CAM and Mental Health- Syllabus

Instructor Course Overview

Natalya Voyer Welcome to CAM and Mental Health! In this course, you will learn about the use of
complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to treat and prevent mental health
problems. We will be learning about meditation, herbs/supplements, and yoga. This
Email
class is designed to get you thinking not only on how you would assist your future
natalyavoyer@gmail.com clients as mental health professionals, but also ways to help manage your own mental
health and wellness.

Course Objectives

-Increase knowledge of alternative methods for treating mental health

-Define meditation

-Describe the benefits of meditation, and know how to practice it

-Identify herbs & supplements that aid in mental health

-Distinguish between types of yoga, and be able to identify the benefits of yoga

Course Schedule

Day Subject
Day 1 Meditation
Day 2 Herbs and
Supplements
Day 3 Yoga

Readings & References

Day 1- Meditation

Ted Talk. [Tedx Talks]. 2012, January 23. How Meditation Can Reshape Our Brains:
Sara Lazar at TEDxCambridge 2011. [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8rRzTtP7Tc

Lazar, S. W., Kerr, C. E., Wasserman, R. H., Gray, J. R., Greve, D. N., Treadway,
M. T., McGarvey, M., Quinn, B. T., Dusek, J. A., Benson, H., Rauch, S. L., Moore,
C. I., & Fischl, B. (2005). Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical
thickness. Neuroreport, 16(17), 1893–1897.
https://doi.org/10.1097/01.wnr.0000186598.66243.19

Inner Health Studio. (2018). Beginner’s Breathing Meditation: Free Relaxation

Script. Retrieved from https://www.innerhealthstudio.com/breathing-meditation.html

Day 2- Herbs & Supplements

Penn State Hershey Medical Center. (2015, June 11). Herbal Medicine. Retrieved
from http://pennstatehershey.adam.com/content.aspx?productid=107

Collingwood, J. (2018, October 08). Natural and Herbal Supplements for Common
Mental Disorders. Retrieved from https://psychcentral.com/lib/natural-and-herbal-
supplements-for-common-mental-disorders/

RC Psych. (2015). Complementary and alternative medicines: herbal remedies.

Retrieved from https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mental-health/treatments-and-
wellbeing/complementary-and-alternative-medicines

Bhattacharya, S. K., & Ghosal, S. (1998). Anxiolytic activity of a standardized

extract of Bacopa monniera: an experimental study. Phytomedicine : international
journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology, 5(2), 77–82.
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0944-7113(98)80001-9

Malsch, U., & Kieser, M. (2001). Efficacy of kava-kava in the treatment of non-
psychotic anxiety, following pretreatment with
benzodiazepines. Psychopharmacology, 157(3), 277–283.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s002130100792

Hausenblas, H. A., Saha, D., Dubyak, P. J., & Anton, S. D. (2013). Saffron (Crocus
sativus L.) and major depressive disorder: a meta-analysis of randomized clinical
trials. Journal of integrative medicine, 11(6), 377–383.
https://doi.org/10.3736/jintegrmed2013056

Day 3- Yoga

Hutchinson, T. (2019, January 24). 5 Ways Yoga Can Benefit Your Mental Health.
Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/silencing-your-inner-
bully/201901/5-ways-yoga-can-benefit-your-mental-health

Lake, J. (2019, April 05). Meditation and Yoga Can Reduce Symptoms of PTSD.
Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/integrative-mental-
health-care/201904/meditation-and-yoga-can-reduce-symptoms-ptsd

Gaiam. (2020). A Beginner's Guide to 8 Major Styles of Yoga. Retrieved from

https://www.gaiam.com/blogs/discover/a-beginners-guide-to-8-major-styles-of-yoga