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The Mind - Body Connection

  • Writer: Patricia Faust
    Patricia Faust
  • May 23, 2019
  • 4 min read


Recent years have proven to be a renaissance for the integration of Mind-Body medicine. The idea that our thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and attitudes can positively or negatively affect how our body works is finally finding some traction. What is interesting though is that doctors have deliberated over the connection between our mental and physical health for centuries. During the 17th century, the Western world started to see the mind and the body as two distinct entities. This perspective looked at the body as a machine with replaceable parts, independent parts, with no connection at all to the mind. Even though the Western viewpoint had definite benefits by advancing traditional medical models, it also reduced scientific inquiry into humans’ emotional and spiritual life. This viewpoint downplayed humans’ innate ability to heal.

Thinking has come full circle on this however. Recently, scientists have reflected on the idea that even behavioral disorders have a biological basis. At the same time, they have been rediscovering the links between stress and health. It is not illogical anymore to accept that there is a powerful mind-body connection through which emotional, mental, social, spiritual, and behavioral factors can directly affect our health.

How Is the Mind Different From the Brain?

How is the mind different from the brain? Mind and brain are sometimes used interchangeably but there is a difference in function. By definition, the mind consists of mental states such as thoughts, emotions, beliefs, attitudes and images. The brain is the hardware that allows us to experience these mental states. Mental states can be fully conscious or unconscious. We often have emotional reactions to situations without ever being aware why we were reacting. Each mental state has a physiology associated with it – a positive or negative effect felt in the physical body. This occurs since the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems share a common chemical language, which allows constant communication between the mind and body through messengers like hormones and neurotransmitters. For example, emotions like anxiety can trigger increased stress hormones, which may suppress the immune system and set the stage for the development of infections or cancer.

Mind-Body Medicine

What healers knew centuries ago are now being researched and recognized as powerful connections through which emotional, spiritual, and behavioral factors can directly impact health outcomes. Research in mind-body medicine is finding that emotions and thought patterns can contribute to imbalances within the body. The beliefs you hold about yourself and your world, your emotions, your memories and your habits can all influence mental and physical health.

Let’s see how this mind-body connection really works. What you believe can lead to disease. Due to the mind-body connection, the way you think and feel, as well as the deep-seated belief patterns you hold can all contribute to the development of disease, according to Jennifer Weinberg of the Chopra Center. If you do not explore and deal with painful emotions, they can create an underlying sense of anxiety, depression, or anger that can physically disrupt the body’s natural ability to heal itself.

The Interaction of Belief and Physical Sensations

One common way you may experience this interaction of belief and physical sensations is when dealing with chronic pain. Pain is a combination of the physical sensations you experience, the emotions you feel, and the meaning of the pain for you (mind, emotions, attention). Emotional suffering, physical pain, and other sensations share similarities in their neural pathways. For example, feelings of anger or insecurity can disrupt the regular beating of the heart and the calm flow of the breath. This further activates the sympathetic nervous system in the same way that occurs when you are facing a threat, creating an even greater sense of unease and pain. (Jennifer Weinberg, Chopra Center) Stress, fear, and depression amplify pain, and mind-body approaches can be be effective in treating some pain.

Mind-Body Therapies

With all of that said, how do you heal and prevent disease? The mind-body connection is complex and requires a combination of physical, spiritual and emotional approaches. There are a variety of mind-body therapies that can help you process your emotions and develop inner peace and physical wellness. Mind-body therapies use the body to affect the mind, such as yoga, tai chi, qigong, and some types of dance. Mind-body and body-mind therapies are interrelated: the body affects the mind, which in turn impacts the body. Here is a list of mind-body therapies:

· Patient support groups

· Cognitive-behavioral therapy

· Meditation

· Prayer

· Creative art therapies (art, music and dance)

· Yoga

· Biofeedback

· Tai Chi

· Qigong

· Relaxation

· Hypnosis

· Guided imagery

Mind-Body Medicine: The Power of Thoughts and Emotions to Influence Health

Mind-body medicine uses the power of thoughts and emotions to influence health. Clinical trials have indicated that mind-body therapies can be helpful in managing chronic pain and other chronic conditions. Evidence reveals that they can help to improve psychological functioning and quality of life, and may help ease the symptoms of disease. Remember that our bodies are built to heal itself. We have all the parts – but we normally don’t take advantage of the therapies that will release this healing power. We are one, whole being – not separate operating systems. Pay attention to your health – physically and emotionally and be proactive in your own quality of life.

References:

Mind/Body Connection: How Your Emotions Affect Your Health. Retrieved October 10, 2017 from https://familydoctor.org/mindbody-connection-how-your-emotions-affect-your-health/

NIH Medline Plus. (winter, 2008). The Mind-body connection: emotions and health. Retrieved October 9, 2017 https://medlineplus.gov/magazine/issues/winter08/articles/winter08pg4.html

University of Minnesota. What is the mind-body connection? Retrieved October 9, 2017 from https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/what-is-the-mind-body-connection

Weinberg, J. Mind-body connection: understanding the psycho-emotional roots of disease. Retrieved October 9, 2017 from http://www.chpra.com/articles/mind-body-connection-understanding-the-psycho=emotional-roots-of-disease

 
 
 

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   And suddenly it is May!! April turned out to be an extremely busy month and I was caught off-guard by the start of May. There are a lot of activities and celebrations that kick off May and start the Spring-Summer season. The 151st Running of the Kentucky Derby was May 3. It was a mudder this year. We had experienced consistent rain throughout April, and it hasn’t left the area. The horses in that race are incredibly beautiful even when they covered in mud! Sovereignty, a three-year-old colt was the winner!! In a move I applaud, the owner of this beautiful horse was asked if they were going to have him run in the Preakness, the second leg of the Triple Crown. This owner deferred his answer because he wanted to talk to his team, but most of all, he wanted to see how Sovereignty was doing. The Preakness is only a couple of weeks from the Kentucky Derby and the lure of winning the Triple Cown has resulted in some bad decisions about entering a horse that hadn’t recovered from the Derby. May 4, was the 27th Flying Pig Marathon. If you have been following me for a while, you would know that my husband Russ and I volunteered at the race, running a fluid station for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society for 25 years. This race is amazing. Last year it was voted as one of the Best Marathons in the Country. I watched from the comfort of my dry home (still raining) and finally got to see what happens at the finish line. The stories of the runners were great! This race was the first time that the male winner had ever run a full marathon! The female winner had run many marathons, but this was the first time that she ran the Flying Pig! It sounded like she will be back next year because she said she was thinking while she was running that this was the most fun marathon, she had ever been in. (I can’t imagine even thinking while I was running a marathon!) Then there was an older woman who had just finished her 159th marathon! She was incredible! Next week she is on her way to New Zealand to run again! Everything these runners practice can be applied to maintaining a high-functioning brain. Of course, the lifestyle they practice is phenomenal for brain health. I teach about neuroplasticity and the power that we possess to change our brain. But to do that we must be dedicated to that change by repetitively and consistently challenging our brain. It is a marathon for brain health that we must live.

 

   May is Older Americans Month, and it is a time to recognize the contributions of older adults and highlight the positive impact they have on communities. The 2025 theme is “Flip the Script on Aging” encouraging individuals and communities to challenge negative stereotypes and celebrate the diverse experiences of aging. Celebrations often involve community events workshops, and activities designed to engage and connect older adults.

 

   I am booking online and in-person presentations for June. Topics are extensive. Contact me at patricia@myboomerbrain.com if you would like to discuss a presentation for an event or organization.Enjoy the renewal of May.

 

My very best, Pat

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