The instinct to heal:  Curing stress, anxiety, and depression without drugs and without talk therapy

The seven natural treatment approaches that the author describes in this book all capitalize on the mind and brain's own healing mechanisms for recovering from depression, anxiety, and stress. All seven methods have been researched and studies documenting their benefits have been published in prestigious scientific journals. Because the mechanisms through which they operate remain poorly understood, these methods have remained largely excluded from the mainstream of medicine and psychiatry. The natural methods of treatment that are presented directly impact the emotional brain, almost entirely short-circuiting language. Although many such methods are being proposed today, in the author's clinical practice, and in this book, he has selected only those that have received enough scientific attention to make him comfortable in using them with patients and in recommending them to his colleagues. Each of the following chapters presents one of these approaches, illustrated by the stories of patients whose lives have been transformed by their experience. He also tries to show the degree to which each method has been scientifically evaluated. Some of the very recent methods include "eye movement desensitization and reprocessing" (better known as EMDR), or heart rate coherence training, or even the synchronization of chronobiological rhythms with artificial dawn (which should replace the alarm clock). Other approaches, like acupuncture, nutrition, exercise, emotional communication, and cultivating your connection to something larger than yourself, stem from age-old traditions, though new scientific data are giving them a renewed importance.

Book

English

David Servan-Schreiber

Servan-Schreiber, D. (2004). The instinct to heal: Curing stress, anxiety, and depression without drugs and without talk therapy. Emmaus, PA: Rodale