Psychosocial genomics: gene expression, neurogenesis, and human experience in mind-body medicine.

This paper introduces the new scientific discipline of psychosocial genomics as an emerging area in the foundations of mind-body medicine. Psychosocial genomics brings together a variety of interdisciplinary fields ranging from studies of stress, psychosomatics, psychoimmunology, and psychoendocrinology to the deep psychobiology of creativity, optimal performance, dreaming, art, ritual, culture, and spiritual life. The focus of psychosocial genomics is on creating new models of how the levels of gene expression, neurogenesis, and healing are interrelated as a complex, adaptive system with the levels of human experiencing, behavior, and consciousness. Ongoing research in psychosocial genomics is presented to illustrate how this complex adaptive system operates in the theory and practice of alternative and complementary mind-body medicine and psychotherapy on all levels, from mind to gene.