Glossary: Integrative Medicine and Nutrition

Of or relating to the physical world and not the spiritual world; not religious.

 A nervine taken to promote sleep and relaxation. Common sedative herbs include California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica Cham.), Hops (Humulus lupulus L.) and Valerian (Valeriana officinalis L.).

A class of compounds that inhibit the reuptake of serotonin and are used to treat depression, anxiety, and some personality disorders.

Refers to any of a number of techniques used to regulate the interaction between the body and the mind. Often refers to affective self-regulation or psychophysiological self-regulation.

A method developed by Pat Ogden that integrates sensorimotor processing with cognitive and emotional processing to treat trauma.

A neurotransmitter that regulates mood, sleep, learning, and constriction of blood vessels. Low levels of serotonin have been connected to depression.

Set refers to the personality, state, and expectations; setting refers to the environment in which the session takes place. Refers to the use of psychedelic therapy.

The upright staff of the caduceus (or Staff of Hermes) that represents the central channel of Hindu esoteric anatomy correlated with the spinal cord and the flow of cerebrospinal energy. Represents the energetic third principle that mediates the polarities of ida and pingala.

A form of consciously shared psychophysioenergetic interpersonal synchrony that is cultivated and directed for the purpose of helping someone to heal.

A form of trauma therapy developed by Peter Levine that emphasizes guiding the client's attention to interoceptive, kinesthetic, and proprioceptive experience.

The effects of the body on the mind, as opposed to psychosomatic, which refers to the mind’s effect on the body.

A substance or drug used to induce sleep.

Having a subjective experience of a sacred dimension. This also refers to the deepest values and meanings by which people live, often in a context separate from organized religious institutions.

An involuntary reflex in reaction to an unexpected stimulus such as a loud noise that occurs in PTSD.

Learning that takes place in one state of consciousness and is stored in that state of consciousness, which later can be accessed only when in that same state.