Mental Health Training Hub research

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Why reflective, nervous-system-based practices create real change

At the Mental Health Training Hub, our work is grounded in established neuroscience, behavioural science, and government-funded health research. Evidence consistently shows that lasting change occurs when insight, emotional awareness, and nervous system regulation work together.

Research across neuroscience and behavioural science shows that guided self-reflection and inquiry activate higher cortical regions of the brain responsible for learning, meaning-making, and behavioural choice.

Structured questioning and journaling practices:

• increase self-awareness
• support insight and “aha” moments
• help people identify the root drivers of stress, anxiety, and habitual patterns

This process is widely recognised in mindfulness-based and reflective learning research as a mechanism for self-directed change, where individuals uncover understanding for themselves rather than being told what is wrong.

Neuroplasticity refers to the brain’s ability to change and reorganise through repeated experience. Research funded by the National Institutes of Health demonstrates that:

• new neural pathways are strengthened through repetition
• learning is enhanced when the nervous system is regulated
• insight paired with emotional safety supports long-term behavioural change

This is why consistency — not intensity — is central to sustainable transformation.

Effective emotional regulation involves both hemispheres of the brain.

Practices that combine:

• language, reasoning, and meaning (left hemisphere)
• rhythm, sensation, music, and felt experience (right hemisphere)

support whole-brain integration rather than suppression of emotion.

This principle underpins many trauma-responsive and stress-regulation approaches studied in neuroscience and somatic research.

EFT has gained a great deal of attention and having been used by the US Military Vets as the only integrative mental health therapy used for those suffering from PSTD and Depression. Sports Athletes Increase Performance Emotional Freedom Techniques are studied as a combined cognitive–somatic approach, involving:

• focused attention on a stressor or belief
• paired with rhythmic somatic input through tapping

Peer-reviewed studies published in journals indexed by the National Center for Biotechnology Information report reductions in emotional distress, anxiety, and stress-related symptoms. 

Australian university research — including work associated with Bond University — has contributed to the growing body of literature examining EFT in clinical and applied settings.

Slow, intentional breathing is one of the most consistently supported self-regulation practices in health research.

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, part of the United States government’s health research framework, reports that breathing practices can:

• reduce stress-response activation
• support parasympathetic (calming) nervous system activity
• improve emotional regulation and focus

Studies show - Music with Breath-Work this effect engages emotional and sensory processing centres of the brain, helping create internal safety and receptivity to learning.

Australian research organisations, including the Black Dog Institute, publish evidence-based resources showing that mindfulness and reflective practices support:

• emotional awareness
• stress reduction
• improved self-regulation

These approaches empower individuals to recognise internal patterns, understand emotional drivers, and make conscious choices — a key factor in long-term wellbeing.

Government-funded health research consistently shows that:

• short, regular practices outperform sporadic interventions
• repetition strengthens neural efficiency
• emotional regulation improves and strengthens capacity with practice

This is why our programs focus on simple, teachable techniques that can be applied independently in everyday life.

The methods taught at the Mental Health Training Hub align with research-supported principles across:

• neuroscience
• workplace wellbeing
• trauma-responsive education
• behavioural change science

They are delivered as practical skills, not therapy, enabling individuals to:

• identify root causes
• regulate their nervous system
• build emotional literacy
• create sustainable change from the inside out