Professional Training Workshops

Creating The Chemistry of Joy: Incorporating Natural Therapies and Wisdom Practices in the Treatment and Prevention of Depression
A Workshop for Health Professionals
Henry Emmons, MD

This is a workshop for any health care practitioner seeing patients with depression and anxiety who wishes to integrate effective complementary strategies into their treatment. We will explore the need for a healthy brain and how to incorporate lifestyle strategies, natural therapies and spiritual practices to support the recovery from depression and a return to more resilient state.

We will discuss the “enemies of joy” and how they affect brain health and function. The three most common types of depression will each be considered, along with their potential causes and brain chemical imbalances. Specific nutritional and other physical measures and healthy practices will be outlined for each, along with supplements and herbs that support their particular needs for restoration. We will also explore the underlying psychology, from a mindfulness perspective, for each of these three types, as well as specific practice suggestions for each.

Objectives:

• Describe the most common “enemies of joy” and how they cause brain imbalance.
• Distinguish the three subtypes of depression and understand the chemical imbalance and the “unskillful habits” of each.
• Apply an understanding of the triad of health to each of the different subtypes.
• Understand non-medicinal alternatives that can support healthy brain chemistry for each of the three subtypes of depression.
• Discuss the principles of “the psychology of mindfulness”.
• Understand the research linking unhappy or joyful mental states to brain function, and describe how mindfulness practice may improve those mental states.

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Creating the Chemistry of Calm – Incorporating Natural Therapies and Wisdom Practices in the Treatment and Prevention of Anxiety
A Workshop for Health Professionals
Henry Emmons, MD

Anxiety disorders are easily the most common mental illnesses, affecting nearly 1 in 5 adult Americans in any given year—that’s over 40 million people per year who have a diagnosable anxiety condition—not to mention those whose suffering doesn’t quite cross the threshold into illness

Dr. Emmons will examine the anxiety epidemic through the lens of integrative psychiatry and the psychology of mindfulness. He will outline the factors that undermine resilience, and survey the science that provides hope even to those who have dealt with years of illness. We will discuss the core factors in resilience and specific nutrients, lifestyle changes and inner practices that can return anyone to a state of greater calmness and equanimity.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
At the end of this presentation you will be able to:

• List three distinct patterns of anxiety and describe the brain areas involved.
• Understand the seven roots of resilience.
• Identify specific nutrients, exercises and self-management skills for the subtypes of anxiety.
• Describe how psychological and spiritual practices can enhance personal resilience.
• Plan at least three simple changes to create your own healthier brain

Over the past decades the rates of anxiety and depression in this country have increased steadily. They are now rising rapidly worldwide. What has eroded our natural ability to bounce back from adversity? What are the preventable causes of anxiety and depression? And what can be done to regain resilience and sustain it throughout a lifetime?

As an integrative psychiatrist, Dr. Emmons will take a broad and refreshing look at these questions. He will describe the Resilience Training Program, based upon his books THE CHEMISTRY OF JOY and THE CHEMISTRY OF CALM. This uniquely integrative program brings together nutrition, exercise and an eight-week group teaching skills in the psychology of mindfulness and has been shown to improve outcomes in the treatment of depression and anxiety. We will discuss the core factors in resilience, their scientific basis, and how they can help one achieve greater vitality, equanimity, openness and connection.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
At the end of this presentation you will be able to:

• List at least 6 underlying causes of depression and anxiety.
• Describe three distinct patterns each for anxiety and depression, as well as the chemical imbalances and brain areas involved.
• Understand the seven roots of resilience.
• Identify specific nutrients, exercises and self-management skills for each subtype of anxiety and depression.
• Describe how psychological and spiritual practices can enhance personal resilience.
• Plan at least three simple changes to create your own healthier brain.

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Spiritual Aspects of Depression and Anxiety
Henry Emmons, MD
Depression, as we have come to understand it, is one of the most common and disabling illnesses in today’s world.  It is also a condition that affects every aspect of what it means to be human.  This includes the inner life, and our deepest relationships with our selves, with others and with our sense of the universal or spiritual.

In this workshop, we will explore the full range of impacts from depression and anxiety, with an emphasis on soul and spirit.  There is authentic hope for recovery from these and other stress-related conditions when a whole-person approach is offered.  We will focus upon the resilience model, which blends the most effective natural therapies with the psychology of mindfulness and inner spiritual practices.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
At the end of this presentation you will be able to:

• Describe the most common “enemies of joy” and how they cause brain imbalance.
• Define resilience and discuss specific practices that help restore resilience.
• Understand non-medicinal alternatives that can support healthy brain chemistry and aid in the recovery from depression and anxiety.
• Describe how psychological and spiritual practices can enhance personal resilience.
• Explore depression as a spiritual experience, and discern when it can interfere with spiritual growth.