If you have been in my office in the last few years you have probably heard me say that part of working towards being healthy or being in recovery from a substance or behavioral addiction involves treating the body, mind, and spirit everyday. We are all more than just our thoughts or our physical bodies. When we combine our bodies, minds, and spirits we are working towards integration of whole health for our bodies and minds.
John came to me in a major depressive episode. He had been experiencing depression on and off for many years. He did not want to take any medication so we worked on developing a plan to have him manage his depression by treating his whole being. He had heard about Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and asked me about it. I explained the CBT model to him. The CBT theory states that our thoughts, behaviors, and emotions are all connected. By focusing on one of these areas the others will be positively affected. I told John that this is the base for our treatment of the depression and it will be up to him to treat his body, mind, and spirit everyday. With the two of us working together, the hope was his depression would dissipate.
The mind, body, spirit approach has the premise: If we focus on all three areas we will be more healthy as a unified whole, in our minds and bodies. The difference between this approach and CBT is: CBT’s idea is by treating one area the others will follow. If we exercise (behavioral) it may help to shift our thoughts to be more positive. In the mind, body, spirit approach we intentionally focus on all three areas, daily. The Mind/Body/Spirit approach can be conceptualized under the umbrella of CBT. By treating the mind, body, and spirit daily, we are able to shift our thinking, behavior, and emotions to be more healthy.
Treating The Body For Physical and Mental Health
I talked to John about this. He had been a runner in the past but had dropped the exercise when his job became more demanding and he had three children to tend to. We discussed the benefits of treating our bodies well. This includes exercise, proper nutrition, and adequate sleep. John told me he didn’t meet any of these criteria. He did not exercise, his diet was poor and included a lot of processed and fast food, and he often stayed up late into the night, having to get up for the day at 6:30am. The amount of sleep he got averaged 4 hours a night. John was not treating is body in a healthy way. When our bodies aren’t being treated well depression and anxiety may be the result.
I explained to John that when we exercise, aerobically, it boosts the neurotransmitter, Serotonin in our brains. When we are depressed Serotonin becomes depleted. Antidepressants work at producing more Serotonin in our brains. Exercise does the same thing and when done regularly, for 60 minutes a day, it is equivalent to taking an antidepressant. Studies are proving this to be true as Mayo explains here: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/in-depth/depression-and-exercise/art-20046495
John agreed to try and exercise regularly again by going to the gym, running with the dog, or bike riding with his children, daily.
John also agreed he needed to look at what he put into his body (food and alcohol). We agreed he would look at what goes in and think about making some changes. I asked him to keep a log of what he ate and drank for the next week. I don’t believe in committing to too many changes at once hence, setting yourself up to fail. By John committing to beginning to exercise and looking at his food and alcohol intake he really was only making one change and setting up for another.
Treating The Mind
Next, we moved to discussing treating his mind. Therapy / mental health counseling is a great way to treat your mind but it isn’t practical to go to therapy everyday (and it would be quite expensive). I congratulated John on taking the first step to treat his mind by coming to therapy but explained he needed to add other ways of treating his mind to his daily routine. He agreed to listen to some podcasts on positivity and to keep a Gratitude Journal everyday. I offered him other ideas such as reading, meditation, journaling, and practicing mindfulness.
Trading The Spirit
The spirituality piece looks different for different individuals and is personal. Some people have a strong faith and pray daily. Some people go to yoga and find it treats the spirit, some individuals find faith and spirituality in the universe. Spirituality is deeply personal to each of us. It doesn’t matter who or what you believe in but having a source, higher than yourself is a positive. The importance is being able to remove yourself from the daily pressures and stresses and find some peace in something you believe in.
John explained he grew up Catholic but is not practicing as an adult. He wasn’t sure what he believes in but had been thinking about exploring a non-denominational church with his wife and kids. I encouraged him to do so or to find another way to treat his spirit. He also told me he was considering going to Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). I explained he would find support he needs there and that would serve as a spiritual piece as well.
Putting It All Together
I told John his part in therapy was to work on treating his mind, body and spirit daily. In mental health counseling sessions with me we would look at the CBT piece and work on changing his negative thought patterns, which were maintaining his depression, and work on shifting his perspective to a more healthy one. John and I both agreed to work our parts, as a team , to treat his depression and help him live a more productive and joyful life.
If you are considering trying to be more healthy or if you need to work on managing mental health symptoms the Mind/Body/Spirit approach is something you can do for yourself to work towards feeling more healthy. If you need help and encouragment feel free to reach out and schedule an appointment with me for mental health counseling.