In this episode of Functional Medicine Research, I speak with therapist Martina Barnes about how EMDR can help people overcome trauma. I have personally used EMDR with great success in overcoming trauma and I routinely refer for EMDR to help patients get well. One of the most important aspects of practicing functional medicine is understanding how much trauma can be connected to chronic illness. Many patients won’t get well until they address their past and how it is affecting their current health issues. All the healthy diets, supplements, exercise, sleep, exposure to nature, community etc. won’t be enough if there is underlying trauma history wearing you down.
Mental health professionals are severely underutilized yet they should be the first line of therapy for the majority of patients with chronic illness. Unfortunately, they usually end up being the last. This interview should help shed some light on the benefits of EMDR and how it can help you heal and get well for lasting health and well-being.
In this episode of Functional Medicine Research, I interview Dr. Robert Hedaya about overcoming PTSD. Post-traumatic stress disorder is an extremely difficult condition to manage but Dr. Hedaya and I discuss multiple approaches that can help patients with PTSD get well. We discussed how PTSD is defined, how it changes the brain, QEEG guided laser, neurofeedback, loneliness, social isolation, social media and much more. I always love having these kinds of conversations with psychiatrists and other mental health professionals because I believe it is the most overlooked aspect of functional medicine today.
Recently I have been researching the fascinating field of childhood trauma and uncovered an interesting link between adverse childhood experiences and Hashimoto’s disease.
One of the studies I discovered came out of a large, important public health study, The ACE Study, but it focused specifically on cumulative childhood stress and autoimmune disease in adults.
What are adverse childhood experiences?
Adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs, are experiences that expose individuals under the age of 18 to childhood traumatic stress. These experiences include physical, emotional or sexual abuse; witnessing domestic violence; growing up with household substance abuse, mental illness, parental divorce, and/or the incarceration of a household member.
In this episode of The Dr. Hedberg Show, I interviewed Dr. Shannon South to discuss healing trauma and finding joy in our lives. Dr. Shannon D. South, aka the “Joy Doctor”, is an award-winning therapist, an Amazon best-selling author, and a professional speaker. As an expert in the field of spirituality and healing trauma for over 20 years, she knows how to assist people in finding wholeness and joy naturally. In 1994, during graduate school, Shannon had a spiritual experience during meditation that healed her debilitating anxiety and depression permanently. Since this transformative experience, she has helped thousands of clients connect to their most loving and joy-filled selves. Shannon also leads workshops and retreats for counselors, chaplains and coaches on how to integrate Spirit and Soul into their practice. Her most upcoming book, Ignite! Turn off the Chaos and Turn on the Joy is a roadmap to this unique, healing process. Shannon loves dancing, being in nature, teaching spiritual psychology and enjoying the beautiful mountains of NC where she resides with her family and friends. She can be found at www.whatsyourjoyiq.com or www.drshannonsouth.com