PsychFit Workouts Retrain the Brain to Combat Eating Disorders, Addictions, Depression
Innovative Approach Combines Psychotherapy with Fitness Training
(Washington, DC ) Why simply talk about your personal problems, when you can get up right now and actually do something about them?
That’s the question asked by Washington, D.C., psychotherapist Jane Baxter-Cibel, Ph.D., C.P.T., developer of an innovative new approach to psychotherapy called PsychFit.
“PsychFit retrains our brains the same way exercise retrains and strengthens our bodies,” Baxter-Cibel explained. Instead of lying on a therapist’s couch, PsychFit patients work out their problems while they work out on a treadmill and do slow-motion weight training.
PsychFit has already proven effective in the treatment of addictions and eating disorders like anorexia, bulimia and binge eating, Baxter-Cibel said. It has the potential to help millions of Americans suffering from depression, anxiety, even a newly recognized “inactivity epidemic” called Sedentary Death Syndrome (SeDS), which may contribute to the premature deaths of an estimated 250,000 Americans annually.
By conducting traditional psychotherapy during exercise and physical fitness coaching, PsychFit improves cognitive functioning at the same time it builds muscle. “It repairs habitual negative and self-sabotaging thinking, which feeds depression and drives self-destructive behaviors,” said Baxter-Cibel.
The workout, which emphasizes cardio and slow-motion weight training, improves mood, generates positive emotions and reinforces positive behaviors. It increases levels of dopamine, serotonin and other neurotransmitters. These are the same brain chemicals affected by antidepressant medications like Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft.
“The patient’s physical accomplishments and improved appearance quickly correct their pessimistic, negative thinking. They see for themselves that they really are capable of self-improvement,” Baxter-Cibel said.
In addition to earning her Ph.D. in Clinical Social Work from the University of Maryland, Baxter-Cibel is a Certified Personal Trainer and sports nutritionist. Her integrated approach to healing both mind and body is supported by the latest neuroscientific research.
The importance of exercise is echoed by leading medical experts. “We need to get doctors to prescribe exercise more, and we need to get patients to follow that advice,” said American Medical Association president Ronald M. Davis. Robert Sallis, president of the American College of Sports Medicine, said physicians “have a moral responsibility to inform patients of the danger of inactivity and the health benefits of being more active.”