Joy Lab Podcast Henry Emmons, MD and Aimee Prasek, PhD

In this episode, we talk about the experience of coming off antidepressants. It's important to note that there is a serious lack of attention and research on antidepressant withdrawal compared to starting these medications. We'll talk about  the challenges of withdrawal symptoms, the importance of patient voices in healthcare research, and best practices for tapering off medications. We'll also touch on some natural ways to support the serotonin system during withdrawal, such as using supplements like 5-HTP. We hope this episode helps spread information about the realities of antidepressant withdrawal and that folks can have a more well-informed approach in collaboration with healthcare providers to navigate this process with less negative symptoms.
Joy Lab and Natural Mental Health are community-supported. When you buy through the links below, we may earn a commission. That support helps keep the Joy Lab podcast free for all!  
Sources and Notes:
Joy Lab Program: Take the next leap in your wellbeing journey with step-by-step practices to help you build and maintain the elements of joy in your life. Your Joy Lab membership also includes our NMH Community!
NMH Community: Access lots of extra resilience-boosting resources AND join a group of inspiring folks who play an integral role in keeping this podcast going.
Many of our serotonin-supporting resources and additional self-care strategies can be found in your Resilience Mini Course. If you don't have your Course yet, simply take the Free Resilience Quiz and then sign up for your free Mini Course to identify your mental health strengths and obstacles and take meaningful actions to support your resilience.
Gabrielle Calvocoressi's website.
Where to shop:
Our partner store at Fullscript: This is where you can find high-quality supplements and wellness products. Except for our CBD Gummies, any product links mentioned in the show notes below will require an account. Sign up for free.
Resilient Remedies: This is where you can find our line of trusted, high-quality CBD gummies.
Davies, J., & Read, J. (2019). A systematic review into the incidence, severity and duration of antidepressant withdrawal effects: Are guidelines evidence-based? Addictive behaviors, 97, 111–121.
Van Leeuwen E, et al. (2021). Approaches for discontinuation versus continuation of long‐term antidepressant use for depressive and anxiety disorders in adults. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2021.
Subscribe to our Newsletter: Join us over at NaturalMentalHealth.com for exclusive emails, updates, and additional strategies.
Check out our favorite resilience-boosting reads.
Full transcript here.
Please remember that this content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice and is not a replacement for advice and treatment from a medical professional. Please consult your doctor or other qualified health professional before beginning any diet change, supplement, or lifestyle program. Please see our terms for more information.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call the NAMI HelpLine: 1-800-950-6264 available Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. – 10 p.m., ET. OR text "HelpLine" to 62640 or email NAMI at helpline@nami.org. Visit NAMI for more. You can also call or text SAMHSA at 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.
 

We wanted to share this replay from several years ago, because it covers the concept of hope and its relationship with mental health really well. In this episode, we'll share how hope work with the help of traditional wisdom, neuroscience, and personal experiences. We'll also highlight what we call the "enemies of joy." These include brain imbalance, an unsettled mind, and the illusion of separation. As always, we'll also note the scientifically-backed benefits of being hopeful, which include better life satisfaction, a stronger sense of purpose, and higher possibility of achieving set goals.  
Joy Lab and Natural Mental Health are community-supported. When you buy through the links below, we may earn a commission. That support helps keeps the Joy Lab podcast free for all!  
Sources and Notes:
Resilience Quiz and free Mini-Course: Based on decades of clinical experience, we've created a model of resilience that is both helpful and practical. True to our approach at Natural Mental Health, we start with strengths. You'll identify these strengths in your Resilience Type. Your Resilience Type highlights your unique strengths, what fuels your joy, what keeps you in balance, and the lifestyle practices that most nourish you. After you find your Resilience Type, sign up for your free mini-course to receive tailored lifestyle practices (e.g., foods to eat more of, ideal forms of exercise, supplements, and mindfulness activities) that can support your mood, resilience, and overall wellbeing. Resilient Community: Access lots of extra resilience-boosting resources (like our Sleeping Well Workshop) AND you'll join a group of inspiring folks who play an integral role in keeping this podcast going... which means powerful resources stay accessible to everyone.   Joy Lab Program: Take the next leap in your wellbeing journey with step-by-step practices to help you build and maintain the elements of joy in your life. Subscribe to our Newsletter: Join us over at NaturalMentalHealth.com for exclusive emails, updates, and additional strategies. Check out our favorite resilience-boosting reads: https://bookshop.org/shop/NMHreads Where to shop: Our partner store at Fullscript: This is where you can find high-quality supplements and wellness products. Except for our CBD Gummies, any product links mentioned in the show notes below will require an account. Sign up for your free Fullscript account here: Resilient Remedies: This is where you can find our line of trusted, high-quality CBD gummies. Full transcript available here.
Please remember that this content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice and is not a replacement for advice and treatment from a medical professional. Please consult your doctor or other qualified health professional before beginning any diet change, supplement, or lifestyle program. Please see our terms for more information.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call the NAMI HelpLine: 1-800-950-6264 available Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. – 10 p.m., ET. OR text "HelpLine" to 62640 or email NAMI at helpline@nami.org. Visit NAMI for more. You can also call or text SAMHSA at 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.
  

In this episode of the Joy Lab podcast, we're diving into the science and soul of 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), a supplement known for supporting mood through its role in serotonin production. We'll cover the basics of 5-HTP and its role in depression and anxiety along with the complex nature of depression and how 5-HTP might play a role in supporting mood (yeah, we'll even touch on the controversial serotonin hypothesis- we see you psychology and biology nerds!) Of course, since many of us want to know if supplementing with 5-HTP is helpful, we'll talk about the importance of quality in supplements, potential risks of serotonin syndrome, common 5-HTP dosages, and the nuanced approach needed when considering 5-HTP as part of mental health support.
 
Joy Lab and Natural Mental Health are community-supported. When you buy through the links below, we may earn a commission. That support helps keeps the Joy Lab podcast free for all!  
Sources & Notes:
Free Resilience Quiz and free Mini-Course: Take our Free Resilience Quiz and then sign up for your free Mini-Course to identify your mental health strengths and obstacles and take meaningful actions to support your resilience. Supplements noted (see where to shop below): NeuroMood Pure Pack (this is our favorite mood-supporting packet that includes vitamins, minerals, EFAs, curcumin, and amino acids [with 50 mg 5-HTP]) NeuroCalm (a blend that includes 5-HTP to support production of calming neurotransmitters)  Liposomal NeuroCalm (same as above, just liposomal delivery) CereVive (includes amino acid precursors and bioactive nutrients that support healthy levels of neurotransmitters) Cerenity (comprehensive formula designed to address daily stress by increasing the production of the calming neurotransmitters serotonin and gamma-amino butyric acid) Cerenity PM (an alternative if sleep is also an issue) 5-HTP Synergy (this can be a good option for those who do not want a product that includes additional ingredients) Where to shop: Our partner store at Fullscript: This is where you can find high-quality supplements and wellness products. Except for our CBD Gummies, any product links mentioned in the show notes below will require an account. Sign up for your free Fullscript account. Resilient Remedies: This is where you can find our line of trusted, high-quality CBD gummies: https://www.resilientremedies.com/ Read more at the NMH blog: 5-HTP for Anxiousness  Joy Lab Program: Take the next leap in your wellbeing journey with step-by-step practices to help you build and maintain the elements of joy in your life. Your Joy Lab membership also includes our NMH Community! NMH Community: Access lots of extra resilience-boosting resources AND join a group of inspiring folks who play an integral role in keeping this podcast going.  Blaze J. (2021). A Comparison of Current Regulatory Frameworks for Nutraceuticals in Australia, Canada, Japan, and the United States. Innovations in pharmacy, 12(2), 10.24926/iip.v12i2.3694. https://doi.org/10.24926/iip.v12i2.3694 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8326690/  Lacasse, J. R., & Leo, J. (2005). Serotonin and depression: a disconnect between the advertisements and the scientific literature. PLoS medicine, 2(12), e392. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0020392  Joy Lab Podcast #127: Lithium Orotate & Lithium Carbonate Subscribe to our Newsletter: Join us at NaturalMentalHealth.com for exclusive emails, updates, and additional strategies. “We are not our trauma. We are not our brain chemistry. That’s part of who we are, but we’re so much more than that.” Sam Miller (visit their website). Check out our favorite resilience-boosting reads at Bookshop.org Full transcript here.
This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice and is not a replacement for advice and treatment from a medical professional. Consult your doctor or other qualified health

In this episode of the Joy Lab podcast we explore the concept of hope as a crucial element of joy. We're offering an 'outside in' approach to hope in this episode, suggesting that by fostering hope for the world around us, we can boost our own hope, resilience, and personal growth. There are lots of nuggets to take away from this episode as we dig into topics like learned helplessness; learned hopefulness; the relationship between optimism, pessimism, and hope; and why hope and toxic positivity are not at all the same thing. We'll get into practical insights to help us all tap into the hope that already exists around us and within us.
Joy Lab and Natural Mental Health are community-supported. When you buy through the links below, we may earn a commission. That support helps keeps the Joy Lab podcast free for all!  
Sources and Notes:
Joy Lab Program: Take the next leap in your wellbeing journey with step-by-step practices to help you build and maintain the elements of joy in your life. Your Joy Lab membership also includes our NMH Community! NMH Community: Access lots of extra resilience-boosting resources AND join a group of inspiring folks who play an integral role in keeping this podcast going. Free Resilience Quiz and free Mini-Course: Take our Free Resilience Quiz and then sign up for your free Mini-Course to identify your mental health strengths and obstacles and take meaningful actions to support your resilience. More on temperament: JL #134: You're Wired for Resilience Dr. Tali Sharot at the Affective Brain Lab Article: "The World Really Is Getting Better" Where to shop: Our partner store, Fullscript: This is where you can find high-quality supplements and wellness products. Except for our CBD Gummies, any product links mentioned in the show notes below will require an account. Sign up for free. Resilient Remedies: This is where you can find our line of trusted, high-quality CBD gummies. Subscribe to our Newsletter: Join us over at NaturalMentalHealth.com for exclusive emails, updates, and additional strategies. Check out our favorite resilience-boosting reads at Bookshop.org. Full transcript available here.
Please remember that this content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice and is not a replacement for advice and treatment from a medical professional. Please consult your doctor or other qualified health professional before beginning any diet change, supplement, or lifestyle program. Please see our terms for more information.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call the NAMI HelpLine: 1-800-950-6264 available Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. – 10 p.m., ET. OR text "HelpLine" to 62640 or email NAMI at helpline@nami.org. Visit NAMI for more. You can also call or text SAMHSA at 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.

It can be hard to make healthy changes. And there's no shortage of advice on what to change and how to change. In this episode, we dig into why change can be hard and how to make the process a bit easier. We'll talk about the nuances of external and internal motivators in behavior change, distinguishing between external (extrinsic) motivators, which stem from outside forces, and internal (intrinsic) motivators, which arise from our personal desires or values. The short story is that external motivators can be effective in the short term, especially for routine or necessity-driven tasks, but they often fall short in fostering lasting behavioral changes that contribute to wellbeing. We'll share some insights into human biology, including our evolutionary drives and the principle of homeostasis, while also touching on the significance of self-acceptance and self-compassion in nurturing internal motivation. 
Joy Lab and Natural Mental Health are community-supported. When you buy through the links below, we may earn a commission. That support helps keeps the Joy Lab podcast free for all!  
Sources & Notes:
Joy Lab Program: Take the next leap in your wellbeing journey with step-by-step practices to help you build and maintain the elements of joy in your life. Your Joy Lab membership also includes our NMH Community! NMH Community: Access lots of extra resilience-boosting resources (like our Sleeping Well Workshop) AND you'll join a group of inspiring folks who play an integral role in keeping this podcast going... which means powerful resources stay accessible to everyone.  Free Resilience Quiz & free Mini-Course: Based on decades of clinical experience, we've created a model of resilience that is both helpful and practical. True to our approach at Natural Mental Health, we start with strengths. You'll identify these strengths in your Resilience Type. Your Resilience Type highlights your unique strengths, what fuels your joy, what keeps you in balance, and the lifestyle practices that most nourish you. After you find your Resilience Type, sign up for your free mini-course to receive tailored lifestyle practices that can support your mood, resilience, and overall wellbeing. Ladapo, J. A., Orstad, S. L., Wali, S., et al. (2023). Effectiveness of Goal-Directed and Outcome-Based Financial Incentives for Weight Loss in Primary Care Patients With Obesity Living in Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Neighborhoods: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Intern Med, 183(1), 61–69. Access. Murayama, K., Kitagami, S., Tanaka, A. and Raw, J. (2016). People’s naiveté about how extrinsic rewards influence intrinsic motivation. Motivation Science, 2 (3), 138-142. Access. Volpp, K. G., John, L. K., Troxel, A. B., Norton, L., Fassbender, J., Loewenstein, G. (2008). Financial Incentive–Based Approaches for Weight Loss: A Randomized Trial. JAMA, 300(22), 2631–2637. Access. Where to shop: Our partner store at Fullscript: Find high-quality supplements and wellness products. Except for our CBD Gummies, any product links mentioned in the show notes below will require an account. Sign up for your free Fullscript account. Resilient Remedies: This is where you can find our line of trusted, high-quality CBD gummies. Subscribe to our Newsletter: Join us for exclusive emails, updates, and additional strategies. Our favorite resilience-boosting reads at Bookshop.org Full transcript available here.
Please remember that this content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice and is not a replacement for advice and treatment from a medical professional. Please consult your doctor or other qualified health professional before beginning any diet change, supplement, or lifestyle program. Please see our terms for more information.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call the NAMI HelpLine: 1-800-950-6264 available Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.,

In this episode, we're working on our element Hope... and resilience as well! We're still adventuring through The Roots of Resilience (laid out in one of Dr. Emmons book, The Chemistry of Calm). We're talking about the seventh and final root, "Creating Deep Connections" and how those connections are essential for our resilience and hope. And fear not, introverts. This root doesn't mean you need to to make a boatload of friends. Instead, we're looking at how connection and belonging are essential for our mental health. That means one of the most important shifts you can make is to wake up from the illusion of separation and replace it with an awareness of unity. We'll talk about practical ways to do that in this episode and why it matters so much for mental health.
Joy Lab and Natural Mental Health are community-supported. When you buy through the links below, we may earn a commission. That support helps keep the Joy Lab podcast free for all! 
Sources and Notes:
Joy Lab Program: Take the next leap in your wellbeing journey with step-by-step practices to help you build and maintain the elements of joy in your life. Your Joy Lab membership also includes our NMH Community! NMH Community: Access lots of extra resilience-boosting resources (like our Sleeping Well Workshop) & you'll join a group of inspiring folks who play an integral role in keeping this podcast going... which means powerful resources stay accessible to everyone.  Free Resilience Quiz and free Mini-Course: Based on decades of clinical experience, we've created a model of resilience that is both helpful and practical. True to our approach at Natural Mental Health, we start with strengths. You'll identify these strengths in your Resilience Type, which highlights what fuels your joy, keeps you in balance, and the lifestyle practices that most nourish you. Sign up for your free mini-course to receive tailored lifestyle practices that can support your mood, resilience, and overall wellbeing. Chemistry of Calm (Dr. Emmons' book referenced in this series) Dr. Lou Cozolino's website and books A moral act, elevation, and prosocial behavior: Moderators of morality (Thomson & Siegel study) The Effects of Mindfulness Meditation on Hope and Stress The role of Hope in subsequent health and well-being for older adults: An outcome-wide longitudinal approach Hopelessness and Risk of Mortality and Incidence of Myocardial Infarction and Cancer Where to shop: Our partner store at Fullscript: This is where you can find high-quality supplements and wellness products. Except for our CBD Gummies, any product links mentioned in the show notes below will require an account. Sign up for your free Fullscript account. Resilient Remedies: This is where you can find our line of trusted, high-quality CBD gummies. Subscribe to our Newsletter: Join us over at NaturalMentalHealth.com for exclusive emails, updates, and additional strategies. Check out our favorite resilience-boosting reads at Bookshop.org. Full transcript available here.
Please remember that this content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice and is not a replacement for advice and treatment from a medical professional. Please consult your doctor or other qualified health professional before beginning any diet change, supplement, or lifestyle program. Please see our terms for more information.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call the NAMI HelpLine: 1-800-950-6264 available Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. – 10 p.m., ET. OR text "HelpLine" to 62640 or email NAMI at helpline@nami.org. Visit NAMI for more. You can also call or text SAMHSA at 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.