Bio/Psycho/Social - Part One
We are excited to introduce you to part one of our three part series.
Written by Jon Amundson M.A.; M.A.P.P.; PhD and Minnie Cho B.A.; MS.
The First Domain
Today’s medical and mental health experts understand that the body, mind and the world around us determine not only how we feel, but who we are. In professional training, this is referred to as the Bio/Psycho/Social approach to well-being. There are a couple ways to understand this. First, regarding the bio/psych (logical) aspect, the body is the grossest form of mind; the mind the subtlest form of body. Each belongs to and affects the other. All emotional and mental experiences show up in our bodies, these signals are also known as “somatic markers”. Research shows us that there is no separation between body and mind. If each is attended to in a manner that is supportive of good health and well-being with co-operation, as opposed to combat between body and mind, it leads to our benefit. Second, there is a Zulu saying that “people are only people because of other people!” That, we are who we are in relation to the cultural and social context within which we dwell. Scientific research shows that social ties and support systems benefit one’s physical and psychological health. We all carry values and expectations that are transmitted from the external; the social, cultural and political world around us, to the internal, and many of these are outside our awareness. They are just the way we are or feel we need to be, sometimes referred to implicit or systemic in nature.
In this web of being, where each of the parts are connected to the other and influenced by the past and expectations of the future, we are to make our way. And most of us do O.K. We achieve some stability; find ways to import positive effects to our lives (meaning: to be happy enough from time to time) and weather the storms. However, events arise which bring to question our own personal webs of meaning, safety and well-being. These can range from the bio, into the psycho (logical), and on to the social. These events might be reflected in regular phases of life: growing up, leaving home, marriage and family, aging and illness. They can also be seen in the extra-ordinary: dissolution of relationships, our own questions of meaning in the face of sadness and anxiety, or unexpected loss, or COVID.
In what follows, I would like to address these domains of being - body, mind and the world - in relation to care of oneself. Mental health professionals know what works better, or worse, in the face of normative or extra-ordinary challenges. In this particular moment is the harm to our web the COVID quiet has sponsored. Our regular ways we have been in the world have been disturbed and dysregulated. As a result, even with First World circumstance, of enough food, money, comfort, medical resources, and media, 80% of people report significant distress. As Obi Wan might say, there is a disturbance within the force! Management then focuses upon our three domains of being. And, let’s begin with the first…
The first domain: In the ‘bio’ domain, there are two things we can do. The first is to raise our heart rate on a regular basis through exertion. Why is exercise associated with better well-being? The heart pumps blood; blood flows through the body; all organ systems are then vitalized when the heart is asked to work harder, and we take control of the autonomic nervous system. This last point needs a little discussion. We do increase heart rate and change biological parameters all the time, but mostly outside of our awareness. There is a regular level or load of excitation in the nervous system, something which has been shown to be much higher or dysregulated in people prone to distress. This predisposition is, you guessed it, the result of the history of both the biology of the organism and psychological grooming in the course of one’s early years/life history, and social context. Research shows that exercise may calm down the responses from the sympathetic nervous system (fight-or-flight response) and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis (hormonal feedback system that responds to stress). When we take charge of heart rate regularly - see below under psycho (logical) - we are training our nervous system. The central nervous system is like a dog; the sympathetic and parasympathetic responses, and we need to be aware and regulate the arousal associated. Exertion then is a basic phase in not only THIS process but more general well-being. Experts have discovered that exercise can be used to treat depression, stress and anxiety. Studies show that people who engaged in exercise regularly rated their sense of mental well-being more positively than those who did not. One particular study showed that team sports had the strongest effect on mood, lowering the mental health burden by 22%. This may be due to the sociality of team sports. The data is in, keep moving and you will keep moving.
But before considering the psycho(logical) domain, let’s visit the second ‘bio’ issue. And that is the admonition to EAT FOOD! - a statement borrowed from Michael Pallon. Food, he says, is stuff mostly found on the outer walls of the market. It is real food, before it became food-like substances found in the middle of markets; like corn before it became chips; beans and peas before they became canned this or that; milk before it became ice cream and so on. Many of these food-like substances or processed foods lack the nutritional value of real foods, which negatively affects our mental health. Studies show that deficiencies in essential nutrients and vitamins can impair cognition (i.e.; fatigue, depression, lethargy, poor memory, association with mania/psychosis). Another study showed that a diet rich in fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins can help boost mood and decrease symptoms of depression. We have deviated greatly from the conditions under which we evolved, both behaviorally and nutritionally, and all eat like only lords, ladies and royalty, and gladiators, used to eat: a high energy diet with a low(er) energy lifestyle. In our next blog, we will speak of the psychological domain in well-being.
Jon Amundson M.A.; M.A.P.P.; PhD
Jon Amundson has been in independent practice since 1980 in Calgary. Working in a family practice ranging from direct clinical service through forensic and court-related expertise, he has taught, trained/supervised and written and published professionally. Aside from many thousand of hours of professional practice, he has been a national and international elder athlete, competing in cross country skiing and Polynesian canoe racing.
Minnie Cho B.A.; M.S.
“As a 1.5 generation Korean American, Minnie grew up in Southern California. She received her B.A in Social Ecology from University of California, Irvine and her M.S in Educational Counseling from the University of La Verne. She is also a licensed professional clinical counselor, specializing in working with children and adolescents. Minnie currently works as a school counselor and therapist in private practice in Southern California.”
References
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2. Dwyer, P., Chang, Y., Hannay J., Algoe, S. (2019, September 5). When Does Activism Benefit Well-being? Evidence from a Longitudinal Study of Clinton Voters in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election. Retrieved from https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0221754
3. Fox, K. (1999, May 7). The Influence of Physical Activity on Mental Well-Being. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kenneth_Fox/publication/51356300_The_influence_of_physical_activity_on_mental_well-being/links/54515ea60cf24884d886ffd7/The-influence-of-physical-activity-on-mental-well-being.pdf
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7. Richter, A., Smith, A. (2020, May 14). How Do Processed Food Affect Your Health? Retrieved from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318630#refined-carbs
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