SHOW NOTES
Hope: Dr Gregory Jantz on the “whole person”
Dr. Gregory Jantz is a best-selling author and eating disorder specialist. With over 30 years experience in this field, he’s the Founder of The Center: A Place of HOPE in Washington.
His most recent book ‘Healing the Scars of Childhood Abuse’, explores the need for some adults to seek the ‘whys’ from their childhoods. He provides hope and useful tools for a happy, balanced life.
Dr Jantz has been featured across multiple national media outlets including CNN, FOX, ABC, and CBS, as he spreads his belief in the power of hope.
Piecing together the puzzle pieces
Dr Jantz’s ‘Whole Person’ philosophy believes that every angle of a person needs to be explored, from their diet to their thoughts and everything else in between. By working as team with other practitioners and specialists we can learn so much more about the person and they got to who they are today. According to Jantz, there’s no one person who decides how a patient should be treated.
When he can, he likes to include the patient’s family or close ones as part of the recovery program. “When a person comes back home, they’ve got to make that successful transition back home”. Having family engaging with dialogues is instrumental for a healthy return home.
Finding the ‘Aha’-moment
Dr Jantz first worked in the special needs section of a women’s prison, “the roughest and toughest group of women”. That’s when he set his mission to help people heal and live a happy life. One of the biggest ‘aha-moments’ for Dr Jantz’s patients are when they learn to forgive themselves, or the person that affected them.
This works for relationships too, “when an individual heals, it has a great effective on the healing of relationship”. If you can love, accept and forgive, you can grown in a healthy relationship. Dr Jantz has seen how letting go the need to be right, and be humble, makes a happy relationship.
He believes that through trusting God to give us wisdom, we have the power to move forward. He quotes from Jeremiah, that God’s plans are to “give you hope and a future”.
Looking to the future
A study from his center revealed that it takes a person on average seven years to finally seek support. Dr Jentz is a firm-believer that you have a choice to move on or stay in your current state of mind. The biggest regret his patient’s have are “I wish I sought help sooner”.
Dr Jantz has noticed some changes in the mental health industry over time. Namely, the development of brain science, and how it can help study depression and anxiety.
There’s also been a big leap in people exploring their faith and spirituality through counseling. Dr Jantz uncovers that ultimately we can use multiple techniques for recovery – it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach.
By 2020, WHO predicts that depression will be the biggest disease on the planet, superseding cancer. But the future is bright for Dr Jantz. He’s excited when he sees the people he’s worked with recover. Having experienced depression himself, he knows it’s fully possible.
You have the choice to live differently and develop healthy relationships. Through Jantz’s career to date, he’s seen some changes in mental health. It’s certainly a tough world to be living in today, but if we all focus on having healthy minds, the world is a much happier, safe and stable place.
If you are struggling with depression or anxiety, check out our episodes on “101 Ways to Cope with Anxiety and Depression.“
Some books by Dr. Jantz:
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