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Mind-Body Medicine: The New Science of Optimal Health
In recent decades, science has revealed that the mind and body are intimately connected in ways we haven’t previously realized—and this field of knowledge is now changing our understanding of health and disease. While it’s
easy to see that stress affects health and well-being, or that your blood pressure rises when you’re angry, cutting-edge research shows that the mind-body connection goes much further.
Numerous studies on the brain’s interaction with the body demonstrate that health is directly affected by our social environments, socioeconomic status, culture, behaviors, relationships, psychological states, and habits of mind, among many factors.
Current mind-body science reveals facts such as these:
As few as eight weeks of mindfulness meditation can meaningfully boost your immune system.
Extreme stress and low social support increase the risk of breast cancer by a factor of 9.
Contact with nature is correlated with numerous positive health outcomes, including improved attention for children, reduced stress, and enhanced work performance.
Chronic hostility portends calcification of the coronary arteries, even in young people.
Expressive writing by patients is correlated with improved outcomes for both asthma and rheumatoid arthritis.
Mind-body medicine—working in tandem with traditional medical practice—makes use of a large spectrum of psychological, physical, and behavioral treatments, drawn from many disciplines, in an approach to health care that aims to treat the whole person. It provides highly effective resources for preventing and treating a wide range of medical conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, stress, cancer, and depression—as well as for fostering the ultimate goals of health care: truly optimal and lasting physical health, and emotional and psychological well-being.
A knowledge of this exciting field offers you critical understanding of the state of the art of health care and a significant new direction in medicine. But beyond valuable knowledge, a grounding in mind-body medicine gives you numerous practical, empowering tools for your own health care, as well as that of your family—tools that can make a profound difference for healthful, vibrant living.
In Mind-Body Medicine: The New Science of Optimal Health, you’ll study this subject in compelling depth, with the expert guidance of Professor Jason M. Satterfield of the University of California, San Francisco. These 36 eye-opening lectures offer you a comprehensive overview of the field, providing rigorous answers to the questions of what makes us sick, what makes us well, and what we can do about it.
You’ll look closely at the anatomical and biological systems through which what is “outside” in the environment gets “inside” to affect our minds and bodies. You’ll also examine recent research on subjects ranging from the impact our emotions and psychology have on health to the crucial roles that social, cultural, and behavioral factors play. And you’ll learn about effective mind-body treatments for numerous common medical conditions and diseases.
Finally, you’ll finish the course with a toolbox of ideas and interventions for your personal wellness goals, empowering you to partner more effectively with your medical providers and maximize your own health.
A Remarkable New Context for Health Care
Professor Satterfield, a highly respected professor of clinical medicine and a specialist on the intersection of psychological factors and physical health, brings to the table his deep knowledge of mind-body science and extensive clinical experience in its application.
In the course’s opening, he introduces you to the model of “biopsychosocial medicine,” which looks at the relationship between biological, psychological, and social factors in health.
In studying how the biopsychosocial model is applied in modern medicine, you delve into these core subject areas:
Biological pathways:You first investigate the anatomy and physiology of four biological systems through which the “outside” gets “in.”
By reviewing a detailed study of the autonomic nervous system and the neuroendocrine system, discover how the brain activates the body’s two stress-response systems, and how these systems crucially affect health and well-being.
Learn also about the physiology of immune function and the effects of stress on immune response and healing.
Study the mechanisms of genetics as well as fascinating research indicating that your behavior can alter your genetic material, for better or worse—changes that can be passed on to future generations.
Psychological factors in health: In the course of nine lectures, you look in depth at the critical ways in which psychology affects the body.
Learn how negative emotional states such as anger and hostility can influence both the onset and progression of disease, and how positive emotions aid substantially in healing and wellness.
Study how cognition—the ways in which we think and process our experiences—affects emotional states and behavior. Drawing from cognitive and other behavioral therapies, learn effective techniques for reshaping thinking, emotions, and behavior.
Review evidence that certain personality types may be predisposed to conditions such as cardiovascular disease and depression, and learn how we can compensate for risk-carrying personality traits by working with cognitions and emotions.
Investigate the neuroscience of behavior and the important effects of our behaviors on both disease and disease prevention.
Look at stress as an integration of biological, cognitive, and social factors, and see how we can approach stress response and coping as a developmental skill.
Social and ecological factors: You also study the important effects on health of factors such as culture, identity, socioeconomic status, social support, communities, and public health policy.
Examine the studied correlations of income to health, education level to longevity, and ethnicity to susceptibility to disease, and consider how we can use this knowledge to benefit both individual and public health.
Review research linking social support to health in many medical conditions, such as heart disease, cancer, and pregnancy; and do a detailed assessment to evaluate and strengthen your own social support network.
Investigate how spiritual affiliations and practices have distinct physical benefits, such as reducing blood pressure, cortisol, and inflammation; improving lipid profiles and cardiovascular health; and extending life expectancy.
Assess how physical environments affect health, how national and local culture impacts health-related behaviors, and how public initiatives can create healthier behaviors, environments, and communities.
Tools and Strategies for Optimal Wellness
Building on the biopsychosocial model, you study mind-body treatments for common conditions such as cardiovascular disease, stress, cancer, obesity, chronic pain, depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Here, you learn about specific practices and interventions that you can use in your own health care program, such as these.
Stress management: For both personal and occupational stress, learn about a spectrum of stress management approaches, from cognitive restructuring and perspective shifting to meditation, breathing techniques, relaxation training, and the learnable skill of resilience.
Strategies for successful behavior change: With reference to concerns such as lifestyle change, weight management, and disease prevention, study the leading models of effective behavior change, as well as specific approaches such as the strategies of motivational interviewing, the four key elements of change, and the internal skills of self-regulation.
Heart disease—prevention and treatment: Survey psychosocial interventions for heart disease, including a range of behavior change approaches, stress and emotion management, somatic quieting, social connection, and dramatic evidence that cardiac disease can be reversed through lifestyle change.
Treatment of pain: Study mind-body factors in pain experience, and learn about treatments including cognitive and behavior change, acupuncture, mindfulness-based stress reduction, and biofeedback.
Fatigue, headaches, insomnia: Investigate the variety of medical conditions that show no clear organic cause, such as chronic fatigue, tension headaches, and sleep disorders; and review effective psychological, physical, and behavioral approaches to treatment.
Professor Satterfield’s teaching combines an extraordinary breadth of knowledge, clear and accessible explanations of the science involved, and a highly compassionate approach to patient care. He enriches the lectures with stories and case studies of patients in treatment for stress, heart conditions, insomnia, trauma, and other health challenges, showing you what mind-body medicine looks like in clinical practice and how you can integrate its lessons into your health program and daily life.
With the knowledge and tools you’ll learn in Mind-Body Medicine: The New Science of Optimal Health, you can begin your own biopsychosocial assessment, identify your strengths and challenges in partnership with your medical providers, and take authentic steps toward your fullest physical and mental wellness.
easy to see that stress affects health and well-being, or that your blood pressure rises when you’re angry, cutting-edge research shows that the mind-body connection goes much further.
Numerous studies on the brain’s interaction with the body demonstrate that health is directly affected by our social environments, socioeconomic status, culture, behaviors, relationships, psychological states, and habits of mind, among many factors.
Current mind-body science reveals facts such as these:
As few as eight weeks of mindfulness meditation can meaningfully boost your immune system.
Extreme stress and low social support increase the risk of breast cancer by a factor of 9.
Contact with nature is correlated with numerous positive health outcomes, including improved attention for children, reduced stress, and enhanced work performance.
Chronic hostility portends calcification of the coronary arteries, even in young people.
Expressive writing by patients is correlated with improved outcomes for both asthma and rheumatoid arthritis.
Mind-body medicine—working in tandem with traditional medical practice—makes use of a large spectrum of psychological, physical, and behavioral treatments, drawn from many disciplines, in an approach to health care that aims to treat the whole person. It provides highly effective resources for preventing and treating a wide range of medical conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, stress, cancer, and depression—as well as for fostering the ultimate goals of health care: truly optimal and lasting physical health, and emotional and psychological well-being.
A knowledge of this exciting field offers you critical understanding of the state of the art of health care and a significant new direction in medicine. But beyond valuable knowledge, a grounding in mind-body medicine gives you numerous practical, empowering tools for your own health care, as well as that of your family—tools that can make a profound difference for healthful, vibrant living.
In Mind-Body Medicine: The New Science of Optimal Health, you’ll study this subject in compelling depth, with the expert guidance of Professor Jason M. Satterfield of the University of California, San Francisco. These 36 eye-opening lectures offer you a comprehensive overview of the field, providing rigorous answers to the questions of what makes us sick, what makes us well, and what we can do about it.
You’ll look closely at the anatomical and biological systems through which what is “outside” in the environment gets “inside” to affect our minds and bodies. You’ll also examine recent research on subjects ranging from the impact our emotions and psychology have on health to the crucial roles that social, cultural, and behavioral factors play. And you’ll learn about effective mind-body treatments for numerous common medical conditions and diseases.
Finally, you’ll finish the course with a toolbox of ideas and interventions for your personal wellness goals, empowering you to partner more effectively with your medical providers and maximize your own health.
A Remarkable New Context for Health Care
Professor Satterfield, a highly respected professor of clinical medicine and a specialist on the intersection of psychological factors and physical health, brings to the table his deep knowledge of mind-body science and extensive clinical experience in its application.
In the course’s opening, he introduces you to the model of “biopsychosocial medicine,” which looks at the relationship between biological, psychological, and social factors in health.
In studying how the biopsychosocial model is applied in modern medicine, you delve into these core subject areas:
Biological pathways:You first investigate the anatomy and physiology of four biological systems through which the “outside” gets “in.”
By reviewing a detailed study of the autonomic nervous system and the neuroendocrine system, discover how the brain activates the body’s two stress-response systems, and how these systems crucially affect health and well-being.
Learn also about the physiology of immune function and the effects of stress on immune response and healing.
Study the mechanisms of genetics as well as fascinating research indicating that your behavior can alter your genetic material, for better or worse—changes that can be passed on to future generations.
Psychological factors in health: In the course of nine lectures, you look in depth at the critical ways in which psychology affects the body.
Learn how negative emotional states such as anger and hostility can influence both the onset and progression of disease, and how positive emotions aid substantially in healing and wellness.
Study how cognition—the ways in which we think and process our experiences—affects emotional states and behavior. Drawing from cognitive and other behavioral therapies, learn effective techniques for reshaping thinking, emotions, and behavior.
Review evidence that certain personality types may be predisposed to conditions such as cardiovascular disease and depression, and learn how we can compensate for risk-carrying personality traits by working with cognitions and emotions.
Investigate the neuroscience of behavior and the important effects of our behaviors on both disease and disease prevention.
Look at stress as an integration of biological, cognitive, and social factors, and see how we can approach stress response and coping as a developmental skill.
Social and ecological factors: You also study the important effects on health of factors such as culture, identity, socioeconomic status, social support, communities, and public health policy.
Examine the studied correlations of income to health, education level to longevity, and ethnicity to susceptibility to disease, and consider how we can use this knowledge to benefit both individual and public health.
Review research linking social support to health in many medical conditions, such as heart disease, cancer, and pregnancy; and do a detailed assessment to evaluate and strengthen your own social support network.
Investigate how spiritual affiliations and practices have distinct physical benefits, such as reducing blood pressure, cortisol, and inflammation; improving lipid profiles and cardiovascular health; and extending life expectancy.
Assess how physical environments affect health, how national and local culture impacts health-related behaviors, and how public initiatives can create healthier behaviors, environments, and communities.
Tools and Strategies for Optimal Wellness
Building on the biopsychosocial model, you study mind-body treatments for common conditions such as cardiovascular disease, stress, cancer, obesity, chronic pain, depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Here, you learn about specific practices and interventions that you can use in your own health care program, such as these.
Stress management: For both personal and occupational stress, learn about a spectrum of stress management approaches, from cognitive restructuring and perspective shifting to meditation, breathing techniques, relaxation training, and the learnable skill of resilience.
Strategies for successful behavior change: With reference to concerns such as lifestyle change, weight management, and disease prevention, study the leading models of effective behavior change, as well as specific approaches such as the strategies of motivational interviewing, the four key elements of change, and the internal skills of self-regulation.
Heart disease—prevention and treatment: Survey psychosocial interventions for heart disease, including a range of behavior change approaches, stress and emotion management, somatic quieting, social connection, and dramatic evidence that cardiac disease can be reversed through lifestyle change.
Treatment of pain: Study mind-body factors in pain experience, and learn about treatments including cognitive and behavior change, acupuncture, mindfulness-based stress reduction, and biofeedback.
Fatigue, headaches, insomnia: Investigate the variety of medical conditions that show no clear organic cause, such as chronic fatigue, tension headaches, and sleep disorders; and review effective psychological, physical, and behavioral approaches to treatment.
Professor Satterfield’s teaching combines an extraordinary breadth of knowledge, clear and accessible explanations of the science involved, and a highly compassionate approach to patient care. He enriches the lectures with stories and case studies of patients in treatment for stress, heart conditions, insomnia, trauma, and other health challenges, showing you what mind-body medicine looks like in clinical practice and how you can integrate its lessons into your health program and daily life.
With the knowledge and tools you’ll learn in Mind-Body Medicine: The New Science of Optimal Health, you can begin your own biopsychosocial assessment, identify your strengths and challenges in partnership with your medical providers, and take authentic steps toward your fullest physical and mental wellness.
19 pages, Audible Audio
First published January 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
November 3, 2016
I learned a great deal from this course. The Great Course series has become my new favorite for continuing ed.
February 9, 2021
An excellent and interesting presentation
October 19, 2023
Hard going to finish, a good refresher of a lot of my undergrad course from back in the day.
June 7, 2018
This book is great to explain what we know so far about mind body medecine, an aspect that is not taken into account in traditional medecine that looks only at the body health or the mind separately. It is amazing that there are already some studies that prove the link between the mind and the body. Like most of us, I have been educated that any psychosomatic symptoms are just in the mind therefore not a real health issue. I am now happy to learn that for those who have health issues, there are now some new solutions that work on their cognitions to resolve the issues and prevent them to occur.
May 21, 2021
These are audio / visual courses produced and distributed by the Teaching Company and taught by university professors and other experts. Many libraries carry them, but persons may also buy them as DVDs or streaming files from The Great Courses or stream them on demand from The Great Courses Plus.
This series about the mind-body connection includes 36 30-minute lectures about the mind-body connection and health. Though this course is now eight years old, I imagine only some details have changed. This is one of the most fascinating, well-organized, motivating courses I have taken from The Great Courses. In fact, I downloaded the app to my smartphone and listened to this series on my daily walks rather than music or other podcasts.
Dr. Satterfield focuses on three questions: What makes us sick? What makes us well? And what can we do about it?
The course covers much ground as you can see from this table of contents:
• Weaving the Biopsychosocial Braid
• Vital Signs—Defining Health and Illness
• Fight or Flight vs. Rest and Digest
• Simmering Soup—The Neuroendocrine System
• Deploying the Troops—Basic Immunology
• Nature vs. Nurture—Genes, Health, and Disease
• Forget Me Not—Cognitive Function
• Mind over Matter—Cognition in Everyday Life
• Emotions Revealed—Psychology of Emotions
• Agony and Ecstasy—Biology of Emotion
• What’s Your EQ, and How Can You Improve It?
• What’s Your Type? Personality and Health
• An Apple a Day—Behavior and Disease Prevention
• Staying on the Wagon—Making Changes That Last
• Ease the Burn—Modern-Day Stress and Coping
• The Iceberg—Visible and Hidden Identity
• Ties That Bind—Relationships and Health
• Building Bridges—Intimacy and Relationships
• Touched by Grace—Spirituality and Health
• A Matter of Class—Socioeconomics and Health
• A Cog in the Wheel—Occupational Stress
• The Power of Place—Communities and Health
• The Master Plan—Public Health and Policy
• Heart and Soul—Cardiovascular Disease I
• Heart and Soul—Cardiovascular Disease II
• The Big C—Cancer and Mind-Body Medicine
• Bugs, Drugs, and Buddha—Psychoneuroimmunology
• Fire in the Belly—The GI System
• Obesity—America’s New Epidemic
• The Strain in Pain Lies Mainly in the Brain
• Catching Your Zs—Sleep and Health
• Chasing Zebras—Somatoform Disorders
• Seeing the Glass Half Empty—Depression
• Silencing the Scream—Understanding Anxiety
• Lingering Wounds—Trauma, Resilience, Growth
• Tomorrow’s Biopsychosocial Medicine.
I had considered buying this course a few times but thought it might be a bit too dry and technical for me; I believed I could better spend my money on other courses. However, when I subscribed to The Great Courses Plus every course was available for a monthly paid subscription so I no longer had a reason to put off viewing it.
I am glad I no longer had an excuse because this is a fascinating series of lectures. None of the lectures are at all dry or overly technical even though they are evidence based. Frequently, I found myself staring at the monitor, or stopping on my walk, mouth open in awe at the miracle of human beings.
Professor Satterfield is so well organized and interested in the material that he works hard to be certain his audience will enjoy the experience of watching these lectures and come to a better understanding of the miracle of their human body and mind in the world.
Dr. Jason Satterfield received his degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (BS in Brain and Cognitive Sciences) and the University of Pennsylvania (MS, PhD in Psychology). He is the Academy Endowed Chair for Innovation in Teaching, the Director of Behavioral Medicine, and Professor of Clinical Medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine at the University of California San Francisco.
If you have any interest at all in your body and mind, this is a series of lectures to watch or listen to. I learned so much that was fascinating and helpful as I work at improving my own physical and mental health. I only hope The Great Courses brings back Dr. Satterfield to bring us more up to date.
This series about the mind-body connection includes 36 30-minute lectures about the mind-body connection and health. Though this course is now eight years old, I imagine only some details have changed. This is one of the most fascinating, well-organized, motivating courses I have taken from The Great Courses. In fact, I downloaded the app to my smartphone and listened to this series on my daily walks rather than music or other podcasts.
Dr. Satterfield focuses on three questions: What makes us sick? What makes us well? And what can we do about it?
The course covers much ground as you can see from this table of contents:
• Weaving the Biopsychosocial Braid
• Vital Signs—Defining Health and Illness
• Fight or Flight vs. Rest and Digest
• Simmering Soup—The Neuroendocrine System
• Deploying the Troops—Basic Immunology
• Nature vs. Nurture—Genes, Health, and Disease
• Forget Me Not—Cognitive Function
• Mind over Matter—Cognition in Everyday Life
• Emotions Revealed—Psychology of Emotions
• Agony and Ecstasy—Biology of Emotion
• What’s Your EQ, and How Can You Improve It?
• What’s Your Type? Personality and Health
• An Apple a Day—Behavior and Disease Prevention
• Staying on the Wagon—Making Changes That Last
• Ease the Burn—Modern-Day Stress and Coping
• The Iceberg—Visible and Hidden Identity
• Ties That Bind—Relationships and Health
• Building Bridges—Intimacy and Relationships
• Touched by Grace—Spirituality and Health
• A Matter of Class—Socioeconomics and Health
• A Cog in the Wheel—Occupational Stress
• The Power of Place—Communities and Health
• The Master Plan—Public Health and Policy
• Heart and Soul—Cardiovascular Disease I
• Heart and Soul—Cardiovascular Disease II
• The Big C—Cancer and Mind-Body Medicine
• Bugs, Drugs, and Buddha—Psychoneuroimmunology
• Fire in the Belly—The GI System
• Obesity—America’s New Epidemic
• The Strain in Pain Lies Mainly in the Brain
• Catching Your Zs—Sleep and Health
• Chasing Zebras—Somatoform Disorders
• Seeing the Glass Half Empty—Depression
• Silencing the Scream—Understanding Anxiety
• Lingering Wounds—Trauma, Resilience, Growth
• Tomorrow’s Biopsychosocial Medicine.
I had considered buying this course a few times but thought it might be a bit too dry and technical for me; I believed I could better spend my money on other courses. However, when I subscribed to The Great Courses Plus every course was available for a monthly paid subscription so I no longer had a reason to put off viewing it.
I am glad I no longer had an excuse because this is a fascinating series of lectures. None of the lectures are at all dry or overly technical even though they are evidence based. Frequently, I found myself staring at the monitor, or stopping on my walk, mouth open in awe at the miracle of human beings.
Professor Satterfield is so well organized and interested in the material that he works hard to be certain his audience will enjoy the experience of watching these lectures and come to a better understanding of the miracle of their human body and mind in the world.
Dr. Jason Satterfield received his degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (BS in Brain and Cognitive Sciences) and the University of Pennsylvania (MS, PhD in Psychology). He is the Academy Endowed Chair for Innovation in Teaching, the Director of Behavioral Medicine, and Professor of Clinical Medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine at the University of California San Francisco.
If you have any interest at all in your body and mind, this is a series of lectures to watch or listen to. I learned so much that was fascinating and helpful as I work at improving my own physical and mental health. I only hope The Great Courses brings back Dr. Satterfield to bring us more up to date.
May 8, 2025
I wish I could give this very long, but really good book 10 stars. If you can only every read one book on improving your overall health, let it be this one. Over 18 hours of studies and advice on how to live a longer, healthier, and happier life.
I have always known that the mind and body work together but now I know about countless studies that prove the relationship and benefits of the mind in health. This is a definitely a reread for me as there was just too much information in the first read to really be able to take it away and apply it to my life.
I have always known that the mind and body work together but now I know about countless studies that prove the relationship and benefits of the mind in health. This is a definitely a reread for me as there was just too much information in the first read to really be able to take it away and apply it to my life.
September 5, 2017
I enjoyed both the presentation and information in this course. It looks at how health and behavior are linked, and it uses a lot of more recent studies and information to build up its points. I especially liked the portion on cognitive therapy.
August 29, 2020
Als luisterboek (audible) doorgenomen. Interessant voor beginners maar vond het zelf veel algemene kennis. Er zijn betere boeken hierover. Als luisterboek wel handig voor onderweg (ieder hoofdstuk duurt een half uur).
June 2, 2022
Great book, some really good examples and explanations about health and problems your mind runs into. Might actually be much better as just text version as where is lots of things you would want to highlight.
May 31, 2017
Excellent in every way, covers illnesses and what to do about them.
September 11, 2017
Teeming with information! Every chapter of this book dove into something new! I loved the presentation with the stories and data, and had a great time exploring the Mind-Body Medicine!
December 2, 2019
loads of information, and very interesting for health. can be a bit too medical, and I zone out, but too informative is better than simple.
October 11, 2020
Listened on Audible. Great info to be sure, and well read. If you want motivation to eat and control your thoughts better this will do it!
July 13, 2021
This audiobook was a fascinating look into how much our mental health affects our physical health. Highly recommend this audiobook, and this specific professor!
February 25, 2023
Very informative and enlightening.
November 5, 2016
Very good information, but it was more technical than I was expecting. I had to really pay close attention and back track many times to fully grasp the medical terms. Since I generally listen in the car, it took me a lot longer to get through this one than normal.
December 15, 2016
Satterfield is a highly empathetic and knowledgeable teacher. This is an excellent and up-to-date summary of the field.
May 19, 2017
Truly comprehensive and fascinating set of lectures. Dr. Satterfield covers the many ways in which the mind and body interact and impact health, covering a variety of topics (from culture and socio-economic factors in health, to genetics, to mental health, to chronic illness, to medical training). He is careful to point out what we don't know, what current studies suggest, and where the research is going. He underscores where we have fact-based treatments and where additional information needs to be found. And he is always empathetic and humane, encouraging a broader view of patients and an open-minded approach to medicine (especially as we learn more). A wonderful set of lectures that would be enlightening to any listener.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews