228 SelfWork: What's Up With Your Gut and Depression?
The SelfWork Podcast
Margaret Robinson Rutherford PhD
4.8 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 23 April 2021
⏱️ 24 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Today we’re going to focus on your gut – and how recent research is finding that it may have more to do with depression and anxiety than realized in the past. Believe it or not, there’s a second independent nervous system in your body called the enteric nervous system, located in your gut. And it constantly communicates with the brain through the vagus nerve. Certainly puts a different perspective on having a “gut” feeling… or “having butterflies”…
We’ll also focus on half a dozen things you can do to stimulate the vagus nerve which (somewhat contradictorily sounding) slows down your heart rate and calms you down. We'll talk about some fascinating things for this 228th episode of SelfWork, one sponsored by Athletic Greens.
Our listener email today is from someone who says that her mom laid a big guilt trip on her when she was a child.. and now she guilts herself for everything and far too readily feels guilty for too many things. She wants to know what she can do about!
Important Links:
Click this link to try Athletic Greens wonderful offer as a SelfWork Listener!
Understanding the autonomic nervous system
Johns Hopkins article on the brain gut connection
Role of gut bacteria in anxiety and depression
Science Magazine article on gut bacteria
Six ways to calm your vagus nerve
You can hear more about mental health and many other topics by listening to my podcast, SelfWork with Dr. Margaret Rutherford. Subscribe to my website and receive one weekly newsletter including my weekly blog post and podcast! If you’d like to join my FaceBook closed group, then click here and answer the membership questions! Welcome!
My book entitled Perfectly Hidden Depression has arrived and you can order here! Its message is specifically for those with a struggle with strong perfectionism or need for control which acts to mask underlying emotional pain. But the many self-help techniques described can be used by everyone who chooses to begin to address emotions, long hidden away, that are clouding and sabotaging your current life.
And there’s a new way to send me a message! You can record by clicking below and ask your question or make a comment. You’ll have 90 seconds to do so and that time goes quickly. By recording, you’re giving SelfWork (and me) permission to use your voice on the podcast. I’ll look forward to hearing from you!
Our Sponsors: * Check out BetterHelp and use my code betterhelp.com for a great deal: https://www.betterhelp.com Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is Selfwork, and I'm Dr. Margaret Rutherford. |
| 0:14.1 | At Selfwork, we'll discuss psychological and emotional issues common in today's world |
| 0:19.0 | and what to do about them. |
| 0:20.4 | I'm Dr. Margaret, and Selfwork is a podcast dedicated to you taking just a few minutes today |
| 0:26.2 | for your own Selfwork. |
| 0:29.8 | Hi, and welcome to Selfwork. |
| 0:31.6 | This is Dr. Margaret Rutherford. |
| 0:32.8 | I'm a clinical psychologist out of Favill, Arkansas, and I began this podcast over four |
| 0:37.4 | years ago now to extend the walls of my practice to those of you who might already be very interested |
| 0:42.8 | in psychological and emotional issues, maybe you're in therapy. |
| 0:46.3 | And to those of you also, who might just have been diagnosed with depression or anxiety |
| 0:51.4 | or you're having relationship problems that you really would love to run by a therapist, |
| 0:56.7 | but also to a third group of you. |
| 0:59.0 | Those of you who might be very wary of some therapist, say, I'd never darken the door |
| 1:04.2 | of somebody like that, but you're curious enough or you're struggling enough to listen |
| 1:09.8 | to Selfwork. |
| 1:10.8 | So welcome to all of you. |
| 1:12.8 | Today, we're going to focus on your gut and how recent research is finding that it may |
| 1:17.4 | have more to do with depression and anxiety than was ever realized in the past. |
| 1:22.7 | Believe it or not, there's a second, somewhat independent nervous system in your body. |
| 1:27.8 | Not the autonomic nervous system, which we all learn about in high school, but this one's |
| 1:31.6 | called the enteric nervous system. |
... |
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