Welcome to
Balanced Mind Rx
In Monmouth County, New Jersey
Bridging psychiatry and gastroenterology to deliver patient care across New Jersey.
Gut-Brain Connection
Where Science Meets Relief
Your gut contains its own nervous system — the enteric nervous system — connected to your brain by the vagus nerve, a two-way superhighway that influences digestion, mood, and stress response.
When anxiety spikes, this system misfires: your brain signals your gut to cramp or slow down. And when your gut is inflamed, it can send distress signals that heighten anxiety.
At Balanced Mind Rx, we treat that connection directly through psychogastroenterology in New Jersey — the emerging field that integrates neuroscience, psychiatry, and gastroenterology to restore balance between mind and body.
Our Approach to Care
Science-Based. Collaborative. Personal.
Comprehensive Assessment
We examine emotional, physical, and digestive health together.
Coordinated Care
We collaborate with your gastroenterologist, therapist, and primary physician to keep treatment unified.Evidence-Based Therapies
Gut-focused CBT, gut-directed hypnotherapy, and integrative psychiatry that address both systems at once.Medication Management
Thoughtfully prescribed within a holistic plan (when appropriate).
Meet Debra Peneiras
Clinical Expertise That Connects the Dots
Debra Peneiras, MSN, APN, PMHNP-BC
Debra is a board-certified psychiatric nurse practitioner with professional expertise in both mental health and gastroenterology.
She founded Balanced Mind Rx to help patients who’ve been bounced between specialists to find clarity and continuity of care in one place.
Evidence in Action
Treatments That Change Outcomes
CBT for IBS
Up to 70% symptom improvement (NIH Study).Gut-Directed Hypnotherapy
2/3 of patients report sustained relief (University of Manchester).Integrative Psychiatry
Combines medication, lifestyle, and mind-body therapy for long-term resilience.
More Resources
Learn how anxiety and stress influence IBS through the gut-brain axis. Balanced Mind Rx in New Jersey offers evidence-based psychogastroenterology to help you find relief.