The Forgotten Dialect:
Our Body Language
Part 5: More Mindbody Research
by: Dr. Roger Gietzen
Neurologist & Mindbody Medicine Specialist
Bad Habits
Destructive habits such as smoking, drinking, over-eating, a sedentary lifestyle and high risk-taking behaviors all have one thing in common. They are used as an attempt to avoid our bottled up tension, whether we know it or not. We all have emotional baggage, but some of us learn self-destructive ways of coping with it. These behaviors are not necessarily character flaws, a result of poor education or a lack of self discipline. Many individuals have sincerely tried to improve their habits, only to eventually fail. These behaviors perpetuate because of an inability to recognize their true driving force. If we desire to change our bad habits without addressing the emotional discomfort that drives the behavior... then we are only addressing the tip of the iceberg and are setting ourselves up for failure. Lasting improvements in our behavior will only occur after digesting the inner turmoil that fuels the behavior. When we feel better naturally, then we naturally choose nourishing behaviors.
Cancer
Cancers have many recognized causes. Some of the biggest ones are environmental exposures (tobacco, asbestos, estrogen pills, etc.), genetics and a weak immune system. The role of stress in the development of cancers has been long suspected, but research has not consistently shown this to be true. This may be because there currently is no reliable, objective way to measure emotional baggage. Most studies have used “self reported” levels of stress to measure this, but this is not reliable. We tend to deeply suppress our most painful emotions, so that we are the last person to be aware of their presence. Despite the lack of consistent research, we can see from the previous sections of this paper that all the major causes of cancers (a weak immune system, bad genes and bad habits) are tremendously influenced by our mindbody connection. Spontaneous remissions can also give us a glimpse of how the mindbody connection influences cancers. A study of these cases, revealed a common pattern. These individuals all experience similar shifts in their perspectives. After receiving their cancer diagnosis, they develop improved stress coping skills. They are attracted to activities that promote autonomy, increased awareness and reduced stress. They are able to reframe their past experiences in a positive way, including finding purpose in their life and in their cancer diagnosis. Their willpower grows. They are able to draw limits and say “No” when it is important for their well being. They have at least one strong loving relationship (with either a person, activity or organization) which changes their other close relationships (spouses, family, friends, doctors, etc.). They are active decision makers in their medical care, working in partnership with their doctors (21). Is it possible that such a radical shift in perspective could be the key in these spontaneous remissions?
References21. Hirschberg C and O'Regan B; Spontaneous Remission, An Annotated Bibliography. Institute of Noetic Sciences 1993.
Dr. Roger Gietzen - TMS Specialist - Neurologist
The Forgotten Dialect, Part 1
The Forgotten Dialect, Part 2
The Forgotten Dialect, Part 3
The Forgotten Dialect, Part 4
Back Pain
6/17/11
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