Nature, Nurture & NOW: How Epigenetics is Rewriting Mental Health

Epigenetics = nature + nurture + NOW!!!!
When it comes to mental health and healing, we’re entering a new era—one where science affirms the soul’s wisdom: small, consistent behaviors can change not just our mindset, but our biology. This is the promise of epigenetics—the study of how experience, emotion, and environment influence gene expression without altering our DNA. For those battling chronic stress, mood disorders, or just the wear of modern life, it offers tangible hope: you are not fixed. You are responsive.

DNA is Not Destiny
For years, we believed genes were static. But epigenetics reveals a dynamic script: while you can’t rewrite your DNA, you can influence how it plays out.Through processes like DNA methylation and histone modification, factors such as stress, diet, sleep, light, and love regulate how genes turn “on” or “off.” It’s like adjusting the volume knobs on a soundboard—raising the healing harmonies and lowering the inflammatory noise.

From Talk Therapy to Molecular Change
Therapists often work with thoughts and emotions—but we must remember: the body is always listening. That morning walk, shared laugh, or six deep breaths isn’t just “nice self-care.” It’s molecular information. For example, early nurturing leaves epigenetic marks near stress-regulating genes like NR3C1, shaping how we respond to adversity for life (Meaney & Szyf, 2005). Even intergenerational trauma or famine can echo through methylation changes that affect metabolism and mood. But the same mechanism that transmits vulnerability also transmits healing. As the Torah teaches, generational impact isn’t only about consequences—it’s about patterns that can be rewritten with love, rhythm, and repair.

Loneliness Hurts—Connection Heals (Literally)
Under prolonged stress or isolation, the immune system activates what social genomics calls the Conserved Transcriptional Response to Adversity (CTRA)—a shift toward inflammation and away from healing (Cole, 2019). But the opposite is also true. Safety, connection, rhythm, and purpose turn off inflammatory genes and re-activate those that support repair. Kindness is anti-inflammatory. A Shabbos meal with friends, a hug from a loved one, or a mindful breath recalibrates our internal systems.

The Molecular Shabbos: Rest is Repair
Dr. Kara Fitzgerald’s Methylation Diet & Lifestyle (MDL) program applies this epigenetic science to daily living. It’s built on nutrient-dense foods (greens, berries, crucifers), stable sleep, movement, and mindfulness—all shown to reverse biological age by over three years in just eight weeks (Fitzgerald et al., 2021). I call this the Molecular Shabbos. Just as Torah instructs us to pause and sanctify time, our biology thrives on rhythm—light and dark, effort and rest. Each mindful breath, each evening of quiet light, becomes a signal to the genome: You are safe. You may heal now.

The Tanya Meets Neuroscience
The Chassidic principle mo’ach shalit al halev—the mind rules over the heart—is echoed in modern neuroscience. The prefrontal cortex, our brain’s “conductor,” can down-regulate emotional storms in the amygdala. Thought changes biology. Teaching clients to pause and name their state doesn’t just change behavior. It reprograms gene expression. The intellect guiding emotion becomes more than metaphor—it’s an epigenetic intervention.

Core Tools for Epigenetic Healing
Here’s where science meets practicality:

• Sleep + Light: Regular wake times, morning sunlight, and evening darkness protect circadian rhythms and hormones.
• Movement: Aerobic exercise increases BDNF, supporting mood and cognition.
• Food as Information: One serving of cruciferous veggies and berries a day shifts the gut and methylation map.
• Touch and Oxytocin: Safe, gentle touch lowers cortisol. Even self-soothing gestures work.
• Micro-rests: The brain needs recovery every 90 minutes. Two-minute breaks help prevent burnout.
• Mild Stress (Hormesis): Cold showers, breath-holds, or short exertion build resilience when used gently.

Change That Sticks
Lasting behavior change isn’t about pressure—it’s about identity. “I’m a person who protects my sleep” is more powerful than “I should go to bed.” Track what matters: sleep, focus, mood. Celebrate micro-wins. The body remembers being seen. And this must be accessible. Healing is not a luxury. Beans, sunlight, frozen veggies, and breath are affordable. In Torah terms, this is tzedek in mitochondria—justice encoded in biology.

In Closing: Small Choices, Big Changes
Epigenetics teaches us what the soul has always known:we are formed by relationship, by rhythm, by repeated small acts. When we align thought with action, when we let the mind guide the heart, the genome listens. So start small. Choose rhythm over perfection. Compassion over critique. Consistency over intensity.
The body hears. And it heals.

ENJOY TO MY SUNO SONG SUMMARIZING MY COURSE BY CLICKING HERE

READ MY SUBSTACK POST BY CLICKING HERE

We love hearing from you, please feel free to leave your comments below.

With Gratitude,

Rus Devorah

References (APA 7th Edition)

Cole, S. W. (2019). The conserved transcriptional response to adversity. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 28, 31–37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cobeha.2019.01.008

Davis, E. G., & Heller, A. S. (2023). Stress, connection, and the social regulation of gene expression. Nature Reviews Psychology, 2(1), 30–44. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44159-022-00110-5

Fitzgerald, K. N. (2022). Younger you: Reduce your bio age and live longer, better. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. https://doi.org/10.5040/9780358447136

Fitzgerald, K. N., Hodges, R., Hanes, D., Stack, E., Cheishvili, D., Szyf, M., … & Giovannucci, E. L. (2021). Potential reversal of epigenetic age using a diet and lifestyle intervention: A pilot randomized clinical trial. Aging, 13(7), 9419–9432. https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.202913

Huberman, A. D. (2023). How to optimize sleep, learning, and metabolism through light exposure. The Huberman Lab Podcast [Audio podcast]. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10012345

Meaney, M. J., & Szyf, M. (2005). Maternal care as a model for experience-dependent chromatin plasticity? Trends in Neurosciences, 28(9), 456–463. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tins.2005.07.006

Wallen, R. D. (2024, [Month Day]). Nature, Nurture & Now!!! Hacking mental health through epigenetics [Webinar]. NEFESH International.

OpenAI. (2025). GPT-5 (ChatGPT) [Large language model]. OpenAI. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2403.04232