The mind/body connection and its importance within Cognitive Hypnotherapy.
It is a commonly held convention to think of the mind and body as being and operating distinct from one another. Often Psychological conditions are thought to be present in and affecting only the mind. Equally, physical conditions are thought to operate only within the body. This view leads to treatments that focus solely on one or the other of these areas according to the symptoms that are present.
A moment’s thought about the nature of the common complaint of ‘stress’ immediately begins to blur these boundaries. It is true that we can talk of stress as being physical in the case of physical exhaustion, or as being mental in the case of a traumatic situation that is responded to with worrying thoughts. However in both cases it will be evident, that whilst the originating area of stress appears to be either body or mind, both will be affected. For example; negative or worrying thoughts can lead to headaches, nausea, irritable bowel syndrome and many other physical symptoms and conditions. Prolonged periods of physical exhaustion can lead to chemical imbalances that leave a person feeling depressed. So it can be seen that whilst a symptom may exist solely within the body or the mind, it is possible that the nature and condition of either can be an influencing factor in the symptoms existence. Taking this a stage further, is it possible then that changing the nature of ones thoughts could bring about a ‘healing’ in physical symptoms and vice versa?
If we consider the miraculous healing ability of the body and the sheer genius with which it is maintained and operated, it seems highly probable that it would be necessary for there to be some kind or orchestrating intelligence behind it. We can call that intelligence the unconscious mind. There is a clear example of the unconscious mind controlling chemical and electrical changes within the body in the form of the ‘Fight or Flight’ response. In this case the unconscious mind, deciding that a situation is dangerous or life threatening, triggers the response in the body releasing chemicals that increase heart rate, speed up the rate of breathing, increase sweating, slow digestion, dilate the pupils and increase strength. Here we have an example of the mind influencing the body on at least two levels. Firstly the originating trigger for the overall response was in the mind and not the body, and secondly we have the intelligence behind the orchestration and triggering of the individual physical components that make up the overall fight or flight response. If the unconscious mind is capable of this sort of fine tuning within the body, it opens up the possibility that the unconscious mind can be responsible for the changes that bring about the healing of physical conditions. One indicator that this could be the case is the placebo affect, where the belief within a patient that they are receiving effective treatment for their condition leads to a positive change and in some cases a full recovery. In actuality the treatment is know to be non-effective, this means that it is the belief that is the important factor in determining their return to health. Is it then possible that a belief could also contribute towards an illness or mental or physical condition?
To take this idea further it is useful to refer to the work of Dr. Leonard Orr. ‘Orr’s law’ refers to two aspects of mind that he called the ‘Thinker’ and the ‘Prover’. According to Orr, the ‘thinker’ part of our mind makes decisions based on experiences that lead to beliefs about the world. The ‘prover’ part of our mind provides evidence that they are true by filtering our perceptions to make the information coming to us from our senses congruent with the ‘thinker’s’ beliefs. This is particularly relevant in therapy as it means that a client’s past experiences of care will have left them with expectations that could either help or hinder their progress now. Beliefs about their ability to be helped, to help themselves or even core identity beliefs such as ‘I am capable’, or ‘I am useless’, could all have an affect on the effectiveness of the therapy they are receiving now. Addressing these beliefs is an important part of the therapy process.
One aspect that can be brought into this discussion is that of our emotions. Our emotions affect the way we see the world too. If we are generally feeling happy then a small mishap in our day is likely to be dealt with easily, perhaps even laughed off. If on the other hand we are already steeped in negative emotion when the same mishap occurs, it is likely that we will perceive the event as being far more problematic and allow it to have a greater impact on our already negative mood. People with Depression generally experience a lot of negative emotions. These emotions act as lenses, colouring the world around them and so their experiences within it. The consequential perceived negative experiences that they have lead to more negative emotions, more anxiety, more stress responses and so more depression. Cognitive hypnotherapy aims to offer a framework of understanding to identify these sorts of self generating problem pattern loops and limiting beliefs, and enable clients to harness the power of their mind to aid in the healing process of both physical and mental conditions and so lead them to greater well being and effective functioning.
References:
http://www.hypnosis-kids.com/thinker.htm
http://stress.about.com/od/stressmanagementglossary/g/FightorFlight.htm
