Mind Over Matter?

You may have heard this one. Have you ever psyched yourself out of doing something relatively easy simply because you worked it up in your head that it was difficult or impossible? You may have gotten the jitters and literally dropped the ball.

Or, do you know any spry elderly people who are healthy and active and seem much younger than their years? Do you know any relatively young people who seem like they’re already old? You’re as old as you feel, or rather, as old as you think you are.

The mind has control over the body.

The mind body connection is a phenomenon in which the state of the human mind not only influences how the person behaves, but also involuntary bodily actions. The mind can control the immune system, hormones, and weight gain and loss. The mind can even make the body replace cells at a lower rate and slow down the aging process. It can cure diseases and stave off illness.

How does this work?

No one is really certain. However, some things, like the placebo affect, help explain it.

Placebos?

A placebo is a medicine or procedure that has no actual curative value. However, taking the medicine can make someone think that they’re being healed or that their pain is stopped. The mind thinks this is happening and thus reacts to the imaginary medicine as if it is working.

How does the mind body connection control you?

It never fails to surprise me when I speak to someone who pessimistic or does not believe that they have a purpose in life to find out that he or she is also chronically ill. The thing is that I know which one came first. When the pessimism and bitterness comes first, the illnesses follow. Having the illness justifies the person’s belief that life is awful.

Sometimes, a psychic like me may recommend to a client to actually do something physical in order to change the mind. For example, someone who is always anxious may benefit from yoga. However, they may also benefit from say, changing their wardrobe to something more expressive so as to become more comfortable in their own skin. A person who is angry and often has psychosomatic pains from holding it in may benefit from taking up a rough sport, or from weightlifting so as to release the build up of toxic anger.

I am always interested in how the mind is affected by the body and visa versa. I’m still getting over an illness, but I know that when I am excited for things coming up in the future, I heal faster. So, instead of worrying about missing work (and getting behind on everything), I’m going to instead look forward to the upcoming Lughnasadh holiday as if I am well enough to participate.