Building an evidence base for Innate health

I am thrilled to share the results of a research project I was part of in my NHS role. Our innate health pilot study has been accepted for publication in volume 7 of the Turkish journal: Spiritual, psychology and Counselling.

Title: The efficacy of Health realization/Innate health psychoeducation for individuals with eating disorders: pilot study.

Back in 2015, I came across a psychological framework known as the Three Principles or Innate Health. Learning about the principles behind psychology was such a transformational and pivotal experience for me that I was keen to share it with my NHS colleagues. I invited others in the Leeds and York NHS trust to think with me about how and if we could find a way to bring its teachings into our practice.

If you are interested to learn more about how the IH understanding impacted my work and life and hear about the research and clinical work that followed - read on!

I remember where I was sat, what I was wearing and who I was with when I had the insight ‘We are love’. It felt so simple, so obvious, and yet so new! Having worked as a psychological therapist for years by this point, I was totally bowled over by the simplicity of this insight and writing about it now, here, I cannot do justice to the depth with which I saw this to be a truth. When all is said and done it's not so much that humans need love (although of course, that’s true) it’s more that we are love, with an incredible ability to overlook this! This insight was followed by other, also ‘obvious’ realisations like:

• People need to have their innate health validated alongside their ill health
• People need to know that you see their potential and their pain
• People need to be listened to by a therapist who is open to hearing what is being communicated in that moment and who is responding intuitively
• No one is the expert on someone else
• Everyone can access their own intuition
• There is mental health within every being at their core.

My particular ‘door’ into these insights came after learning about the innate health understanding. Also known as the Three Principles, health realisation or reductive psychology. Anyone who knew me at that time will remember that I was extremely passionate to share this understanding with patients who were being seen in our eating disorder service. I literally bounded into work FULL of excitement, passion and drive.

I will remain forever grateful for the events that ensued in the months and years that followed. Mental health services have, for good reasons, processes, and pathways to follow before any new framework or intervention can be widely shared in services. We certainly had our work cut out for us.

This paper is the product of a labour of love between me and some beautiful colleagues who also saw the potential for change and hope in sharing the innate health understanding within NHS Mental health services, specifically, in our case, with patients with Eating Disorders.

Read the paper: The Efficacy of Health Realization/Innate Health Psycho-education For Individuals With Eating Disorders: Pilot Study

I am proud as punch to have worked alongside these amazing medics and therapists in this work. I hope reading this paper might ignite some intrigue and interest within you and if it does, I would warmly welcome the chance to speak with you about this understanding, how it differs from the prevailing paradigm and the hope it offers to people suffering with eating disorders and disordered eating.