The Mind/Body Connection
Articles By Sibyl McLendon
The strong connection between what we think, what we believe and our health is no longer relegated to being "mumbo-jumbo" by many professionals. Doctors like Andrew Weil have popularised the idea that what we think creates how we feel. Modern society is finally catching up with what aboriginal cultures have always known: Your mind controls your health.
I was taught this fundamentally many years ago. I was in an incredibly difficult time of my life, and I was very depressed. Every day, I would silently say to myself, "I just can't live like this anymore. I would be better off dead." Well, much to my amazement, I ended up in an emergency room in the middle of the night, with a doctor standing over me, telling me, "You need to understand how dangerous this is. You can easily die. If this
infection goes to your brain, you will drop dead in your tracks. If it goes to your heart, you will need a heart transplant."
My brain had been constantly telling my body that I didn't want to live, and my body responded by creating an infection called Facial Cellulitis. On that table, right then and there, I realized that I did NOT want to die; I very much wanted to live and recreate my life. Obviously I did live, and I did recreate my life into one that worked. I am very, very careful of what I tell my body now!
We are all sending subtle and subconscious signals to our bodies every day. These signals are heard loud and clear by our bodies! Is it time for you to re-think what you are telling your body right now?
Here is another, less dramatic signal that many people send to their bodies: I have no support in my life. No one supports me in the things that need to be done. This can be job-related (my boss does not appreciate me, my co-workers are taking advantage of me...); they can be family-related (my mother is always criticizing me, my spouse never helps around the house...). This thought/belief easily leads to lower back problems! Your back can't differentiate between outside support and spinal support.
Hanging on to anger can manifest in a variety of ways as physical ailments. It can cause anything from sinus infections to life-threatening illnesses such as MS. Holding on to old hurts can create heart problems. Fear is closely related to breathing problems such as asthma. Are you carrying around the weight of the world? I suspect your shoulders hurt. Is someone around you a constant source of annoyance? Then I bet your neck hurts.
It may be very difficult for you to see how you are manifesting health problems in your life by your thoughts. You may need some professional help to sort things out. If you need help, I encourage you to get it. The mind/body connection can be a vicious cycle; you are depressed, you get sick, then, being sick makes you even more depressed, which makes you even sicker. If you can break the cycle, everything will get better.
Begin to really listen to what you say to yourself. Really feel your feelings! Become aware and mindful of what you are telling your body. Changes in what you say/what you believe can lead to dramatic changes in how you feel.
There is an excellent book that shows the mind connection to just about every physical ailment there is. It is called You Can Heal Your Life
and was written by a remarkable woman named Louise Hay. It is short, simple and to the point.
If you are sick and tired of feeling sick and tired, before you spend a lot of money on things that affect your outsides, try working on your insides. It really is just as easy to create health as it is to create disease. Tell your body what you want it to do
About the Author
© 2003 Sibyl McLendon, a Navajo woman living in the American Southwest, is a personal empowerment coach for Circle Of Grace. http://www.circle-of-grace.com
Get her new book, The Garden Of The Free Spirit!
