The Role of the Mind in Healing
By Peter Shepherd
Tim Rowe sent me the following brief notes he made from a lecture by Eric Hills, a kinesiologist who applied rigorous scientific testing to his theories, back in 1987.
- Every change of state of mind (every new thought) causes a physical reaction however small.
- Whatever the mind expects tends to be realized.
- Imagination (visualization) is more powerful than reason.
- When imagination and reason are in equal conflict then imagination will always prevail.
- Opposing ideas cannot exist in the mind at the same time.
- The longer an idea remains in the subconscious mind, the more difficult it becomes to replace it with another idea.
- (a) Long held ideas that condition lifestyle, in a manner not wholly suited to the person in their environment, eventually bring about organic changes - some of which are adaptive, but some may be alien to the organism.
(b) An emotionally induced symptom tends to cause organic change if persisted in long enough.
- Each suggestion to the subconscious mind - if acted upon, creates less opposition to successive suggestion.
- When dealing with the subconscious mind, the greater the conscious effort - the less the subconscious response.
- (a) The subconscious mind is childlike. It accepts readily simple, direct, repetitive instructions without question.
(b) It prefers symbolic, dynamic and colorful imagery as a language instead of factual description, since this appeals greatly to the mind's ability to fantasize.
(c) It attaches much emotional significance to such properties as color, size, shape, power, rhythm and primitive fear.
- The electromagnetic balance (meridians) of the physical / mental body optimizes the healing response.
At the same time I read the article, 'The Mind-Body Connection in Learning' by Ruth Palombo Weiss, describing the science of the mind-body interaction. Certainly it is my experience, both subjectively and also dealing with many students and clients over the years, that changes of mood and motivation have direct impact on physical wellbeing, and that altered expectations (according to beliefs) are frequently met in changing real-life circumstances.
We can change our bodies and our lives by the way we think. I write in Tools for Emotional Intelligence about the cycles of positive and negative learning. Life is, to a significant degree, for learning - so when things don't go right, when we do wrong, make mistakes, and when we do things right as well - these are all learning opportunities.
Learning can be positive, when an experience has been properly digested, so new skills, coping and mastery are developed - or learning can be negative, when the experience is perhaps overwhelming and has not been integrated and so future avoidance patterns become imprinted, what could be termed 'unskills'. So long as you eventually learn from it in a positive way, no experience is wasted.
Similarly there is positive and negative imprinting. If an untruth is imprinted into our unconscious, it becomes a limiting, negative influence. If a truth is imprinted, it will necessarily therefore be based on love and freedom of thought, being in the present moment, recognizing what is without judgment - then it is an empowering, positive influence, especially if it is made fully conscious.
The message of the Thomas Children is something that children understand but adults lose touch of: the magical reality of our inner world. They say that if you pretend something that is actually true, then of course it still is true - but now you realize it! The power of our minds is but a reflection of the source of that power, our spiritual nature, our connection with God - the magical wizard within us.
 This is something Peter put together that is close to his heart. It's a free daily meditation program to help you make the state of unconditional love an integrated part of your life, which is key to lasting joy and fulfillment.
Plus check out Your Inner Truth, a phenomenal range of journaling tools to help you find the truth of your situation. You may feel stressed, or confused, there may be a lot going on and choices to make that seem a bit overwhelming. Or you may simply need time with yourself, to decide what is it you really want... and just who are you, really?
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