By Jana Le, Clinical & Health Psychologist
Have you ever noticed how stress can give you a headache, make your stomach churn, or leave you feeling completely drained?
Or how anxiety or pressure before a big presentation can make your heart race, affect your focus, or disturb your sleep?
Or perhaps how chronic pain sometimes seems worse on days when you feel overwhelmed or emotionally exhausted?
These are everyday examples of the 'brain - mind - body connection' in action - the way our thoughts, emotions, and body interact to influence our health and wellbeing.
Health Psychology explores these connections scientifically, helping people understand why their body reacts the way it does and how they can take practical, evidence-based steps to support wellbeing.
What do Health Psychologists do?
Health Psychologists explore how the ‘brain – mind – body connection’ influences health, recovery, and resilience. They help people to:
- Adjust to chronic health conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or autoimmune disorders.
- Manage chronic pain, fatigue, and related distress.
- Understand and cope with Functional Neurological Disorders (FND).
- Reduce the impact of gastrointestinal conditions, including IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) and IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease).
- Navigate stress, burnout, and performance challenges – whether at work, study, or in daily life.
- Address sleep difficulties, treatment-related stress, and the emotional effects of ongoing medical care.
Imagine trying to follow a new treatment plan while feeling exhausted from burnout, or struggling to maintain motivation for exercise when chronic pain flares up.
Health psychologists work with you to understand why these challenges happen and to develop practical strategies to work with them, not against them.
Rather than focusing only on physical symptoms, health psychologists look at the whole person – exploring how beliefs, behaviours, stress responses, and emotions interact with brain and body processes.
The science behind the 'brain - mind - body connection.'
Modern research in neuroscience and psychophysiology shows that the brain, mind, and body are constantly communicating through hormonal, neural, and immune pathways.
For example:
Have you noticed your digestion feels “off” when you’re stressed or anxious?
Chronic stress can alter the body’s stress-response system (HPA axis), affecting digestion, inflammation, immune function, and energy levels.
Ever felt pain flare up in situations where you were anxious or worried?
Pain perception is shaped not only by tissue changes but also by attention, emotion, and memory – meaning the brain plays a central role in how we experience pain.
Struggling with focus or sleep before an important deadline?
Psychological therapies like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) can create measurable changes in brain activity linked to emotional regulation, stress resilience, and performance.
Understanding these mechanisms helps people make sense of their symptoms and develop strategies to live well, even when stress, burnout, or chronic illness is present.
How Health Psychology helps.
By addressing both psychological and physiological aspects of health, health psychologists support people to:
- Manage chronic symptoms and flare-ups more effectively.
- Build confidence and trust in their body’s signals.
- Reduce stress and prevent burnout in work, study, or daily life.
- Improve performance and focus under pressure.
- Reconnect with a sense of identity and meaning beyond illness or symptoms.
- Work collaboratively with healthcare providers for integrated care.
At Mind to Mind, our team draws on evidence-based approaches such as ACT, CBT, Mindfulness, and Clinical Hypnosis, tailoring strategies to each individual.
When should I reach out?
You might consider connecting with a Health Psychologist if you:
- Live with a chronic condition, persistent pain, or fatigue.
- Feel overwhelmed by medical symptoms, stress, or burnout.
- Are adjusting to a new diagnosis or treatment plan.
- Experience stress-related physical symptoms.
- Want to understand how stress, performance, and emotion affect the body.
Early support can provide clarity, resilience, and practical tools for navigating both everyday life and long-term health challenges.
Supporting you.
If you’d like to learn more about how Health Psychology can support your wellbeing – whether it’s chronic health, stress management, burnout prevention, or performance optimisation — our team at Mind to Mind is here to help.
Meet our Health Psychologists.
We are fortunate to have three Clinical & Health Psychologists available at Mind to Mind Psychology. Click on their profiles below to learn more about their training, clinical experience and to discover more about how we can support you.
