Dr. Jerome Burt & The Nashberry Effect

Moving all but effortlessly up the hills of Percy Warner’s Mossy Ridge Trail, Dr. Jerome Burt makes keeping at least six feet of social distance very easy but keeping up to remain within earshot very difficult indeed. A fabulously fit fifty-something just north of six-feet tall, Dr. Burt -- or Jerome as he prefers in this setting -- practices what he preaches: the mindful maintenance of one’s health in all its facets, mind, body, and spirit. A clinical psychologist here in town with a thriving practice, Jerome’s insights are particularly poignant during this period of pandemic.

“These trails keep my patients and me focused on the positive,” Jerome comments before sharing a bit of his backstory. A former personal trainer and fitness instructor, Jerome earned his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Mississippi and completed his Postdoctoral Residency at Vanderbilt.  

“When I was younger, I was a self-appointed fitness guru. Now that I’m older and a clinical psychologist, exercise and nutrition remain a huge part of my practice. As I learned early on, you can’t compartmentalize mind and body.”

He helps his patients become not just more mindful about what they eat, but also about how they procure their food, prepare their food, and with whom they share their food. “Here’s the deal,” Jerome asserts, “biochemistry drives the bus. So, when we break bread together—connect and eat good food—we activate the parasympathetic nervous symptom and it gets the right chemicals—oxytocin and serotonin—flowing that make us feel good and happy and soulfully nourished.”

Jerome was sharing some of the insights of his TED Talk, 'How a Dinner Party Can Save Your Life,’ the theme of which is that sharing a meal and feeling part of a community are what we’re put on this Earth for. It’s something we all share, and needn’t require a special occasion.

“You can have connection and happiness on a random Tuesday night when you break bread together,” Jerome points out. “Cooking is an emotionally corrective experience, and one that starts with where you get your food. Shop where the produce person cares about you! And relish the process of cooking—share it with your kids, your partner, whomever. These are the memories that stick.”

And getting to know your grocer or farmer at a farmer’s market isn’t the only food connection Jerome practices. In pre-pandemic and post-pandemic times, he frequents a select number of restaurants where he is recognized and known by name.  He calls this the “Cheers Effect.” 

“Going to places where everyone knows your name is the best way to trick your brain into thinking you live in a small village I like to call “Nashberry,” Jerome points out. “There are lots of great places in town to Nashberry in, but here are my three favorites: True Foods, Margo’s, and Hathorne.”

“This pandemic, particularly the shelter-in-place aspect, is showing us all that connection is the fuel that keeps the engine going. So how to stay connected and break bread ‘together’ during this time? Do a virtual dinner party! Cook up a meal or pick up takeout from one of your favorite Nashville restaurants and then fire up the computer with friends or family and share good conversation while you eat. No matter how you connect, limit yourself to only five minutes of Covid talk. Use the rest of the conversation to celebrate small victories, reminisce about the past, and plan for an in-person celebratory feast together when you can.  Save the hugs for your post-pandemic dessert.”