Working from a bio-social-psycho-spiritual perspective, I believe we are holistic beings and our mental health is linked to many other parts of our being.

Table of Contents

I encourage clients to review their general health which includes examining things such as:

Sleep patterns and sleep hygiene

Sleep patterns and behaviours around bedtime; if medications are prescribed and if natural therapies could assist e.g. sleep formulas with valerian, melatonin, magnesium, magnolia etc

Eating patterns; nutrition and exercise

Sometimes too much, not enough or the wrong type of exercise in consideration of other lifestyle factors can be key to managing weight and also stimulating feel-good hormones like endorphin and enkephalin. There are also guidelines on eating for various health conditions and some eating plans are more suited than others depending on symptoms and genetics.

Finally, I encourage all clients to eat MOOD FOODS that get their gut right and are designed to build the gut microbiome. These are foods high in the right bacteria (prebiotics and probiotics and fibre) such as Hommus and Kombucha. This is important because the gut microbiome affects whether serotonin receptors (which live in the gut) are working properly to produce and transmit serotonin to the brain.

Comprehensive Fasting Guide (assists with mood, insulin resistance, weight management, disease prevention)

Diagnosed or undiagnosed health conditions

Some common conditions that affect mood and mental health include:
– Thyroid– sub-clinical or treated thyroid conditions will likely cause anxiety; – Fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue and adrenal fatigue can greatly affect mood. Eating correctly and adrenal, cortisol and inflammation balancing adaptogens can assist.

–Methylation disorders and other epigenetic discoveries (e.g. MTHFR gene, Pyroluria/Copper:Zinc imbalance) can prevent effective absorption and use of key B Group vitamins which are essential for serotonin and other neurotransmitters. Some of these genetic polymorphisms are major contributors to more serious mental health diagnoses such as Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia. Targeted nutrition and supplements can down regulate or switch off the expression of problematic genes.

–Hormonal imbalances such as low testosterone in men or low progesterone in Women (not to mention menopause) can disrupt moods and cause anxiety and depression.
Go to my Recommended Reading Websites to find links to articles on various conditions.

Worldview and underpinning Spiritual Belief Systems

Spiritual beliefs can be a significant protective factor to our state of mind but can also be very detrimental depending on what we believe and why we believe what we do. I don’t try to change your beliefs but assist you in examining your beliefs and see how you are applying your beliefs to your thinking and behaviours.

Regardless of worldview or faith/religion, I recommend mindfulness practice for everyone, to connect to the present; provide grounding in times of stress or traumatic memory/trigger; be non-judgementally observant; to re-orient and connect to self; and as a tool for down-regulation of the amygdala (our fight, flight, freeze response system).

You don’t have to be a Yogi or Zen Master and almost all world religions practice mindfulness in some form or another, just using different labels/terminology. If you’re an atheist, naturalist, evolutionist or humanist, you can still practice mindfulness as it has some pretty impressive neuroscience as an evidence base, separate from spiritual practice. Many sectors of society are learning mindfulness – elite athletes and sporting teams; executive stress management programs and primary school students. Go to my Resources Page to access a mindfulness handout.