Thanks for reading along! In the last newsletter we talked a bit about things that may help us connect to our inborn and miraculous healing abilities. Many of the things we can do are matters of the mind. We often overlook the power our thoughts may have over the matter of our body, and in this brief edition we will explore some of the science that applies. Please feel free to share this email with anyone you feel it may help. (Click ‘read online’ above to see past topics.)

Strange Science of the Mind

In a recent research study two groups of older individuals were placed on an intensive strength building program:

• GROUP 1 - Intensive exercise program only

• GROUP 2 - Intensive exercise program PLUS the reciting of positive affirmation phrases like - “I have to give this my all”, “I can do this, here and now,” and “I am a machine!”

Both groups did the same exercises for the same duration and at the end of the study the group that also recited the positive affirmation had a statistically significant strength and endurance improvement over the group that just did the exercise.

I recall reading about a decade ago a research paper exploring thought and its effect on developing finger strength. Two groups of individuals were created. One group did a finger exercise over the duration of the study. The other group spent the same amount of time just thinking about doing the same exercise, but not actually doing it. At the end of the study BOTH groups had improved finger strength. The group that did the actual exercise had a much greater improvement, however the study showed that just thinking about the exercise made a measurable change in strength as well.

Wow.

My best buddy all through college and graduate school was a body builder. We would often lift weights together. One day he started talking to his muscles—ordering them to grow while working out. I thought he’d lost his mind. He hadn’t. Not really.

“If you don’t mind…it don’t matter.”

Muhammad Ali is credited with saying in relation to mind over matter - “If you don’t mind… it don’t matter.” I think at least in part he was speaking about not allowing unpleasant circumstances to rule your thinking. If we are to accept that thinking alone can affect the matter of the body, how do negative thoughts about your health affect your body? Conversely, how might positive thoughts about your health affect you?

More Mind Science

Some clever person once said;

“Whether you think you can do something or think you can’t do something—either way you will be right.”

This unwritten law of the universe can be applied to our health with what we call the placebo and nocebo effect. The classic placebo is a sugar pill given to patients who were told it was actually a helpful new drug. Very often the patients would report that the placebo helped their condition. A nocebo is a situation where the value of a particular treatment is downplayed or made to seem negative or ineffective prior to administration. Often times people given this ‘nocebo’ report a less favorable outcome than folks who were not given such doubt. What we see here is how a person’s expectation (a thought process) can have an affect on the functioning of the matter that composes our bodies!

Mind over matter.

What Can We Do?

I have always believed, and have tried to influence those around me to believe that our inborn power to heal and remain healthy begins with our mindset. To first and foremost accept that the human body is marvelously and miraculously engineered, and almost mystically responsive to the quality of our thoughts.

Some suggestions:

1. If you are ill or suffering a difficult situation, research and study the true stories of folks who have beaten that illness or situation. Fill your mind with uplifting stories of success. Let your self-talk be about taking victory over your situation rather than dwelling on what you don’t want.

2. Do what it takes to give yourself perfect confidence in the healthcare providers you use. Faith, confidence, and belief in what your provider is doing for you is an undeniably big part of what brings about successful healing. If you don’t have that level of confidence, find another provider.

3. Tell yourself each day that despite what the media scares folks about, that you are strong, resistant, fearless, and healthy. Tell yourself you have the inborn ability to resist illness. Put on your mental armor each day.

On the Level

Mind over matter is not just some kind of wu-wu fantasy. It’s a subject that is actually receiving a lot of attention in scientific circles. However, what I’ve written here is not designed to be a panacea for living a long and healthy life. How we eat, and move, work, and expose ourselves to our environments—the quality of these things is also important, and in future editions we will look further into these areas.

Thank you again for sticking with me here!

Until next time.

Blessings to you !