- TOPIC:
What is the relationship between health and
healing and the bodymind connection? How do
such seemingly diverse modalities such as
bodywork and hypnosis support
healing?
- The
Oxford dictionary defines the following words
thus: - Health n. state of being well in body
or mind; condition of body: Healthy n. having
or conductive to good health: Heal v. restore
to health; cure; become sound.
- Capra
(1982) extends the view that
-
- "Health
is really a multidimensional
phenomenon involving
interdependent physical,
psychological, and social
aspects" (p.353). Later Capra
(1982) states, "Health, then is
an experience of wellbeing
resulting from a dynamic balance
that involves the physical and
psychological aspects of the
organism; as well as its
interactions with its natural and
social environment"
(p.354).
-
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- The
Oxford Dictionary's mention of the body and
the mind in the context of defining health
has a link with the important concept in
Capra's statement in is his notion that
health is dependent on the dynamic balance
between the physical and psychological
aspects of an organism. Another way to talk
about this is in terms of the `body' and the
`mind' and to discuss the nature of the
interconnections and dynamic balance in the
body-mind or mind-body status of an organism
or more specifically a person.
- The
Oxford Dictionary's definition of the word
`heal' states that `to heal' is to `restore
to health'. Inherent in this definition to
`restore' indicates that there has been some
disturbance in the natural balance and that
this needs to be restored in order for health
to be experienced. Also implied in this
definition is that health is an innate or
inherited state, the template if you like of
how things should be; that there is an
intelligence at work here that is part of a
broader more universal intelligence that we
share with all things in nature.
This
innate intelligence is best described by
Lonsdorf, Butler and Brown (1993):
Internal
harmony is perhaps the most salient feature
of all living systems, expressing the
intelligent growth and regulation of all
aspects of nature, from the blossoming of a
rose to the rising of the tides to the
movement of the planets. From cell to
galaxies, all matter of life is arranged to
uphold and express nature's intelligence in a
vast universe of balance and cohesion. In
this way the organised intelligence of the
universe is a collection of many forms or
bits of expressed intelligence, all life but
all organised in different ways..........In
humans, the material essence of nature's
intelligence is called DNA. (p.13)
- Health
therefore is the natural optimal status of a
person, and that a disturbance in the dynamic
balance or internal homeostasis between the
physical, psychological, social and spiritual
aspects of a person contributes to
ill-health.
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The
essence of healing therefore is to do
with re-establishing this dynamic
balance between the multi-dimensional
makeup of the organism or person.
Intrinsic
in this approach is the belief that
the organism has the capacity and
capability to heal itself when given
the right type of support to do so;
that self-correction is an inherent
given for the organism once it is
alerted to an
imbalance.
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- It
is by understanding this near miraculous
ability of the organism to heal itself that
is vital in this equation, just as when there
is an injury to soft tissue or a fracture of
a bone, the process of healing occurs almost
immediately without any conscious involvement
on the part of the person who has sustained
the injury. This ability to heal is therefore
a integral part of the body's inherent
wisdom. Recognising this healing potential is
fundamental in being able to consciously
support the body in what it is in fact
designed to do.
- In
order to do this it is useful to explore the
body-mind or mind-body connections in some
detail. The increasing information available
from researchers such as Candice Pert
(Rossi,1993, p.148,157,229)., in the field of
psychoneuroimmunology (PNI), defined by
Goleman & Gurin (1995) as "psycho for
mind, neuro for the neuroendocrine system (he
nervous and hormonal systems), and immunology
for the immune system"(p.7). is exciting in
showing us the ability to communicate with
the unconscious mind through our conscious
thoughts, sensations and emotions. The
central link in this communication process is
the limbic-hypothalamic system in the brain
and the `information messenger' are known as
neuropeptides. These neuropeptides have been
found flowing out of the hypothalamus and
into the pituitary, the body's master gland
which helps regulate dozens of bodily
processes, including the release of the
flight-or-fight stress hormones from the
adrenal glands.
- Dr
Hans Selye did ground breaking research in
the 1930's developing a theory on how mental
and/or physical stress is transduced into
"psychosomatic problems" by these hormones of
the "hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis" of
the endocrine system. (Rossi, 1993
p.28)
- Poole
(1993, p.80) says that the
limbic-hypothalamic system of the brain has a
direct link with the autonomic nervous
system, the endocrine system and the immune
system. The autonomic nervous system consists
of two parts, the sympathetic and the
parasympatheic systems. Studies indicate that
prolonged stress can suppress the body's
immune response. The hormones involved in
this process, the corticosteroids come from
the outer cortex of the adrenal gland. They
raise blood sugar levels, reduce inflammation
and have been shown to prompt mood changes
especially depression.
- Poole
(1993, p.80) writes:
- The
inside, or medulla, of the adrenal glands
secrete epinephrine and norepinephrine,
the same fight-or-flight chemicals
released by portions of the autonomic
nervous system. These hormones increase
the heart rate and blood pressure and
shunt blood to the larger vessels in times
of stress.
- Yet
another fascinating and important variable in
this equation is the impact that
psychological factors have in defining the
person's response to an internal or external
stressor. This is demonstrated by the
following research by Sapolsky, in which two
monkeys are deprived of food to the point
where metabolic homeostasis is disturbed to
an equal extent in both animals. Rossi (1993)
writes:
- the
two monkeys differed in one critical way.
While both were deprived on any nutrition,
the second was fed a non-nutricous
flavoured placebo. That monkey did not
secrete glucocorticoids, whereas the first
one had a sizable stress-response. Nothing
in the world of Selye and the
physiologists could have predicted this
outcome because their homeostatic balance
was equally disturbed (they were equally
hypoglycemic). The second monkey did not
perceive things to be as stressful as the
first one. (p.74)
- Therefore,
obviously, what a person thinks and their
attitude to a given situation defines their
physiological response, in terms of whether
it is experienced as stressful or
not.
- These
results have a monumental impact on our
understanding of the complexities and yet the
elegance of the body's neurological,
psychological and biological makeup. Lonsdorf
et al (1993) state:
- PNI
research has demonstrated that our
thoughts and emotions change our
body more swiftly and effectively
than any external medicine,
suggesting that healing is a single
organised process of thought,
feelings, and cells working
together, all aspects of health
occurring within the body and mind
simultaneously.
(p.49)
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- The
above information clearly shows the link
between prolonged stress and a disturbance in
the natural dynamic balance of a organism or
person leading to ill-health. The
physiological changes that occur as a result
of stress can obviously be extremely
detrimental over time.
-
- These
changes in the homeostasis of the organism or
person form the basis of why diverse
modalities such as hypnosis and massage or
bodywork have been found to be effective in
alleviating some of these imbalances. To be
able to understand the complexities of the
mind-body or body-mind connection enables an
interception into the communication pathways
that can remind the mind-body of it's
inherent capacity to heal, and for the
subsequent physiological changes to
occur.
- Hypnosis
is an altered state of consciousness. This is
usually facilitated by a practitioner trained
in hypnotherapy (alternatively people can be
trained in self-hypnosis), utilising a direct
or indirect form of induction to take the
person into a trance-like state of
consciousness, and whilst in this state the
therapist utilises a range of suggestions or
images to instigate change. Rossi (1993)
writes "Indeed, virtually all modern
approaches to mind-body communication attempt
to facilitate the process of converting
works, images, sensations, ideas, beliefs,
and expectations into the healing,
physiological processes of the body"
(p26).
- It
is believed that hypnosis works by being able
to communicate with the mind via the
limbic-hypothalamic system which is the main
centre for the transduction of thoughts,
feelings and sensations into physiological
change through the network of the
communication with the autonomic nervous
system, the endocrine system and the immune
system. This is made easier to comprehend if
we understand that the mind and body are part
of one information system as (Rossi, 1993,
p67) espouses:
-
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Mind
and body are both aspects of the one
information system. Life is an
information system. Biology is a
process of information transduction.
Mind and body are two facets or two
ways of conceptualising this this
single information
system.
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- There have
been numerous documented accounts of the
benefits of hypnosis which range from
reducing the level of damage to the skin
following severe burns; the elimination of
warts; general stress reduction; in the
stopping of certain behaviours such as
smoking; reduction of blood pressure, to name
a few. (Rossi, 1993)
Extraordinarily,
Rossi (1993) describes how even genes can be
modulated via hypnosis (p.190-195) which
excusing the pun is `mind blowing'.
Whilst hypnosis
is able to effect change in the mind-body
connections, it does so using the mind as its
vehicle for accessing change for
healing.
Another valuable
yet seemingly different approach, that has at
times similar healing outcomes, is working with
the body utilising a modality known as bodywork
in order to communicate with the unconscious
mind via the body. A good description of what is
meant by bodywork and how it works is made by
Capra (1982)
- The
therapies that try to facilitate
harmony, balance, and integration
through physical methods have
recently become known collectively
as bodywork. They deal with the
nervous system, the muscle system,
and various other tissues, and with
the interplay and coordinated
movement of all these components.
Bodywork therapy is based on the
belief that all our activities,
thoughts and feelings are reflected
in the physical organism,
manifesting themselves in our
posture and movements, in tensions
and in many other signs of `body
language'. The body as a whole is a
reflection of the psyche and work on
either one will also change the
other. (p.380)
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The means of
communication with the unconscious is via
exactly the same pathways as utilised in
hypnosis, i.e. the neuropeptide receptors which
are also situated throughout the body including
in skin tissue. These `information messengers',
the neuropeptides communicate with the mind
through the limbic-hypothalamic system to create
physiological change; e.g. one effect being on
the autonomic nervous system to bring forth the
parasympathetic effects to create a relaxation
response, which in turn creates a return to to
homeostasis in the individual with implications
for improved immune function. Ford (1993)
says:
Neuropeptide
receptor sites have been found to be present
throughout the body, in muscle tissue, in the
spinal cord and around organs and in the blood
stream in the monocytes. These receptor sites
accept only matching molecules in the form of
neuropeptides which Pert and others described as
"information messengers" (p.53).
In less
scientific terms Lowen (1969) talks about the
bodys capacity to heal when he
writes:
- ...they
must experience their physical tension as
a limitation of personality, and the
release of this tension as a liberation of
personality. The discovery that the body
has a life of its own and the capacity to
heal itself is a revelation of hope. The
realisation that the body has its own
wisdom and logic inspires a new respect
for the instinctive forces of life
(p.210)
Another
interesting view related to working with the
body to create healing, is in this example
related to adult survivors of sexual abuse made
again by Ford (1993):
While
the body is both the instrument
and object of sexual and physical
abuse, we primarily treat abusers
and survivors with various forms
of talk therapy. This is a half
solution because the body does
not have a central role in the
recovery process.......Years
later, when evidence of the abuse
surfaces, how can we ignore the
body's role in the healing
process? After all, the body was
intimately involved in the
original trauma. I believe these
feeling and memories can be best
accessed through the body, and
that talking is often the least
effective or meaningful way of
reaching
these
stored experiences. Touch and
movement - the body's native
language - can be powerful
therapeutic tools in recovery and
healing. (p.
19,20)
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Yet, maybe the
relationship between the two modalities of
hypnosis and bodywork are greater than one would
first consider. Rossi (1993) when writing about
the early days of hypnosis says:
Hypnosis
in its early days of "animal magnetism", was
associated by touch by making rhythmical
"passes" over the patient's body (the
therapists hand would lightly stroke or in
some cases not even touch, but hover over the
patient's body) in one direction for about
15-20 minutes to induce profoundly deep
trances and then in the opposite direction to
awaken the patient from trance. (p.
206)
- Rossi (1993)
goes on to say "The English surgeon, James
Esdaile (1808-1959) became famous or
performing surgical amputations with this
form of hypnotic anaesthesia on the natives
of India who believed in him" (p.
206)
-
- Maybe
it is not important which
modality is used. What is
important is the compelling
evidence that both have the
ability to create positive change
in the dynamic balance or
homeostasis of the body. It is by
their very ability to create a
dialogue between the mind and the
body, a dialogue that utilises
"images, sensations, ideas,
beliefs" (Rossi, 1993 p.26) to
engage the mind's powerful
ability to instigate action in
such a way that changes occurs
within the physiological,
neurological and immunological
systems of the body.
- This
ability for change to occur as a
consequence of this dialogue is
profound.
- It
is as if the dialogue reminds or
re-awakens the natural
intelligence of the individual as
well as inviting and encouraging
a return to a dynamic balance,
the essential ingredient for
healing, health and wellbeing to
prevail.
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- This is the essence of
what it means to support healing. This
powerful dialogue between the mind and the
body utilising either hypnosis or bodywork
facilitates a return to a state of health and
wellbeing for the individual.
©
Ellie
Large
REFERENCES:
Capra, F.
(1983). The
Turning
Point:
Science, Society and the Rising Culture. London:
Flamingo.
Ford, C. W.
(1993). Compassionate
Touch: The Role of Human of Human Touch in
Healing and Recovery
. New
York: Fireside/Parkside.
Goleman, D.
& Gurin, J. (1995). Mind Body Medicine, How
to Use Your Mind for Better Health.
Marrickville: Choice Books.
Lonsdorf, N.,
Butler, V., & Brown, M. (1993). A Women's
Best Medicine: Health,
Happiness, and
Long Life through Maharishi Ayur-Veda. New York:
Tarcher/Putnam.
Lowen, A.
(1969). The
Betrayal of the
Body
New York:
Macmillan.
Poole, W.
(1993). The Heart of Healing. Atlanta, Georgia:
Turner.
- Rossi, E.
(1993). Psychobiology
of Mind-Body
Healing:
New Concepts of Therapeutic Hypnosis. New
York: Norton.
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