A Strong Mind and Spirited Body – I
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A Strong Mind and Spirited Body – I
This is the first installment of a series of articles called: A Strong Mind and Spirited Body.
There is a very real connection between the mind and the body, one that must be constantly cared for and improved. A weak mind with a strong body is akin to a beautiful-looking car with a terrible engine. You must make your mind as strong as your body if you want to achieve total health, and vice versa. The connection between your mind and your body is a very real one, and you must respect that and continuously strive to strengthen that connection.
Photo by geekgirly
If you have ignored the idea of your mind, in regards to health, you can not be healthy. It is a necessary component to achieving total health.
Mind – Brain Dichotomy
Your body is a dichotomy, or a division into two parts. On the one hand, there is the body and everything physical. This is what is concrete, and what can be understood by using your five senses on a physical, not emotional, level. On the other hand, is your mind. This is not the physical brain, but more of an abstract concept of emotions and feelings. It is your conscious and subconscious experience. More subjective and open to interpretation, the mind can’t be pinned down as easily.
These two parts are constantly working together. When you touch something hot, for example, your body will react to the pain. Your nerves sense that something is hot, and it reports that sensory data back to your brain. Your brain may help trigger your muscles to pull away, but it is your mind that tells you that that was hot and not to do it again. Can you see why both parts are so essential? Your brain is a physical description and belongs to the body. Your mind does not.
A Short History Lesson
The idea of dualism, or the relationship between the mind and the body, can be attributed to a philosopher named René Descartes. Not only was he the first to distinguish the mind from the brain, but he also was the first to identify the mind-body dilemma. This dilemma, or problem, is the basis for the argument between dualism and monism. A dualist sees the mind and the body as separate from each other, while a monist sees them as one in the same. If you haven’t already discovered by now, I would place myself in the dualist camp, which is why I place so much stress and importance on the idea of the connection between the mind and the body.
But I am not alone in this regard, as many traditional Eastern philosophies have practiced the integration of the mind and the body into healing for thousands of years. There was a time, believe it or not, where even us Westerners placed more of a value on the spiritual, emotion, and feeling aspect of healing than the physical one. Medical developments in the 16th and 17th centuries further separated these two focuses on healing with the goal of control over nature. Man, or so it seemed, was the ultimate creation, and nothing was out of its realm. This attitude was further developed during the Renaissance and Enlightenment eras and was finally carried out by technological advances, such as microscopy, the stethoscope, as well as the discovery of bacteria.
Fast forward to 1955, with the publication of a paper called The Powerful Placebo by Henry K. Beecher, and you will find a reintroduction of the mind into modern medicine. Beecher popularized the idea of the “placebo effect” by administering saline injections and telling his patients that he was using a powerful painkiller. His patients often achieved equal, if not better, pain relief than those using the actual painkillers. This worked because the mind, and the belief that you are being healed, is an extremely important part of the healing process. Without it, you will never truly be healed.
Recess Time!
Alright, pencils down, class!
We now know that the idea, or argument, of the mind and the brain being connected is not a new one. It has been used in medicine for quite some time. So let’s delve a bit deeper.
The Healing Powers of the Mind
We all know the processes of treating the body in order to let it heal. Nutrition, medicine, surgery, among others, are all generally well-acknowledged forms involved in the healing process. This article, on the other hand, will focus on the benefits of also using the mind to heal.
There is now evidence that medicinal techniques involving the mind have shown to be: necessary to differing forms of pain treatment, helpful in lowering the susceptibility of infection, beneficial with advancing the healing of wounds, and important in helping patients prepare for the obvious stresses involved in surgery. Furthermore, it has even been shown that mind-body medicine is one of the the best treatments for coronary artery disease.
So now what?
When I first researched this topic, the one question on my mind was: so now what? There could very well be a huge role that your mind plays on your total health and well-being, but what now?
To improve your physical health, what do you do? There are many ways, right? It is a very concrete and obvious process. If you are going down the right path, you feel better, you look better, and you can easily tell by just looking in the mirror! It’s not that easy when you want to train the mind, and for a lot of people that is one of the main reasons why they don’t. The parameters to look for improvement are not nearly as obvious. The most important part is to realize that the connection between the mind and body exists, and to treasure that connection.
World of New Possibilities
With the belief of a connection between, and importance of, a strong mind and a spirited body, an entire world of possibility and potential for growth opens up.
Practices like acupuncture, autogenic training, biofeedback, breathing techniques, cognitive behavioral therapy, group support systems, guided imagery, hypnosis, meditation, qi gong, relaxation techniques, spirituality, tai chi, visual imagery, and yoga should now be on your radar. And that isn’t even the tip of the iceberg!
If any of these sound particularly interesting to you, let me know. I will focus on some for the next installment of the series.
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January 31st, 2008 at 10:16 am
Also agreed.
This hits a major issue with not only athletes but with all people everyday. Personally I have experienced the effects of the mind on the body, and its positive or negative role. Example, while running I will sometimes start to debate whether or not I actually want to run the entire 15 miles I set out to do. My body will start to become tired and my breathing labored. I will start to let my mind wonder and everything becomes more of a chore. This is not why I run, running is relaxing and its like a meditation, and like any meditation, your mind guides the experience. You have to take control. so in those instances to get my wandering mind back in control, I focus on breathing and running mechanics. It is so simple. just mentally, or physically say, out out, in in, out out, in in, while you run and think about how you could be running more efficiently and the transformation is instantaneous. This of course takes practice but the effect is fantastic. A person with a lot of will power can also overcome and even outperform those who are more athletically gifted because they will just not give up.
January 31st, 2008 at 6:40 pm
Giant,
Breathing exercises are crucial to running. When I run, eventually I notice myself entering an almost trance-like state. My breathing is in such a pattern, as is my stride, that I almost go on automatic. When pain and exhaustion comes, it would be a great thing to change up your breathing to allow a renewed sense of focus on it. Great idea. Heart always wins.
January 31st, 2008 at 10:36 pm
I love how your writing infuses humor with relevant topics. The mind-body connection is so important. They both carry such great power, and can fuel the other. When I’m healthier, my mind just feels clearer. It’s amazing, even during regular exercise, or yoga, how your mind clears and you focus more clearly. I find, especially if I run in the mornings, the rest of the day, I’m quicker, and more productive. Great post!
February 1st, 2008 at 8:41 am
I know of a case where a man was under terrible stress at both work and home.
His doctor warned him that he had better slow down. Suddenly, he was hit with an appendicitis attack. This effectively removed him from the stressful situation. Could his mind have stepped in and caused this physical problem in “self-defense”? I believe this
is true. I also believe this sort of thing happens all the time.
February 1st, 2008 at 10:26 am
Rebecca,
Humor?! Every word of that was written with the serious intensity of a thousand suns! I kid of course, and while the message is of a serious and practical one, I do like to add humor to make it easier and more enjoyable to read. I also find that running not only rids the body of toxins, but also clears the mind of them as well, just like you said! Thanks for the kind words, and have a great weekend!
Mad Dog,
Thanks for the comment! Interesting case, indeed. So the appendicitis, after being treated, effectively saved his life? What a turn of events. Another great example of finding the good in an otherwise negative situation.
When the body has a disease, it is not at ease. If you believe in a link between the mind and the body, you would believe that the mind couldn’t be at ease either. In fact, it could be the mind that was causing all the problems in the first place! Have a great weekend, Mad Dog!
January 16th, 2010 at 11:49 am
Really new to this thing, but I’m still learning about this. This is a great thing that my friend recommended to me, I never getting involved with it but soon will be
February 1st, 2010 at 7:57 am
Everyone has to start somewhere. We are glad that you found this article helpful, and if you need any advice or help with questions, feel free to ask!!