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Interview with Dr. Josh Friedman - Integrative Psychotherapy of Omaha

Conducted by Sue Westwind 

How does a psychologist trained in psychoanalysis find his way to incorporating nutrition and Functional Medicine - in the middle of the heartland, no less?

Our daughter was born with a very rare gastrointestinal defect-the whole gastro system develops outside the body in utero. In the first three years of her life while we were still living in New York we were heavily involved in Daisy's allopathic medical care but also pursued many alternative healers for her. She had regular acupuncture, cranial sacral, homeopathy, and holistic nutrition. She got so much out of those treatments which I believe prepared her for how well she did when it came to having a transplant. I saw from that experience how much was missing from the allopathic model and realized the importance of being integrative.

And then...on to Omaha, Nebraska!

Well, oddly enough the top gastrointestinal specialists in the country that could help her were in Omaha. But something else happened during my internship at a prestigious eating-disorders clinic. My wife became a patient of a chiropractor into "biochemical nutrition." He told me that the reason my clients with eating disorders weren't getting well is because they're not getting enough protein, so there are no amino acids there to work with. I went to my supervising analysts at the eating disorders clinic with this information and they just looked at me. I was training with the best in the business, and they simply didn't care.

But you delved into it further. I wonder why some practitioners are willing to peer beyond "the way we've always done it" and others are not?

The paradigm shift required is just too large. I come at it from this angle: what do we do about our treatment failures? What can we add to make treatment better?  I think we need to ask ourselves: are there underlying biochemical causes that affect mental health? The answer is a resounding yes.

So how would you define Nutritional Psychology? You state that you integrate depth psychology with nutritional counseling. How do you jump from one to the other? 

Of course this depends on the individual.

I like to see what emerges as we go. Because of individual differences, my process is not streamlined. Some are already seeing therapists, and are referred to me to talk about nutrition. So we talk about food, meal to meal. Adding foods like protein, decreasing caffeine and soda pop, learning to cook for themselves. I give my clients a booklet I've written that summarizes what I've found to be the best diet for mental health, drawn from 10-15 sources. Next we're usually onto the amino acids.

It's very fluid. One session you might be talking about healing foods, the next family dynamics, perhaps energy psychology techniques like EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), or yoga and meditation. I'm a big fan of yoga and meditation.

Julia Ross and her work on amino acids was one of your biggest influences as well?

Definitely. What I love about Julia Ross is that she's a therapist, she speaks human. She can take complex subjects and translate them beautifully.  Amino acids...supplements that work directly on neurotransmitters, those chemicals in the brain that transport information from nerve ending to nerve ending.  Amino acids are effective at raising and balancing levels to where they should be...and make us feel good.

 Another one of my mentors is Charley Gant (Charles Gant, M.D., integrative practitioner for 35 years, who treats underlying causes of mental illness and has authored several publications). He heads The Academy for Functional Medicine. He told me that after a while of treating people with amino acids, you could walk into an AA meeting, look around and listen and tell who's low in serotonin, who needs GABA, and so on. The amino acids can have a quick effect. You give someone tryptophan and they have their first good night's sleep in a long time...it's very convincing.

What else do you find effective for healing?

I also use a technique called LENS, Low Energy Neurofeedback System. It's really the cutting edge of neurofeedback. The old style trains the brain into optimal patterns. LENS posits that the brain gets stuck in dysfunctional patterns, and it opens people up and brings them to a new resting place. It's highly intuitive to use, and out of 5-10 minutes on the machine, the actual treatment might last 1-7 seconds. You could call it homeopathic ECT.

What's it like to be an integrative practitioner in a conservative land like Nebraska? Are you a lonely maverick?

Not at all. In New York, I never opened my mouth - I was young and in training. I remember once during my internship I taught an eating disorders client how to meditate and it really helped her. I shared this with my supervisor who literally looked down her nose and said, "We don't teach people to meditate, we analyze." And I remember just kind of shutting down at that moment and thinking, "I'm not going to be one of them. Now what?"

Then I came to Omaha where, when I arrived, there were three acupuncturists and a very few other folks skirting the edge of holistic health. I started lecturing, and somehow became the go-to person for complex and treatment-resistant cases. I have been able to find a voice in Nebraska.

What would you say to a new practitioner of integrative mental health as they prepare to hang out a shingle?

Take full hold of what you've learned, but be open to complementary and alternative medicine. Recognize that mind is connected to body and that imbalances occur. I don't prescribe.  I see myself as providing information for the decisions a person will make about their mental health needs. Yes, it's hard to get organized training, especially without a mentor. A lot of your learning will be trial and error. Be a good student. If we're not courageous, who will do it? For me, this constant process of study and learning is how I have fun! 

To Learn more about Dr. Friedman, please visit his website, Omaha Mind, and find him on Facebook .