Change your Mind
Our mind is a powerful healing tool, when we get out of the way and give it a chance. The idea that your brain can convince your body a fake treatment is the real treatment — the so-called placebo effect — and thus stimulate healing has been around for centuries. Now science has found that under the right circumstances, a placebo can be just as effective as traditional treatments and you can Change your Mind!
The placebo effect is more than positive thinking — it is believing, having faith, that a treatment or procedure will work. It is creating a strong emotional connection, or physiological connection between the brain and the body.
How placebos work. Simply put, the process involves a complex neurobiological reaction that includes everything from increases in feel-good neurotransmitters, like endorphins and dopamine, to greater activity in certain brain regions linked to moods, emotional reactions, and self-awareness. All of it has therapeutic benefit. The intent that you have going into the treatment phase is the way your brain tells your body to respond, or the placebo effect. You might agree that our positive intent is very important. Learn more about how to craft a purposeful and positive intent statement in "Crafting the Perfect Intent Statement" found in the store. Placebos are not only about releasing brainpower. You also need the ritual of treatment, a recurring action that lets the brain know that you are actively addressing the issue in your body. You have to set aside a predetermined time, just like an appointment for the doctors office, you need to believe that setting aside time will positively affect your issues. All this can have a profound impact on how the body perceives symptoms because you feel and believe that you are giving your body the attention and care it needs, just as you would if you went to the doctor or specialist.
Research has speculated that a driving force behind this reaction is the simple act of believing and feeling. In the days of the Shaman or Tribal medicine man, people associated the ritual as a positive healing effect, the action itself could stimulate the brain into healing the body. Strong belief is very powerful. Do you believe you can heal your body? Our bodies are, as you know, a miracle in itself. For us to just live is an act of millions of processes in our body to make it so, most of the time without our conscious attention to it. We need to understand that we are more capable than we have been led to believe, or just not made aware of the power that we have. We are powerful beyond belief!
How can you give yourself a placebo besides taking a pill? Practicing self-help methods is one way. Scheduling and engaging in the ritual of healthy living — eating right, exercising, yoga, quality social time and meditation — provides some of the key ingredients of a healthy body. Neuroplasticity is not a myth, it is science, many studies have shown our capacity to learn. You can teach an old dog new tricks. You can teach your body to react differently and create new neurons to affect a change within your bodies bio microbial network that changes your physiology and thus changes your mind.
While these activities are autonomous in their own right, the level of attention you give enhances their benefits exponentially. The attention and emotional support you give yourself is often not something one can easily measure, but it can help you feel more comfortable in the world, and that can go a long way when it comes to healing. Throughout all our courses we invite you to use us. We are here to help as many people as we can. One on one coaching will soon be available. Zoom meetings to engage, support and encourage one another. Podcasts soon to be available for daily encouragement and information about chronic illness and caregiving. Facebook group for community support and so much more content coming.
I encourage to you to continue to experience our program so that you can be proactive in your own wellness. Check out the programs in the store.
