Mental Health Archives | DonnieYance.com

June 30, 2025June 30, 2025

It’s Surprisingly Nice To Hear You: The Impact of Communication Media on Social Connection and Wellbeing

By Donnie Yance

“I Fear the Day That Technology Will Surpass Our Human Interaction” -Albert Einstein

“We communicate by the tone of our voice, with our eyes, with our body language, with our hands. The influx of our voice. There are so many things that we use to communicate,” notes communication researcher Amit Kumar. This multifaceted nature of human interaction becomes critically important when examining how different communication media affect our social connections and overall well being.

Technology can connect us to the world, but can disconnect us from each other,

Cell phones can have a negative impact on close relationships, closeness, connection, and conversation quality.¹

Believe it or not, I still used a flip phone until about a year ago, when it finally broke. Now I use my son’s hand-me-down iPhone. I’ve deliberately kept it disconnected from my computer and haven’t set up email on it. Since I spend countless hours on my computer each day, I’ve made a conscious decision that when I step away from my desk, I want to be truly free from the digital world.

June 9, 2025June 7, 2025

The Science of Laughter: A Path to Longevity and Health

By Donnie Yance

Can our behavior influence disease outcomes? The answer may lie in one of humanity’s most natural expressions: laughter.

Ancient wisdom has long suggested a connection between joy and health. The biblical proverb that “a merry heart does good like a medicine” (Proverbs 17:22) finds modern validation in scientific research. Democritus, the “laughing philosopher” who reportedly lived to 109, may have intuited what today’s researchers are proving: laughter can extend and enhance life.

May 12, 2025May 9, 2025

Healing Foods For Brain Health and Alzheimer’s Prevention

By Donnie Yance

“God gave us memory so that we might have roses in December.” – J.M. Barrie

How Diet and Genes Affect Brain Health

Recent studies show that the brain strives to maintain a steady energy supply over time, a process called “energetic homeostasis.”¹ This balance is important because energy metabolism affects how brain cells work, communicate, and adapt. These changes can influence thinking and memory.

What we eat plays a major role in brain function. Certain foods can have long-term effects on brain health by changing the way brain cells grow and connect. These effects happen through epigenetic regulation, which means that food can change how genes are expressed without changing the DNA itself. Eating the right nutrients helps support energy use in the brain and strengthens connections between neurons, much like exercise does. Research on brain injuries suggests that whole foods and supplements can help reduce damage to brain cells.²

May 5, 2025May 5, 2025

Sound-Vibration-Music-Light and Healing: A Unique and Highly-Effective Healing Modality

By Donnie Yance

I am thrilled to introduce you to The Mederi Center’s new healing room experience, which harnesses the combined therapeutic powers of vibroacoustic therapy, music, and specialized infrared light. If you don’t live near the Center in Ashland, Oregon, you may be able to seek out similar technologies offered at other healing centers.

Good Vibrations

The entire universe resonates with vibrations—some audible, others felt only through our bodies. This fundamental truth forms the foundation of our innovative approach to healing. Though it may seem ephemeral, the power of sound and vibration carries remarkable healing potential.

Beyond their aesthetic beauty, sound waves interact with our bodies at the cellular level, influencing our physical, mental, and emotional well-being. This understanding has led us to develop a comprehensive sound healing program that integrates advanced physics and biological principles to promote holistic health.

August 28, 2023September 12, 2023

The Significance of Optimism, Hope, and Kindness Over Medications

Unlocking Happiness, Cardiovascular Health, and Longevity

God is not found in the soul by adding anything, but by a process of subtraction.
Meister Eckhart, sermon on Romans 8:18

While the United Nations and most scientists consider any age beyond 60 as old age, it’s important to recognize that aging varies for each person. Some individuals may feel elderly and frail at 60, while others are still vibrant and healthy. Numerous factors influence the pace of aging – some accelerate it, while others decelerate it.

The global population of individuals aged 65 and older is increasing at a faster rate compared to other age groups. Based on data from the 2019 Revision of the World Population Prospects, it is projected that by the year 2050, approximately one in six people around the world will be aged 65 or above (16%), which is an increase from the ratio of one in eleven observed in 2019 (9%).^[1]

December 23, 2022January 27, 2023

Searching for Happiness and Peace

Searching for happiness and peace has to do with our connectedness to ourselves, those around us, and to our universe.

“Many of us feel disconnected by difficult times, longing for ways to awaken God’s love in ourselves and the world,” Richard Rohr, a Franciscan priest, has written in his book The Universal Christ, “The reality we face is simple yet difficult—the healing of the world hinges upon honoring the inherent sacredness of the world and everyone in it.”