Physiology & Mental HealthIntegrating the elements of the mind and body to improve

client success with psychological treatment

iHES...who we are

Innovative Health Education Solutions (iHES) uses unbiased behavioral analyses and assessments to gather actionable data to apply interventions based on the principles of learning theory. The objective design, implementation, and evaluation of programs, procedures, and technology are used to improve socially significant behaviors based on solution driven goals resulting in personal, organizational, and institutional best practices.

iHES...what we do

iHES provides educational services that focus on making quantifiable academic progress by guiding therapeutic activities that are intrinsically motivating, addresses foundational and functional areas of need, and are linked to all with varying special needs, ranging from children who have a formal diagnosis and may be struggling with situations,such as focusing in the classroom, to adults who need help in improving interpersonal and intrapersonal relationships.

The Brain minus Pinky

Information overloadPons-relays impulses to and from the medulla oblongata and the cerebrum and cerebellum

Corpus Callosum-nerve fibers that connect the cerebral hemispheres

Medulla Oblongata-controls cardiac impulses transmitted from the heart to the peripheral nerves, initiates impulses that travel to smooth muscle, causes vasoconstriction and vasodilation, works with the pons to regulate breathing rate, rhythm, and depth.

The Amygdala

The amygdala receives inputs from all senses as well as visceral inputs. Since the amygdala is very important in emotional learning it is not surprising that visceral inputs are a major input source.

The central nucleus of the amygdala produces autonomic components of emotion (e.g., changes in heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration) primarily through output pathways to the lateral hypothalamus and brain stem.

Getting nervous yet?Autonomic Nervous System-the portion of the peripheral nervous systems that contains both the sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions.

Sympathetic-prepares the body for energy-expending, stress or emergency situations

Parasympathetic is active under ordinary, restful conditions and counterbalances the sympathetic system and restores homeostasis.

Autonomically nervous?

Motor and Sensory Control

The General Adaptation Syndrome● A pattern of stress responses consisting of three stages: alarm, resistance,

and exhaustion (Insel & Roth, 2010).

Flight or

Flight Response

Allostatic Load● Long term exposure to stress hormones such as cortisol has been linked to

several acute and chronic health problems.● The long-term wear and tear of the stress response is called the allostatic

load (Insel & Roth, 2010). ● Allostatic load is dependent on many factors;

o genetico life experienceso emotional and behavioral responses

● Individuals need to develop coping mechanisms to shut down the stress response and to restore the balance (homeostasis) and return to the resistance stage.

Locus of Control● Belief that someone or something else controls a situation or that an

individual not act in a particular way because of peer repercussion thus becoming easily frustrated is a characteristic of external locus of control (Donatelle, 2013)

● Belief that an individual believes they they have power over their own action is an internal locus of control. Results in stating their opinion and being true to their beliefs (Donatelle, 2013).

OUT OF EXTERNAL OR INTERNAL LOCUS OF CONTROLWHICH ONE IS KEY IN CONTROLLING

PHYSICAL, MENTAL, SOCIAL, & EMOTIONAL HEALTH?

Who, what, when, why, & where?According to the World Health Organization (WHO) (2013), the most common psychological disorders in the United States are ____________ and__________ _________?

Both William James (1899) and Hippocrates (n.d.) prescribed exercise for their patients who suffered from these disorders!

SO WHY AREN’T WE DOING IT?

The Dimensions of Wellness & Health

-Physical Wellness -Physical Health-Emotional Wellness* -Emotional Health*-Intellectual Wellness* -Intellectual Health*-Interpersonal Wellness* -Social Health*-Spiritual Wellness -Spiritual Health-Environmental Wellness -Environmental Health

Etiology of mental health● Actions at the brain level are responsible for most if not all mental and

psychological processes (Dishman, Washburn, and Heath, 2012).● Brain functioning is controlled by genes● Social, developmental, and environmental factors can produce alterations

in gene expression● Alterations in gene expression induce changes in brain functioning

THEREFORE

● Treatments for mental illness exert their effect by producing alterations in gene expression, resulting in beneficial changes in brain function (Dishman, Washburn, and Heath, 2012).

Development and LearningPiaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development (2009) suggest that a child's

cognitive development is about a child developing or constructing a mental model of the world.

Piaget believed that children think differently than adults and stated they go through four (4) universal stages of cognitive development.

Development is biologically based and changes as the child matures.

Cognition develops in all children in the same sequence of stages.SensorimotorPreoperational Concrete Operational Formal Operational

0 - 2 yrs. 2 - 7 yrs. 7 – 11 yrs.

11yrs +

Development and Learning

Piaget (1952) did not explicitly relate his theory to education, although later researchers have explained how features of Piaget's theory can be applied to teaching and learning.

Learning should be centered and accomplished through active discovery. Thus the role of the provider is to facilitate learning, rather than direct tuition.

“Learning comes from the act of drawing out education not pouring it in”

Development and LearningProviders should encourage the following within the learning environment:

● Focus on the process of learning, rather than the end product of it.● Using active methods that require rediscovering or reconstructing

"truths".● Using collaborative, as well as individual activities (so individuals can

learn from each other).● Devising situations that present useful problems, and create

disequilibrium in the individual.● Evaluate the level of the individual’s development, so suitable tasks can

be set.

Development and Learning

According to Piaget (1958), assimilation and accommodation require an active learner, not a passive one, because problem-solving skills cannot be taught, they must be discovered.

In vs. Out and Ex vs In...

The comprehensive theory of human motivation, Self-Determination Theory (SDT), developed by Edward Deci and Richard Ryan (1985), suggests that intrinsic motivation, the most internalized form of motivation, is dependent on the fulfillment of three basic human needs: autonomy, competence and relatedness. If these needs are indeed fulfilled, self-determination to engage in a particular behavior is much more likely.

In vs. Out and Ex vs In...

In vs. Out and Ex vs In...Doing a particular behavior because of guilt or wanting the approval of others drives introjected regulation and is slightly more internalized than external regulation.

Someone who experiences identified regulation may participate in a behavior because it may be beneficial in achieving an important goal; however, the activity may still not be enjoyable to this individual.

The most internalized form of extrinsic motivation is integrated regulation. Here, the individual experiences an agreement between personal values or beliefs and the behavior.

At the very right of the continuum is intrinsic motivation. Someone who is intrinsically motivated does not really need encouragement because the activity itself is enjoyable.

Typically, this individual’s needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness are satisfied here. This client may simply need you as a means for learning new skills, continued relatedness and challenge.

Is it physical activity, exercise, or physical fitness?

Physical activity is defined as any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that results in energy expenditure (i.e. occupational, sports, household, conditioning).

Exercise is a subset of physical activity that is planned, structured, and repetitive and has as a final or an intermediate objective the improvement or maintenance of physical fitness (i.e. running a 5K, lifting weights/resistance training)

Physical fitness is a set of attributes that are either health- or skill-related (i.e. cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength, reaction time, vertical jump)

Physical activity and mental health

● Physical activity is a unique concept among behavioral treatments for mental health.

● Increasing the metabolism through physical exertion produces several acute and chronic adaptations regarding mental health.

● Alterations to the endorphin hormones reduces arousal which in turn alters brain electrocortical activity.

Physical activity and mental health

● Suppression of noradrenaline and serotonin levels influences the brain benzodiazepine systems. Physical activity increases adrenaline and serotonin helping the brain level the system off.

● Physical activity helps reduce muscles reflexes and tension; therefore, it helps the brain (made up of smooth muscle fibers) to relax.

● Physical activity and exercise activates the sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis (HPA axis) which helps to regulate the immune response.

State and Trait Anxiety● State anxiety is defined as moment to moment changes in feelings

of nervousness, worry, and apprehension associated with arousal of the body. State anxiety also refers to “right now” feelings that change from moment to moment.

● Trait anxiety is defined as an acquired disposition that predisposes a person to perceive a wide-range of objectively non-dangerous circumstances as threatening and to respond to these with disproportionate state anxiety levels. It is also considered to be a personality disposition that is stable over time.

State and Trait Anxiety● State anxiety

o Raglin & Wilson (1996), reported that state anxiety can remain decreased up to two (2) hours after 20 minutes of aerobic exercise.

● Trait anxietyo Petruzzello et al. (1991) and Landers and Petruzzello (1994)

concluded through meta-analyses studies that there was on 0.05 standard deviation regarding a reduction in changes in anxiety levels among participants.

How would you use this therapy?

● Many mental health disorders may be associated with imbalances in neurotransmitters which are the chemicals that influence the activity of brain cells that regulate mood, pleasure, and rational thought (Kandal, 1998).

● The amygdala plays a key role integrating overt behavior, autonomic responses, and hormonal response during stress and emotion.

● Activity in the amygdala is elevated among patients/clients with depression or anxiety disorders.

How would you use this therapy?

● The hippocampus processes memories of the environmental content in which an emotion occurs. If there is damage to the hippocampus the emotion will still be experiences oftentimes at inappropriate times and places.

● The goal is to remove the environmental anxiety or imbalance thus enabling the creation of a truly therapeutic environment.

ReferencesCaspersen, C. J., Powell, K. E., & Christenson, G. M. (1985). Physical activity, exercise, and physical fitness: definitions and distinctions for health-related research. Public Health Reports, 100(2), 126–131.

Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. New York: Plenum

Dishman, R.K., Washburn, R.A., & Heath, G.W. (2012). Physical activity epidemiology (2nd ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Donatelle, R.J. (2013). Health: the basics-green edition (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Pearson Benjamin Cummings.

Garrett, B. (2011). Brain & behavior: An introduction to biological psychology (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.

Insel, P.M., & Roth, W.T. (2010). Core concepts in health (11th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Companies.

James, W. (1899). Talks to teachers on psychology: And to students on some of the life’s ideals. New York: Holt.

Kandal, E.R. (1998). A new intellectual framework for psychiatry. American Journal of Psychiatry, 155(4): 457-469.

McLeod, S. A. (2009). Jean Piaget. Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/piaget.html.

Petruzzello, S.J., and Landers, D.M. (1994). State anxiety reduction and exercise: Does hemispheric activation reflect such changes? Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 26(8): 1028-1035.

Petruzzello, S.J., Landers, D.M., Hatfield, B.D., Kubitz, K.A., and Salazar, W. (1991). A meta-analysis on the anxiety reducing the effects of acute and chronic exercise: Outcomes and mechanisms. Sports Medicine, 11(3): 143-182.

Piaget, J., & Cook, M. T. (1952). The origins of intelligence in children.

Piaget, J. (1958). The growth of logical thinking from childhood to adolescence. AMC, 10, 12.

Raglin, J.S., and Wilson, M. (1996). State anxiety following 20 minutes of bicycle ergometer exercise at selected intensities. International Journal of Sports Medicine 17:467-471.

Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). "Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being." American Psychologist, 55, 68-78.

Shier, D., Butler, J., & Lewis, R. (2013). Hole's essentials of human anatomy and physiology (10th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Companies.