| The Stoic Lucius Seneca once wrote: "It
| |
| | impossible to do.
|
| is part of the cure to want to be cured."
| |
| | Paul Ekman, Professor Emeritus at the
|
| This simple observation reflects our
| |
| | University of California at San
|
| current understanding of the relationship
| |
| | Francisco, is a pioneer in the study of
|
| between mind and body. There is a close
| |
| | emotions and facial expressions. His
|
| correlation between physical actions and
| |
| | research on more than 200 kinds of smiles
|
| mental states. Certain actions can impact
| |
| | demonstrated that you could actually
|
| our mental attitudes and our mental
| |
| | alter your emotional state and immune
|
| attitudes influence our physical being
| |
| | system by smiling or frowning. When
|
| because the mind and body constantly talk
| |
| | Ekman's research subjects were trained to
|
| to one another. The brain sends all that
| |
| | control their facial muscles and
|
| it thinks and perceives to the rest of
| |
| | voluntarily form smiles, their
|
| the body.
| |
| | physiological processes altered
|
| An extreme example of this
| |
| | immediately and their hormones changed
|
| interconnection can be seen in the
| |
| | drastically.
|
| effects of voodoo. In the 1940s, Harvard
| |
| | So when you smile, you alter your blood
|
| physiologist Walter Cannon spent several
| |
| | chemistry. The natural opiates in your
|
| years collecting examples of "voodoo
| |
| | system and your neuropeptides change.
|
| death" -- case histories of men and women
| |
| | These chemicals are located not only in
|
| who died as a result of being the
| |
| | your brain but in your stomach and
|
| recipient of a curse, an alleged
| |
| | intestines.
|
| supernatural visitation or the breaking
| |
| | What does this have to do with hypnosis?
|
| of some tribal or cultural taboo. Cannon
| |
| | Hypnosis is the most powerful tool we
|
| concluded that humans could die from "the
| |
| | possess for changing thoughts and
|
| fatal power of the imagination working
| |
| | attitudes. It is a trance state
|
| through unmitigated terror." Another
| |
| | characterized by relaxation, extreme
|
| researcher, Dr. J.C. Barker, in Scared to
| |
| | suggestibility and hyper-attentiveness.
|
| Death -- a collection of case histories
| |
| | The subject is fully conscious, but
|
| of individuals who had willed themselves
| |
| | chooses to focus internally while
|
| or others to death -- concluded that
| |
| | ignoring external stimuli.
|
| voodoo-like death results "purely from
| |
| | Hypnosis allows one to access the
|
| extreme fear and exhaustion...essentially
| |
| | subconscious mind directly. In this
|
| a psychosomatic phenomenon."
| |
| | relaxed, hyper-attentive state, the
|
| How is it possible for thoughts to impact
| |
| | subject experiences the hypnotist's
|
| the body so drastically?
| |
| | suggestions as if they were real. If told
|
| It is possible because the central
| |
| | that his or her tongue has swollen to
|
| nervous system and the body's immune
| |
| | double its normal size, the subject will
|
| system are hard-wired together. In 1981
| |
| | have difficulty talking. If told that his
|
| neurobiologist David Felten and a team of
| |
| | her hands are glued together, the subject
|
| researchers at the Indiana University
| |
| | cannot pull them apart. By the same
|
| School of Medicine found the first
| |
| | token, the subject is receptive to
|
| concrete example of the mind/body
| |
| | suggestions that are designed to change
|
| connection -- a bridge between the body's
| |
| | destructive thought patterns and habits
|
| immune system and the central nervous
| |
| | such as anxiety, depression, stress,
|
| system that is under control of the
| |
| | smoking and eating disorders.
|
| brain. While tracing nerves to bone
| |
| | A potent example of hypnosis' power to
|
| marrow, lymph nodes and the spleen,
| |
| | affect physiology through the brain
|
| Felten's team discovered a network of
| |
| | connection is its medical use. Since all
|
| nerves leading to blood vessels as well
| |
| | pain is transmitted through the brain,
|
| as to cells of the immune system. They
| |
| | the pain associated with surgery or
|
| found that nerves in the thymus and
| |
| | medical conditions responds well to
|
| spleen terminated near clusters of
| |
| | hypnosis. Hypnosis is an effective
|
| lymphocytes and mast cells, which help
| |
| | anesthesia for surgeries, dental
|
| control immune function. In other words,
| |
| | procedures, childbirth and migraines. It
|
| the brain absolutely communicates with
| |
| | also helps patients to manage nausea and
|
| immune-system cells.
| |
| | symptoms from chemotherapy by enhancing
|
| This establishes a close correlation
| |
| | control over their body responses.
|
| between a person's mental state and
| |
| | The mind/body connection is the key to
|
| physical reactions. You can generate an
| |
| | why hypnosis can be used so successfully
|
| emotion simply by going through the
| |
| | to manage our physiology. Hypnosis gives
|
| appropriate muscle movements. For
| |
| | us the power to alter our mental
|
| example, if you clench your fist and
| |
| | attitudes for the better; this in turn
|
| scowl, you will begin to feel anger.
| |
| | positively impacts our physical being.
|
| Force yourself to laugh and you will
| |
| | In light of this potent interplay between
|
| begin to feel good. The specific muscle
| |
| | mind and body, we would do well to take
|
| action is an integral part of the
| |
| | seriously the old Cole Porter song:
|
| corresponding emotion. You cannot hold
| |
| | "Accentuate the positive; eliminate the
|
| your features in the expression of one
| |
| | negative; latch on to the affirmative."
|
| emotion and call up the feeling of a
| |
| | And enjoy happy body chemistry as your
|
| different emotion at the same time. It is
| |
| | reward!
|
