Psychoneuroimmunology in Clinical Practice: Evidence-Based Mind-Body Interventions
You see it every week. The client whose anxiety never lets their body rest. The one whose chronic pain deepens every time life gets hard. The patient who recovered from the illness but never got themselves back. You know their minds and bodies are pulling on each other. What you may not have had is the science to explain exactly how, or the confidence to act on it.
Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) is that science. It studies how three of the body’s systems, the nervous, endocrine and immune, talk to each other every second of the day, and it shows, in hard evidence, that thoughts, emotions and immunity are never separate.
Here is the uncomfortable part. Between 60 and 80 per cent of GP visits are for distress-related conditions. Only around 3 per cent of treatment involves any form of stress management. The connection is well documented, the research is strong, and most care still treats the mind and the body as if they live in different rooms.
In this two-hour course, Dr Judy Lovas gives you the evidence and the framework to do something about it. She moves from the landmark studies that built the field, Ader and Cohen’s conditioned-immunity experiments, Bartrop’s Lancet work showing bereavement suppresses immune function, Candace Pert’s discovery that neuropeptides travel the whole body, through to the genetic-expression research being published now.
Then she makes it clinical. You’ll see why what most people call stress is actually distress, and why timing is everything: stress responses built to last seconds or hours do lasting harm when they run for years. You’ll look at depression and PTSD through a PNI lens, the vicious cycle between chronic inflammation and chronic conditions, and why sickness behaviour looks so much like depression. And you’ll learn how the vagus nerve, diaphragmatic breathing, social connection and simple acts of kindness change immune function in ways we can now measure.
By the end, the mind-body connection stops being something you believe and becomes something you can explain, evidence and bring into the room. For every client who has sat in front of you carrying their stress in their body, this is the science that helps you help them.
You’ll walk away with
- A clear, plain-language definition of PNI you can explain to clients and colleagues
- The history and landmark studies behind mind-body science, so you can speak to the evidence with confidence
- A working understanding of how the nervous, endocrine and immune systems communicate through neurotransmitters, hormones and cytokines
- The difference between stress, distress and eustress, and language to help clients understand it
- How the two stress pathways, SAM and HPA, work, and why chronic activation harms every system
- Why acute inflammation protects us while chronic inflammation harms us, and how it links to chronic conditions
- A PNI framework for understanding depression and PTSD
- What sickness behaviour reveals about the overlap between immune activation and depression
- The role of the vagus nerve, diaphragmatic breathing, social connection and emotional regulation in immune health
- An evidence-based case for bringing stress reduction and relaxation into everyday clinical practice
Watch the course trailer
CPD Information For Mental Health Professionals
Enjoy complete flexibility with 100% self-paced learning you can access anytime, anywhere, and on any device. Pay once for lifetime access.
Course Duration: 2 learning hours
Certificate and CPD hours: On completion you’ll receive a Certificate of Completion to support your CPD records.
Assessment: Complete a short quiz at the end (80% pass mark), which you can resit as many times as needed.
Lifetime Access: Your access to the course does not expire, so you can revisit main concepts anytime you want a refresher for practice.
CPD Eligibility: This program may be suitable for CPD for professionals such as:
- Psychologists
- Counsellors and Psychotherapists
- Social Workers
- Community Workers
- Mental Health Nurses
- General Practitioners (GPs)
- Occupational Therapists
CPD requirements vary between professional bodies, so please check with your association or credentialing body to confirm you can claim CPD hours/OPD points for this program and what evidence they require.
Course Content
Meet Your Instructor
Dr Judy Lovas is Australia’s expert in Relaxation Therapy and an international speaker, dedicated to teaching evidence-based relaxation skills for chronic conditions. Judy is determined to increase relaxation therapies in 21st century health care.
With up-to-date knowledge, passion and humour, Judy teaches medical and health professionals leading research in relaxation therapy to enhance mental health and physical wellbeing. Her presentations include how to practice simple relaxation skills and the clinical application of relaxation therapy to enhance your clients’ health.
Judy’s work is based on Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI), the science of mind body connections. She presents the latest, cutting-edge studies that support diaphragmatic breathing, guided imagery, progress muscle relaxation and massage therapy for chronic conditions such as anxiety, depression, pain, sleep disorders, trauma and inflammation.
As Director of Art & Science of Relaxation, Judy presents for prestigious institutions including the University of Sydney, Australian Psychology Society and the Australian Association of Social Work. She is an international presenter and worked with the University of Thessaly in Greece, the Sports Group GmbH in Germany and the Hebrew University in Israel. Her work is recognised in Lifestyle and Integrative Medicine organisations.
Her Ph.D. from the University of Sydney Faculty of Medicine, focused on psychological and immunological outcomes of massage therapy for spinal cord injury patients, and demonstrates her commitment to understanding the complex mind-body connections that drive healing.
Judy’s expertise in PNI-based Relaxation Therapy for chronic conditions offers measurable changes in immune function, inflammatory markers, and neurological processes to support better health. She specialises in helping practitioners understand exactly how relaxation therapies affect cellular and molecular health, why certain techniques work better than others, and how to prescribe specific relaxation interventions for different conditions and populations.
What sets Dr Lovas apart is how she translates complex science into simple concepts. Judy combines scientific rigor with practical accessibility. She doesn't just teach relaxation techniques - she shows practitioners the underlying psychoneuroimmunology mechanisms that explain why these interventions work, enabling them to make evidence-based treatment decisions. Her 18 publications and extensive teaching experience demonstrate her exceptional ability to make complex immunological and neurological concepts immediately relevant to clinical practice.
For your practice, expect to gain specific, evidence-based relaxation protocols for different conditions and frameworks for integrating PNI principles into existing treatment approaches. Judy’s approach particularly benefits healthcare professionals working with chronic conditions, those seeking non-pharmaceutical interventions, or practitioners wanting to understand the science behind mind-body healing.
Quick Win: Judy's ‘Slow Breathing’ technique helps clients quickly activate the parasympathetic nervous system while reducing inflammatory markers - often leading to measurable stress reduction while building long-term resilience through regular practice.
Qualifications
- Ph.D., Medicine, University of Sydney (dissertation: "The effects of massage therapy on secondary conditions of people with spinal cord injury: psychological and immunological outcomes")
- Master of Science Research Degree Faculty of Science Univ of Technology, Sydney, 1998
- BA, Psychology, University of New South Wales (UNSW), 1982
- Diploma, Adult Education, University of Technology Sydney (UTS), 1991
- Over 25 years experience in psychology and psychoneuroimmunology
Authored Publications
- Author and co-author of 17 publications on psychoneuroimmunology, research-based benefits of relaxation therapy, and chronic pain management
- YouTube educational content creator
- Featured on The GP Show podcast
- Regular media contributor on relaxation therapy and PNI topics
Leadership & Teaching
- Director, Art & Science of Relaxation, Sydney, 2014–present
- Lecturer, Psychology, Australian College of Physical Education, Sydney, 2019–present
- Lecturer, Cellular Health, Psychoneuroimmunology, Evidence-based Relaxation Therapy, Nature Care College, Sydney, 2016–present
- Clinical Relaxation Therapist, Cingulum Health, Sydney, 2022–present (specialising in relaxation therapy for neurological rehabilitation patients)
- Relaxation Therapy Classes Instructor, Osana Medical Centres, Cremorne & Narrabeen, Sydney, 2019–2020
Academic Experience
- Lecturer/Tutor, Psychology, Australian Catholic University, Strathfield, Sydney, 2008–2014 (Education Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Motivation and Emotion, Critical Thinking)
- Lecturer, Psychoneuroimmunology, School of Medical Science, University of Sydney
- Lecturer, Psychoneuroimmunology, Australian College of Applied Psychology
- Psychology Teacher, Methodist's Ladies College
- Lecturer, TAFE NSW, Meadowbank College of TAFE, 1989–1998 (developed Diploma in Health Science - Massage Therapy)
Clinical & Research Focus
- Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) research and application
- Evidence-based relaxation therapy protocols
- Chronic pain management through mind-body interventions
- Anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders treatment
- Trauma therapy using relaxation techniques
- Inflammation reduction and cellular health optimisation
- Mind-body connections in healing and recovery
Community & Volunteer Work
- Volunteer Coordinator, North Sydney Persistent Pain Mental Health Network, current
- Dedicated advocate for integrating relaxation therapies into healthcare systems
- Community educator on stress management and holistic health approaches
Ready to understand the science behind why relaxation therapy creates real physiological changes? Discover how evidence-based psychoneuroimmunology can help you apply specific relaxation interventions for measurable improvements in chronic conditions.
Feedback & Reviews
This course includes:
- Lessons 8
- Topics 0
- Duration 2 hours
- Quizzes 1
- Language English