Happiness and joy during turbulent times: dr. Neil nedley of nedley health on how to live with joie

> Last but not least, let God’s love into your life. Despite what > you may think, I do not believe God is punishing you. I think He > wants you to learn from your circumstances so 

you can be motivated > to turn around and experience true joy and happiness. I believe He > is full of mercy, love, and forgiveness. I recommend communicating > with Him by reading 

spiritual material every day and intentionally > seeking to become a better person. This is meditation with an > ethical construct. Many forms of meditation are not much better than

> taking a placebo since they tell you not to judge your thoughts as > good or bad thoughts. When you meditate within an ethical construct > you are practicing what I believe to be 

the gold standard of > psychotherapy: cognitive behavioral therapy. You are analyzing your > thoughts, rejecting irrational hateful thoughts, and replacing them > with rational, 

helpful thoughts. This can make you feel better > instantaneously while making you into a better person from that > point forward. It_ sometimes feels like it is so hard to avoid

feeling down or depressed these days. Between the sad news coming from world headlines, the impact of the ongoing raging pandemic, and the constant negative messages popping up on social and

traditional media, it sometimes feels like the entire world is pulling you down. What do you do to feel happiness and joy during these troubled and turbulent times? In this interview series

called “__Finding Happiness and Joy During Turbulent Times__” we are talking to experts, authors, and mental health professionals who share lessons from their research or experience about

“How To Find Happiness and Joy During Troubled & Turbulent Times”._ _As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing__ __Neil Nedley, M.D._ _Dr. Neil Nedley is the founder

and medical director of the Nedley Depression and Anxiety Recovery Programs. Dr. Nedley is an award-winning practicing physician who also serves as President of Weimar University, a higher

education college that houses the world-famous NEWSTART program and the residential outpatient Depression and Anxiety Recovery Program™. He has presented and published numerous scientific

studies in medical and scientific literature and is well known as a public speaker and teacher throughout the world. He is the author of Proof Positive, Depression — the Way Out, The Lost

Art of Thinking, and Optimize Your Brain. Additionally, Dr. Nedley is a board-certified Internal Medicine specialist with an emphasis in mental health, the difficult-to-diagnose patient, and

gastroenterology. He enjoys hiking in nature with his family, piloting his own aircraft, snow skiing, and listening to sacred and classical music. Nothing is as enjoyable to Dr. Nedley,

however, as helping people recover from the depths of depression and anxiety to the pinnacle of success and fulfillment._ THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US IN THIS INTERVIEW SERIES! BEFORE WE

DIVE INTO THE MAIN FOCUS OF OUR INTERVIEW, OUR READERS WOULD LOVE TO “GET TO KNOW YOU” A BIT BETTER. CAN YOU TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOUR CHILDHOOD BACKSTORY? I was raised in Troy, Michigan. My

father was a lead automobile design engineer for G.M. He was also a gardener, and we raised a lot of our own fruits and vegetables in our back yard. WHAT OR WHO INSPIRED YOU TO PURSUE YOUR

CAREER? WE’D LOVE TO HEAR THE STORY. I adored my dad and loved to be around him. I saw him suddenly change his diet and lifestyle when I was ten years old. He was suffering from obesity, had

a sugar addiction, and outside of the back yard farm, was sedentary. He began to suffer from major health problems at the age of 47. His own parents had died of stroke and heart attack at

age 60, and he realized he was next. He changed to a no sugar, mostly plant-based diet, and got on an exercise program. I saw a new dad emerge that was even better than before. Already

having a high I.Q., he now had high emotional intelligence. Thus, he became closer to us and even more endearing — influencing everyone he met in a positive way. NONE OF US CAN ACHIEVE

SUCCESS WITHOUT SOME HELP ALONG THE WAY. WAS THERE A PARTICULAR PERSON WHO YOU FEEL GAVE YOU THE MOST HELP OR ENCOURAGEMENT TO BE WHO YOU ARE TODAY? CAN YOU SHARE A STORY ABOUT THAT? Dr.

Vern Erickson was a close friend of my father and mother. As I was trying to figure out what career I would choose post-high school graduation, he knew I wanted to choose a career where I

could make the most positive difference in improving the lives of others. At that time, I was thinking about becoming an attorney or a pastor. Dr. Erickson rallied four physicians, who I

knew, to show me that I could have an even greater influence on the lives of others by becoming a physician. I had never seriously considered that career choice before. He then invited me to

spend as much time with him as I could, seeing first-hand what he did as a physician. Long story short, I changed my career choice and enrolled in college to become a biochemist on my way

to becoming a physician. CAN YOU SHARE THE FUNNIEST OR MOST INTERESTING MISTAKE THAT OCCURRED TO YOU IN THE COURSE OF YOUR CAREER? WHAT LESSON OR TAKE AWAY DID YOU LEARN FROM THAT? I

specialized in adult diseases of the internal organs and the difficult-to-diagnose patient, gastroenterology, and mental health. Before the age of computers in medicine, I was seeing a

patient with undiagnosed severe abdominal pain. She had had CT scans of her abdomen, ultrasounds, upper and lower endoscopies, but none of her other physicians could figure out what was

causing her pain. She came to me with her encyclopedia of medical records, and after evaluating her, I realized she had never tried an H-2 blocker (an old fashion medication for stomach

ulcers) for her pain. I did not expect it to help her as she had tried newer more effective medications that did not work for her ulcers. Since that was the only area of medications that had

not been tried for abdominal pain, I wrote her a prescription for Pepcid 20 mg twice daily. However, the pharmacist interpreted it as Paxil 20 mg twice daily. One month later she sees me in

a follow up and says, “Can I give you a big hug?” My pain is completely gone, you have solved the problem I have had for years. I looked at my record and thought how unlikely it was that

Pepcid could have made that much of a difference. I asked to see her bottle of medication, and it read Paxil. I was horrified! Paxil is not a gastroenterology medication; it is a medicine

for depression and anxiety. A big mistake was made! But the mistake helped my patient tremendously. Her pain was not at all related to a primary abdominal issue. Her pain was because of

undiagnosed depression and anxiety. Once the depression and anxiety got better, her pain disappeared. That taught me in real time the relationship between the brain and the gut. The nerves

that supply the GI tract weigh 4 times as much as the entire spinal cord and what affects the brain, tends to greatly affect the gut. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MOST INTERESTING OR EXCITING

PROJECTS YOU ARE WORKING ON NOW? HOW DO YOU THINK THAT MIGHT HELP PEOPLE? * Next year, Nedley Health is starting a fellowship program for physicians to train for one year. They will learn

how to utilize specific, often non-pharmaceutical, approaches in treating depression and anxiety that can frequently have a more powerful eradicating influence than traditional

anti-depressant drugs. Right now, our facility is the only residential treatment facility in the world employing this method that is scientifically based and proven in thousands of patients.

There is a need to set up more centers that offer these life-changing comprehensive treatments, but the shortage is in well-trained physicians to direct these facilities. Our goal is to

train another physician or two every year for the purpose of setting up a new facility around each trained physician in different parts of North America. Physicians must have successfully

completed a specialty residency to qualify for this training opportunity. * Nedley Health is starting a retail store in Denton, Texas dedicated to mental health. All products and services

offered will be specifically geared toward helping a mental health condition. YOU ARE A SUCCESSFUL LEADER. WHICH THREE CHARACTER TRAITS DO YOU THINK WERE MOST INSTRUMENTAL TO YOUR SUCCESS?

CAN YOU PLEASE SHARE A STORY OR EXAMPLE FOR EACH? * Persistence. I dared asked the question, “how many different known causes exist for depression and anxiety?” A top, well-respected

psychiatrist told me only about 8–10 causes were known and that these diseases were often “endogenous” with no known causes. This same answer was also mentioned in psychiatric textbooks. I

decided to do research myself, spending many hours and days in a medical library researching all the known causes described in the scientific literature. I found well over 100. It turned out

I was the first one to do this exhaustive research. This was the start of something special. * Creativity. Prior to my research, the standard in psychiatric care was to diagnose the

condition and go straight to pharmaceutical treatment, using a trial-and-error approach. Once we could search for and find the over 100 potential causes in an individual patient, we most

often found four or more categories of causes that were operative and reversible. The condition now was no longer lifelong, but could be eradicated by eliminating the active causes. This

began to open the pathway to joy and happiness for thousands of patients and their families that I have had the privilege of treating. Patients who in some cases had attempted to end their

life over five times, spending weeks of their lives in psychiatric hospitals, are now depression and anxiety free. They are no longer thinking they would be better off dead, but instead are

experiencing joy and happiness they never thought they could experience. * Compassion. My father was a brilliant yet ever-compassionate person who taught me the source of his compassion:

opening his heart to receiving God’s self-sacrificing love in his life. He never looked down on anybody. He helped me realize that so many people have only found misery, suffering, and pain

in life. He helped me understand that people do not need criticism. They need to be loved and listened to. And, if they are helped in the right way, a tremendous difference can be made in

their lives. This way is beyond momentary happiness. This is fulfilling at the deepest of levels for all involved! FOR THE BENEFIT OF OUR READERS, CAN YOU BRIEFLY LET US KNOW WHY YOU ARE AN

AUTHORITY ABOUT THE TOPIC OF FINDING JOY? I have become a medical expert in treating mental health conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder,

obsessive compulsive disorder, attention deficit disorder, and other mental health conditions that keep people from finding true joy. For the last 20 years, I have helped literally thousands

of people find joy who thought they could never experience it through community-based Nedley Depression and Anxiety Recovery Programs ™ and the residential 10-day Nedley Depression and

Anxiety Recovery Program ™. For the last 14 years I have been helping people improve their emotional intelligence. Through my book The Lost Art of Thinking and the companion workbook and

video series Optimize Your Brain I have been able to help many others who did not have a specific mental illness obtain joy and happiness through improving their emotional intelligence. OK,

THANK YOU FOR ALL OF THAT. LET’S NOW SHIFT TO THE MAIN FOCUS OF OUR INTERVIEW ABOUT FINDING JOY. EVEN BEFORE THE PANDEMIC HIT, THE UNITED STATES WAS RANKED AT #19 IN THE WORLD HAPPINESS

REPORT. CAN YOU SHARE A FEW REASONS WHY YOU THINK THE RANKING IS SO LOW, DESPITE ALL OF THE PRIVILEGES AND OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE HAVE IN THE US? Although we live in the land of the free, our

freedoms have too often been used, unknowingly and unwittingly, in self-sabotaging thoughts and behavior. We have some of the highest rates of addiction: food, sex, opioids,

benzodiazepines, meth, alcohol, nicotine, technology, and many more. We also have some of the highest rates of broken relationships and betrayal trauma. Most people have not had the

advantage that some of us have had in growing up in deeply loving and functional families. If you are not surrounded by love, you will naturally hate. This is why the typical American’s

thoughts are negative 80 percent of the time and 95 percent repetitive. WHAT ARE THE MAIN MYTHS OR MISCONCEPTIONS YOU’D LIKE TO DISPEL ABOUT FINDING JOY AND HAPPINESS? CAN YOU PLEASE SHARE

SOME STORIES OR EXAMPLES? Many people think that joy and happiness are bought by money. If you are lucky enough to have a lot of money, by definition you will have joy and happiness. This

has actually been disproven. Once your basic needs such as food and shelter are met, more money does not buy much more happiness. I have had the privilege of taking care of many of the rich

and famous in America, but let me let you in on a secret, most of them are not happy. Their issues may be a little different than the poor and middle class. Their money can buy things but

not happiness. The responsibilities they bear in protecting their wealth, limited time, and the betrayal they have suffered by enemies and friends are tremendous. Happiness is found in

simpler things, like taking a nice walk in fresh air, learning or teaching a new skill that can be used to help others, and through acts of kindness and compassion to others. IN A RELATED,

BUT SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT QUESTION, WHAT ARE THE MAIN MISTAKES YOU HAVE SEEN PEOPLE MAKE WHEN THEY TRY TO FIND HAPPINESS? CAN YOU PLEASE SHARE SOME STORIES OR EXAMPLES? In my 32 years of

medical practice, I have seen far too many examples of short-sighted behavior leading to major consequences. Substance abuse from the ‘just one time’, unwanted pregnancies from a one-night

stand, or broken families from infidelity. It is easy to blame these on external circumstances, but most often the reality is that these circumstances come as a result of trying to

self-medicate with short term “fixes” that only bring more problems. The solution lies in trying to find the real reason for the felt need to self-medicate. That involves embarking on a

discovery and long-term plan that brings lasting solutions and ultimately pure joy, happiness, and great relationships. FANTASTIC. HERE IS THE MAIN QUESTION OF OUR DISCUSSION. CAN YOU PLEASE

SHARE WITH OUR READERS YOUR “5 THINGS YOU NEED TO LIVE WITH MORE JOIE DE VIVRE, MORE JOY AND HAPPINESS IN LIFE, PARTICULARLY DURING TURBULENT TIMES?” (Please share a story or an example for

each.) * Maximize real life experiences by becoming a digital minimalist. The happiest people in America are those who use digital media or screens less than one hour per day. Turn your

phone into a dumb phone where you can only text, make and receive calls, and take pictures. Utilize your GPS if you have to, but get rid of anything and everything that wastes even a few

minutes of your time each day. It’s simply not worth it. Don’t allow push notifications, e-mail notifications, or text messages to interrupt your day or cause distractions. The current

culture drives us to distraction. The area of your brain strengthened by focused attention (anterior cingulate gyrus in the frontal lobe) is identical to the area of your brain that manages

distressing emotions. The many distractions that the “normal use” of devices brings is one of the reasons why the advent of smartphones has greatly increased rates of depression and anxiety.

Smartphone usage decreases our ability to focus; thus, our ability to handle stress is also diminished. Make sure your technology is only working for you and not diminishing your free time

or your brain’s abilities in I.Q. and emotional intelligence. That means utilizing only focused technology: unplug and invest in more real-life experiences and in-person social interactions.

Most people who are addicted to their devices are not even aware of it until they come to our residential program and give up their devices for 10 days. Despite all of the scientific

information we show and explain to them, many think the “no device policy” is extreme. Some think it will actually harm them because they have grown accustomed to using their device

throughout the day to change their mood for the better, or so they think. After 10 days, most have a much different outlook. Without any devices their mood is far better, their ability to

manage their emotions improves, and their relationships and social interactions dramatically improve. Many will tell us they do not want their device back, as they now realize a lot of their

problems had to do with how they were using their devices. After their electronic fast, instead of taking it from them forever, we teach them how to “abnormally” use devices so that they

only work for you — then and only then can you have the best of both worlds. * Physically exercise at least 6 days a week. Physical fitness improves your brain health even more than it does

your physical health. At least one hour of aerobic exercise daily will not only improve your ability to make serotonin and dopamine but will also increase serotonin receptors in the brain.

More serotonin activity means better mood and a calmer and more tolerant response to the usual nuisances of life. Start with 10 minutes a day and gradually build up to 60. All of the

participants get more fit in our residential program. Since we are cooking their healthy and tasty meals and they are not working for employment in our 10-day program, they have time to

learn how to become physically fit and to put it into practice. In 10 days, they look better, feel better, and think better. Their repetitive negative thoughts start to become helpful

repetitive thoughts. * “Don’t bite at the bait of pleasure until you are sure there is no hook beneath.” — Thomas Jefferson. Humanity tends to be very narrow in focus. We love to play with

and experience things that have short-term benefit and long-term risk; yet, we somehow think we will only enjoy the benefits without ever facing the risks. While we are narrowly focused on

trying to pleasure ourselves by walking this tight rope, we neglect many things in life that have only benefits, i.e., no risks. Make a clean break from the substances and experiences that

were euphoric at first but that now only bring a numb feeling. You may have noticed that the simple, healthy pleasures in life are not very enjoyable anymore. Thus, your motivation to do

healthy things has diminished. By stopping these riskier activities that bring a dopamine spike, your dopamine set point will eventually go back to neutral, given enough time. This means,

taking a walk will become highly pleasurable. Having an evening conversation with a friend or loved one will produce a dopamine high that lasts the entire night into the next day. Unlike the

risky ways of getting dopamine, this healthy dopamine motivates and shapes you into a better person. We have helped scores of alcoholics, sugar addicts, benzodiazepine and opioid addicts,

gamblers, and sex addicts overcome the addictions they thought they had to have in order to avoid extreme, intolerable dysphoria. These “hooks” lowered their dopamine level far below

neutral. After choosing pleasurable activities that have no “hook,” they begin to experience dopamine levels far higher than they were before. We recently had a woman come through our

residential program who had previously gone through 10 different addiction treatment programs — some of them costing in excess of $100,000. She said she learned more about her brain in 10

days than she had learned in 10 programs. By fixing her need to self-medicate, she was able to overcome her most powerful addiction. She had been taught that the first year of sobriety would

be the worst year of her life. However, by fixing her dopamine set point through diet, the right supplements, physical exercise, and making a commitment to not bite at the bait of pleasure,

her first year of sobriety has become the best year of her life. * Find out what is going on with your brain biochemistry. Through a depression and anxiety assessment test and through

epigenetic testing we can now see not only what mutated genes you have, but also how active they are. We can see what is happening in real time regarding multiple neurotransmitters and their

current activity in the brain. People are amazed when we can look at their lab tests and precisely tell them their personality traits. The good news is that mutated genes can be

de-activated most often through diet, certain nutrient supplements, and simple lifestyle changes. Then we can repeat the blood and urine tests to show that the bad gene has been totally

de-activated. Whether its obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety, phobias, fatigue, lack of focus and concentration, sleep problems, lack of motivation, or sadness, these symptoms will

vanish when we find what is going on with the brain and what needs to be changed. We can now improve serotonin production and receptors, something medications were never able to do. We can

improve brain dopamine production and activity, GABA, norepinephrine, and many other neurotransmitters. Two years ago, a busy hospital nurse practitioner who had three small children came to

our program due to high anxiety and depression. Her irritability was high. She felt like she was a failure as a mother, and her boss said he was about to terminate her. Her OCD was out of

control. Through our testing and analysis, she discovered precisely what was needed. Through simple dietary changes and two supplements, her life dramatically changed for the better.

Depression — gone, anxiety — gone, OCD — gone. Need for psychiatric medications — gone. Now she loves mothering, being a nurse practitioner, and nurse educator. Her husband is happy and

their marriage has never been better! Her name is Bonnie, and she now works for the Nedley Clinic as a nurse practitioner. She says the investment in time and money has paid off in every

way: financially she is far better off and now experiencing amazing joy and happiness in every aspect of her life. That story has been repeated thousands of times with different names,

different ages, and different circumstances. If you are not experiencing true joy, happiness, and fulfillment, learn about your brain biochemistry. * Last but not least, let God’s love into

your life. Despite what you may think, I do not believe God is punishing you. I think He wants you to learn from your circumstances so you can be motivated to turn around and experience true

joy and happiness. I believe He is full of mercy, love, and forgiveness. I recommend communicating with Him by reading spiritual material every day and intentionally seeking to become a

better person. This is meditation with an ethical construct. Many forms of meditation are not much better than taking a placebo since they tell you not to judge your thoughts as good or bad

thoughts. When you meditate within an ethical construct you are practicing what I believe to be the gold standard of psychotherapy: cognitive behavioral therapy. You are analyzing your

thoughts, rejecting irrational hateful thoughts, and replacing them with rational, helpful thoughts. This can make you feel better instantaneously while making you into a better person from

that point forward. Unlike many psychological institutions, the Nedley Clinic does not neglect the frontal lobe, the spiritual part of the brain. This is why in our residential program every

person is not only assigned a therapist but also a spiritual counselor that can use an individualized approach to help transform spiritual life. Studies have clearly shown that when frontal

lobe activity is enhanced, mental illness and mental challenges get better. Wisdom, creativity, and empathy improve opening the way for even more joy and happiness. One woman recently came

to our program who stated she had no self-control. She had experienced a lot of life’s traumas due to the consequences of her lack of self-control and lack of being able to manage her

emotions. She told us by following the spiritual counselor’s guidance, she left 10 days later with the ability to manage her emotions and now had extremely high self-control. She stated the

spiritual part of the program had the greatest influence in totally transforming her life. Thousands have benefitted from this approach. No matter if you believe in God or not, or if you

have a religion you are a part of or not, you can enhance your frontal lobe circulation through rational and appropriate forms of meditation within an ethical construct. And by so doing,

studies show you will be better at managing your emotions, your relationships will improve, and your self-control will skyrocket. WHAT CAN CONCERNED FRIENDS, COLLEAGUES, AND LIFE PARTNERS DO

TO EFFECTIVELY HELP SUPPORT SOMEONE THEY CARE ABOUT WHO IS FEELING DOWN OR DEPRESSED? Have that person give us a call at 580–226–8007 or chat with us online at www.nedleyhealth.com to find

out more about the resources we offer to empower people to overcome their depression and anxiety. On the website you can see if there is a community depression and anxiety recovery program

nearby or learn about accessing an online program. If the pathway to healing seems too hard to find or too difficult to follow, then contact our case manager to set up a free screening

consultation to see if they would qualify to attend the residential 10-day program. We will compassionately find the precise, personalized approach they need to address their brain

biochemistry and guide them to the path that leads to ultimate healing, which will then lead to true joy and happiness. OK, WE ARE NEARLY DONE. YOU ARE A PERSON OF GREAT INFLUENCE. IF YOU

COULD INSPIRE A MOVEMENT THAT WOULD BRING THE MOST AMOUNT OF GOOD FOR THE GREATEST NUMBER OF PEOPLE, WHAT WOULD THAT BE? YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOUR IDEA CAN TRIGGER. That movement would be

helping everyone find the secret to comprehensive self-control. Lack of self-control is now the number one problem across the world, but it is rarely discussed. Political parties and

government leaders never mention or address it, yet it is causing untold harm and suffering on every continent. Learning to manage emotions can greatly help with self-control but so can

opening the heart to self-sacrificing or altruistic love. This is a love that I believe humans cannot manufacture: it must come from outside of ourselves. I call it the love of God. I

believe that love cannot exist in the heart at the same time as hatred. Not only can it cast out hate but it can also bring with it a power that helps us manage our emotions and achieve what

everyone is looking for but very few know how to find — the psychological good life that brings ultimate joy, happiness, vitality, and fulfillment. WE ARE VERY BLESSED THAT SOME OF THE

BIGGEST NAMES IN BUSINESS, VC FUNDING, SPORTS, AND ENTERTAINMENT READ THIS COLUMN. IS THERE A PERSON IN THE WORLD, OR IN THE US, WHOM YOU WOULD LOVE TO HAVE A PRIVATE BREAKFAST OR LUNCH

WITH, AND WHY? HE OR SHE MIGHT JUST SEE THIS, ESPECIALLY IF WE BOTH TAG THEM :-) Tiger Woods. He has had a tough journey the past few years and I would love to have the opportunity to work

with him. Regardless of his intentions to return to the PGA tour or not, our team would find it an honor and a privilege to guide him to the pathway of ultimate joy, happiness, and freedom.

HOW CAN OUR READERS FURTHER FOLLOW YOUR WORK ONLINE? Yes, you can learn more about our work at Nedleyhealth.com THANK YOU FOR THESE REALLY EXCELLENT INSIGHTS, AND WE GREATLY APPRECIATE THE

TIME YOU SPENT WITH THIS. WE WISH YOU CONTINUED SUCCESS AND GOOD HEALTH!