Dear Coach - What is the Mind-Body Connection & Can it Help Me Lose Weight?
Dear Coach:
Can you help me understand more about the whole “body-mind” connection idea? I was in a conversation with one of my dear friends and she told me her mother had cancer, but that she had a miraculous “healing” by utilizing her mind to heal her body. I have always been fascinated by things like hypnosis and mental powers over matter. Can you use it to lose weight, for instance?
"In wonder" in Ohio
Dear “In Wonder”:
Eastern scientists of long ago knew that the mind and the body are one. The mind (some include spirit here) is the essence of you that thinks, talks and expresses your unique spirit and character – both conscious and subconscious. However, the brain is the anatomical organ which allows your mind to function. It does this through countless nerve cell communications.
Your brain is the controller of the entire body and it depends on harmonious body chemistry and physiology. The thoughts you think and the things that stimulate your senses have a measurable affect on health. Western science has now proven that “thoughts really are things”. In his series “Magical Mind, Magical Body” Dr. Deepak Chopra tells us that just the split second of seeing or hearing a beautiful picture in nature (i.e., a sunset, or mother holding a child with love) increases immune system activity and strength. The reverse is also true, and this applies to television and movies as well.
The brain doesn't know what is real or what is imagined, so when you are watching a movie and seeing something horrible have you noticed how your adrenalin gets going? You get scared even when you know it's "only a move." That's the brain reacting to what it is seeing, unsure whether it is real or not (hence the power of virtual reality). When the brain reacts it causes your body to react as well (adrenalin when scared). That is why it is said that the most important sexual organ is the brain...(fantasy anyone?).
This connection of mind and body is called “psychoneuroimmunology and can explain why some patients have seemed beyond hope to their medical doctors and have miraculously turned around to thrive and live very long, healthy lives.
All this being said, losing weight and maintaining that weight loss is of course affected by the mind-body connection. When you are thinking about food your brain signals your stomach to get ready for that food. The brain and the mind are important in both the physical processing of the food you eat, of the anticipation and enjoyment of it and more. On top of this there is a "food-mood" connection that is partly physical/physiological, but also partly psychological and emotional.
This is an important issue, because the brain can either be your servant or your master. When your thoughts run wild about food and you can't seem to stop the obsession it becomes more and more difficult to stick to a healthy lifestyle eating plan.
There is a wonderful technique called Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) that my clients use with tremendous success. It has even helped my patients with drug addiction issues.
Emotional Freedom Technique is a powerful mind-body tool that literally seems to stop food obsessions, cravings and stress-eating in its tracks. Naturally, like anything, you have to use it in those moments when the craving is occurring. It takes a willingness to apply it even when you almost don't want to.
That's strange, you say? Why wouldn't someone want it to work? Well, when you're in the throws of craving and obsessing over a special food you want to eat it, and knowing that EFT will stop you from wanting it feels like a conflict of interest. There is a reason you're craving the food (another topic altogether). For one thing though, food is often used to reduce stress - like a pacifier. So at those times when you want to eat it takes willingness to use EFT to stop the craving and to manage the stressful feelings in a healthier way.
This is a broad subject and there is so much more to discuss. However, I hope this has given you some new information.
If you'd like to learn EFT for free you can download the manual at no cost. Simply go to http://www.theicandoctor.com/programs.html#EFT to learn more.
Hope that helps. This topic will actually be something we revisit from time to time on my blogs, and I will also address hypnosis another time.
Keep the faith,
Dr. Chris
The “I Can” Doctor
Can you help me understand more about the whole “body-mind” connection idea? I was in a conversation with one of my dear friends and she told me her mother had cancer, but that she had a miraculous “healing” by utilizing her mind to heal her body. I have always been fascinated by things like hypnosis and mental powers over matter. Can you use it to lose weight, for instance?
"In wonder" in Ohio
Dear “In Wonder”:
Eastern scientists of long ago knew that the mind and the body are one. The mind (some include spirit here) is the essence of you that thinks, talks and expresses your unique spirit and character – both conscious and subconscious. However, the brain is the anatomical organ which allows your mind to function. It does this through countless nerve cell communications.
Your brain is the controller of the entire body and it depends on harmonious body chemistry and physiology. The thoughts you think and the things that stimulate your senses have a measurable affect on health. Western science has now proven that “thoughts really are things”. In his series “Magical Mind, Magical Body” Dr. Deepak Chopra tells us that just the split second of seeing or hearing a beautiful picture in nature (i.e., a sunset, or mother holding a child with love) increases immune system activity and strength. The reverse is also true, and this applies to television and movies as well.
The brain doesn't know what is real or what is imagined, so when you are watching a movie and seeing something horrible have you noticed how your adrenalin gets going? You get scared even when you know it's "only a move." That's the brain reacting to what it is seeing, unsure whether it is real or not (hence the power of virtual reality). When the brain reacts it causes your body to react as well (adrenalin when scared). That is why it is said that the most important sexual organ is the brain...(fantasy anyone?).
This connection of mind and body is called “psychoneuroimmunology and can explain why some patients have seemed beyond hope to their medical doctors and have miraculously turned around to thrive and live very long, healthy lives.
All this being said, losing weight and maintaining that weight loss is of course affected by the mind-body connection. When you are thinking about food your brain signals your stomach to get ready for that food. The brain and the mind are important in both the physical processing of the food you eat, of the anticipation and enjoyment of it and more. On top of this there is a "food-mood" connection that is partly physical/physiological, but also partly psychological and emotional.
This is an important issue, because the brain can either be your servant or your master. When your thoughts run wild about food and you can't seem to stop the obsession it becomes more and more difficult to stick to a healthy lifestyle eating plan.
There is a wonderful technique called Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) that my clients use with tremendous success. It has even helped my patients with drug addiction issues.
Emotional Freedom Technique is a powerful mind-body tool that literally seems to stop food obsessions, cravings and stress-eating in its tracks. Naturally, like anything, you have to use it in those moments when the craving is occurring. It takes a willingness to apply it even when you almost don't want to.
That's strange, you say? Why wouldn't someone want it to work? Well, when you're in the throws of craving and obsessing over a special food you want to eat it, and knowing that EFT will stop you from wanting it feels like a conflict of interest. There is a reason you're craving the food (another topic altogether). For one thing though, food is often used to reduce stress - like a pacifier. So at those times when you want to eat it takes willingness to use EFT to stop the craving and to manage the stressful feelings in a healthier way.
This is a broad subject and there is so much more to discuss. However, I hope this has given you some new information.
If you'd like to learn EFT for free you can download the manual at no cost. Simply go to http://www.theicandoctor.com/programs.html#EFT to learn more.
Hope that helps. This topic will actually be something we revisit from time to time on my blogs, and I will also address hypnosis another time.
Keep the faith,
Dr. Chris
The “I Can” Doctor
Comment
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Comment by Doug Ross on October 5, 2009 at 5:46am
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Hi Chris,
I run into Jill once in a while, and hope our paths cross as well. This is good stuff, and there is a book you might find fitting called the Biology of Belief by Bruce Lipton. An overview might be that what we believe can change our DNA.
Doug
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