Solace in Solitude By Miranda Watkins

True Belonging By Miranda Watkins

I’m endlessly fascinated by how often seemingly random events or moments align (termed synchronicity) to become an opportunity of reflection or growth.

If you want more? How can I actually work towards this? Well, maybe there is a retreat in this... maybe that’s why this little gem of wisdom was plonked under my nose! (Instead of the glass of Red) 

How The Gut Influences Our Mental Wellbeing By Sarah de Visser

 Part 1 – Gut Feelings, Our Second Brain and How Stress Impacts Normal Digestion

 The Brain Inside Our Gut and How Stress Harms Our Digestion

Part 1

My passion for health and wellbeing began in my mid-teens due to my own dealings with anxiety and digestive issues and my growing fascination with the human body. Little did I know back then that the two conditions were intricately linked and influenced by each other and like throwing fuel onto a fire, they were consistently aggravated by the poor dietary choices I made (yes, I used to live off foods that were highly processed and high in sugar). Of course, there were other factors affecting me too such as how I was perceiving my experiences, my internal dialogue (the way I would speak to myself) and habitual thought patterns. Because I was always paid close attention to my inner critic and would believe every word that it spoke to me, my shame about not being "good enough" fed into my anxiety too.

The notion of the gut influencing our health is nothing new. Hippocrates, known and respected as the father of modern medicine knew this more than 2,000 years ago, stating that “all disease begins in gut.” However, it is only now with the advances of science that we are now able to scientifically understand the connection, especially in the arena of mental health and psychology. We now know that the gut is more than just a passage way for the digestion of food and the elimination of wastes. We are learning that beneficial strains of microbes living within the digestive tract help our human cells to sustain life from birth right through to old age, yet conversely harmful bugs can play havoc inside the body and be a disaster for our health. We have only recently discovered that unlike any other organ in the body the gut has its own independent nervous system which enables us to move, mix and churn our food through the digestive tract so that nutrients can be absorbed and wastes be eliminated. It also provides us with the sensation of feeling our inner world and can react before the brain in our head does to something that doesn’t feel right. And finally, through its communication to the brain via the vagus nerve by a range of chemical messages including neurochemicals produced by our gut microbes, inflammatory chemicals and toxins, we are discovering that the state of our insides has a huge influence our mental state too. By impacting our thoughts, our emotional patterns and our behaviour, this new understanding is revolutionising the way we approach mental wellbeing.

I have a gut feeling…where does that even come from?

Have you ever used that phrase before? Have you ever made a decision based on how your gut felt about it and you sensed this as your intuition? Or what about experiencing the sensation of “butterflies” in your stomach, that feeling of internal stress or nervousness as you anticipate an upcoming event?  

The experience of those “gut feelings," along with the sensations of “fullness” and “bloating” are thanks to a network of mesh-like nervous tissue that innervates our digestive tract called the Enteric Nervous System (ENS).

The Brain of the Gut

The ENS consists of two thin nerve layers that are embedded within the lining of our digestive tube, beginning from our oesophagus and extending all the way through to our rear end (yes, that would be the anus). There are more than 100 million neurons found throughout this nerve network, containing more neurons than either our spinal cord or peripheral nervous system, thus the ENS has respectfully earned itself the reputation of being our "second brain" or the "brain of the gut.". It also utilizes more than 30 different types of neurotransmitters, most of which are identical to the ones found within our brain and spinal cord. In fact, 95% of the body’s serotonin lies within the gut along with 50% of the body’s dopamine, two chemicals that are associated with feelings of happiness, pleasure and motivation.

From swallowing food, “passing motions” through to the sensation of gut feelings (both physical and emotional), with its own senses and reflexes the ENS controls our digestive behaviour independently from the brain, perhaps to relieve the burden so that the one in our head can focus its energy on receiving, interpreting and relaying messages throughout the body as we think and respond to our environment and those around us.  

Rhythmic muscle contractions stimulated by these nerves moves food through the digestive tract, mixing and churning it with our digestive juices and enzymes so that our food can be broken down into smaller molecules to be absorbed and distributed to hungry cells throughout the body. This normal process however can be thrown out of balance whenever we encounter feelings of high level stress. Because modern living often means trying to maintain a very delicate balance between a high workload and our energy to keep up with it, weak digestion can be the norm for many of us. In my next blog post I will be discussing how stress impacts normal digestion and mindful eating.

 The Brain Inside Our Gut and How Stress Harms Our Digestion

Part 2

In my previous blog post I discussed briefly the exciting new research developments that is enhancing our understanding of how the gut influences our mental wellbeing. I also discussed gut feelings and our gut’s very own nervous system, the Enteric Nervous System (ENS) that has respectfully earnt itself the reputation of being our “second brain.” In Part 2 I will discuss how our digestion is impacted during stress and I will provide you with some mindful eating techniques to help bring your body back into a more relaxed state, enhancing your digestion and absorption of nutrients from your food, supporting your health overall.

A Stressed Tense Body and its Impact on Digestion  

The Enteric Nervous System, also known as the “brain of the gut” has the capacity to take care of our digestion without any input from the brain in our head. Its activity however is managed by branches of nerves of the autonomic nervous system, an involuntary arm of our nervous system that is responsible for controlling our breathing, blood flow and digestion. Consisting of two divisions termed the "fight or flight" sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and our the "rest and digest" parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), these systems regulate the speed of food moving through the digestive tract, the production of protective mucous on the intestinal lining and the release of stomach acid in response to ingested food. The vagus nerve of the PNS forms neuronal connections with nerves of our ENS. When our body is relaxed the vagus nerve increases the activity of our ENS neurons and in turn stimulates the release of our digestive juices and digestive motion is put into place. In contrast, during those times when we are stressed, anxious or angry our whole body tenses up and like a switch the “fight or flight” division of our nervous system kicks in, shutting off or limiting digestion in favour of preparing our body to deal with the perceived threat (which in this day and age is simply just being stuck in traffic when you’re running late for a meeting or if you're anything like me, a complete failure at multi-tasking but continue to do it anyway). On the other hand however, for some people the motions can be sped up, especially in the case of irritable bowel syndrome. For these people the feelings of high stress and anxiety can cause hyperactivity, fast passage of food and spasming of the gut which can then send them racing off to the bathroom in anticipation of or following a stressful event. If this reaction is occurring on a regular basis it can limit the amount of beneficial nutrients that get absorbed and can result in multiple nutritional deficiencies. Often in these cases there other multiple other issues at play such as intestinal microbial overgrowth (which cause sensitivities to lactose and FODMAPS) miscommunication between the gut and brain, high cortisol levels and visceral hypersensitivity (a heightened sensitivity to pain).  

Time to Tune in, How Frequently is Your body is Switched onto Fight or Flight Mode?  

Unfortunately, the norm for modern living and western society is to pile our plates full of things to do and to eat in a hurry. Rarely (or infrequently) do we allow ourselves a chance to stop and take a moment to switch off and relax. Feeling tense and stressed can shake our body out of rest and digest mode meaning that our digestion all too often isn't operating at its full capacity. This can cause or contribute to the experience of gut problems such bloating, painful wind, diarrhoea or constipation, reflux and so on (do any of these symptoms sound familiar to you?).

The Gut Brain Link

Did you know that our brain and gut are constantly speaking to each other, with our gut dominating the conversation? This is made possible via the vagus nerve. In addition to its important role of regulating digestion, the vagus nerve also acts as a super highway by linking the gut to the brain, transporting a range of chemicals and hormones to alert the big brain about when we're feeling hungry, if we've ingested an infectious bug or if we are under stress. When our gut is inflamed and infected by conditions such as coeliac's disease, irritable bowel disease, infection caused by harmful microbes or even persistent feelings of overwhelming stress (which can throw the whole system out of balance), inflammatory chemicals and bacterial toxins are also transmitted to the brain from our gut. Research studies have found that these chemicals have the power to impact our mental wellbeing in a negative way by potentially souring our mood, creating feelings of anxiety and altering the way we perceive the world and in turn, our emotional response towards it. 

So to Conclude, What Does Your Gut Tell You About All this Information?

If you tune in and listen, I’m sure that it would tell that it’s time to pay it some attention.

If you’re trying to figure out why moodiness, anxiety and low mood have been problematic for you yet these symptoms are also coinciding with symptoms such as frequent bloating, wind, constipation or diarrhea (or both) and reflux then I would have an inkling that there was a link between the two and this would need to be addressed. Likewise, if your diet was deficient in the very nutrients that our brain craves to create the chemicals that help us to feel good, motivated and calm then this would need to be addressed too (more on this in my upcoming blog posts). Optimal digestion starts with learning how to activate our parasympathetic nervous system, and this can be done through effective stress management and mindfulness. To help your body get into rest and digest mode, here's a few mindful eating techniques to get you started: 

 A Guide to Mindful Eating

Breathe Deeply

To help activate the PNS breathe in slowly through your nose, breathing in deeply from your abdomen, allowing your diaphragm and lungs to fill up with air. Hold for 1-2 seconds and then allow your breath to slowly release through your mouth. Repeat 2-3 times.   

Set a Timer

Set a time for 20 minutes and take that time to eat your meal

Engage your Senses

Before you begin eating take your time to notice the aroma of your food and how it looks. When you take your first bite, notice the texture of your food, how it feels and how it tastes. 

Eat Silently for 5 minutes

Think about what it took to prepare your meal, what it took to produce the ingredients from the farm, to the grocers to the cook. 

Take Small Bites and Take Your Time to Chew Your Food Well 

Doing this relaxes the digestive system and promotes the release of digestive enzymes to break down your food. It also tunes you into the appetite signals that tell you when you're satisfi

Avoid Drinking Fluids 20 min Before and After Eating

If you must, only drink small sips of water during eating. Large amounts of consumed at meal time dilutes your digestive juices and enzymes, reducing quality digestion.

Before You Go to Grab Some Food, Take a Breath and Ask Yourself, Am I Really Hungry?

Perhaps you're eating out of boredom or stress. If this is the case, go for a brisk walk or read something instead.

In the next post from this series I will be discussing our gut microbiome and how probiotics, probiotics and synbiotics can support our mental wellbeing. Stay tuned! 

References

Carabotti, M., Scirocco, A., Maselli, M.A., Severi, C., 2015, The gut-brain axis: Interactions between centric microbiota, central and enteric nervous systems, Annals of Gastroenterology, Vol 28 (2), p.203-209

Fadgyas-Stanculete, M., Buga, A.M., Popa-Wagner, A., Dumitrascu, D.L., 2014, The relationship between irritable bowel syndrome and psychiatric disorders: from molecule changes to clinical manifestations, Journal of Molecular Psychiatry, Vol 2 (4) 

Houser, M.C., Tansey, M.G, 2017, The gut brain axis: Is intestinal inflammation a silent driver of Parkinson's disease pathogenesis? Nature Publishing Group, Vol 3, Viewed on 1/9/17  https://pid.emory.edu/ark:/25593/s3hhm
Rodriguez, J.M., Murphy, K., Stanton, C., Ross., P.R., Kober, O., Juge, N., Avershina, E., Rudi, K., Narbad, A., Jenmalmo, M.C., Marchesi, J.R., Collado, M.C., 2015, The composition of the gut microbiota throughout life, with an emphasis on early life, Microbial Ecology in Health and Disease, Vol 26 (10), accessed from Pub Med Central on 29/08/17 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4315782/#__notesidm140656885169712title  

Sonnenburg, J., Sonnenburg, E., 2015, Gut Feelings - the "second brain" in our gastrointestinal system [excerpt], The Scientific American, Viewed on 1/9/17 https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/gut-feelings-the-second-brain-in-our-gastrointestinal-systems-excerpt/

Tortora, .G., Derrickson, B., 2014, Principles of Anatomy and Physiology 14th Ed, Wiley, USA 

SOS!! Mental Health First Aid By Miranda Watkins 

We are often trained or taught to deal with medical emergencies and physical injuries with basic education from primary school. It becomes a focus in our childhood activities, such as scouts, lifesavers and sporting endeavours and then may be a mandatory part of our induction with our workplaces as adults.  Most of us are familiar with the response plan in some form –

But how many of us have been taught and trained to identify and respond to mental health emergencies? Depressive disorders are at the rate of around 16% with 25% of depression being onset before the age of 20.  It is common for it to occur in conjunction with another disorder such as anxiety which then increases the likelihood of suffering from a mental illness.  Statistics  (2007) have estimated that almost half (45%) of the total population have experienced a mental disorder at some point in their life; and one in 5 Australians aged 16-85 having experienced mental disorders in the prior 12 months. 

This means if we look up right now we could tick off every second person as being likely to experience a condition such as depression or anxiety at some point in their life or every 5^th person suffering right now.  Now, imagine that one in two will require CPR or first aid at some point and one in 5 requiring an emergency response RIGHT NOW! It is a little overwhelming, I think.  Imagine all the crises in which we could be making an intervention.  Well, potentially that is what is happening in some people’s (including our own) mind’s right now, but we cannot necessarily physically see and therefore maybe be able to respond to this emergency. 

We don’t necessarily see the signs or symptoms, or when we do, we may feel uncomfortable or avoid making interventions.  In recent years, there has been much more media campaigning for awareness, however there is not necessarily the training and ways we can all contribute in supporting care and recovery.  This could also possibly then reduce the need for more costly interventions or longer term treatments which is what can occur when left undiagnosed, untreated and unresponded to.

You don’t need to be a university trained professional or a doctor to respond to someone in an emotional or psychological distress or crisis and with earlier detection and intervention, outcomes can be much more positive. The same general rules apply as if we could respond to a physical injury or emergency earlier, we may not require hospitalization or more intensive medical attention or treatment.

Mental illness is not laziness, attention seeking, bad lifestyle habits, mental or physical weakness or personal failure.  Anyone could develop a mental illness during their lives and when someone experiences an episode it can be debilitating on a person’s life functioning and relationships.

The most common mental disorders include; anxiety, depression, eating disorders, substance abuse and addiction and more complex disorders such as psychosis and schizophrenia.  Mental health disorders often co-occur together, for example it is common for someone who has depression to also have features of anxiety, or if a person has a substance addiction they usually have underlying anxiety conditions. 

The following are some brief guidelines in assessing and responding to some of the above issues. 

ANXIETY

Common features include; a feeling of nervousness or panic, racing heart and breathing, muscle tension and often feeling unsafe, reduced memory and concentration, problems sleeping, avoiding places, people and situations more and more, and often pretending all is ok. 

IT”S OK TO:

• Ask are you OK?  State what you have noticed about the person’s behaviour that has concerned you. 
• You just have to say, I have noticed you have not been coming out lately or have cancelled plans a lot, this isn’t like you? You don’t seem your usual self? 
• Can I help?
• You don’t have be alone, we can get help
• Ask questions to help them uncover their fears, and logical or realistic outcomes, such as ‘have you dealt with this before, and how did it go?  Is there another way to look at this issue?  Have you ever coped with this feeling before, and what helped?

Offer to be with the person.  You can research some information with them about common anxiety symptoms, to show them they aren’t alone. 

You could offer to support them by seeking further help such as seeing your local GP.  Your GP can assess to determine if there are other medical issues impacting on the person and arrange necessary care. 

TRY NOT TO:

• Say ‘you are being silly’ or ‘there’s nothing to be scared of’
• Say, ‘you’ll get over it’
• Offer too much general reassurance such as when they ask a lot of the same question, but support them in finding their own reassuring answers.

DEPRESSION

Common symptoms include; feeling depressed for at least a two week period, problems in sleep, slowing down in movement or activities, loss of interest and less interaction and going out with others or in general.  Maybe increase in angry mood or use of drinking alcohol or substances.  You may notice the person stays alone or isolates themselves more, and they may even talk more negatively about life, themselves and others.  They may even have suicidal thoughts. 

IT”S OK TO:

• Ask, Are you ok?  You seem sad, or distant.  What is going on?
• It is also ok to ask, have you thought of harming yourself?
• If the person is suicidal, seek medical help for referral and safety support.  If the person cannot guarantee their safety, then you can call 000 and an ambulance or police can assess the situation and seek further help and monitoring to ensure the person’s safety until they are feeling more safe with themselves.(Yes, it’s the same as First Aid!!) 
• There are suicide helplines and lifelines that are 24 hours and have trained counselors available to help and guide you and the suicidal person through the emergency.
• Help them look up and get information about depression. 

TRY NOT TO:

• Say, ‘Your life is good, get over it.  You have nothing to be depressed about’
• Say nothing
• Avoid the person
• Promise to keep secrets that could harm the person further.

EATING DISORDERS

The most common eating disorders include Anorexia, Bulimia Nervosa and Binge Eating Disorder.  The combined prevalence of eating disorders is around 7-9% (1 in 10 approximately).  Bulimia and Anorexia are the 8^th and 10^th leading causes of injury and disease in young women.  It doesn’t just occur for women however, and men and teenage boys also suffer from this condition. 

The main symptoms include a preoccupation with body image and appearance; dieting, whether restricting food or feeling out of control with food. In anorexia, starvation often leads to emaciation and very low body weight, which can have serious health issues.  Excess exercise or use of purging (vomiting, laxatives, excess exercise) can also result in serious and life threatening health issues.  The person often tries hard to keep the symptoms hidden, and often feels guilt, shame and may avoid talking about the problem.

If you have a concern for someone, here are some basic first aid guidelines:

IT’S OK TO:

• Encourage the person to seek help, these conditions and illnesses often get worse rather then better over time.
• Help research different treatment options
• Try to understand or ask how they are feeling inside, as the preoccupation with food and appearance is a way to deal with emotional pain and suffering. 
• Be sensitive to comments about appearance or food. Again, focus on the qualities of the person, such as their strengths, kindness, caring nature, or something positive about them (not relating to their appearance!!)
• Talk to the person’s trusted people (may be family or friends) to encourage support and seeking help – often people feel helpless and will try to monitor and control the person’s food or eating habits, which makes the problem worse at times, and the person may further withdraw and bottle up their feelings.

TRY NOT TO:

• Comment on their appearance or say things, such as ‘you look a bit healthier today’ or you look well.  A person with an eating disorder may interpret that as ‘they think I’ve gained weight or I look fat or disgusting’
• Instead, ask, how are you going or how are you coping with things today.
• See the person and the eating disorder as one; the person is separate from their eating disorder, but the eating disorder may be in control of their behaviours, and they may be more moody, irritable, and irrational in their thinking.
• Try not to become frustrated or impatient, and say things such as ‘just eat, I don’t know what the fuss is about’ or make comments about food. A person with Binge eating disorder finds it difficult to stop consuming food, until they are extremely full and will often feel highly self conscious and judge themselves.
• Most eating disorders are about a person using food to deal with pain, so try to understand what the pain is about for them, or where it comes from. 
• All people with eating disorders need love, as it is often a lack of love for themselves that underlies the problem. 

These tips are some basic first aid responses we can use in identifying and responding to common mental health issues and illnesses.  No one is immune from experiencing a mental illness, and it is probable that either ourselves or someone close to us will be touched by mental illness at some time in our life. If we can get better at understanding and responding more quickly and helpfully, we can support the path of recovery. 

Future blogs will cover some more mental health conditions and first aid for these disorders. The more conversations we have, the more we can share knowledge and come together in healing. 

Prevalence Of Mental Disorders In The Australian Population

Love Is Not A Valentine By Miranda Watkins 

 

The legend of St Valentines, and indeed with a lot of popular love stories are marked by tragedy, passion, grief and drama...(note - Romeo and Juliet) which is filled with excitement and intense emotion. This then becomes a template that we strive for, but is actually what we could call an attachment. An attachment to the idea of the romance, the person or ideal we are striving to have. But this is not the true essence of love, which, in it's healthy experience offers comfort, safety and feeling settled. 

 

 

We often think of love as correlating with intense emotions, perhaps passion, and a roller coaster of powerful emotional connections. This can also result in loss of aspects of our self, when we see or even experienced being caught up in emotional dramas. This is often described as being 'in love' and is more akin with an 'attachment' we have for that other person. 

 

In order to experience love we have to pass through the stages of passion and become more settled and companionate. Love is accepting what will be, will be; including if it is letting go if that's needed. Love is having the quiet confidence that it is ok, even when there are conflicts or arguments. It is loving that person and seeing their flaws and vice versa. Love can be hard. Attachment however, can be blind.  It can end up like a blurry line of insecurity and clinginess.

 

In order to experience love, one must let go of attachment, which is conditional, and want happiness for the other regardless of oneself. It is also prioritising happiness for our self independent of being with any other. Meaningful relationships are intricately woven with shared experience; an understanding and acceptance of the other person and yourself; and navigating the conflicts and differences that can ultimately bring us closer together. 

 

So, I'd invite you to consider offering love to you first this Valentines Day, and tending to your self because ultimately in knowing yourself you will become your own best life's travelling companion. 

 

Letting Go in Relationships: A Buddhist’s View of Attachment.

 

Love vs Attachment

You Do Not Have To Be Good By Melissa Greben                                                                              

You only have to let the soft animal of your body

love what it loves.

Therapy As A Healing Process! By Melissa Greben 

Many people come to therapy for healing. While I cannot offer a quick fix for whatever brings you to therapy, what I can offer is a process, a space, a relationship through which healing may occur. I can help to create the conditions in which healing is possible. 

Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) For Couples By Rachel Garcia

Recently I had the amazing opportunity of travelling to New York to do some extended training in couples' therapy. I spent a week in New York, learning from two wonderful teachers: Dr Sue Johnson, and George Faller.

One Important Reason to Practice Mindfulness! By Melissa Greben 

Mindfulness practice is not always easy. So why should we bother practicing it? Especially when we first start to practice mindfulness we might become even more aware of how busy and scattered our mind is, of tension in different parts of our body, or of memories we have been avoiding. Although we might sometimes experience a delightful sense of ease and joy while practicing mindfulness, this is not always the case. Why then would we want to do this? 

What is Mindfulness? By Melissa Greben 

Mindfulness is simply the “act of remembering the present” (Kearney, 2008). As we engage in life our attention is often consumed by our thoughts about the past (such as a conversation we had yesterday) or the future (such as planning for tomorrow). While this kind of thinking can be useful at times, it often means we lose track of our present experience. For example have you ever driven somewhere and not remembered how you got there? This is a classic example of having some level of awareness but not mindfulness. Mindfulness is a gentle form of attention to our experience. It helps us remember that each moment we can choose what we want to focus on and this can have a profound effect on our wellbeing.