (aka, the same way we advocate for healing physical issues).

Holistic mental health touches countless different topics, and experts from a number of different disciplines can share relevant insights. We’ve spoken to integrative psychiatrists, children’s psychologists, meditation gurus, energy healers, mindfulness advocates, and many more experts — not to mention the people who have healed mental health issues naturally, often through addressing physical root causes. 

Read these articles to learn more about holistic mental health and be inspired by those who have overcome mental health struggles naturally.

How Do Psychedelics Work? Johns Hopkins Researcher Dr. Fred Barrett on the Success of PsychedelicTreatment

How Do Psychedelics Work? Johns Hopkins Researcher Dr. Fred Barrett on the Success of PsychedelicTreatment

One of the most promising — and controversial — fields of research in the realm of mental and physical health is that of psychedelic treatment. Over the past decades, we’ve witnessed a gradual change in the public perception of psychedelics, as they’ve gone from dangerous and illegal drugs to promising substances that can be profoundly helpful for treating mental illness. But there are still plenty of questions, like how do psychedelics work? Are they safe? Who can they help? It’s a huge topic that touches psychology, neurology, integrative and conventional medicine, and federal regulations, among other areas, so it was important that we explore it with one of the foremost experts on psychedelics. Dr. Fred Barrett, cognitive neuroscientist and director of the Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research at Johns Hopkins University, joined Adrienne to talk about how psychedelics work, the research behind psychedelic treatment, LSD and psilocybin benefits, and more.
Donna Jackson Nakazawa Explains Psycho Neuroimmunology: How Emotions and Trauma Affect Your Immunity and Disease Risk

Donna Jackson Nakazawa Explains Psycho Neuroimmunology: How Emotions and Trauma Affect Your Immunity and Disease Risk

Donna Jackson Nakazawa is the author of seven books about what she likes to call “gnarly problems” that span the intersection of science, emotion, and human life, most recently the book Girls on the Brink. One of the gnarly topics she’s done a deep dive on is something called psycho neuroimunology, which is the field that looks at the interplay between our mind and our immune system. As she learned in her research, the relationship between the two is strong — and it all starts in childhood. Read on to learn more about the emerging field of psycho neuroimmunology, what it has to do with adverse childhood experiences (ACE) research, how emotions affect the body physically by way of the brain, and more.