The mind body connection

We can change our physical health by changing our mindsets. Over time, I have come to believe less and less that biology is destiny. It is not primarily our physical selves that limit us, rather our mindset about our physical limits. In the research that we've conducted over the past 30 years, I have come to realise that mind/body dualism is just a belief. If we put the mind and the body back together so that we are just one person again, then wherever we put the mind, we would also put the body. If the mind is in a truly healthy place, the body would be as well.

The mind-body link

Examples of this connection are all around us. We see a rat and show signs of fear as our pulse races and sweat breaks out on our skin; we think about losing a significant other, and our blood pressure increases; we watch someone vomit, and we feel nauseous ourselves. While we easily see evidence of the connection, it's not well understood.

We [my colleagues/students and I] conducted several studies that question the prevailing view of physical limits. They were all driven by the simple idea of the power of our minds.

We see ourselves as having a mind and a body that is separate from it. So when the body ails, it typically doesn't occur to us to seek the solution in our thoughts. And when it does occur to us, dramatic changes take place.

To read the research and the rest of the story, grab a copy of the Oct 2009 copy of the Complete Wellbeing magazine.