Sidebar: Informational websites

[Editor’s note: We apologize to Anna Dodd and our readers for printing a draft version of this article in our August-September 2003 issue. We are proud to offer you the following final version of Ms. Dodd’s article for your enjoyment.]

The concept of the mind-body is as old as eastern practices of meditation, acupuncture, or Chinese medicine. For thousands of years, healers the world over have known that you cannot heal the body without the cooperation of mind and spirit. Western medicine is only beginning to value an integrated approach to healing that includes mind and spirit. Still, for the majority receiving mainstream medical treatment today, integrative treatment remains the responsibility of the patient. Usually that means receiving care for mind and spirit outside of the doctor’s office.

Mind-body therapies provide integration by addressing the mental, emotional, and spiritual issues related to illness. Underlying issues, such as unhealthy beliefs, unhealed grief or trauma, and unfulfilled desire, can stand in the way of healing. With the resolution of such issues, barriers to physical health are removed. The whole being is mobilized to serve the same goal: getting well.

In the 1970s, research in psychoneuroimmunology demonstrated that emotions exist in the body beyond the brain. Biochemically, emotions form strings of amino acids known as neuropeptides, which attach to receptor sites. These peptides cause complex chemical reactions in every part of the body, effecting health and well-being. Another way to think about it is that thoughts and feelings affect the body, and physiology affects thoughts and mood. Therefore, a depressed or anxious mood creates stress on the body, and diseases like cardiovascular disease and diabetes affect the chemistry of the mind. Mind-body therapy utilizes basic human physiology: mind and body are intertwined.

In this “space” where mind and body come together, the inner spirit, or soul, exists and can be known. These three components of the self--mind, body and soul--make up a powerful subconscious reality. Here, beliefs, feelings, past experiences, and spiritual truths affect every aspect of life and health. This inner reality is often where healing is needed. Therapy fosters understanding, acceptance, and transformation. Unhelpful beliefs can be changed to healthy beliefs, hurt feelings and trauma can be healed and unfulfilled longings resolved.

With illness comes a spiritual message or lesson. Symptoms relay a message from the soul, which needs to be understood and honored. By tuning in, “listening,” and allowing the message to guide our actions, we enter into spiritual healing. A shift in the illness follows. Spiritual lessons involve a change or transformation in the important relationships of our life: relationship with body, disease, loved ones, and most significantly, with life itself. Enlightenment and spiritual awakening begin.

Getting Better. There are two possibilities for getting better. The first is that a “cure” takes place. The symptom or illness goes away and doesn’t come back. The other possibility is “healing”, defined by doctor, teacher and author Jon Kabat-Zinn as a transformation of view. With healing, a qualitative difference in the illness occurs. Symptoms may decrease in intensity, duration or frequency, or the person may experience greater tolerance, acceptance, even harmony with the illness. Unfortunately, it is not up to us humans to decide whether we receive healing or a cure. We do what we know in order to heal, and then wait for grace. While a cure only sometimes happens, the good news is, healing can most always happen.

Goals & Benefits. In my personal and professional experience, benefits of mind-body therapies tend to be wider than the set goal, since beneficial, healthy changes occur on every level of being. Goals may be general, such as improving overall health, or a specific aspect of health may be targeted for improvement. Sometimes, emotional issues around taking medication can be eliminated, improving the body’s response to the medication. Inner conflict about the medical treatment we undergo can be addressed and resolved, allowing us to approach treatment whole-heartedly. Chronic, negative emotions can be released from the body, resulting in greater calm and comfort. Joy or spiritual wisdom can even become a goal in its own right. Goals are determined in consultation with the therapist or practitioner, after an in-depth discussion of the individual’s situation and desires.

In order to heal we must believe, consciously and unconsciously, that we can heal. Unlike conscious beliefs, subconscious beliefs are illogical, often childlike conclusions based on past experiences, hurts and feelings. Mind-body therapies are able to effectively change self-limiting or punishing beliefs about our ability to heal, creating a powerful opportunity for healing to occur.

Many therapies utilize the mind-body, including hypnotherapy, breath therapy, Neuro Emotional Technique, Core Energetics and Psych-k. There are numerous others, each with its own particular strengths and benefits. The common characteristic is that they draw upon information from mind, body, and soul, which is necessary for healing the whole self. While a comprehensive list of therapies by uses and benefits is beyond the scope of this article, the websites listed in the sidebar are informative.

Putting a measure of control back in our hands, mind-body therapies offer some of the fastest, most direct ways to influence our fate. If you are interested in utilizing the mind-body to help with healing, consult with several practitioners. Ask about the characteristics and benefits of the therapy being offered. Notice which provider you are drawn toward. In the end, look inward, close your eyes, and breathe. The right choice will raise your energy level and “feel” right. When you do find a right choice, be bold. Put one foot in front of the other and walk into healing.

Anna Walker Dodd, MS, LPC is a licensed psychotherapist in Atlanta, who utilizes mind-body wisdom to help people reach their physical, emotional, and spiritual goals. You can find out more about Anna and the mind-body at www.annadodd.com.

Informational websites:
www.mindbody.org
www.mbmi.org
www.breaththerapy.net/page0007.htm
www.ibfnetwork.org/general_info.html
www.netmindbody.com/what_is_net.html
www.annadodd.com/hypnosis.html
www.psych-k.com/about_psych-k.html
www.coreenergeticinstitute.com/corebrochure.htm

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