This four-part series describes how the mind can keep us well or make us sick, and offers tools for harnessing this power.
Part I: What We Can Learn From the Scientists and Mystics
What distinguishes Western allopathic medicine, based on the pharmacological treatment of diagnoses, from all other healing traditions are two key concepts: the separation of mind and body and the notion that nature can be explained materialistically. On the other hand, every non-allopathic healing tradition recognizes the inextricable link between psyche and soma. "Dis-ease" is not limited to the physical body; thoughts and emotions are causative factors. Healing necessitates addressing these elements. Getting well is not just about fixing the physical body.
Thoughts are powerful vibrations that can keep us well or make us sick. Negative thoughts can make us sick and keep us sick. Positive thoughts can heal us and transform our lives. These concepts do not come from the realms of pseudoscience. In fact, there is a tremendous body of scientific research that can support these principles.
Researchers in physics and engineering have been conducting experiments that suggest the profound effects of consciousness on the material world—how our thoughts can affect us [1].
For over 25 years, scientists at Princeton University's Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research (PEAR) Laboratory have demonstrated powerful correlations between human intention and machine behavior. They have shown that untrained individuals can influence the output of random mechanical and electronic number generators, just by thinking in which direction the numbers should go. These effects were found to be independent of space and time. Effects also occurred when the individual was thousands of miles away [2].
These ideas are millennia old and have roots in many of the world's ancient traditions. However, Western allopathic medicine usually ignores these concepts. Most doctors did not study advanced physics in undergraduate or medical school.
These models dramatically influenced our understanding of nature, and physicists became more like philosophers. These new views of nature were parallel to the ancient traditions of other cultures, to the healing traditions of other cultures and to mystical, non-Cartesian views of life.
Homeopathic medicine, a Western traditional medicine with ancient roots, based on the law of similars, treats patients according to their mental, emotional and physical symptoms.
Ancient Chinese medicine and Ayurveda (traditional Indian medicine) draw links between bodily symptoms and emotions. In Chinese medicine, the lung is the repository for grief, the liver for rage, and the kidney for fear. In Ayurveda, the vata dosha (thin body type, light and airy), may yield many types of arthritis and worry, while the pitta dosha (medium build, fire and water elements), ulcers and rage. To even consider a separation between these elements is contrived.
In Part II, the dichotomy between Western allopathic medicine and the concept of the inherent connectedness of mind and body will be elaborated.
References: 1. Tiller, W.A., Science and Human Transformation: Subtle Energies, Intentionality and Consciousness. Walnut Creek, CA: Pavior Publishing; 1997 2. Jahn, R.G., and Dunne, B.J., Margins of Reality: The Role of Consciousness in the Physical World. New York, NY: Harcourt Brace; 1997
Dr. Muehsam is a holistic physician practicing in New York City.
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