The Mind/Body Connection - the Power to Self-Heal

Dr. Purushothaman
January 16, 2014

 

Is it possible to wish away pain, and how practical is it to believe that you can reverse a chronic illness? Self-healing is usually mentioned in the same breath as faith healing because it takes power, far beyond normal affirmations to induce a change in the immune system. The ultimate rapture expected from the mind/body connection may seem impractical and nonsensical to many people, and yet there are just as many sceptics out there, as there are believers.
The mental power to self-heal is not fully understood and there are more questions about how it works, than answers. A common question is: why is this higher state of mind limited to some and not for others?
The Mind/Body Connection
Most of us are unable to fathom the wonders of the brain. Science is still discovering new connections in neural pathways that allow us to perform outstanding, superhuman feats. Researchers are still unable to explain fulsomely the inner workings of the central nervous system, and why it responds to our inner voice, affecting vital signs: blood pressure, pulse rate, temperature and respiration.
What Science Knows
For many years we have known about the interactions between the brain and the immune system, which protect us from diseases (pathogens). It is true that the way we think, our experiences, and beliefs affect how our organs behave. Science has measurable proof at the molecular and pharmacological levels using advanced equipment. Research has attested to the fact that imbalances to neurotransmitters, our brains’ communication network, often results in disease.
Any disturbance to the mind and body connection can set off autoimmune diseases (cancer and AIDS), and inflammatory and infectious diseases. A disturbance can take the form of negative thought patterns. A negative state is capable of adversely influencing hormone function, altering our body’s internal balance, and weakening our ability to resist infections.
Faith against Science
What science knows, however, is still not enough to provide reasonable answers to why some people self-heal, while others cannot.
Countless testimonies have been told of persons healing from cancer and other terminal illnesses. If you search through the web you will encounter myriads of such testimonials. Many persons view these testimonials as faith healing, the ability to cure abnormalities with divine intervention, with a power greater than our own.
Sometimes it takes “rock bottom” situations to self-heal. Generally, people are left with no other alternative when medical science has appeared to have failed them. That is when a deeper belief system usually emerges, or needs to be found.
A famous quote from the bible by Jesus sums up the remarkable capabilities of the mind:
“I tell you the truth, if you have faith, as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘move from here to there’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible to you.”
Faith and meditation are also used interchangeably when relating to speed in recovery time from health conditions.
The mind/body connection seems to allow us to tap into a higher power source for self-healing, though aspects of this function are not quite understood. What is known, however, is that persons with a higher sense of belief use a form of meditation for “divine healing”.

 

Read Related Recent Articles