Superhealing: Engaging Your Mind, Body, and Spirit to Create Optimal Health and Well-Being (ARC) (12 page)

One of the most fascinating double-blind studies I’ve seen com-

pared the placebo effect to neurosurgery for Parkinson’s disease, a 66

PART ONE:
Your Superhealing Mind

serious disorder marked by the brain’s diminished ability to produce dopamine, the chemical that is released when we feel pleasure. The study found that those who received a real transplant of dopamine

neurons experienced improvement in their movement, whereas

those who had sham surgery did not. Even so—and this is the part

that intrigues me—the participants’ perception of having had sur-

gery did influence their responses. In their report, the researchers stated, “Those who thought they received the transplant at twelve

months reported better quality of life than those who thought they received the sham surgery, regardless of which surgery they actual y received.”30 In other words, their beliefs improved their lives.

Researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles have

also investigated whether brain activity is altered by placebos. Their study involved giving patients with major depression a placebo instead of an antidepressant drug while leading them to believe they were receiving the actual drug. Using an imaging technique known

as quantitative electroencephalography, the researchers discovered that the brain function of those who received the placebo was quite similar to the brain function caused by the antidepressant drugs.

After nine weeks, the patients were classified as being medication responders, placebo responders, or, in some cases, nonresponders

to either medication or placebos. Among the participants who were

responders, it was found that the same brain region was changed

whether they were medication responders or placebo responders.31

The researchers didn’t anticipate that the participants receiving

the placebos would actual y have detectable changes in the speed

and processing of their brain functions, but they did.

The mind is so powerful that it has also been observed to exert

a negative influence on patients who have been told that an inert

substance might be harmful. This phenomenon is called the
nocebo

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effect
. I believe that physicians accidental y induce a nocebo effect by handing out pessimistic predictions to their sick patients like judges handing down death sentences in court. Patients can so easily internalize the hopelessness their doctors feel and turn it into a self-fulfilling prophecy. Fortunately, doctors are increasingly being trained in the role the mind plays in health and disease, so they know to

avoid triggering negative perceptions in their patients.

The German Medical Association, it is interesting to note, actively encourages physicians to prescribe placebos. In 2010, it found that 59 percent of patients with stomach discomfort were helped by sham treatments.32

POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY

I love psychology. I minored in it in college and for a while se-

riously considered becoming a psychiatrist because of my desire

to learn about the mind. When I first heard about the pioneering

work of psychologist Martin Seligman, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, I wanted to get on a plane, find him, and embrace him. He has devoted his career to studying uplifting traits such as optimism, peace of mind, and happiness, which help us navigate life without mental and emotional impairment.

Establishing a positive emotional state is one of the foundations of superhealing, for it aligns the mind with the true nature of the spirit.

“Cheerfulness is the best promoter of health,” said writer Joseph Ad-dison, “and is as friendly to the mind as to the body.” The field of positive psychology studies how to create conditions for peak performance and emotional resilience. From time immemorial we’ve

known that positive emotions are antidotes to problems associated

with negative emotions. The approach of positive psychology is to

understand the underlying mechanisms of coping and uplifting.33

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Whenever we talk about positive and negative feelings, there are

bound to be a lot of misconceptions. So I want to emphasize that it is important to be authentic about your feelings: don’t suppress or deny negative emotions, but don’t dwell on them or get stuck in feeling bad. If you’re feeling down, acknowledge it and work on generating a better feeling. Focus on the good. Just this one step can improve your quality of life and health. It is important to move in the direction of positive thinking because of the clear-cut physiological and psychological advantages, especial y in the long run.

I’ve often heard the argument that optimistic people are acting

like Pol yanna, a rather saccharine young orphan in a novel of the same name who had learned from her father, since deceased, to find something to appreciate in every situation. Some people view optimism as unrealistic and even delusional. Isn’t it interesting that realism is perceived as synonymous with negativity or unhappiness,

whereas a positive outlook is believed to be unreal?

Whether positive thinking is good for you largely has to do with

the intentions you are expressing. If you are in denial or suppressing your feelings, you are not being honest with yourself. Until you resolve the issues that your negative emotions are signaling require your attention, being superficial y positive will not serve you.

Your highly adaptive brain cel s have the ability to develop new

neural networks. Even if you are a pessimist or locked in the throes of chronic stress, by working every day to change the tone of your thoughts and emotions, you can improve your health and well-being.

You can train your mind to be optimistic and also to identify the patterns of thought that lead you to feel stress so you can interrupt them.

One of the most powerful beliefs you can develop is an underly-

ing conviction of your ability to successful y manage situations that you perceive as stressful or threatening. Positive beliefs like this will

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enable you to transcend negative experiences.

Positive emotions enhance our well-being. The emerging research

indicates that finding ways to cultivate positive emotions is crucial to creating optimal physical and psychological well-being.34 By their very nature, positive emotions are expansive, and I believe they are so because they are not only in harmony with but also reflective of our true spiritual nature. I believe that stress comes from our failure to perceive ourselves as we truly are: remarkable, extraordinary, intelligent beings with the internal resources to overcome even the most difficult circumstances and experiences.

We now know that very positive emotions interrupt the stress re-

sponse. When we perceive ourselves as being in control of our situation, this helps the brain to determine whether a situation should be viewed as a threat or a challenge. Such determinations are the

primary drivers of our response to stress. Feeling a lack of control, uncertainty, and unpredictability stimulates the release of cortisol, a stress hormone.35

Positive emotions broaden our thinking and enhance our mental

flexibility and coping skil s. Even temporary experiences of positive emotions can have lasting consequences. They give us a solid foundation upon which to allow the birth of new internal resources that will support our well-being on an ongoing basis. They also counter-act the brain’s innate tendency to engage in negativity, thus promoting internal balance, lowering the body’s stress response, helping us recover from stress more rapidly, and granting greater functioning after stress.36

Positive emotions are also associated with greater longevity among people with heart disease and kidney disease.37 Also, in the face of HIV/AIDS, a positive outlook can lead to measurable improvement

of the condition.38

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Having a grim or pessimistic view of the future, which means hav-

ing an expectation of negative results or fewer positive results, has been shown to lead to earlier death and a more rapid progression of the diseases of aging, probably in part because of faster telomere shortening.39

Being optimistic and expecting good things to happen relates to better health. Positive emotions help us to develop hardiness and resilience (the ability to transcend our challenges) when they are firmly ground-ed by self-awareness and acceptance. They allow us to not only survive but thrive.

LIVING WITH AWARENESS

Every day your genetic activity changes as a result of the way you are feeling. Your mind’s perception is directly reflected in your biochemistry: neuropeptides released by your nervous system respond

to your interpretation of the environment. This regulates your cel ular environment, which means you can actual y change your physiol-

ogy and alter your genes through the way you think and feel. Posi-

tive emotions activate our genes in ways that protect and improve

our health, whereas negative emotions turn on genes that ultimately contribute to disease production.

Given this reality, what are the best thoughts to think and the best feelings to feel? The short answer is anything uplifting. You will best be able to sustain your health if you are self-aware (so you know

when something is off and requires attention or intervention) and if you know how to focus inwardly to induce the relaxation response.

Just as the processes of respiration, digestion, and reproduction

work best when you are relaxed, your healing capacity functions best when you are relaxed.

Optimal health is a state of harmony and balance. Thus, all living things, including humans, are innately equipped to be self-sufficient-

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ly healthy. WWe differ from other living creatures is one important respect: our ability to experience optimal well-being depends in part on our willingness to learn to use our emotional capacities positively.

Paying attention to your feelings and emotions, and taking the

time to honestly experience them as soon as they come up, is at the heart of superhealing. Sometimes you’re frightened, anxious, or distressed. You could also feel lonely, hurt, and tired. Remember that these emotions are normal. Suppressing or ignoring them is unnecessary and undesirable. It’s healthiest to acknowledge your feelings and see what needs and desires they are informing you of and

then, to the best of your ability, redirect your thinking to an emotion that feels better. To improve your health and well-being and create a strong immune system, you must accept and honestly express your

feelings. Maintaining a positive emotional state prevents wear and tear on the body and helps you avoid serious, chronic imbalances

that set the stage for illness.

Living authentical y and with awareness is a principal component

of superhealing. So although it may take time and patience to in-

crease your self-awareness and learn to regulate your thoughts and emotions, it is possible—and well worth doing.

Thanks to numerous important research studies, we now know

that stress is not the issue; your response to it is. If you change your perception of what a stressful situation means to you, your physiology changes, and the damaging effects no longer persist.

There are many indications that thoughts and emotions are the keys to health. The scientific evidence clearly shows that the choices we make in terms of our perceptions, attitudes, beliefs, and emotions affect the body’s response. Our thoughts and emotions stimulate the release of hormones and neuropeptides, the body’s chemical messengers, which enable the body to respond in a positive adaptive way to stress.

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A belief is any repeated thought that has been accepted by your

unconscious mind as true. Because beliefs trigger the release of the chemicals that affect the entire body, if you believe something, it becomes true for you. A positive outlook is therefore a very powerful tool in dissipating disease. If you face stress with the right attitude and avoid internalizing destructive emotions, you will improve your physiology.

Your mind and your body are integrated, forming a mind-body

unit. Each of the 50 trillion cel s composing your body is an intelligent reflection of your thoughts and emotions. You therefore have the capacity to express the biology of hope, the physiology of love, and the neurochemistry of joy. Just think about the last time you

were happy. Wasn’t it a wonderful experience to feel that happiness permeating your entire body? When you’re feeling down, your cel-lular function is down. But when you’re happy, you are actual y creating chemicals that sustain your happiness on a cel ular level. That’s the superhealing mind at work.

In the next chapter, we’ll take a look at remarkable mind-body

tools you can use to engage your superhealing mind.

CHAPTER 3

Engaging Your Superhealing Mind

We are what we think.

All that we are arises with our thoughts.

With our thoughts we make the world. . . .

Your worst enemy cannot harm you

As much as your own thoughts, unguarded.

—The Dhammapada

Your mind is the doorway to your natural superhealing

ability. Since your thoughts and emotions are reflected in your physiology on a moment-to-moment basis, it is critical to uplift yourself mental y and emotional y. Fortunately, there are many ways to do this.

You do not have to passively experience your thoughts and feel-