Exploring the Mind Body Connection: An Interview with an M.D. about Bridging the Gaps Between Medical and Mental Realms
By Jordan Kurtz, MA, LPCC, Trauma and Relationship Therapist
Since becoming more immersed in trainings and supervision that direct my attention to how trauma manifests in the body, my curiosity regarding the relationship between our minds and bodies has piqued. To feed my curiosity further, I interviewed a now-retired pediatrician with over four decades serving the Denver community to explore what therapists can learn from doctors, and vice versa. To protect the confidentiality of their answers, this doctor requested to be left anonymous.
The Interview
Tell our readers a little bit about yourself as a medical professional and human being. What drew you the medical field, how long did you practice and in what areas did you specialize, and what are your personal passions?
I'm from a family with three sibs. We all pursued careers in human services: social work, adult education, special education, and counseling students and coaching in both high school and college. I was fascinated by my pediatrician who made house calls in 1951 and shared many tales with me, as a nine year old, about medicine. My undergraduate, medical school and pediatric training were completed in 10 years, with an additional two year stint in the Army during Vietnam. I was then in private pediatric practice for 44 years. My personal practice goals were to treat the whole patient, offering loving routine well care that extended into early adult life. I had a special interest in education and mentored medical student trainees, physician assistants and pediatric nurse practitioners. I further became involved in treating behavioral issues, especially ADD. Now that I have retired, I like to garden when the seasons permit, walk at Washington Park, and chat with all ages about varied topics.
What role does mental health play in our physical health, and vice versa?
I think there are few, if any, medical situations that aren’t affected by our mental health. There is more and more evidence that mental health impacts our immune system especially- when it is out of whack, we heal more slowly and injuries are less likely to repair if one’s mental health doesn’t allow for or fortify activity and/or physical therapy.
With time, medical literature has started to document incidences of the numbers of cases of illness and disease with isolation, stress, physical injury affecting wellbeing; this has not always been the case. Much more attention and dedication is needed to explore and emphasize this relationship to create more holistic approaches to wellbeing and minimize stigma.
How would you define "mind-body" connection? Why is it important and how can we improve it?
I would define mind-body connection as self-recognition of thoughts/feelings that trigger physical body reactions, strength and endurance. A fascinating study was done by the Navy looking at illness and injuries in recruits on an aircraft carrier. Recruits who came from unstable homes, had illness within the family, and reported stress and interpersonal issues suffered way more illnesses than peers, took longer to recover and often had complications such as preventable accidents and injuries. This speaks to the importance of tuning into things that are taxing us mentally so our bodies do not suffer, and vice versa.
What is the relationship like between the medical institution and psychiatric institution today versus when you began practicing? What communication is still needed between both disciplines?
Early in my training, medical training and mental health training were very separate. There was a paucity of time spent in exposure and training in mental health; from what I can recall, maybe 15 hours at most. Knowledge and explanation for many medical conditions were put in the "psychosomatic" bucket without further probing or engaging with the patient, and over time experience and research have come to debunk those initial theories (i.e. “hysteria” diagnosed in women in the 18th and 19th centuries).
A huge problem present then and now was finding good patient and provider relationships. This was complicated by: poor insurance coverage, not enough providers, and a lack of willingness of parent (and/or patient) to use the resource. Unfortunately, charlatans and opportunists jumped into this gap and altered the referral system to serve capitalistic whims or offer the “magic bullet”- many methods of which lacked empirical backing (such as “Rolfing”). Problematically so, some of the advertisers are medical providers themselves.
A huge issue in communication between disciplines relates to the phenomenon of “privileged information". Without releases of information (ROIs) as a liaison between providers and patients, many therapists have no knowledge of the diagnosis or dialogue between medical provider and patient. Care of the client should always be a team effort. Unfortunately, many medical providers "dump" their patients with mental health issues rather than initiating communication with a mental health provider.
What is the importance of patients communicating with their primary care providers mental health symptoms?
Patients need to lean in with their provider, and providers need to offer the opportunity to do so. I think short questionnaires and asking pointed questions needs to be included in visits to generate patient comfort about discussions regarding mental health and ideally, creating an environment of comfort where the patient feels there is time and safety to ask. In situations where the patient presents with mental health concerns, an additional appointment could be beneficial to elaborate on symptoms more thoroughly.
What can therapists learn from MDs that would benefit their care for clients?
Therapists should attempt to learn - in depth - information that relates to their patient’s physical complaints and medical history. This catalyzes empathy about the realities of things like chronic disease, generational passing of patterns of injuries and pain, and the effects of the interplay of drugs, alcohol and treatment medications.
How Work in Therapy can Integrate Physical Wellbeing
Noticing how emotions translate to physical sensations in your body
Grounding techniques that facilitate safety in the present moment
Exploring the impact of generational trauma and predispositions that can be passed genetically and behaviorally
Practicing stress and anger regulation techniques in response to bodily cues
Meet the Interviewer
Jordan Kurtz (she/her) is a trauma and relationship therapist at CZTG who focuses on therapy for grief, trauma, adolescence, and couples. Jordan is authentic, warm, and affirming of her clients’ identities and experiences.
If you’d like to connect with Jordan to learn more about what it would be like to work together, feel free to reach out for a free consultation.