Is it possible
to use the power of thought to positively influence the
body? In this short essay we will try to combine the synergy
of spirit, mind and body to positively influence health.
First I will state a couple of definitions:
1) The human
body is surrounded by an (at present) undetectable
field of subtle energy, or human energy field. A human
being is a three–part entity: spirit or
consciousness,
mind, and physical body. Human consciousness and the
human mind can be considered to be interchangeable, for in
our conception, the mind is itself a function or attribute
of consciousness. Consciousness may be regarded as a pure
creative potential, or a virtual, non–physical “energy” that
has the characteristic of self–awareness, with the ability
to negatively or positively influence the body's cellular
structure. The cells of the body, in our conception, are
conscious on some level, being composed and surrounded by
the subtle energy of life force (chi, prana, etc.).
Therefore the human being is a synergistic whole composed
of three intimately interrelated ‘parts’. Within the human
energy field are virtual templates that program the body’s
organs and systems for optimum health. The human body is in
the middle of this field of subtle energy, the densest
portion.
2) The human
body is an extension of the human energy field.
3) The human
body is therefore an extension of human consciousness.
The effect of
consciousness on the human body has never seriously been
studied, because it is believed that consciousness
originates within matter. So what's the point? When
you're sick, you better go get some drugs or surgery.
However,
hopeless medical conditions, such as cancer, have been known
to spontaneously go into remission, and even vanish. The
so–called ‘miracle cure’ is dismissed, however, because it
doesn’t fit into the western medical paradigm.
In “Perfect
Health,” Deepak Chopra tells us that "There exists in every
person a place that is free from disease, that never feels
pain, that cannot age or die.. When you go to this place,
limitations which we all accept cease to exist. They are not
even entertained as a possibility. This is the place called
perfect health.” (1) Chopra goes on to say that although we
experience our bodies as solid, they are in fact more like a
fire that is being continually consumed and renewed. Chopra
says that the body gets a new stomach lining every five
days, for example. The cells in the skin replace themselves
every five weeks, so in effect, we get a new skin almost
every month. I wonder what skin care manufacturers would say
to that! In fact, according to research, 98% of the atoms in
our bodies are replaced every year. According to Chopra
Ayurveda, the Indian system of medicine, tells us that
perfect health depends on contacting our own spiritual
awareness, bringing our energies into balance, and then
extending that balance to the body.
Chopra is
describing a system that is, despite his western medical
training, antithetic to it. He is expressing ideas that are
much more congruent with the idea of consciousness as the
virtual, non–physical, and creative principle. He is saying,
in effect, that awareness of yourself as a spirit will bring
you in contact with the life–giving energy of your own
consciousness. This life force energy also has healing
properties, and is the basis behind ‘vibrational healing’
(like Reiki).
In the
vibrational universe model, we postulate certain templates
of energy within the human energy field that program the
cellular structure for perfect health. This programming,
however, can be overridden at any time by the choices of a
conscious being. Focus on sickness, disease, or other
self–limiting choices can disrupt the meridians of life
force energy that nourish each and every cell. Each cell is
conscious, and asks for perfect health. The body is
designed to age, but there is no reason that health cannot
be present at every stage of life.
We hear horror
stories of death from every quarter. My aunt hung on for
years in a diseased body. My friend’s mother lived for over
10 years in pain, constantly shuttling back and forth
between home and hospital. If the body is designed for
perfect health, then why is there so much physical illness
in our society?
Because that's
what we focus on. As a society, our attention is directed
far more intensely toward sickness than health. We even call
food that is good for us “health food!” What are we eating
the rest of the time then? Watch TV for a couple of hours
and count the number of advertisements devoted to illness
and the mitigation of some disease or unwanted condition,
and advertisements that promote health. When I did this I
did not see ONE commercial devoted to health.
Religion tells
us that man was designed in God’s image. Would God design
the human body for weakness or strength? For illness or
health? In a universe of free will, it is always possible to
choose illness, but why would you want to? Examine your life
mindfully and write down the percentage of time you spend
thinking about positive things and the time you spend
complaining or thinking negatively. If your life (or your
health) is not where you’d want it to be, my bet is that
you spend the vast majority of your time on the negative end
of the scale
of emotion/vibration. This scale plots the amount of
life force (healing) energy you allow into your human
energy field and into your body. When you spend the
majority of your time in the lower ranges, you are, at the
same time, subtly influencing your own health. It takes a
LOT of negative focus to acquire a long–term illness, or an
unwanted condition, because the body WANTS to be healthy.
Every cell is asking for health! That’s how miracle cures
can occur. When all resistance to health is removed, the
body is allowed to respond, and it can bounce back quickly.
My chiropractor
tells a story of an old woman who became bent over with
disease. By the time she died her back was so crooked she
couldn’t even raise her head. When her body was placed into
the casket, however, it didn’t fit. The body had
straightened out!
If you are ill,
see your doctor. But at the same time, understand that you
may have a very profound effect upon your own health.
Realize that the body is designed for health, not sickness!
That is why many people benefit from yoga or meditation, or
even exercise. During these periods worry and anxiety is
lessened and you find a place of calm and peace. You allow
life force energy to flow, unrestricted and unblocked, back
to the cells to promote health.
You may conduct
your own personal experiments, by visualizing yourself as
healthy. I will describe these below. These experiments are,
of course, no substitute for medical attention if you are
sick. Personally, I’m open to help from every quarter and I
use herbal extracts to strengthen and maintain my body. When
I became ill with mercury poisoning from dental fillings, I
immediately had them removed (this procedure MUST be
performed by a dentist who is trained in a rigorous
protocol, however. Go to the website of Dr. Hal Huggins for
details and referral dentists). So don't be a dork and
ignore an acute physical condition. Get the help you need,
but don't, by any means, neglect to use the power of thought
to make yourself feel better.
Visualizing
Health
Working
consciously with visualization can have a positive effect on
physical structure. The degree to which it can help you is
directly proportional to your belief in it. We’ve talked a
lot previously about the power of belief, so we won’t go
further into it here, other than to say that a positive
belief releases a powerful stream of creative/healing life
force energy into your mind/body system. A belief that such
a thing is idiotic will, of course, block the flow.
If the human
body is really an extension of the human energy field, as we
postulated above, then positive visualization may help you.
Here’s how it works:
Sit comfortably
in a chair with feet flat on the floor and spine as straight
as possible (Or lie on the floor with a pillow under your
head). The idea is to remain conscious during this process,
and not fall asleep. If you know how to meditate,
quiet your mind. If not, take a few deep breaths (without
hyperventilating) and get yourself as calm as possible.
Visualize your body as surrounded by a cocoon of life force
energy. Visualize every organ of the body with a
corresponding template of life force energy in this cocoon,
which is programmed for perfect health of that organ.
Imagine a flow of healing life force energy from your human
energy field into the body at the appropriate place. Feel
the well–being entering the body. Continue this as long as
you can with a feeling of well–being. At any time you begin
to feel uncomfortable, stop!
Even if you can
only get the feeling for 1 second, you have accomplished
something. The idea is not only to visualize the healing
energy, but also to actually feel it. When you can feel the
energy, you know you’re doing it right.
This process, if continued on a daily basis, can be a very
powerful positive force in maintaining (or even regaining)
physical health.
As I said
above, visualization is no substitute for medical attention
if you are really sick. But it can be a very powerful
adjunct to it.
One more
thing: You don’t have to be ill to benefit from this
procedure. In fact, I like to do this every morning for a
couple of minutes after I shower and before I get going. It
gets me off on the good foot!
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(1) “Perfect
Health” by Deepak Chopra, p.7
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