Ok this is a bit of a philosophical post.
Why am I writing it? Well I have seen lots of responses lately when people talk about the mind/body connection that are very defensive.
There are some people who seem to take offence when it is suggested that there is a connection between our mind and our body.
If I write that “The mind and body are connected”, it’s unlikely that anyone will disagree.
If I write “Placebo is a well tested effect where a belief in the power of a medicine may be enough for you to feel the benefit of a medicine” then most people will agree because science has proven it again and again.
If I write “Changing the way we think can alter the way our body behaves” then suddenly people get up in arms and interpret it as me saying it’s their ‘fault’ that they are ill or in pain etc.
Interesting isn’t it?
Just a couple of bits of interesting information.
1. Did you know that the margin that a ‘genuine’ medicine has to beat a placebo by to be accepted into the mainstream is only around 2%?
2. Did you know that the pain signal comes from the brain? A physical sensation sends a message to the brain which interprets it and decides how to respond. This is why different people have different tolerances for pain and why distraction is such an effective way of managing pain.
3. Did you know adrenalin is a neurotransmitter. It is something in the body that communicates with the brain and links mental and physical response. It is actually a super-neurotransmitter – so when you are flooded with adrenalin nothing else gets a look in. This means that if you are under high stress, and full of adrenalin it is suppressing other viruses in your body. Ever noticed how when you are on holiday from work you are always ill? That’s the adrenalin disappearing and letting the other stuff have a look in. Also it is not physically good for us to be in that state of adrenalin flooding for any length of time. Our heart is working overtime and this can lead to other stress related illnesses as our system and our brain rebels.
4. Did you know that your brain is essentially plastic? You physically grow new neural pathways and old ones that are no longer needed die off. Your brain is physically changing as you learn. This is why stroke victims, for example, can relearn something by watching someone do it repeatedly. They grow new pathways.
5. Have you ever wondered how listening to my voice on a relaxation track, doing nothing other than talking, helps your whole body to relax. Your breathing steadies off, your muscles to relax and you might even doze off. How is that possible when all you are doing it listening?
So with all these interesting things, it is kind of hard to ignore the fact that our mind is an intrinsic component to controlling our environment – in this case our physical body.
And once you accept that, then you have accepted the art of the possible.
You have accepted that by working on your mind you can influence your pain.
By working on your mind you can influence your immune system.
By just thinking about something differently you can affect a physical change.
You can read this post on my Cognitive Hypnotherapy website at Think it, Change it and follow some interesting links for techniques and products that help with things like pain, colds and hayfever. That’s if you believe in all this stuff of course!
