Dr. Daniel Amen has revolutionized the mental health profession since he founded Amen Clinics in 2009. His key insight was that professionals were not giving clients the best help because they were focused on symptoms and not the organ that was producing them: the brain. Dr. Amen pioneered new forms of treatment based on maximizing mental wellbeing by promoting brain health.
We all know that to treat conditions such as angina or hypertension, medication alone is not enough. You also need to make lifestyle and dietary changes that help your heart recover. Dr. Daniel Amen pioneered the idea that the same is true of conditions like anxiety and depression. In order to feel calm and happy, you need to take care of your brain.
Dr. Daniel Amen’s theory of brain reserves
Dr. Amen introduced the important concept of the brain reserve. Two apparently healthy people might go through the same bereavement or similar traumatic experiences, but while one manages to cope, the other is plunged into depression. Dr. Amen explains that our brains contain reserve tissue which we engage when confronted with extraordinary stimuli. Through unhealthy living, bad relationships, or even too many knocks to the head, we can run down our brain reserves to the point where the next hit will push us over the edge into symptoms of mental illness. Building up these reserves puts you on the path to getting better. Just as importantly, it gives you the ability to stay better when the next round of adversity hits.
A ‘mind and body’ approach
Dr. Amen’s methods are based on understanding human beings as a whole. In order to provide the right treatment, a therapist must look at biological, psychological, social and spiritual aspects of each client. This means that his teachings perfectly complement Christian therapy. To learn more about how Dr. Daniel Amen’s insights enrich Christian therapy and the Christian life, watch this interview with Pastor Rick Warren.
Reach out
For Christian therapy in Pineville, LA, that incorporates Dr. Daniel Amen’s research in how to maximize brain health, reach out today. Call me or fill out the contact form and click send.