What is the Mind-Body Connect?
"The brain and peripheral nervous system, the endocrine and immune systems, and indeed, all the organs of our body and all the emotional responses we have, share a common chemical language and are constantly communicating with one another."
Dr. James Gordon (founder of the Centre for Mind-Body Medicine)
The mind and the body are not two separate entities; although they are often treated that way. Physical health and emotional health are intimately intertwined in what’s known as the mind-body connection.
Our chemistry and biology impact our moods and emotions, as well as thoughts and beliefs. With all of these factors combined, they play a major role in influencing our stress and physical health.
THE MIND: the mind consists of mental states such as thoughts, emotions, beliefs, attitudes, past experiences and images. Our mental states can be fully conscious or unconscious. We can have emotional reactions to situations without being aware of why we are reacting. Each mental state has a physiology associated with it: a positive or negative effect felt in the physical body.
For example, the mental state of anxiety causes you to produce stress hormones which can lead to gut problems, weight gain, headaches, insomnia and many other concerns.
Effect of the Mind Over the Body
The mind is our strongest ally when it comes to unleashing our potential, but let’s be honest; the mind can also be our greatest enemy. When we stretch beyond our comfortable reach and venture into unchartered territory, sometimes we feel stuck and unable to make real progress. This is the point at which our inner dialogue can either facilitate the way forward, bringing our aspirations and ambitious goals closer to us more quickly OR by detrimentally blocking out health by creating long-term ill health.
The mind is an incredibly powerful tool. We have the innate ability to make ourselves unwell with disease AND to improve and recover by focusing on our mental health and well-being.
The health of an individual depends on both their physical and psychological condition. In recent years it has been observed that patients with chronic diseases like high blood pressure, migraine, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, eczema, acne, infertility, diabetes and many other diseases frequently have had an affected mental or emotional state attributing to the disease.
Harvard Medical School published in 2019 that the overlap of anxiety, depression and pain is particularly evident in chronic and sometimes disabling pain syndromes such as fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, low back pain, headaches and nerve pain. Over 65% of the patients in their study of chronic pain and mental health suffered a long-term physical health condition (2).
There is a direct correlation between long-term physical health and the state of the mind.
Can we improve our physical illness by improving our mental health? YES, WE CAN.
“The mind and body are inextricably connected, with our thoughts and emotions exerting a powerful influence on our health”
Dr Bradley Nelson
