Dr. Daniel Amen's Amen WHOLE-4 Pilot Program Launches in 77 Faith-Based Communities Nationwide

COSTA MESA, Calif., Feb. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Amen WHOLE-4 for Faith Communities pilot program has officially launched in 77 churches and faith-based organizations across the United States, marking a major step toward a national movement focused on whole-person healing—brain, body, mind, relationships, and spirit.

Created by world-renowned psychiatrist, brain health expert, and person of faith Daniel G. Amen, MD, Amen WHOLE-4 is designed to help people get better together. Grounded in neuroscience and aligned with timeless spiritual principles, the program recognizes that lasting change rarely happens in isolation. It happens in community, where shared purpose, accountability, and encouragement help people adopt healthier habits and sustain them over time.

"America is in a WHOLE-4 health crisis," said Dr. Amen. "Anxiety, depression, obesity, loneliness, cognitive decline, and loss of purpose are all rising at the same time. Families are hurting and churches are struggling. The answer to these epidemics is not to see them as separate disorders, but as different expressions of the same unhealthy lifestyles and chronic stress patterns that damage the brain, body, relationships, and sense of meaning. 

The good news is they share the same cure—WHOLE-4 solutions that target brain health, physical health, emotional health, relational connection, and spiritual purpose all at once."

Amen WHOLE-4 is intentionally designed to address major modern epidemics—including depression, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, and obesity—simultaneously, rather than in isolation. By focusing on the common lifestyle and psychosocial drivers that underlie these conditions, the program aims to improve mood, metabolic health, cognitive resilience, and overall well-being together, instead of treating each problem as a separate silo.

The program builds on a powerful precedent. Dr. Amen is a co-author of The Daniel Plan, written with Pastor Rick Warren and Dr. Mark Hyman, a global health initiative delivered through faith communities that demonstrated how churches can become engines of physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual renewal. That program showed that when people pursue health together—supported by shared values, accountability, and purpose—the results are deeper, more sustainable, and more scalable than individual efforts alone.

The Amen WHOLE-4 journey expands this vision with a neuroscience-informed framework that targets four interconnected dimensions of life: brain and body, mind, relationships, and spirit. By addressing these domains simultaneously, the program seeks to create lasting change in mood, resilience, metabolic health, cognitive function, social connection, and meaning.

Since its February 1 launch, the pilot has rapidly expanded to 77 diverse sites, including small congregations, mega churches, counseling and coaching centers, and other faith-based organizations committed to whole-person wellness.

One participating site is Community Church of Columbus, Indiana, where registered dietitian Johnathan Isbill, MS, and licensed mental health counselor Dana Bowling are facilitating the program. Speaking to The Republic, Isbill reflected on the deeper goal: "How do we reconnect to God's purpose for our lives? How do we honor God with our health and wellness habits? How do we see caring for our brain and body as an act of worship to our Creator?"

The program consists of a six-session Foundational experience followed by a 12-session Mastery journey. Small groups serve as the core intervention, creating accountability, belonging, and shared practice—key ingredients for lasting change. The group format reinforces the central principle behind Amen WHOLE-4: people truly get better or sick together.

"Watching these pilot groups come alive has been incredibly inspiring," Dr. Amen said. "When people commit to renewing their minds, strengthening their bodies, deepening their relationships, and living on purpose together, transformation happens. We're seeing improvements in mood, energy, mental clarity, connection, and faith."

Drawing on decades of clinical experience at Amen Clinics and insights from nearly 300,000 brain SPECT scans, Amen WHOLE-4 equips participants with practical tools, daily habits, and a shared language for healing and growth—helping individuals, families, and entire communities thrive together.

For more information, visit Amen WHOLE-4 for Faith Communities or contact Natalie Buchoz at [email protected] or visit Amen WHOLE-4 for Faith Communities.

Press Contact:
Natalie Buchoz
[email protected]

SOURCE Amen Clinics, Inc.