Solving the Mystery of Depression and Anxiety with Behavioral Genetics

For decades, scientists have been doing research, trying to discover why some people are more prone to depression and anxiety than others. The research has clearly shown that people who have been in abusive situations, endured traumatic situations, such as war, divorce, and loss of loved ones, and/or had traumatic brain injury, are more susceptible to depression.  But this doesn’t solve the mystery as to why some people who have endured all of these situations may feel fine, and others who have endured none of these situations may deal with severe depression and anxiety.

As an Integrative Psychologist, it’s important to me that I address all the facets of the human being – body, mind, and spirit - to address challenges like depression and anxiety.  As I like to explain to people, if we are building a house, we need to have a solid foundation. A foundation built on sand doesn’t last long! So if we are building a “house“ of well-being, we must start with a solid foundation of biology, build strong walls of emotional and mental wellness, and cap it with a roof of psychospiritual health.  In sum, that is the purpose of the work we do in Integrative Biofield Healing Arts.

In addition to common sense wisdom – get enough sleep, get enough sunlight, get enough exercise, eat a healthy diet - we must also have enough biological support in cases of genetic mutations, which can reveal themselves in depression and anxiety.  Unfortunately, at this point in human history, probably all humans have some type of genetic mutation.  The top seven genes that have (so far) been implicated in anxiety and depression are found anywhere from 30 to 72% of North America’s population.  This means that you may be doing everything right in treating your depression and anxiety, and get very limited results for your efforts.

The good news is that we now have behavioral genetics protocols that can help genes to express correctly, thus alleviating genetic dysfunction and symptoms.  As an example, the 5HTTLPR gene variant is very common, especially among Black/African-American populations.  Research has shown that people with certain variations of this gene are more sensitive to stress, and have a higher risk of depression and anxiety, especially after negative life events, because their serotonin transporter expression is low. In other words, their total serotonin (“happy chemical”) system efficiency may be lower under stress. A behavioral genetics protocol would involve using orthomolecular medicine - which means using the “correct molecule” - to help the gene to express correctly. Orthomolecular medicine is natural medicine - in this case, 5-HTP, vitamins B6, B9 and B12, magnesium, D3, and zinc, might be recommended to support better serotonin synthesis.

Once we have a solid foundation set, with having the genes properly supported, we can employ Integrative Biofield Healing Arts protocols to treat the mental, emotional, and psychospiritual root causes of depression and anxiety.  These may include traumas, trapped emotions, and limiting beliefs. Commonly, traumas that involve loss — of autonomy, of a job, of a loved one — or abuse result in unremitting depression.  The good news is that, generally, trauma can be well treated with emotional acupressure, which is baked into Integrative Biofield Healing Arts.  In cases of trapped emotion, where you just cannot stop feeling a feeling you don’t like, and limiting beliefs, such as “Things will never improve, and I’m doomed to misery,” other easy to use and quick interventions are available in Integrative Biofield Healing Arts.  We can stop the negative emotion in its tracks and replace limiting beliefs with affirming beliefs, such as “My life can be better and I can find contentment.”

I had a 73 year old woman start treatment with me a few years ago, who reported lifelong depression. She had tried antidepressants with a modicum of success, but wanted something that really worked. I recommended magnolia flower extract and stinging nettle tea. After two weeks, she reported her mood had never been so good!  She still sees me, and reports that her depression is much improved.

Not too long ago, I had a 72 year old man come to me who reported lifelong anxiety. It had gotten so bad, he had to take early retirement. I recommended stinging nettle tea and potassium. After just 11 treatment sessions, he said he felt the way he could always wanted to and wished he had found me 70 years earlier! When I followed up with him two months later, he reported that the anxiety had never come back. 

If you have lived with depression and anxiety for too long, and you would like to investigate whether a personalized behavioral genetics approach would work well for you, please reach out. Your best life is waiting!

Warmly,

Dr. Michelle Dexter, Psy.D., NLPCC,

Co-founder of Bamboo Garden Wellness Center

https://www.drmichelledexter.com/