Tag: brain health

Part One: Breathe Deep

 

Abundant health is not for the taking; it is for the making. One way you can do this is by activating your vagus nerve.


What is the Vagus Nerve?

The vagus nerve, coined ‘the superhighway’, originates in the brain stem and regulates the vast majority of the body’s autonomic functions. This means, for the most part, we do not have to think about these functions for them to happen consciously.

 

“Beginning in the brainstem, the nerve travels through the jugular foramen (the large hole at the bottom of the skull), into the neck, and down through the thoracic cavity to the abdomen. Vagus, the Latin for “wandering,” appropriately reflects the nerve’s meandering pathways.” (van Mersbergen, 2014)


Why is the Vagus Nerve Vital?

An optimal functioning vagus nerve is crucial in optimizing health and halting the progression of inflammation and disease. A great example of this is to imagine your favourite sports team. Each of the different players will have a specific role to play, and optimal performance within the team can only be reached if each player is doing their job correctly. The team coach manages to ensure that all the players are in sync with one another and can fulfill their roles accordingly. The vagus nerve is the ‘coach’ of the human body, as it regulates the function of so many different organs and cells. A coach that is not holding up their end will attribute to a poor overall performance from the team (our bodies); this is known as dysfunctional signaling which will result in a lack of harmony, creating inflammation, and eventually leading to a state of dysfunction and disease.


Is All Inflammation Harmful?

Now it is essential to mention that not all Inflammation is terrible. Inflammation is an essential response within the body to keep us safe from bacterial and viral invaders, physical trauma, and other things that should optimally not enter the body. When inflammation levels are not kept in check and become chronic, the effects can be wide-ranging and lead to many different health conditions. Managing the inflammatory system is one of the most critical functions of the vagus nerve. It can have far-reaching effects on your overall personal state of health and disease.

functional-medicine-calgary

How Can I Support My Vagus Nerve?

The first and most effective way to positively affect your vagus nerve is to learn to breathe correctly.

The average person takes approximately over 23,000 breaths per day. Can you imagine how this might affect your overall health and well-being if you are breathing sub-optimally? Rapid shallow chest breathing is a sign of stress, which activates the sympathetic branch of the nervous system and our fight or flight response. Slow, deep, belly breathing is a sign of rest, which activates the parasympathetic branch of the nervous system, and allows you to rest and digest.


Breathing Exercise: 

  1. Sit up straight without allowing your back to rest against anything, both feet on the floor.
  2. Roll the shoulders up and back; tuck the chin slightly to elongate the back of the neck.
  3. Exhale completely to remove all air from your lungs.
  4. Put your right hand on your chest and your left hand on your belly just above your belly button.
  5. Take a deep breath in through your nose for 5 to 7 seconds, allowing only your belly to rise, feeling only your left hand rising.
  6. Suspend (hold gently) that breath for 2 to 3 seconds.
  7. Exhale through your mouth for 6 to 8 seconds, allowing your belly to fall, feeling only your left hand falling.
  8. Suspend your breath out, without any air entering your lungs for 2 to 3 seconds.
  9. Repeat steps four through seven as many times as you feel comfortable or for a set period.

Note: the longer exhalations help to tap into your parasympathetic nervous system and “hack your vagus nerve” (Bergland, 2019).

You could start with 3 minutes per day and build from there. Make it part of your daily routine. For example, I like to implement this breathing technique first thing in the morning before my feet hit the floor and at the end of the day before I drift off to sleep. For best results, perform this practice multiple times per day, especially during periods of stress. Even a single minute of concentrated focus on slow, deep breathing can significantly positively impact your mood, stress levels, and overall health.

 

References:

Bergland, C. (2019, May 9). Longer exhalations are an easy way to hack your vagus nerve. Psychology Today. Retrieved from: https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/the-athletes-way/201905/longer-exhalations-are-easy-way-hack-your-vagus-nerve

 

van Mersbergen, M. (2014). Viva la vagus! Choral Journal, 55(3). Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Miriam-VanMersbergen/publication/266376150_Viva_La_Vagus/links/56e97fdb08ae95bddc29e48a/Viva-La-Vagus.pdf


Author

Darla Montgomery

Most often, inflammation is rooted in the gut and caused by food sensitivities. These days we encounter an epidemic of chronic health issues resulting from inflammation. By understanding the gut in more detail, we have the capacity to decrease inflammation without the use of medications that have long lists of side effects and don’t solve the underlying issue.

 

The important thing to realize about inflammation is that it can appear in any part of the body, including hormone systems, the brain, and the cardiovascular system. The evidence for this is unquestionable. This being said, it is very important to identify foods that may be stimulating our immune system and having detrimental downstream health effects.

 

Testing for food sensitivities has its controversies, but it can be a very useful starting point. IBS and Crohn’s disease respond best to IgG testing but are clinically applicable in many other illnesses. The tests reveal gut complaints, chronic fatigue, depression and anxiety, and autoimmune issues, to name a few.

 

Limitations of food sensitivity testing:

 

1. They test only limited immune reactions and do not show non-immune food reactions

Food sensitivity testing is not perfect, as it is only testing a very select part of the immune system. Parts of the immune system most often tested are IgE (true allergy), IgA (mucosal immune system), and IgG (delayed food sensitivities). A negative test does not exclude a reaction by the innate immune system, or a non-immune reaction (like lactose intolerance, FODMAP intolerance, or histamine intolerance).

 

2. Laboratory standards differ

The accuracy of testing can vary from lab to lab, depending on which controls and which antigens they use. For example, an organic apple may have different reactivity to one that is not organic. Heat and processing or roasting may make an antigen more or less antigenic. Whether the lab uses monoclonal antibodies (from one source) vs polyclonal antibodies (from many sources), can also affect the reactivity of the test.

 

3. Individual and confounding factors

False positives may result from smoking, alcohol consumption, periodontal disease and other factors. False negatives may result from immunoglobulin deficiencies. Lab tests may not pick up individual differences in immunoglobulins which could also skew results.

 

Testing often shows reaction to antigens which should be ‘healthy’ foods. This situation is often caused by increased intestinal permeability. Something like gluten may trigger leaky gut, allowing bystanders to leak through the gut layer and stimulate an immune reaction. Gut repair is essential in resolving this.

 

 

With all these confounding factors, how do you figure out what you are reacting to?

The gold standard of figuring of food sensitivities is with an elimination diet. This means taking out the common allergenic offending foods for a period of 3-4 weeks minimum and then slowly reintroducing them one by one. A positive test results when a reaction to the reintroduced food occurs.

 

In an ideal world, every patient with a chronic health condition should go through an elimination diet. Unfortunately, this does not always happen. In many cases, people do not believe that their health condition is related to food and so are not willing to change their way of eating.

 

The benefits of food sensitivity testing:

Enter the food sensitivity test. Though not all testing is perfect, this can be an extremely useful tool in figuring out major food triggers. Keeping the above limitations in mind, improvements in symptoms should occur with removal of the offending foods. The proof is in the pudding: people very often do get dramatically better when they remove the positive foods on the tests.
 

When they do not get better after a trial of elimination, a skilled health care professional will guide the patient to work through different steps based on their history, physical examination and testing, to figure out what is causing their symptoms.

 

Reasons people don’t get better:

  1. Gut healing not done alongside the removal of the problem foods. Much research around gluten removal with or without gut repair, has been done. A large percentage of patients do not improve symptomatically when the gut repair is not undertaken. This involves replacing pancreatic enzymes, gallbladder support, and stomach acid and healing the lining of the gut.
  2. The person is reacting to food in a different way. They may have histamine, salicylate, or oxalate intolerance or a lectin intolerance and respond to a grain and legume-free diet. They could also have fructose intolerance.
  3. They may have dysbiosis, or overgrowth of bacteria/ yeast or parasites (often interrelated with food sensitivities). Because of this they may have FODMAP intolerance (with SIBO) or may react to foods that trigger candida, like sugar.
  4. They have a misunderstanding about which foods contain the antigens they are reacting to or are being inadvertently exposed to. A common example is gluten, found in many spices, teas, toothpaste, etc.
  5. Their symptoms may not be directly related to the gut and can be related to heavy metal toxicity, biotoxin illness (mold commonly causes gut issues) or autonomic imbalance.
  6. They had a false positive test.

 

The good news

The aim is not to be off the offending food forever – the aim is to figure out why someone is reacting in the first place. If you heal your gut and eliminate correctly, you should be able to eat most things again but some people may need to stay off certain foods lifelong. The most common of these are gluten, dairy, and eggs.

 

The bottom line is that food sensitivity testing is far from perfect, but it is very often a starting point to guide a patient in the right direction and motivate lifestyle changes. The important take home is to ask why the food reactions are happening in the first place. On many occasions, people become frustrated because they follow the elimination of the foods found on their tests and they don’t feel better. It is essential to have an experienced health care provider interpret your food sensitivity test in the context of what your issues are so that you can be guided in the right direction and achieve the best results.

 

References

Bentz, S., Hausmann, M., Piberger, H., et al., (2010). Clinical relevance of IgG antibodies against food antigens in Crohn’s disease: A double-blind cross-over diet intervention study. Karger – Digestion 81(4), 252-264. https://doi.org/10.1159/000264649

 

Drisko, J., Bischoff, B., Hall, M., & McCallum, R. (2005). Treating irritable bowel syndrome with a food elimination diet followed by food challenge and probiotics. Journal of the American College of Nutrition 25(6), 514-522. https://doi.org/10.1080/07315724.2006.10719567

 

Guo, H., Jiang, T., Wang, J., et al., (2012). The value of eliminating foods according to food-specific immunoglobulin G antibodies in irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhoea. Journal of International Medical Research 40(1), 204-210. https://doi.org/10.1177/147323001204000121

 

Meletis, C.D., & Barker, J. Delayed-onset food allergies (2004). Alternative and Complementary Therapies 9(2), 61-65. https://doi.org/10.1089/107628003321536968

 

Uzunısmaıl, H., Cengız, M., Uzun, H., et al., (2012). The effects of provocation by foods with raised IgG antibodies and additives on the course of Crohn’s disease: A pilot study. Turkish Journal of Gastroenterology 23(1), 19-27. DOI: 10.4318/tjg.2012.0332

 

Zar, S., Mincher, L., Benson, M.J., & Kumar, D. (2005). Food-specific IgG4 antibody-guided exclusion diet improves symptoms and rectal compliance in irritable bowel syndrome. Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology 40(7), 800-807, https://doi.org/10.1080/00365520510015593

 

Author

Dr. Michelle van der Westhuizen, MD

The Default Mode Network (DMN) is a set of interacting brain structures first described in 2001 by the Washington University neuroscientist Marcus Raichle. It’s called that because it is most active when the brain is in a resting state. This network links parts of the cerebral cortex (thinking, decision making, higher brain functions) with deeper and evolutionarily older structures of the brain involved in emotion and memory. 

 

The Default Mode Network influences and inhibits, other parts of the brain, especially those involving emotion and memory. It prevents signals from being interrupted or interfering with each other. Neuroimaging studies suggest that the DMN is involved in higher-order “metacognitive” activities. Activities such as self-reflection, mental projection, cognitive time travel, and the ability to interpret others’ mental states. (Sheline, Barch, Price, et al., 2009).

 

The Default Mode Network and Ego Connection

What is especially interesting is the connection between the DMN and the Ego. We believe the DMN is the part of our brain that is responsible for judgment, tolerance, reality testing, and a sense of self. Freud called this the “ego.” Author, Journalist, and experiential researcher Michael Pollan, in his book How to Change Your Mind (2018), referred to this area of the brain as the “me” network. This area lights up when given a list of adjectives relative to one’s self-identity. It also reacts similarly during daydreams, magical thinking, self-reflection, and when we receive Facebook likes (Pollan, 2018). Subsequently, the Default Mode Network activates “by default” when there is no task at hand.

 

Freud said that the ego keeps anarchic forces of the id in check, and Pollan compares this to the DMN maintaining strict connections on brain function developed over the course of our adult lives. “It appears that when activity in the DMN falls off precipitously, the ego temporarily vanishes, and the usual boundaries we experience between self and world, subject and object, all melt away,” Pollan said.

 

Coming From A Place of Ego

Noticing when we are coming from a place of ego instead of a place of mindful awareness can drastically change our interactions with the world. Other schools of thought sometimes refer to it as ‘getting out of your own way’ to allow your destiny or Dharmic path to unfold. This was so eloquently put by British philosopher who popularized Eastern philosophy in the west, Alan Watts (1944), “Ego, the self which he has believed himself to be, is nothing but a pattern of habits” (1966). Mindfulness and Art Therapy are ways for us to create new habits and awareness that involves the world around us instead of only ourselves.

 

Why Mindfulness Is So Important

What is mindfulness?
Paying attention to the present moment, on purpose, non-judgmentally.
Jon Kabat-Zinn

 

Current research is finding is when we try to silence the interminable flow of opinions and thoughts in our head when meditating (what some Buddhists refer to as the ‘monkey mind’) is actually the Default Mode Network! It’s the DMN flaring up when the brain has nothing better to do. Through mindfulness and meditation, we are able to silence this ‘monkey mind’ chatter and thus switch the DMN offline to bring a greater sense of calm and peace. Being in a mindful state of mind also keeps the frontal lobes on line and helps integrate experiences and feelings rather than dissociate from them (Ogden, 2019).

 

Using Art Therapy coupled with mindfulness, we are working to reroute our neural networks to change patterns, habits, and behaviours in the brain. If our DMN kicks in during this process, it inhibits this change from taking place. As expressed by neuroscientist and best selling author Dan Siegel, “Your mind can change your molecules”. This is why staying present and recognizing when we go “offline” is so important. Be gentle with yourself as learning anything new is a process. Then, come back into the present moment with ease. Know that the more often you do this, the more engrained these new neural networks will become, and the easier it will be to come to clarity.  

 

Stress

When we’re stressed, our judgments become impaired and our prefrontal cortex goes offline. “Mindfulness keeps the frontal lobes online and helps integrate (information) rather than dissociate”. (Ogden, 2019). Staying mindful means tapping into the body, noticing your physical sensations, and how they come and go. Our physical sensations are not permanent; we notice this when we become mindful.  We become aware that our current state of being is impermanent. This can bring us hope when the stresses of life feel awful and overwhelming.

 

The Defense Mechanism of Disassociation

We disassociate as a defense mechanism. The DMN is engaged. Although this behavior served humans in the past, this is an ineffective way to cope. We develop and grow through conscious awareness in the here and now. which makes disassociation no longer required. Personal growth has a lot to do with creating new habits and neural pathways in the brain instead of relying on old ways of being that do not serve our highest consciousness.

 

Depression and Anxiety

What is especially interesting in the study of the Default Mode Network is its correlation with depression and anxiety. Studies have shown that people who experience depression and anxiety have a more active DMN than those who don’t (Wise, Marwood, Perkins, et al., 2017).  “The baseline imaging findings are consistent with those found in patients with major depressive disorder and suggest that increased connectivity within the DMN may be important in the pathophysiology of both acute and chronic manifestations of depressive illness” (Posner, Hellerstein, Gat, et al., 2013). One can imagine how ruminating over a specific issue that does not hold our body and mind’s highest good could lead to a downward depressive spiral. Mindfulness and coming into the present moment can actually help stop the rumination of upsetting circumstances and life events. Mindfulness literally makes us happier! What a wonderful tool to keep close.

 

References

Fisher, J., Ogden, P. (2015). Sensorimotor psychotherapy: Interventions for trauma and attachment. W.W. Norton & Company.

 

Kabat-Zinn, J. (2005). Wherever you go, there you are: Mindfulness meditation in everyday life. Hachette books

 

Ogden, P. (2019). Treating trauma faster series. Retrieved on April 24, 2019 from https://www.nicabm.com/program/treating-trauma-master-4/?del=homepagepopular

 

Pollan, M. (2018). How to change your mind. Penguin Press.

 

Posner, J., Hellerstein, D.J., Gat, I., et al. (2013). Antidepressants normalize the default mode network in patients with dysthymia. JAMA Psychiatry 70(4), 373-382. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2013.455

 

Sheline, Y.I., Barch, D.M., Price, J.L., et al. (2009). The default mode network and self-referential processes in depression. Retrieved on May 3, 2019 from https://www.pnas.org/content/pnas/106/6/1942.full.pdf

 

Watts, A. (1966). The book: On the taboo against knowing who you are. Random House Inc.

 

Wise, T., Marwood, L., Perkins, A. et al. (2017). Instability of default mode network connectivity in major depression: a two-sample confirmation study. Translational Psychiatry 7, e1105. https://doi.org/10.1038/tp.2017.40

 

Author

Charmaine Husum, DKATI, RTC, CT

The breath is a powerful source of transformation for brain health and breathwork is a practice that improves it. The rate and rhythm of the breath are intimately connected to our mental & emotional states (Brown & Gerbarg, 2012). Just as the emotions and the mind cause the breath to vary, by consciously controlling the breath, we gain control over our mind and our emotions (Trinity College Dublin, 2018).

 

Anxiety and Stress Eased by Breathwork

Combining this modality of breathwork with the eye gaze by noticing ten things in the room and mentally or aloud saying their colour and what they are, as well as pressing the feet into the floor, will activate your parasympathetic nervous system and bring you into a feeling of calmness (McKay, Wood, & Brantley, 2007).

 

Depression

On the other hand, when a person is feeling the depths of depression and despair, they may sigh a lot with almost a sense of defeat. The breath here is usually more in the belly. To bring more life force or prana into the body, it is recommended to sit up straight, lengthen the spine, and with an open mouth – breathing deep and forcefully into the upper chest. This activates the sympathetic nervous system and creates a sense of alertness and aliveness (Levine & Frederick, 2005). Taking breathwork one step further, raise both arms above the head as you inhale, allowing the eye gaze to follow the hands while keeping the chin level (Rosenberg, Rand, & Assay, 1987). Five to ten of these breaths and one will feel a tingling in the whole body, with the eye focus becoming clearer and a sense of elation.

 

How and why does this happen?

The respiratory system is one of the only major systems in the body which is usually involuntary but can be voluntarily controlled via attention (Levine & Frederick, 1997). The rhythm of our heart is thought to be another involuntary system, but if we want to, we can change the speed of our heart by modifying our breath. Should we slow down our breath, for example, this brings the body and mind into a state of calmness and relaxation, thereby slowing the heart rate.

 

The Breath: A Life Force

Breath is the life force that keeps us going; if we didn’t breathe, we would die. When we are able to control the breath with breathwork, we are able to moderate the way we feel in the moment and develop a sense of control over stress levels.

Your rate of breathing and state of mind are inseparable. Using a full yogic breath or other pranayama techniques reprograms your whole cellular memory (Khalsa & Lumpkin, 2015).

 

History of The Breath

For thousands of years, ancient wisdom techniques from the east have exalted the virtues of breath-focused practices, such as pranayama and meditation for their numerous cognitive benefits, including an increased ability to focus, decreased mind wandering, improved arousal levels, more positive emotions, decreased emotional reactivity, and many other benefits (Yates & Immergut, 2017).

 

What did they know that we are just now validating scientifically? Well, a new study by researchers at Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience and the Global Brain Health Institute at Trinity, Dublin explains for the first time the neurophysiological link between breathing, cognition, and emotion. The research shows that the way we breathe directly affects the chemistry of our brains in a way that can enhance our attention and improve brain health. This study focuses on changes in the levels of noradrenaline in response to the breath. Noradrenaline is a chemical messenger released in the brain when we are challenged, curious, focused, or otherwise emotionally aroused, and when we exercise. If produced at the right levels, it is essential to help the brain grow new connections (Trinity College Dublin, 2018).

 

Breathwork: A Scientific Study

Outlined here by a Ph.D. candidate at the Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience and lead author of the study, Michael Melnychuk: “Practitioners of yoga have claimed for some 2,500 years, that respiration influences the mind. In our study, we looked for a neurophysiological link that could help explain these claims by measuring breathing, reaction time, and brain activity in a small area in the brainstem called the locus coeruleus, where noradrenaline is made. Noradrenaline is an all-purpose action system in the brain. When we are stressed we produce too much noradrenaline and we can’t focus. When we feel sluggish, we produce too little and again, we can’t focus. There is a sweet spot of noradrenaline in which our emotions, thinking, and memory are much clearer. This study has shown that as you breathe in, locus coeruleus activity is increased slightly, and as you breathe out it decreases. Put simply this means that our attention is influenced by our breath and that it rises and falls with the cycle of respiration. It is possible that by focusing on and regulating your breathing you can optimize your attention level and likewise, by focusing on your attention level, your breathing becomes more synchronized.”

 

Breathwork and Brain Aging

Even more exciting in this area of research was the understanding and uncovering of how breathwork and meditation may have an effect on the aging of the brain. Ian Robertson, Co-Director of the Global Brain Health Institute at Trinity College, Dublin, writes: 

 

“Our findings could have particular implications for research into brain ageing. Brains typically lose mass as they age, but less so in the brains of long-term meditators. More ‘youthful’ brains have a reduced risk of dementia and mindfulness meditation techniques actually strengthen brain networks. Our research offers one possible reason for this — using our breath to control one of the brain’s natural chemical messengers, noradrenaline, which in the right ‘dose’ helps the brain grow new connections between cells. This study provides one more reason for everyone to boost the health of their brain using a whole range of activities ranging from aerobic exercise to mindfulness meditation.”

In sum, breathe deep! It’s good for your brain health.

 

References

Brown, R., & Gerbarg, P. (2012). The healing power of the breath: Simple techniques to reduce stress and anxiety, enhance concentration, and balance your emotions. Shambala Publishing.

 

Khalsa Kaur, J., & Lumpkin, N. (2015). Enlightened bodies: Exploring physical and subtle human anatomy. Kundalini Research Institute

 

Levine, P., & Frederick, A. (1997). Waking the tiger: Healing trauma. North Atlantic Books.

 

Levine, P., & Frederick, A. (2005). Healing trauma: A pioneering program for restoring the wisdom of your body. Sounds True Inc.

 

McKay, M., Wood, J.C., & Brantley, J. (2007). The dialectical behavior therapy skills workbook: Practical DBT exercises for learning mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotion regulation, and distress tolerance. New Harbinger Publications Inc.

 

Melnychuk, M.C., Dockree, P.M., O’Connell, R.G., Murphy, P.R., Balsters, J.H., & Robertson, I.H. (2018). Coupling of respiration and attention via the locus coeruleus: Effects of meditation and pranayama. Psychophysiology, 55(9). DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13091

 

Rosenberg, J.L., Rand, M, & Assay, D. (1987). Body, self, and soul: Sustaining integration. Humanics Publishing Group.

 

Trinity College Dublin. (2018). The Yogi masters were right — meditation and breathing exercises can sharpen your mind: New research explains link between breath-focused meditation and attention and brain health. ScienceDaily. Retrieved from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/05/180510101254.htm

 

Yates, J., & Immergut, M.. (2017). The mind illuminated: A complete meditation guide integrating Buddhist wisdom and brain science for greater mindfulness. Hay House Publishing.

 

Author

Charmaine Husum, DKATI, RTC, CT

 

Art Therapy has the powerful healing effect of integrating the left and right hemispheres of the brain. Typically the left side of the brain rules the orderly, statistical, mathematical, logical, practical, rational way of thinking; seeing things in straight lines. The right side of the brain represents creativity and passion. It also experiences taste and feelings, free spirit, imagination, yearning, sensuality, movement, vivid colours, and the senses.


Without activities that stimulate integration within each side of the brain, one side can’t make sense of how the other sees things. You cannot put feelings and expressions into boxes as the left hemisphere would require. They will become restricted. To truly experience feelings, they must be felt. Subsequently, the right brain also has difficulty making sense of how the left-brain sees things. As a society, we tend to be mostly left-brain dominant. This causes an imbalance that can create great disruption in the natural flow of everyday living. This is why it is so important to create integration and balance within both sides of the brain.

 

 

Creating Art is Therapeutic

 

Observing, drawing, and creating art, allows for this integration in the most therapeutic way. We integrate the hemispheres of the brain whenever we do anything that requires logical and creative thought simultaneously.


Another powerful way Art Therapy works to change the brain is by rerouting neurotransmitters. In 1949, Neuropsychologist Donald Hebb described the formation and reinforcement of pathways in the brain through repetition. His quote, “Neurons that fire together, wire together,” coins the thought. Through repetition, we develop habits and ways of being in the world. Though these habits may not always serve our highest purpose. Art Therapy offers an opportunity to explore life in new ways. Using mindful awareness of our emotions, messages from within the body, and tactile sensory expression through art-making.

 

 

What is Art Therapy?

 

Art therapy is a mental health profession using the creative process of art-making to improve and enhance the physical, mental and emotional well being of individuals. This works for all ages.  It is based on the belief that the creative process involved in artistic self-expression helps people to improve life. It resolves conflicts and problems, develops interpersonal skills, manages behavior, reduces stress, increases self-esteem and self-awareness, and achieve insight.


Art therapy uses the creation of art as a primary mode of expression and communication (American Art Therapy Association, 2013).  It integrates psychotherapeutic techniques with the creative process to improve mental health and wellbeing. Sometimes referred to as creative arts therapy or expressive arts therapy, it encourages people to express and understand emotions through artistic expression and the creative process. 

 

 

Making Art Spontaneously

By making art in a spontaneous way, one is able to bring unconscious feelings into consciousness.  Art Therapy can help a person give expression to their feelings and hidden inner conflicts that they may not have words for.  As one creates, they are able to uncover aspects of self that may be locked in the body. When people are then able to associate feelings verbally to the artwork created, the therapy speeds up recovery.

 

Psychotherapy and Art

The idea of using art in psychotherapy has been around since the early days of Carl Jung.  This modality of healing has continued to grow and expand, showing people the benefits of making art in a safe, secure setting. Feelings, once trapped inside the body, will move and expand through the making of art. Doing this brings awareness to ourselves previously uncovered.

 

Although we may have needed these coping mechanisms at one or more times in our lives, they often become a source of pain as they no longer serve the purpose they once did. For instance, maybe you were bullied as a child and now find yourself on guard and ready to attack when provoked. When in reality the threat is no longer with you.

 

You can develop a deep-seated fear to speak out for yourself if you were scolded or physically reprimanded as a child for being too loud or acting out. Maybe this stifling of your voice and spirit has even created a thyroid condition or goiter? These emotions in the body are real and will eventually manifest into physical ailments. By bringing mindful awareness to the body, we are invited to let go of these parts that no longer serve us. and hold us back from living life to our fullest potential.

 

 

Implementing Art Therapy

 

By implementing Art Therapy, I invite you to experience the profound healing that both modalities offer. You don’t need artistic expertise and there is never any pressure to fold like a pretzel or push yourself beyond what is safe for your own body. Honour and listen to your body. Step into a new way of being in the world by allowing space for feelings and messages to arise. I look forward to crossing paths with you soon.

 

Author
Charmaine Husum, DKATI, RTC, CT

Welcome to your brain. We like to also think of it as your cerebrum, which represents the physical, your intelligence or mental capacity, and your psyche, or your emotional side.

 

It’s fascinating to be here.

 

Weighing in at only 3 pounds, the human brain is unbelievably one of the largest and most complex organs in the human body. It is made up of over 100 billion nerves that communicate with each other through trillions of links, called synapses. Working similar to a computer, it requires specific components and specialized areas that work together to perform optimally. This also includes other important body functions.

 

Functional medicine, root cause medicine, and integrative medicine show the relationship of all body systems to one another. At Linden & Arc Vitality Institute, the brain is a huge part of the overall wellness process. Learn how it and your gut work symbiotically for your optimal health.

 

The Linden & Arc Vitality Institute team of functional medicine physicians offers a Collaborative Care Model that is designed to offer the highest level of care. With this model, our practice leaves no stone unturned and minimizes wait times. Dr. Lynne Murfin, Dr. Michelle Van Der Westhuizen, and Dr. Daniel Ruttle, Functional Medicine Physicians, as well as Dr. Ayla Lester and Dr. Trevor Hoffman, Naturopathic Doctors, work closely with one another on patient care at Linden & Arc Vitality Institute.

 

Contact us for a full assessment of your brain health today and ways we can help to prevent or reverse cognitive decline.

 

About the author:

Dr. Murfin is wholeheartedly focused on her life’s mission to help people heal and achieve extraordinary outcomes. She believes that health is more than merely the absence of disease. It is a total state of physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social wellbeing through the creation of a whole and meaningful life. Dr. Murfin leaves no stone unturned to determine the root cause of illness or imbalance.

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