61: Dr. Leslie Korn - Integrating Trauma Therapies, Nutrition and Sacred Rituals for Better Mental Health

In this fascinating interview for The MindHealth360 Show, Dr. Leslie Korn discusses the connection between our biochemistry and our psychology; between trauma, nutrition, and mental health. With extensive expertise in integrative medicine and somatic and psychological therapies, Dr. Korn explores the impact of trauma and chronic stress on our biochemistry, and tells us how to balance our biochemistry for better nervous system resilience and better health. She explains how dietary choices, specific nutrients, plants and herbs, and personalised nutritional strategies can be vital for recovery from trauma, PTSD and mental and physical well-being. She underlines the therapeutic potential of psychedelics, especially when integrated with traditional healing rituals, and uses her extensive experience of working with indigenous cultures to suggest tried and tested approaches to improving mental health and resilience. 

Dr. Leslie Korn is an expert in integrative medicine with over 40 years of clinical experience, focusing on stress, trauma, cognitive function, and chronic physical illness. She began her training in Mexico where she worked extensively with indigenous cultures, and continued at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Korn holds a PhD in Behavioral Medicine, an MPH from Harvard, and an MA in cross-cultural health psychology. She has developed the Brainbow Blueprint®, an individualized integrative approach, and has trained over 30,000 health professionals. Additionally, she directs the Leslie Korn Institute of Integrative Medicine, has pioneered somatic therapies at Harvard, and is an author of 10 books on related subjects including Nutrition Essentials for Mental Health, Rhythms of Recovery: Integrative Medicine for the treatment of PTSD and Complex Trauma, The Good Mood Kitchen, Natural Woman, and The Brainbow Blueprint: A Clinical Guide to Integrative Medicine and Nutrition for Mental Well-Being.

In this interview learn about:

• Dr. Korn’s key principles for better mental health (eat breakfast, nourish both brains, eat only when relaxed, eliminate toxins, etc.)

• The best nutrition for your gut (foods that damage, foods that heal) and the link between gut health, mood and brain health

• The importance of circadian rhythms, exercise and other movement in combination with the right nutrition

• Key herbs and plant therapies for healing

• The importance of community for physical, emotional and spiritual healing

• Biochemical and psychological stressors which hamper our innate capacity to heal

• How trauma and PTSD impact our biochemistry (inflammation, gut dysbiosis, poor nutrition, difficulty with self-care, immune and neuro-endocrine imbalances, metabolic dysfunction, difficulty with detoxification)

• What we can learn from indigenous cultures about healing, nutrition, sacred rituals, and mental health

• How addictions and eating disorders are dissociative disorders and the link with trauma and control  

• Why eating more fats and proteins and less sugar is so crucial to brain health and mood stability; and sugar addiction, food cravings and their link with trauma and stress

• The connection between dysregulated cortisol rhythms and mood, anxiety and sleep, and how chronic cortisol exposure can cause neuronal death

• The best biochemical tests for mental health (toxins, nutrients status, etc.)

• Key nutrients for mental health (vitamin D, omega 3 fatty acids, B vitamins, magnesium, chromium, lithium)

• How trauma creates an altered state of consciousness, and how psychedelics also create an altered state of consciousness, but one that can help us heal   

• Why it’s so important to use psychedelics in their traditional and sacred contexts, and how the ritual of therapy is crucial to the experience 

• How psych drugs such as SSRIs, sleeping pills and antipsychotics as well as other medications such as statins and NSAIDs can suppress mitochondrial function and harm the gut, thereby exacerbating mental health issues 

• Why daily self-care practices are so important for mental health and healing 

Dr. Korn will further elaborate on these concepts in her upcoming talk Integrative Medicine for PTSD and Complex Trauma at the Integrative Medicine for Mental Health conference (IMMH2024) in Washington, October 2024. For more details, visit IMMH.