Gut Health & Mental Health: Learning to Listen to Our Gut
A collaborative conversation between a therapist and a holistic nutritionist
What if your gut played an even bigger role in your mental health than your brain?
As a culture, we are deeply focused on the mind—our thoughts, emotions, and brain chemistry—often overlooking how central the body is to our overall wellbeing. At New Pathways, our work has always emphasized the nervous system, somatic awareness, and the wisdom of the body. And yet, until now, one essential piece of the puzzle has been missing from the conversation: the gut.
This year, we’re expanding our holistic model of mental health care to include gut health. We are excited to welcome a holistic nutritionist to our team and to offer our very first 4-week psychoeducational program on Gut Health & Mental Health. As this is the first iteration of the program, it will be offered free or by donation, making it accessible to anyone who is curious about deepening their relationship with their body, food, and mental health.
Why the Gut Matters for Mental Health
Food is a central part of our lives, yet we rarely pause to consider how deeply it shapes our emotional and psychological wellbeing. What we eat is transformed by the gut into molecules that quite literally feed the brain. In fact, approximately 90% of serotonin—the neurotransmitter closely linked to mood regulation—is produced in the gut, not the brain.
When gut health is compromised, it can influence mood, anxiety, energy levels, focus, and emotional resilience. From a holistic perspective, mental health is not just about what happens in the mind—it’s about how the whole system is functioning.
From Consumption to Nourishment
In modern culture, food is often treated as fuel or something to be consumed quickly and efficiently. This way of relating to food can become disconnected from listening to the body and from any sense of nourishment or care.
From a mental health perspective, how we take things into our bodies often mirrors how we take things into our lives. Our relationship with food reflects our relationship with ourselves.
One of the intentions of this program is to gently shift from an attitude of consumption to one of nourishment—where food becomes an act of care, attunement, and listening.
Small Changes, Deep Impact
Changing our relationship with food and with our bodies takes time, patience, and compassion. Rather than focusing on rigid rules or drastic overhauls, gut health is about making small, sustainable behavioral changes, one step at a time.
Through mindful awareness and self-study, we begin to notice which habits no longer serve us—and which choices help us feel more grounded, regulated, and alive. When changes are rooted in body awareness and curiosity, they tend to last.
Why We’re Offering This in Community
We believe that change happens more easily in relationship and in community. Learning alongside others creates accountability, support, and a sense of shared exploration. Our psychoeducational programs are designed to be informative, experiential, and enjoyable—a space where science meets lived experience.
This program blends:
Practical, accessible education on gut health and the microbiome
Simple, realistic approaches to behavioral change
Mindfulness-based reflections on food, self-care, and embodiment
Gentle meditations to support nervous system regulation and awareness
Together, we’ll explore how caring for the gut can support emotional balance, resilience, and overall mental health—without perfectionism or pressure.
An Invitation
If you’re curious about how gut health intersects with mental health, if you want to develop a more compassionate relationship with food and your body, or if you’re looking for a supportive, community-based way to make meaningful changes, we invite you to join us.
This is a learning space. A listening space. And an opportunity to reconnect with the wisdom of your body—starting with your gut.
This service is provided by Natalie Singer, Registered Holistic Nutritionist.
Read more about Holistic Nutrition & Mental Health
