11/14/2025
Solving the Mystery of Depression and Anxiety with Behavioral Genetics
Scientists have long been doing research to discover why some people are more prone to depression and anxiety than others. The research has clearly shown that people who have been in abusive situations, endured traumatic situations, such as war, divorce, and loss of loved ones, and/or had traumatic brain injury, are more susceptible to depression. But this doesn’t solve the mystery as to why some people who have endured all of these situations may feel fine, and others who have endured none of these situations may deal with severe depression and anxiety.
As an Integrative Psychologist, it’s important to me that I address all the facets of the human being – body, mind, and spirit - to address challenges like depression and anxiety. As I like to explain to people, if we are building a house, we need to have a solid foundation. If we are building a “house“ of well-being, we must start with a solid foundation of biology, build strong walls of emotional and mental wellness, and cap it with a roof of psychospiritual health. In sum, that is the purpose of the work we do in Integrative Biofield Healing Arts.
In addition to common sense wisdom – get enough sleep, sunlight, exercise, and eat a healthy diet - we must also have enough biological support in cases of genetic mutations, which can reveal themselves in depression and anxiety. Unfortunately, at this point in human history, probably all humans have some type of genetic mutation. This means that you may be doing everything right in treating your depression and anxiety, and get very limited results for your efforts.
The good news is that we now have behavioral genetics protocols that can help genes to express correctly, thus alleviating genetic dysfunction and symptoms.
If you've lived with depression and anxiety, and you'd like to investigate whether a personalized behavioral genetics approach will work for you, please reach out.
Dr. Michelle Dexter
https://www.drmichelledexter.com/
Read full blog at https://www.bamboogardenwellness.com/blog/solving-the-mystery-of-depression-and-anxiety-with-behavioral-genetics
