It is important for us to recognise that the healing network within, involves the mind, body and spirit. The body reacts to our thoughts, when the brain decodes the messages in a moment our emotions immediately respond to these messages. It is said, "Whatever the mind conceives the heart can achieve." Thoughts do affect the body, and our immune system can be enhanced or depressed by emotions.
Degenerative diseases are due to illnesses of the spirit. We cannot see emotions but we feel it within. We must realise that it is "nature compared to feeling of thought" that creates personal harmony. It is not just taking herbal or chemical medications; it is much deeper than that.
Healing has to do with the immune system as scientists are now confirming that there is a link between the brain and the endocrine and immune systems. This discipline is called the psycho-neuroimmunology or simply PNI. Prayers and chants demonstrate this healing at 'faith healing' sessions in churches, temples and spiritual sanctums; we call them miracles!
Fear and anxiety
Each day brings fresh news of tragedies and financial distress that brings the entire body to the brink of disharmony, fear and anxiety. We allow negative thoughts, habits, attitudes, and old ways of thinking to dominate our personalities, bringing a change within, making our body tissues go berserk, attacking the weakest organ in our body to form diseases.
It is difficult for one to receive healing when he or she is not well in the spirit or thoughts. The spirit reflects the body's state of health. The body can reflect emotional moods such as joy or sorrow. Fear or excitement produces a surge of adrenaline like an electric shock in the body. This is a clear demonstration of the mind calling the body to action. Some people even have 'hair-raising' experiences.
The therapies that work in this area of mind, body and spirit are yoga, meditation, breath therapy, fasting and meditation, visualisation, aroma-therapy, sweat baths, and, of course, bush baths. Emotions are surrounded with love, forgiveness, and peace; peace influences the body to heal rapidly. These are paths to inner change.
Touch healing, prayer and therapeutic touch therapy correct blockages in the energy field and aura of the body. So, holistic health and healing is about the healing of the complete body. Doctors have now come to realise that PNI has a scientific background and today, there is a growing recognition of the spiritual and philosophical approach to healing achieved when science and mysticism are combined.
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)
According to Dr. Michael Tierra, TCM considers that all internal or one or more of the 'seven emotions' cause chronic diseases. These emotions are: anger, shock, joy, fear, brooding, anxiety and sorrow.
Each of the seven emotions has a corresponding vice and virtue and the job of the healer is to transform the 'vice' emotion associated with the disease to its 'virtue' counterpart. This is literally described as 'cultivating the virtue'. These were used for emotional imbalances which were seen as conditions where the individual was behaving in a way which was considered not to be him or herself.
Interestingly, the ancients saw underlying physiological conditions for emotional diseases as, to some extent, treatable with herbal formulas and diet. Disease was not considered fully cured until the underlying emotional cause was corrected.
Dr. Diane Robertson is a pharmacist and recipient of an honorary doctorate in complementary medicine for her work in herbs; email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.
