North Americans are seeking therapy in record numbers and consume more medications for psychological reasons than ever before, yet stress, anxiety and depression continue to rise to epidemic proportions.

Psychiatrist/neurologist David Servan-Schreiber is conducting clinical trials to discover natural ways of healing and regulating the part of our brain that controls emotion. The amygdala, which consists of two almond-shaped structures in the limbic region deep inside the brain, controls both feelings and automatic motor operations. 

Neurologists have come to understand that emotions are slave to our physiology, not the reverse. In other words, we do not tremble because we are afraid or cry because we feel sad; we are afraid because we tremble and sad because we cry. This phenomenon is well-documented and based on these insights, initial research looks hopeful for natural healing methods.

Servan-Schreiber notes, “Just as the body has a way of processing physical traumas, such as the healing of wounds, the brain does too. …[thus] meditation has proven to be a powerful means of healing emotional pain.” His research identifies several other factors of emotional health that are neurological in their approach, notably, the need for essential fatty acids and the importance of daily acts of kindness. In fact, he’s seen the simple act of taking care of a plant decrease the mortality rate in homes for the elderly by up to 50 percent.