Given that 1 out of 6 Americans are taking some sort of psychiatric drug, it’s probably time to let go of the stigma surrounding mental illness. And it might also be a good time to question whether giving people drugs is always the best go-to solution for mental health. Dr. Ellen Vora, a functional medicine practitioner and holistic psychiatrist, is one of the leaders of a movement that aims to treat the whole person, and to stop using drugs as a first resort. On this episode of Women of Impact with Lisa Bilyeu, Ellen Vora discusses how to find the real source of your suffering, what to do if you are too much of a people pleaser, the connection between gut health and brain health, and ways to encourage yourself to make better lifestyle choices. This episode is brought to you by:  Better Help: Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/womenofimpact and use discount code WOMENOFIMPACT Blinkist: Go to https://blinkist.com/woi Try it FREE for 7 days and save 25% off your new subscription. SHOW NOTES:   Why is the placebo effect so powerful, and does it last? [4:30] Sometimes the benefit of psychiatric drugs is that they lead people to therapy [6:12] Ellen talks about the first steps you should take if you are depressed [7:04] Some people are rebels, and do the opposite of what their therapist asks [10:07] Other people are obligers, and try too hard to please other people [11:01] Ellen discusses learning to value your true yes and your true no [12:32] Ellen describes ways to learn how to respond to situations that trigger you [14:35] Humor and an attitude of gentleness and patience is really helpful [16:08] How to get unstuck [17:18] How do you find where the real source of your suffering is? [18:06] Ellen discusses the connection between gut health and brain health [19:39] Depression can be seen as a bad adaptation of a good behavior [22:16] Ellen details ways to encourage yourself to make good lifestyle choices [23:49] What to do if you are too much of a perfectionist about your diet [28:45] How to deal with social situations that can’t accommodate your dietary needs [33:02] Ellen advocates having compassion for the people who trained you to feel shame [35:26] Ellen discusses her own miscarriage and eliminating the shame around miscarriages [39:29] How to deal with a miscarriage [43:02] Lack of community is our modern epidemic [46:17] You can refuse to tolerate bad behavior without judging the person [47:45] Ellen shares her superpower [50:55]   FOLLOW ELLEN:   WEBSITE: https://ellenvora.com INSTAGRAM: https://bit.ly/2SHvs93  FACEBOOK: https://bit.ly/37BcaGf  TWITTER: https://bit.ly/2V0l11A