President of Üsküdar Üniversitesi, Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan made important evaluations regarding the topic “Ramadan and Its Impact on Our Mental Health” in the ‘Başka Şeyler’ program with Erman Yapan, broadcast on Ülke TV. Emphasizing that the month of Ramadan is a process of both physical and mental renewal, Tarhan drew attention to the aspects of hunger that program the brain and support renewal at a cellular level. He stated that fasting provides individuals with delayed gratification, impulse control, and psychological resilience. He noted that true freedom in modern life is to be free from desires and impulses. Tarhan also said that Ramadan functions like a “psychology laboratory” where one renews oneself, adding that this process offers individuals an opportunity for internal transformation in a wide range of areas, from anger management to post-traumatic growth, from the balance of morality and worship to a rational understanding of faith.
President of Üsküdar Üniversitesi, Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan, answered Yapan's questions regarding “Ramadan and Its Impact on Our Mental Health” on Ülke TV’s live broadcast program ‘Başka Şeyler’ with Erman Yapan.
“Our brain works like a biological computer”
Drawing attention to the physiological and mental effects of fasting, Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan began his remarks by saying: “Short-term fasting has no restorative properties. During short periods of hunger, glucose, or blood sugar, drops. When blood sugar drops, a person becomes irritable, hungry, and wants to eat. However, if a person intends, ‘I won’t eat all day,’ they program their brain. For example, if a person goes to bed intending, ‘I will wake up at 4:00 AM to catch a plane,’ they can wake up exactly on time even without setting an alarm. Some even wake up a minute before four. We know that after the earthquake, especially the Gölcük earthquake, some people suddenly woke up at 03:17. Our brain has the ability to program itself. Our brain works like a biological computer. During short-term fasting, when blood sugar drops, the body sends an alarm. When this alarm is triggered, the body needs to supply blood sugar. At this point, an energy source derived from adipose tissue and nourishing the brain, called ketone, comes into play. The brain produces ketones. It is also known as the ketogenic diet. One property of ketones is to provide mental clarity. It clears the mind, gives vitality to the person, and creates a sense of alertness. As ketone levels rise, the body starts using reserve fats. When the brain feels hungry, it also feels the need to renew itself.”
“During Ramadan, the body enters a self-renewal process”
Tarhan stated that fasting during Ramadan contributes to both physical and mental renewal: “During the month of Ramadan, by remaining hungry, the body enters a self-renewal process. A similar situation exists in plants, which florists know very well. If a flower hasn't budded for a long time, they place it in a dark environment for a while and cover it. Three days later, you see that it has started to produce new seeds. This is because living systems have a life-survival mechanism. It's as if cells have a small brain and their own program. That program activates and stimulates the system, sending a message of ‘You must survive, you must live,’ and it awakens dormant cells. Similarly, in the body, hunger supports cells in refreshing themselves. That's why methods called intermittent fasting or intermittent hunger today are among the most recommended practices by dieticians worldwide. Previously, six meals a day were recommended. This was thought to be an approach to keep a person slightly but continuously full, but over time, other consequences were observed. In other words, it was discovered that staying hungry also has value and significance for the body, both physically and cerebrally. The brain is the command center of the body. The renewal of that command center means creating a protective ground against diseases like Alzheimer's. For individuals with a family history of Alzheimer's, intermittent fasting practices can become a medical recommendation. In fact, we unknowingly perform the ‘hunger cure’ found in religion for reasons of worship. Moreover, because we do it by attaching meaning to it, the process becomes more conscious and profound. In other words, there is a benefit both for this world and the afterlife. When a person does this with acceptance and inner peace, they experience this process much more calmly.”
“The most important skill gained is delayed gratification”
Emphasizing the psychological gains of fasting, Tarhan stated: “The most important skill gained while fasting is the ability to delay gratification. Being able to delay gratification is extremely important for impulse control. In this era, especially younger generations, are experiencing a condition we call hedonic adaptation. That is, they perceive pleasures almost as a right, creating an expectation that everything will go smoothly, everything will be perfect, they will never be hungry, and never face problems. Older generations grew up amidst hardship and scarcity, while new generations are growing up with abundance and ease. As a result, tolerance for even the smallest deprivations becomes difficult. Resistance to hunger, waiting, and patience decreases. In connection with this, we observe that impulse control weakens. This is why a global addiction epidemic is being discussed today. This situation is largely related to a dopamine-focused lifestyle. However, the lifestyle that is more beneficial for the human brain and mental health is a serotonin-focused lifestyle. Dopamine is related to pleasure, while serotonin is related to happiness. Pleasure and happiness are not the same thing. Dopamine is short-term, more physical and concrete; its effect comes quickly and passes quickly. Serotonin, on the other hand, is long-term, carries a dimension of meaning, requires effort and investment. It develops gradually and is strengthened especially through social bonds. For example, when a person eats alone, the brain secretes more dopamine, but when eating in a group, sharing, both dopamine and serotonin are secreted. Because there is a social reward there. The sense of meaning provided by social connection comes into play, and the two systems work together.”
“True freedom is being free from desires and impulses”
Tarhan explained how the practice of fasting and patience develops an individual in the face of desires and impulses: “For example, in fasting and patience, there is hunger, a challenge. You say no to food, you say no to your desires and impulses. True freedom is not doing whatever you want. True freedom is being able to be free from desires and impulses. When a person is heading towards a goal, desires and impulses try to lead them astray. The important thing is the ability to say no to them. In therapy processes for individuals with impulse control disorder, this is actually worked on: ‘How will you say no to impulses that distract you while heading towards a goal, studying, or continuing a task?’ There are methods for this. Here, too, when a person undertakes a hunger cure believing and choosing, or observes the Ramadan fast by attaching a religious meaning, they strengthen their impulse control. At the same time, the skill of delaying gratification develops, and this becomes a resilience training. This also means psychological resilience.”
“Our tolerance for difficulties increases
Tarhan stated that fasting during Ramadan increases a person's tolerance for difficulties: “Psychological resilience is the ability to adapt when encountering difficulties and return to the previous balance. This is called hardiness. In English, it is referred to as psychological resilience. Concepts like psychological flexibility and elasticity are also used. Perhaps the most beautiful equivalent in Turkish is ‘yılmazlık’ (resiliency). Fortitude, resiliency… This concept expresses the ability to learn from events, to grow rather than fall apart after trauma. To develop after trauma, not to shrink… To be able to see the trauma experienced not as destructive but as a developing experience. Life is already full of trials and tribulations. During the Ramadan fast, we choose and plan to experience this hardship. When we consciously experience this, our tolerance for other difficulties we will encounter in the future increases.”
“Morality is the core, while worship is the envelope that protects it”
Drawing attention to the relationship between faith and morality, Tarhan stated: “People often act with routine and automatic traditions. They worship out of habit, without consciously thinking about their connection with Allah. However, as a sign of the end times, it is said that morality will first weaken, followed by the corruption of worship. That is, the shell remains, but the core is corrupted. Morality is the core; acts of worship, rituals, and practices are the envelope that protects it. The content is morality, the envelope is worship. Both are meaningful together. Just as an orange peel protects its interior, acts of worship protect morality. But the peel is valuable only as long as it protects its essence. When the essence is lost, only imitation and repetition remain. For this reason, there are two types of faith: imitative faith and investigative faith. Investigative faith is based on research, questioning, and justification. Only with such faith can morality truly be lived. Because a person knows why they believe. This is rational faith; it is not blind belief. Some people say, ‘Religion is not rational.’ Yet, the system of belief presented by the Holy Quran is logical. There are thousands of religions in the world, and at least one of them must be rational. I particularly emphasize the concept of rational faith. Because the faith based on a rational foundation is Tawhid (monotheistic) faith. Today, in science, there is determinism; cause-and-effect relationships are accepted. Approaches like superdeterminism and quantum determinism speak of unseen causality. Nothing in the universe is without cause. Tawhid faith is also compatible with this holistic understanding of causality.”
Properly managed anger transforms into a teacher
Tarhan stated that anger is a feeling that should not be suppressed: “In moments of anger, a person should be able to ask, ‘What angered me? Which of my principles was hurt, which of my values was violated?’ If they can think this way, they learn something from anger and turn it into a gain. Because behind every anger there is a reason belonging to the person. Discovering that reason is part of one's journey of self-discovery. Every anger is actually an opportunity for inner discovery. Instead of seeing anger as a threat, one should look at it as, ‘What is this feeling telling me about myself?’ For example, a person might be angry with their father, but when they see someone resembling their father, they might also feel anger towards that person. In reality, they are reacting not to that person, but to a characteristic they disliked in their father. Sometimes a person might even say, ‘I used to be very angry about some of my father’s behaviors, but I realized that I’ve become just like my father.’ This is an important realization. Because people sometimes both criticize and unconsciously imitate. Realizing this contradiction is the beginning of development. When anger is properly managed, it transforms into a teacher that brings a person closer to themselves.”
“Ramadanalways comes with the same essence”
Tarhan evaluated Ramadan's place in the individual's subconscious and its meaning in collective memory: “When we say ‘Old Ramadans,’ there’s actually a subconscious dimension to it. When we refer to ‘Old Ramadan,’ we are often looking for the Ramadan of our own childhood. Perhaps 50 years from now, today’s Ramadans will be called ‘Old Ramadans.’ It’s always said like that. During childhood, Ramadan is a period when arguments decrease at home, compassion comes to the forefront, and eating and sharing together increase. It's a time when children are more valued, Eid preparations are made with excitement, and everyone acts more understanding towards each other by saying ‘ya sabır’ (oh, patience). That's why anger decreases during Ramadan; people can restrain themselves by saying, ‘Today is Ramadan.’ In fact, the ideal is for this state during Ramadan to continue afterward. This is how Ramadan can create a change in a person, a fresh start, a restructuring, almost a ‘reset’ effect. In this sense, Ramadan is like a laboratory. What is done in a laboratory? Analysis is performed, and then a new product is developed based on the results of that analysis. One emerges developed at the end of the experiment. Ramadan should also be like a psychology laboratory. A person should be able to say, ‘How can I improve myself? My gain here will not just be hunger, but the resilience I show against hunger.’ Otherwise, they would only be torturing themselves, but if you live Ramadan in accordance with its meaning, this process turns into a gain for you. Ramadan is an opportunity to form deep and meaningful relationships. Because in this month, you realize that life and many things are temporary. You better understand that you are a guest in this world. Ramadan always comes with the same essence. The important thing is to be able to live Ramadan by preserving its essence within the conditions of the time.”
“Ramadan offers individuals an opportunity for mental renewal”
Emphasizing that fasting is a process of mental renewal that invites individuals to confront their past and re-evaluate their experiences, Tarhan concluded his words by saying: “Fasting initiates a process of questioning life in an individual. This is not actually a negative situation. A person can reflect on the past, asking themselves, ‘What did my past experiences teach me?’ However, while doing this, they should look at events not only with the old meanings they ascribed but also with new meanings gained from their current life experience. What we call spiritual actually carries a semantic, or meaningful, dimension. When a person adds this dimension of meaning to the process, they find the opportunity to re-interpret their experiences. Some experiences that they previously viewed negatively, lingering in their mind as unresolved trauma, can be resolved by approaching them with a new framework. Therefore, one should reflect on the past, but in a solution-focused way. If one only dwells repeatedly on the past without generating new meaning or creating a new logical framework, this situation increases anxiety. However, Ramadan offers individuals an opportunity for mental renewal. The brain calls for self-restructuring.”