Dr. Christina Bjorndal has experienced many mental challenges and through her journey of recovery from anxiety, depression, suicide attempts, bulimia and bipolar disorder type 1, journaling has been a trusted friend guiding her to mental, emotional freedom. The art of writing in a journal can be savings grace and it can serve many purposes. Journalling is a gift you give to yourself. The act of writing--putting pen to paper--is a dying art, a dwindling practice displaced by technology. My hope is that the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of yourself will receive the best medicine as you fill these pages. I wish you relaxation, comfort, solace, compassion and wisdom.
Companion to Beyond the Label: 10 Steps to Improve Your Mental Health with Naturopathic Medicine (9780994802002).
Dr. Christina Bjorndal is a licensed Naturopathic Doctor. A graduate of the University of British Columbia and the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (CCNM), she is the owner of the Natural Terrain Naturopathic Clinic, a multidisciplinary health clinic in Edmonton, Alberta. In clinical practice, her focus is on mental health - anxiety, depression, anorexia, bulimia, bipolar disorder (types 1 or 2), addiction, schizophrenia, ADD/ADHD, OCD, etc and she utilizes nutrition, natural therapies and orthomolecular medicine to support the physical foundation of health. She has additional training in five types of counselling (Gestalt psychotherapy, Cognitive Behavioural therapy, Compassion focussed therapy, Mindfulness based therapy and Integrative reprogramming technique) as she feels that in addition to supporting the physical level of health with diet and nutrition, it is important to address the mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of health as well. Dr. Chris is passionate about mental health and well-being and has appeared on many podcasts and television, and is a sought after public speaker where she shares her story of regaining her mental health using naturopathic medicine. Dr.Chris's vulnerability, enthusiasm and experience inspires her patients to achieve their health goals.
Dr. Chris is the author of Beyond the Label: 10 Steps to Improve your Mental Health with Naturopathic Medicine; Moving Beyond: A Journal into Self-Discovery and creator of the Moving Beyond course. 10% of the proceeds from all her books goes towards the Natural Terrain Mental Health Scholarship at CCNM. For more information please see: naturalterrain.com
About the Author: While I was doing my undergraduate degree, I experienced a debilitating depression and anxiety which was very difficult to treat. I also had an eating disorder and was not coping with the stress I was under at that time. Like most people, I had not heard about Naturopathic medicine or Orthomolecular medicine, so I was treated with medications that were not effective. After surviving a suicide attempt (which left me in a coma, on dialysis waiting for a kidney transplant), I finally began the healing process after reading a book called " A Return to Love" by Marianne Williamson. Up until this point I was living with the shame and stigma of having a mental illness and I had not accepted myself. Since reading that book, I have spent over 20 years learning to accept and understand myself & my diagnosis with the help of many types of practitioners and have found more natural ways to treat mental "dis-ease." The sole reason I became a Naturopathic Doctor was because when I was struggling with my illness there weren't many natural experts in the field. After attending the Orthomolecular Medicine Society's Mental Health Regained Public Forum in 1999, I became a patient of Dr. Abram Hoffer's and experienced my first depression free year in 13 years. I also made some major life changes, such as resigning from my job as Head of Marketing in a global investment management firm where I reported to the CEO and travelled frequently and I began the process of inquiry into what I really wanted to be doing with my life. After sitting with the question "If money didn't matter, what would I be doing?" the answer revealed itself to me in a tiny whisper " Become a Naturopathic Doctor and help people heal from anxiety, depression, anorexia, bulimia, bipolar disorder (types 1 or 2), addiction, ADD/ADHD, OCD, etc using natural therapies and orthomolecular medicine." If you are recently diagnosed with a mental illness or any illness that has left you struggling, please accept my helping hand and let me guide you to optimum health by teaching you how the "8 health pillars" - stress, sleep, exercise, nutrition & supplementation, thought processes, emotions, your environment, and spirituality - are important in your overall wellbeing. Have faith that you can get well. I believe you can and I wish you all the joy there is to be found on the healing journey. Let love for yourself always be your guide.
