I was somewhat reluctant to use the phrase "natural healing" in this title, but I decided upon it anyway. Why was I reluctant? Because over the years, "natural healing" has generally meant people avoiding scientifically proven treatments in favor of something like changing their diet. Steve Jobs postponed surgery and chemotherapy for his pancreatic cancer in favor of natural healing methods. I had a patient in psychotherapy who did the same thing when he was diagnosed with cancer. Eventually, he chose to go with more traditional scientific treatments, but it was too late. The "natural healing" route led to his death.
So why am I now writing about natural healing? Well, if you have read my posting on Anatomy of an Epidemic, you will see that there appear to be some problems with psychiatric drugs. They may work well in the short run but pose problems in the long run.
Secondly, while I love my profession of psychology and while I posted a column on psychotherapy as an alternative treatment to medication, I am well aware that the world got along fairly well without psychologists, social workers, psychiatrists, and counselors for a long, long time. It is the height of pride to pretend that people cannot heal from psychological problems without the help of psychologists or other mental health professionals. There were healing mechanisms in the human race before there was ever a Carl Rogers, B.F. Skinner, or Aaron Beck. Moreover, not everyone can afford psychotherapy. Furthermore, if everyone that needed it started utilizing psychotherapy, there might not be enough trained therapists to go around. I'm fairly sure that there would not be.
So I want to write some about natural healing mechanisms. How powerful are they? I'm not sure. In some cases I think they are more power than all of the professional means of treatment. In other situations, they are probably less powerful.
Let's divide the natural healing mechanisms into two sorts. One sort is what happens in everyday life to build us up and make us better and stronger mentally, whether or not we are sick, and whether or not we are depressed.
The second type of healing mechanism is the kind which occurs in response to psychological illness. We'll start with general psychological strengthening factors which serve to help prevent mental illness.
Natural Healing Factors
Good diet nutrition. Okay, this is the one I am not crazy about. The brain can actually get by on junk food to a great degree without any mental illness occurring. On the other hand, there are some studies about the importance of nutrition in mental health. Here is a quote from an article by Serdar M. Durson, MD. PhD, Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience at the University of Alberta:
"Vitamin D and receptors have been increasingly implicated in the pathology of cognition and mental illness. Vitamin D activates receptors on neurons in regions implicated in the regulation of behaviour, stimulates neurotrophin release and protects the brain by buffering antioxidant and anti-inflammatory defences against vascular injury. There is growing evidence for a relationship between vitamin D receptors in the brain, hypovitaminosis D and abnormal executive cognitive functions, major depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia." I use this one quote because of its directness and clarity. There may be many other examples of where nutrition impacts mental health/
Fun and recreation. Recreation is used as a therapeutic modality in the elderly and hospitalized patients, but here I am referring to the normal building up of the mind and body through having fun and activity.
Exercise. Exercise is also being used as a therapeutic method. Exercise has been shown to have strong antidepressant effects. But generally people use exercise for its preventative qualities. Exercise improves blood flow to the brain and probably promotes neurogenesis (growth of new nerve cells).
Spiritual life, prayer, meditation, contemplative reading. While this can be thought of as a type of therapy, spirituality is at its heart a normal part of everyday life for some people. It helps people have a sense of meaning and purpose in life. It promotes a feeling of calmness in the face of adversity.
Staying off of drugs (including nicotine), excessive prescription medication. A healthy lifestyle is undoubtedly going to lead to better mental health. Studies are beginning to suggest, for example, that using illegal drugs can sometimes lead to psychotic breaks.
Natural problem solving processes. People normally have to solve problems. Learning how to solve problems and then using these abilities to deal with life issues removes sources of stress in life.
The distraction of work and life in general. Going to work can be a great distraction from certain types of stresses. Without work and recreation, we can easily get trapped into a cycle of worry, rumination, and dwelling on the negative.
The enforced use of the frontal lobes of the brain. Having to go to work and having to solve problems in life is most likely stimulating to the frontal lobes of the brain. When we use a part of the brain, then we are most likely increasing the regional cerebral blood flow to it and most likely improving its overall physiological functioning. I believe that using the frontal lobes in a positive way is good preventive medicine.
Jerome Frank wrote a book decades ago called Persuasion and Healing. He looked at psychotherapy as being a form of healing which had previously taken place in shamanic rituals and even in frontier revivalism. Society has rituals of many sorts: church, football games, presidential inaugurations, and so on. I believe that participating in rituals of the larger society gives us feelings of belonging, meaning, and security.
I believe that another form of normal positive mental health is the learning of virtues. We may be taught these by our parents; or we may be inspired by those among us who are exceptional persons and particularly positive in their outlook. In religion, we call these people saints. In secular life, we call them leaders or creative geniuses. Marten Seligman and Christopher Peterson have recently combed through the world's literature, cultures, and religions to catalog positive virtues.
Natural Healing Factors in Response to Mental Illness
One non-medical form of healing comes in the form of practical help when people have started to become dysfunctional. Often when someone is depressed, others come to their aid in practical ways, bringing food, helping them repair something, and so on. The importance of practical assistance is twofold. It helps eliminate a tangible stress (such as repairing a house which has been flooded), and it shows caring. When people come to visit us to show that they care, they communicate this by their presence, their words, and their nonverbal gestures. I believe that this probably elicits a positive response in the brain of the recipient which is hardwired. That is, I believe that the brain is genetically prepared to have a beneficial response to these types of caring gestures.
Corrective brain processes. The brain most likely has its own physiological healing processes. Just as the rest of the body can heal from an injury, so, too, the brain probably has its own healing powers.
Distance from the stressor in time. Time itself can probably heal. As we move farther away from a stress, most stresses seem smaller and smaller to us. This can be thought of as a healing mechanism.
Distance from the stressor in space. If we move away from a stressor, it can be less of a problem for us. We can start to forget it. An example would be moving away from an area where an ex-spouse who was abusive lives.
Increased family cohesiveness. When patients are hospitalized, it is often the case that family members will come to express concern for them. Family members will often tone down conflict in order to be supportive of the hospitalized patient.
Social rituals may be helpful in general, but they may also be used in response to stressful life events. One example would be people going to a revival for faith healing or being prayed for in a prayer group.
Social help normalizing and metabolizing the stressor. When we have a problem, it can at first seem outrageous, unbelievable, impossible, and even scandalous. It is outside of our realm of experience or outside of our range of known coping abilities. When we talk about our problems with others, they can intellectually and emotionally help us to digest them. They listen to our problems, empathize with us, and then think through the problem solving process with us. This has been conceptualized as helping the distressed person to "metabolize" the problem.
In conclusion, I think we need to remember that medication and psychotherapy are new treatments of the last one hundred years or so. There are other healing processes which have been available to humans and which are available to us. In some cases, these may be more powerful than medical and psychological treatments.
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