Heal and hone your mind - an interview with Professor Bruno Ribeiro at SHA Wellness Clinic

An award-winning wellness clinic set majestically above the beach town of Albir, SHA has been a pioneer of integrated health for 10 years and most recently turned its attention to mental and emotional health with the launch of its new Cognitive Development Unit.  

The unit uses scientific knowledge and the latest technology to evaluate a guest’s mental health, and then carry out a series of exercises and activities to develop all the potential stored in their minds.  

We talked to the head of the unit, Professor Bruno Ribeiro, about why mental health has become a necessary focus in today’s society. 

What are the key mental and emotional health issues we face in our society today? 

Stress is the mental health disease that most affects society on an emotional level. As this is an internal situation, and sometimes hard to define, it’s something that only can be managed by oneself. Our mental health is sensitive and susceptible to break down. We need to balance our life so that we can manage that internal situation of stress and avoid developing the disorders that many of us may have experienced. This includes ‘brain fog’, which often manifests as a lack of concentration, scattered thinking, feeling dull and unmotivated, forgetfulness, having a poor memory and generally experiencing cloudy thoughts. 

Why is stress so rife today, in your opinion?  

Stress is an indication of inflammation in the body. Our cells become easily fatigued, and we lose our ability to focus for long periods. Chronic inflammation can be caused by a poor diet and a hyper-productive lifestyle. Poor management and balance of our professional and personal lives also causes frustrations and disappointments, and this leads to stress. We encourage guests to make healthier choices based on the different factors that affect a weakened mind and body, which are poor sleep, poor gut health, eating too many processed foods, hormonal imbalances and an unhealthy home and work environment. 

How can working on our mental health boost our daily lives?   

We are living in a very competitive and stressful world in which we constantly need to give the best of ourselves. People are living longer, but not always in the best conditions, because they have poor nutrition, suffer from stress and don’t do enough exercise. Our main mission with our guests at SHA is to identify their true motivation and the point of balance between their worlds. The advice we give them can be very different, from advising a retired man to remain connected to his professional field so he can feel productive at times, to telling a guest at the very peak of her career to reduce her workload.   

In what ways can SHA’s Cognitive Development Unit help? 

Our new unit was born about of our concerns for society’s "mental wellbeing”, and we treat a variety of guests from CEOs to university students, most of whom want to age with a brain that is functioning at its maximum. We treat general situations such as a lack of mental energy or feelings of mental “fogginess” and more serious cases of depression, anxiety and even damage to the central nervous system. Our cognitive treatments oxygenate the brain cells, so that guests leave with mental energy, clarity and a much more positive state of mind.  

Book at stay at SHA Wellness Clinic on Wellbeing Escapes website and if you need some help, contact us on 020 3735 7555 or email info@wellbeingescapes.com