Master Stress with Dr. S
Welcome to Master Stress with Dr. S, the podcast that empowers high-achievers to unlock their full potential by mastering stress and achieving burnout-proof success. Hosted by Dr. Safia Debar, a renowned stress expert, medical doctor, speaker and coach. Each episode dives deep into the neuroscience of stress, blending logic and intuition to give you practical tools for thriving in a fast-paced world. Whether you’re navigating the pressures of leadership, striving for peak performance, or yearning for a life of balance and freedom, Dr. Safia Debar will guide you through powerful strategies, expert insights, and personal stories to help you regain control, nurture your well-being, and live authentically. Tune in to discover how to stop stress from holding you back and start living your best, empowered life.
Master Stress with Dr. S
Why Do I Have Everything — And Still Feel Empty? The Science of Spirituality
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A medical doctor introduces episode one of “When Science Met Soul,” arguing that ancient medical systems treated body, mind, and soul as inseparable, while modern Western medicine adopted a body–soul split rooted in Descartes’ 1641 dualism deal with the Church. Drawing on research, she cites associations between religious/spiritual involvement and lower depression, longer lifespan (about 4–7 years), reduced mortality risk linked to purpose and life satisfaction, and Blue Zones findings that centenarians belong to faith communities. She explains psychoneuroimmunology (Robert Ader’s conditioning of immune suppression) and neuroscience findings from Andrew Newberg and Harvard showing spiritual practices affect the prefrontal cortex, parietal lobe, default mode network, and pathways relevant to depression, anxiety, and substance misuse. She reframes burnout as living against “factory settings” and prescribes three practices: a meaning audit, one minute of stillness, and naming your “why.”
00:00 Ancient Medicine Was Whole
01:53 Doctor Sees The Gap
02:43 Why This Series Exists
04:57 What Medicine Misses
07:18 The Data On Spirituality
09:55 Descartes And The Split
12:22 Science Proves Unity
14:42 Why Training Ignored It
16:22 Neuroscience Of Spirituality
20:16 Meaning Purpose And Longevity
23:08 My Burnout And Disconnection
27:12 Return To Factory Settings
31:53 Three Practices To Try
37:21 Closing And Next Episode
Connect with Dr Safia Debar
Dr Safia Debar
Speaker / Coach | Medical Doctor | Breathwork Facilitator
One of Tatler's "Top 21 private doctors in Britain" 2020
www.drsafiadebar.com
contact@drsafiadebar.com
IG: @drsafiadebar
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