Good Morning!
Mind Medicine: The Remedy Most Forgotten
Mind medicine imparts the healing power on the entire body. This "trickle-down
effect" can be seen repeatedly in many forms of Eastern medicine. The
psychological root-cause of each person's belief system, which becomes the
texture of how we live our lives, can be expressed in the subtle energies of the
body as well as in the expression of disease.
No matter what form of therapy we use, be it herbs, acupuncture, crystals,
color... we are only capable in balancing our lives as we are by the beliefs we
hold in our heart. Formulate a positive belief system and we lay the basic
groundwork for a stronger foundation in which to build better health.
Our belief system is one of our most powerful assets. With the ability to
believe, we can accomplish nearly anything! The more one believes in them
selves, the more one will definitely make accomplishments. When we face
situations that are near physical or mental impossibilities, then it is our
belief system, or belief in ourselves, that determines IF it is possible.
Instilling this message to a person can create the groundwork for change. The
following is a look at both the Eastern and Western approach to mind body
practice.
Oriental Medicine Model
Within the traditions of Oriental Medicine, the connection between the mind, the
body and its spiritual components have been the basis of this holistic health
system for centuries. Shamanism and incantations were the primary beginnings of
this system, followed by well-known philosophers and their ideologies.
Traditional Chinese Medicine Psychology bases the combination of Jing-Essence,
Qi and Shen as the Fundamental Theory. The fundamental theories include:
1. The Integration of Body and Mind: The combination of Jing-Essence,Qi and
Shen.
2. The Heart: Traditional Chinese Medicine has long looked at the heart as the
dominant organ for mental activity. It is believed that all information is
preserved and processed through the heart.
3. Five Zang Organs and mental activities: The visceral root of our emotions.
Liver, Heart, Spleen, Lungs and Kidneys.
4. Individuality and Temperament: Every life begins with inherent strengths and
weaknesses.
5. The Respect of the Soul: Deeper levels of the emotions affect our spiritual
planes.
Eastern Minds
"Ru Jia" - Confucianism's "Doctrine of the Means" was how one would create a
healthy balanced state between the mind, the body and spirit. By nurturing the
mind, the health of the organs would follow. The guidelines for achieving this
balance would be to live with good manners, loyalty, honoring one's parents, the
proper conduct, benevolence and love.
Taoist guidelines for a healthy mind and body would be to "Live with content".
Be free in yourself and be close to nature. Lao Tzu, is regarded as the creator
of the foundation of the Taoist philosophy. In the Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu stated
that "people should return to the original condition of nature�complete
personal tranquility".
Buddhism teaches the benefits of deep calming and to be consciously aware. At
the very heart of Buddhism are the Four Noble Truths, taught by the Buddha to
his earliest disciples, in his first sermon.
The first Truth is that life is dukkha -- a word translated as suffering,
dislocation. In other words, because something has gone wrong in the world, life
is not as it should be, and there is pain. In order to relieve suffering, we
must discover its cause.
The second Truth offers the explanation: The cause of dukkha is tanha, or desire
-- specifically, desire for personal gratification. A person ruled by tanha is
one who will ignore the welfare of every other being to satisfy his own desire.
Since in reality all is one, shutting oneself off from that oneness through
selfishness causespain.
The third Truth identifies what must be done: If suffering is caused by selfish
craving, overcoming that craving will eliminate the pain. The fourth Truth
offers the solution:
The Buddha's Eightfold Path -- follow its instructions, and one will find
release.
The Western Psychiatric Model
1. The Bio-psychosocial Model
The bio syndromes, which include the syndrome, related to the anatomical
pathology or disordered pathophysiology. This is where medicine blends with
psychology.
The psycho syndromes, which include the mental and emotional processes of the
mind. This is the personality behind the medical illness.
The social syndrome, which intimately involves the person's family,environment,
financial and educational backgrounds. This expresses how no psychiatric patient
exists in a vacuum.
2. The Perspective Model
Every psychiatric patient's disorder is viewed as being influenced by disease,
behavior, personality and life story.
Western Minds
Sigmund Freud remains one of the most nfluential figures of the 20th century.
Freud's basic insight that our minds preserve memories and emotions which are
not always consciously available to us has transformed the way humanity views
itself ever since. The tendency of people to trace their problems to childhood
traumas or other repressed emotions begins with Freud.
One of Freud's more important discoveries is that emotions buried in the
unconscious surface in disguised form during dreaming, and that the remembered
fragments of dreams can help uncover the buried emotions. Whether the method is
exactly as Freud describes it, many people have consequent insights into
themselves from studying their dreams, and many people consider dreams
emotionally significant, contrasting our ancestors who often saw them either as
divine suggestion or as simply a side-effect of indigestion.
Carl Jung is one of the most respected and recognized psychologists of all time.
Many people know Jung as one of Sigmund Freud's followers and co-workers. Jung's
emphasis in the field in psychology had to do with dreams. Jung developed many
theories about dreams, a lot of them disagreeing with Freud. Jung was a great
psychologist and psychiatrist that changed the ways of psychology today.
Jung thought that dreams were a tool to help us grow, not just to release
extreme sexual desires. Jung felt that dreams were more than about sex, they
were about life. Jung said that sexual drive doesn't even motivate us as much as
the fear of death. Jung was an inspiration to all in the psychology field. His
theories are instrumental in psychology and psychiatry fields today.
Dr.Wilhelm Reich who discovered the "orgone energy" theory, emphasized that all
diseases could ultimately be best understood as imbalances in the orgone energy
system. Reich became convinced that a subtle biophysical energy permeates all
living things and that the orgone is mass-free; permeates all of space in
different concentrations; is responsible for all forms of life; is taken into
the body through breathing; is present in all cells, is especially drawn to
water and forms units, both living and nonliving.
John Upledger DO. has been recognized as an innovator and leading proponent in
the investigation of new therapies. His development of CranioSacral Therapy has
earned him an international reputation. As an osteopathic physician, Dr.
Upledger did extensive scientific studies from 1975 to 1983 at Michigan State
University, where he served as a clinical researcher and Professor of
Biomechanics. His therapy is a subtle, hands-on method of evaluating and
enhancing the functioning of a physiological craniosacral system. This system is
comprised of the "inner physician" as well as, membranes and cerebrospinal fluid
that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord. By complementing the body's
natural healing processes, CranioSacral Therapy is increasingly used as a
preventive health measure for its ability to bolster resistance to disease, and
is effective for a wide range of medical problems associated with pain and
dysfunction.
It is through the courageous and unique approaches of such Western minds as
these, that allows for the mind body model to be stretched and supplemented into
new and innovative ways. These men have made great strides in allowing us to
look at connections between the psyche and the physical flesh the mind inhabits.
They bring closer the bridge between Eastern theories and Western advances in
order to complete the circle of one ideal model.
The Realm of the Possible
In my approach to "Mind Medicine", I use the power of my energy therapies I have
studied with a look at a particular person's belief in themselves and their
surrounding situation(s). As individual as the cells that make up our systems,
the process of healing each individual is as unique as this. It is inevitable as
human nature dictates, to want to categorize and organize things. This is an
innate function of the brain system itself. If you have this... then you do
this... and so on.
As we learn... a system of healing, be it allopathic medicine or complementary
and alternative modalities such as massage therapy, ayurvedics, traditional
Chinese medicine, color therapy and so on �there tends to be a set of tried
and true rules to observe, follow or be guided by.
As we practice... it is never as cut and dried! We would all like to see
patients come in with classic textbook symptoms. This would make it so easy for
us to treat. Unfortunately, those cases tend to be more the exception than the
rule. That is what makes healing not only an art, but also a lifetime of
discoveries.
I feel, nothing in healing, is etched in stone. What method of treatment may
help one individual may not help the next. This is why it is important to be
open to and aware of as many possibilities in the healing arena as possible. I
also do not believe that if someone has said or has proven that a form of
healing MAY NOT work in general, that this still is not grounds for abandoning
the treatment. What may not work for one may absolutely be appropriate in
healing another.
In Western medicine, for example, we tend to only work with and accept the most
recent medications; the most recent findings and the most current
approaches...disregard the rest.
In Chinese medicine, no theory or form of healing is ever thrown out but placed
in the "tool belt of knowledge" and maybe able to be called upon when one path
is not as efficient.
In any clinical setting where there is an interview, there is an exchange of
energies. Through these energies, we can observe the ability to relate to one
another via intuitions, creative hunches, the give and take of power, nonverbal
and emotional insights and nonverbal forms of communication that form a valuable
source of knowledge about the patient's personality, and his or her
transference.
In the clinical setting, the energies of transference and counter transference
are always present. Trying to balance these energies that abound in a clinical
interview are both challenging to recognize, as they are to cope with. The
process of being aware, as well as conscious, plays a major role in the
recognition as to where an imbalance manifests. Your "tool belt of knowledge"
can also be an imperative part in the process. These delicate energy levels,
when balanced can maintain a level of good health and strong immunity within the
body. When thrown into disarray, this may give a clue as to where to start.
Belief Becomes Substance
Our body and minds are stronger and more complexed than most people think. We
are capable of much more. People place too many limits on what they can do.
Learning to believe in ourselves and our abilities is a hard job that never
ends. I often stress the point that they should often challenge themselves.
Attempting things that are just outside their ability. One of the best things
about expanding our limits is that things that used to be impossible can now be
apart of our everyday life! By building the belief in our ability, we can
accomplish anything in life. I want people to understand these guidelines:
* Energy follows thought. Program thought to be positive and our energy will
reflect it!
* Our Belief System is one of the major factors that can get us through
situations or can cause our life to crumble around us! I do believe that there
is a lot of innate goodness and balancing that our minds do subconsciously in
order to get us through hard times. The other portion of this is how we
"program" ourselves to deal with any given situation.
* We have a conscious choice. We can choose to be beaten or choose to win.
* Our self-confidence and self-love is often the key to opening and
strengthening this portion of our thoughts, which in turn emanates from us!
* Really appreciating what we DO have as opposed to what we would like to have
sometimes makes a significant difference. This is always an important element in
healing that is often neglected.
With this foundation built, practically any healing modality will have an even
better chance of taking root in the positive, strengthening all that it offers
in return.
There are many factors in the healing process and you are only part of the plan,
your patient is the other piece of the puzzle. I had a wonderful teacher who
once said to me:
"A doctor's job is not to heal a patient, it is to show the patient who they
really are!"
This profound statement has stayed with me. It has given me the insight to offer
options of healing to a patient. Steering them in the right direction in order
to heal is to allow them to help them heal themselves. I am always seeking other
options of healing.
Andrew Pacholyk, MS. L.Ac
http://www.peacefulmind.com/main.htm
Therapies for healing
mind, body, spirit
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