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Healing And The Mind
Healing And The Mind :
Healing is considered by conventional Western medicine to be primarily physical. But in many cultures, healing is thought of to be an action of the mind and spirit in that acts on the body through the body/mind connection. If thoughts can be said to influence anything in physical reality, they might be able to influence the very body that contains the mind thinking those thoughts.
The history of healing and the mind
According to the theory behind healing and the mind, the power of emotions and focused thinking can improve physical health in a number of ways. Hippocrates referred to “the natural healing force within each one of us.” Many ancient healing practices, including Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine, have as their foundation the connection between the body and the mind.
Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI), the study of how thoughts affected the nervous system and the immune system, was an early foray into establishing the connection between healing and the mind. Although most American researchers in the 1960s and 70s did not fully embrace the concept of healing and the mind being linked, that era saw the first research into biofeedback and the first warnings about the negative impact of stress.
In the decades that followed, American medicine began to incorporate more examples of healing and the mind, including cognitive behavioral therapy and relaxation techniques including meditation, to strengthen the connection between healing and the mind. Hypnosis and self-hypnosis became more useful method of healing, especially in treating mental disorders.
The spiritual connection between healing and the mind
Healing and the mind crosses into the territory of spirituality. Faith healers are said to use their mental powers to heal the physical ailments of others; in many cases, the patient’s own faith can facilitate healing. Research has proven that people with chronic fatal diseases like Cancer and AIDS have a longer survival rate if they have some spiritual orientation.
The human connection between healing and the mind
Support groups are another example of the way in which healing and the mind are linked. Many studies have shown that talking with patients who have similar ailments leads to improved survival rates. If healing and the mind are linked, then stimulating the mind may help heal the body.
The link between healing and the mind has been most useful in treating:
High blood pressure
Asthma
Coronary heart disease
Obesity
Cancer treatment side effects
Insomnia
Anxiety
Diabetes
Gastro-intestinal problems (including irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn's disease)
Fibromyalgia
Menopausal symptoms
Tinnitus
Healing and the mind in the media
Newsweek magazine recently devoted its entire “Health for Life” report to the growing field of medicine surrounding healing and the mind. According to a recent government poll, almost half of all Americans use healing techniques that fall outside the realm of conventional Western medicine, ranging from controlled breathing to yoga to therapeutic hypnosis.
A PBS special hosted by Bill Moyers entitled “healing and the Mind” explored the many ways in which thought processes can be channeled to assist in healing, from ancient traditions through modern technology.
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Infinite HealthThe Bridge: Behavioral Medicine/Biofeedback, Music & Sound Therapy, Ayurvedic Therapies, Taiko Drumming, Reiki, Moab, Utah
Intending to bridge Western schools of thought and tradition including physiology, psychology, healthcare, and human performance with Eastern thinking, traditions and practice resulting in an active, personal and mindful participation in behavioral physiologic self-regulation for health and performance.
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