The notion of the mind-body is as old as eastern practices of meditation, acupuncture, or Chinese medication. For thousands of years, healers all over the world have known that you cannot heal the body without the collaboration of mind and spirit. Western medicine is only beginning to value an integrated approach to healing that includes mind and spirit. Still, for the majority receiving mainstream medical treatment today, integrative treatment remains the responsibility of the patient. Usually that means receiving care for mind and spirit outside of the doctor’s office. Mind-body therapies provide integration by addressing the mental, emotional, and spiritual issues related to illness. Underlying issues, such as unhealthy beliefs, unhealed grief or trauma, and unfulfilled desire, can stand in the way of healing. With the resolution of such issues, barriers to physical health are removed. The whole being is mobilized to serve the same goal: getting well. (Barasch, Marc (1993)
In the 1970s, study in psychoneuroimmunology verified that emotions subsist in the body beyond the brain. Biochemically, emotions form strings of amino acids known as neuropeptides, which attach to receptor sites. These peptides cause complex chemical reactions in every part of the body, effecting health and well-being. An additional way to think about it is that thoughts and feelings affect the body, and physiology affects thoughts and mood. Consequently, a depressed or anxious mood creates stress on the body, and diseases like cardiovascular disease and diabetes affect the chemistry of the mind. Mind-body therapy utilizes basic human physiology: mind and body are intertwined.
In this “room” where mind and body come mutually, the inner strength of mind, or soul, exists and can be known. These three components of the self-mind, body and soul make up a powerful subconscious reality........
