Interview Date: September 28, 2009. Daniel G. Amen, MD is a physician, child and adult psychiatrist, brain-imaging specialist, Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, and the CEO and medical director of Amen Clinics, Inc. Dr. Amen is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine, where he teaches medical students and psychiatric residents about using brain imaging in clinical practice. Dr. Amen is the author of 35 professional articles and 23 books, including the New York Times bestsellers, Change Your Brain, Change Your Life.
Dr. Gary Ruelas (GR): Dr. Amen, you are going to be speaking at the Evolution of Psychotherapy Conference this December sponsored by the Milton H. Erickson Foundation. As you know, Dr. Erickson was a pioneer in the field of mental health and hypnosis, and he championed an integrated body-and-mind concept. Could elaborate on how you view the body and mind, using internal resources to help individuals overcome their difficulties?
Dr. Daniel Amen (DA): I see the mind and body as totally interconnected. What a lot of people miss is that when that when your brain works right, you make better decisions for your body.
When your brain is troubled from a head injury, toxic exposure, having ADD, depression, an anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, or too much stress in your life, it affects every single cell in your body in a negative way.
Read the Q&A with Dr. Gary Ruelas and Dr. Daniel Amen by downloading the full interview.
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