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About Christina Veselak, MS, LMFT, CN
Founder of Academy for Addiction and Mental Health Nutrition and Eating Protein Saves Lives, Inc
The “Feed the Brain, First!” method illuminates and addresses the glaring gap in current approaches to addiction and mental health treatment and recovery, by identifying the long-ignored need to adequately feed the brain the nutrients it needs to function optimally. Based on contemporary science which has its roots in research from the early 20th century, this method revolutionizes the recovery journey by empowering you to take charge of your own brain health, and no longer be dependent upon psych meds alone to improve the symptoms of depression, anxiety, insomnia, and cravings which are driven by a starving and out-of-balance brain. Christina’s presentations offer you the tools and understanding to transform your journey, and that of your clients, towards peace, joy and vitality.
Christina Veselak, MS, LMFT, CN, is passionate about reducing relapse rates and overdose deaths in people recovering from substance use disorders by using targeted nutrition to address the biochemistry of addiction and recovery. With 40 years of experience working as a psychotherapist and mental health nutritionist in the addiction treatment field, she brings an unparalleled breadth of knowledge and a wealth of compassion and expertise.
As one of the few people in the country who understands how feeding the brain with the nutrients it needs to repair itself and function optimally provides people with a much-needed foundation to be successful in their recovery journey, she has positively impacted the world of treatment and recovery through her online school for professionals, The Academy for Addiction and Mental Health Nutrition and her non-profit organization, Eating Protein Saves Lives, Inc. Her “Feed The Brain First” foundational message is that medication is not the only option available to address the complex biochemistry of addiction and mood disorders. Along with healing from trauma and building community connection, people in recovery (like children in school) also need a well-fed and functioning brain and body to fuel their efforts. Evidence-based research has been done since the ’60s but has been buried.
Christina Veselak is a dynamic public speaker with an enthusiastic following. Christina is committed to staying abreast of the rapidly growing science of orthomolecular & nutritional psychiatry and is passionate about sharing her knowledge with both the general public and professionals in the fields of addiction recovery and mental health treatment. She believes that the time has come for brain nutrition to become part of the conversation! Her vision as a global changemaker is to make this life-saving information available to all people, from a kitchen in a mud-house in Africa, to the White House.
Topics I can talk about in Coaching, Speaking or Interviews
Contrary to the widespread belief that medication is the only effective intervention for the addicted brain, this keynote presentation will open your eyes to the vast array of nutritional and lifestyle actions which can significantly help to bring the addicted brain back into balance and health.
An in-balance life requires an in-balance brain! Many nutritional, physical and lifestyle factors throw the brain out of balance, setting us up for recurrent addictive behaviors. These can be identified, and then addressed using non-pharmaceutical methods within everyone’s control. Research extending to the beginning of the 20th century is clear about the nutrients the brain requires for optimal functioning. Contemporary research into the destructive effects of ultra-highly processed foods corroborates this.
Understanding and identifying these diverse factors gives both the non-medical provider and their clients the power to quickly reduce cravings and the mood and physical distress which fuels relapse and death.
Key Takeaways:
- Research is clear about which nutrients the brain needs to stay in balance and function optimally.
- A nutrient-dense diet, available to everyone, provides these key nutrients and can support a robust long-term recovery journey.
- Many other physical issues can throw our brains and bodies out of balance, leading to symptoms, but can be effectively addressed using key nutritional and lifestyle strategies which are easily accessible.
This 50-minute presentation concisely outlines the role the brain plays in supporting a successful recovery journey from all addictive disorders and presents the audience with a clear nutritional strategy for reducing cravings and recurrent use by providing the brain with the nutrients it requires to thrive.
Key Takeaways:
- The brain has many crucial mood-mediating functions, including allowing us to learn and remember to use recovery skills.
- Which foods provide the brain with the nutrients it requires to function optimally.
- When and what we eat matters tremendously to our recovery!
- Practical tips and strategies for consistently getting pro-recovery foods into our diets
This 90-minute presentation explores the two primary biochemical causes of Post-Acute Withdrawal – depleted neurotransmitters and reactive hypoglycemia. You will learn how powerful nutritional strategies, easily available to everyone, can reverse cravings and the distressing mood issues common to people in early recovery, often within 20 minutes. You will be empowered to help your clients take charge of their recovery process in new and effective ways, and may even learn how to take your own recovery to new heights.
Key Takeaways:
- The two major nutritional causes of post-acute withdrawal
- What are neurotransmitters, and why they matter to addiction recovery.
- Depleted neurotransmitters and tolerance: The 3 stages of the addictive process
- Amino acid therapy for decreasing cravings and PAW by supporting neurotransmitter restoration
- Reactive Hypoglycemia, its role in cravings, PAW and recurrent use, and how to eating for recovery
Through Christina’s deeply personal, transformative story, you will learn how to use brain nutrition to move from crippling depression, anxiety and ADHD, WITHOUT medication, to the possibility of emotional freedom and life transformation.
You will be challenged to STOP looking for the next pill or the next doctor to fix you. It is time to claim your power to be fixing yourself through what you feed YOUR BRAIN! The first step is to start feeding your brain what it needs, when it needs it, so that it can support the rest of your healing journey. Do you need to recover from trauma? A well-fed brain will support your trauma recovery. Are you struggling to stay off addictive substances? A well-fed brain will help to reduce cravings and relapse and will fire up the rest of your recovery journey! Do you have other physical struggles? A well-fed brain is the beginning of the healing journey.
Join us to learn exactly how to harness the power of nutrition to transform your life.
Key Takeaways:
- How a well-balanced, well-fed brain robustly supports your emotional and physical well-being: the food/mood connection!
- The exact foods and supplements your brain requires, to allow you to cope with stress gracefully.
- 3 common physical disorders which can seriously impair your emotional and physical well-being.
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Testimonials
Christina is a brilliant and highly experienced professional as a therapist and teacher for wellness behavioral health. She has been a speaker/presenter for several of my professional development training events and received excellent evaluations. Christina's passion for educating clinical teams in raising the bar to invoke healthy nutritional foods and supplements that effect the brain is extremely valuable for successful recovery support. I highly recommend Christina to provide training to organizations that are seeking positive outcomes for their client's continuum of care.
Diane Sanders, CEO of Quantum Recovery Consultants, LLC
Christina is one of the most compassionate and knowledgeable clinicians in the holistic treatment of addictions and other mental health issues. Her vast knowledge of nutrition and the use of nutraceuticals to add in the treatment of mental health issues, ADHD, SUD and more enables her to provide care and healing at the deepest level possible.
Carolyn Coker Ross, MD, MPH, CEDS
Christina Veselak is a national treasure. Her personal depth of understanding of the interaction of nutrition and mental health is a blessing for the individuals who are lucky enough to work one-on-one with her as their marriage and family therapist. Her talent as a teacher is a blessing for those who take the courses she designed and runs through her Academy for Addiction and Mental Health Nutrition, and by extension, through them, for us all.
Carolyn Reuben
Christina transforms lives with her approach to mental health and addictions using target amino acids. She is also an excellent teacher reaching practitioners who then use it on their own clients. I have attended her classes and also have seen the work of her graduates first hand and it's excellent. I highly recommend Christina both as a practitioner and instructor.
Hyla Cass, MD
One of the foremost experts in her field, Christina has proven to be a wealth of knowledge, and excellent teacher and clinician. She’s an absolute delight to work with as a colleague and I confidently refer people to her regularly. She is my go-to professional for all matters related to assisting patients with the mood and substance use disorders and related nutritional issues.
Lyle Fried
Previous Coaching, Speaking or Interviews
How to nourish your brain: amino acids and nutrition for mental health and addiction recovery
