Spirituality is Associated with Better Physical and Mental Health By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Spirituality is a sense of connection to something bigger than ourselves. . . Spirituality also incorporates healthy practices for the mind and body, which positively influences mental health and emotional wellbeing.” – Luna Greestein Religion and spirituality […]
Yoga Practitioners have Better Physical and Psychological Health By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Multiple studies have confirmed the many mental and physical benefits of yoga. Incorporating it into your routine can help enhance your health, increase strength and flexibility and reduce symptoms of stress, depression and anxiety.” – Rachel Link Yoga […]
Spirituality is Associated with Better Mental and Physical Health and Cognitive Ability in African Americans By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “all black religious expression has most of the following attributes: It is animistic, or spirit-filled; anthropocentric, or human-centered; dynamic; expressionistic; shamanistic (believing in communicating with spirits); and thaumaturgic (belief in miracle working).” […]
Quality of Life of Patients with Cardiovascular Disease is Higher with Spirituality By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Positive beliefs, comfort, and strength gained from religion, meditation, and prayer can contribute to well being. It may even promote healing. Improving your spiritual health may not cure an illness, but it may help you […]
Brain Structures Involved in Memory are Different in Yoga Practitioners By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “You may know that yoga is a good form of exercise that gets your blood circulation going, improves oxygen flow, and helps with overall health. But did you know that yoga also helps boost brain function? Research has found […]
Improve Obesity with Yoga By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Yoga is a powerful activity that connects mind, body and a sense of self to achieve endless health benefits, including maintaining weight-loss. The philosophy of yoga fosters a healing practice that brings peace and acceptance to the self no matter where you are […]
By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “As we learn more and more about the connections between the mind and body, it becomes clear that spirituality, religion and faith can help some individuals live well with mental health conditions. Some individuals and families turn to faith in times of crisis to help in their […]
By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “If you have unproductive worries you can train yourself to experience those thoughts completely differently. You might think ‘I’m late, I might lose my job if I don’t get there on time, and it will be a disaster!’ Mindfulness teaches you to recognize, ‘Oh, there’s that thought […]
By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Given the mechanism by which we think religion/spirituality influences physical health, i.e., through psychosocial and behavioral pathways, and the strong influence that psychosocial and behavioral factors have on risk of developing cardiovascular disease, there is no medical condition that R/S is more likely to influence than CVD.” […]
By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “A common factor in the healing effect of yoga for all of these issues is its ability to develop increased awareness of the body and its inner sensations- called “interoception”–which is central to emotion awareness and emotion regulation and to self-regulation in general.” – Frank Schwoeri Therapists […]