| Karl, E. Healing and the Mind. Holistic: Harmonizing Pathways to Wholeness (Summer 2006):37-41. Available at URL: www.holisticjournal.org. |
| Healing and the Mind By Eileen Karl, Ph.D. |
The role of the mind in healing cannot be ignored. Dale cites a study documented at the
Northwestern College of Chiropractic in Bloomington, Minnesota, that indicates the most crucial
factor in the body’s ability to heal broken bones is the individual’s satisfaction with his/her job.
Apparently bones heal much faster when one likes what one does (12). This seems to indicate
that there is much more to healing than biology. What is the connection between the mind and the
body? Is there some way an individual can access his/her physical healing through the mind?
What kind of power do human beings really have?
The mind can be a powerful ally in one’s pursuit of self-healing. The now famous case reported in
the Journal of Prospective Techniques in 1957 by psychologist Bruno Klopfer involved the
treatment of a man named Wright who had advanced cancer of the lymph nodes. He became
excited when he heard about a new drug called Krebiozen that was being used on others with his
condition. Even though his case was too advanced for him to be considered for the drug, he
begged his doctor until he finally agreed to treat him with it. Wright began treatment on Friday. By
Monday he was out of bed. The tumors had “melted like snowballs.” He remained well until articles
appeared in the local newspaper declaring that Krebiozen actually had no effect, at which time
Wright immediately relapsed. Upon seeing this, the doctor explained to Wright that the article was
about a milder form of the drug, and there was now a new version that should work again for
Wright. The doctor administered a placebo with dramatic results. Once again Wright went home
well. Then the AMA announced that the Krebiozen study was a failure and ended all funding for
the drug. Upon reading this report, Wright immediately relapsed and died within two days (Talbot
93-4; Achterberg172-3; Epperly 163; Dossey 70).
Former astronaut Edgar Mitchell, whose mother was suffering from severe eye problems,
recounted a similar example. Mitchell, a scientist with keen interest in mysticism since his
experience of walking on the moon, had heard about an American healer named Norbu Chen and
wanted to know if he was indeed capable of laying hands on others to effect healing. Believing in
the power of God to heal through others, Mitchell’s mother agreed to go to Chen for restoration of
her eyesight. The results were dramatic. The next morning she was able to read without the thick
glasses she needed the day before. However, when she was told Chen was not Christian, she
became very upset, fearing her cure was the result of evil. Within hours her eyesight failed. It was
only through personal growth over the next ten years that his mother was able to gradually allow
herself to see. Before her death, she was no longer legally blind (Lora 20).
Additional evidence of the power of the mind can be found in the study of the role of placebos in
healing. While the medical community has been slow to accept most unexplained phenomena, it
has been forced to accept the issue of the placebo, which must be considered in trials of all new
medicines. If a new medicine only has an effectiveness rating of 30 percent, it is considered no
more effective than a placebo (Siegel 15; Shealy 7). A placebo is anything given to a person
expecting certain results that contains nothing that would create those results. Epstein
emphasizes that a placebo includes those “invisible elements of mind, faith, and love brought into
the therapeutic situation that create the healing possibilities” (108). Talbot describes it as a
mechanism used to fool the body into healing. He tells of experiments conducted in 1962
comparing the effects of LSD to those of a placebo. Conducted by Harriet Linton and Robert Lang’
s, test subjects who were told they were going to participate in a study of the effects of LSD were
given a placebo instead. Within half an hour after taking the placebo, the subjects began to
experience the classic symptoms of the actual drug. These effects lasted for several hours
(Hurley in Talbot 95).
Roughly a third or more people given a placebo will have a positive reaction to it (Siegel 15). In
some cases, according to C. Norman Shealy, founder of the American Holistic Medical Association,
studies show placebo effectiveness near 50 percent. One study even determined a rating of 90
percent (8). Placebos have been known to induce cures for a full range of problems from warts to
cancer. For many, a visit to the doctor can act as a placebo. Chandra Pantel, internationally
acclaimed expert on the prevention and control of hypertension and heart disease, relates the
story of Herbert Benson who requested permission from the Dali Lama to study the mind-body
feats of the monks. The Dali Lama asked Benson to look at Tibetan medicine as well, paying
particular attention to the belief of the doctor, the belief of the patient and the spiritual force
generated by the two. He reported that about 76 percent of the patients were helped just by the
visit to the doctor. “The trust between doctor and patient can actually alter a patient’s physiology
and effect the cure of bodily diseases” (Pantel 45). In a similar study reported in The Blanton
Peale Institute Journal of Religion and Health, John S. Welch attributes the placebo effect of the
doctor visit to the “ritual interaction with a physician acting in a priestly manner.” Welch concluded
that the effectiveness of placebo was in direct proportion to the faith the patient had in the belief
that a higher power worked through his/her physician (26).
Bernie Siegel in his book Peace, Love and Healing provides more evidence of the power of the
mind on the human body. Siegel relates the story of soldiers who were told they were about to
march a certain number of miles. Previously a group of soldiers had marched those particular mile
increments and once finished, their stress hormone levels were measured. The levels varied
according to the number of miles each soldier had marched. Breznitz, the researcher conducting
the study, actually had all the soldiers in the second group march one set distance. However, he
told each soldier he would be marching either more or less than the set distance. After the march,
when he measured the stress hormone levels, he found the levels matched the number of miles
the soldiers were told they would march, not what they had actually marched. (Siegel 29; Talbot
88). Clearly in this one measurable element, the body indicated it experienced what it thought it
was going to experience. The reality of the distance of the march was overridden by the
perception of that reality.
Another area that alludes to the power of the mind is that of multiple personalities. Studies on
people with multiple personalities have demonstrated the remarkable ability of the body to change
physiology as a result of a different personality exhibiting in the person. It seems that some
medical conditions are based on the individual personality as they come and go as a specific
personality takes over. Take, for instance, the studies documented by Bennett Braun of the
International Society for the Study of Multiple Personality, in Chicago. He noted one particular
case where an individual was allergic to orange juice. However, not all of his personalities were
allergic. “If the man drank orange juice when one of his allergic personalities was in control, he
would break out in a terrible rash. But if he switched to his non-allergic personality, the rash would
instantly start to fade and he could drink orange juice freely” (Goleman C1; Talbot 98). Talbot
also reports that in a person with multiple personalities, one personality who is drunk can
immediately become sober when another personality takes over. A personality who is not affected
by anesthesia may wake up the person on the operating table when the unaffected personality
emerges. Scars, burn marks, cysts, and left- and right-handedness can vary from personality to
personality within the same individual (Talbot 99). While much study has been done on the
phenomena of multiple personality, much is still needed. The above illustrations clearly suggest
that there is more than biology involved in the manifestation of some medical conditions. The role
of the mind in the process has not yet been proven, but must be considered in light of these
findings.
In the late 1800s, TB was a huge public health issue. Death rates were 600 per every 100,000
people. Then in 1882, Robert Koch learned that TB was caused by a bacterium. Once word of
the discovery got out, death rates immediately fell to 200 per every 100,000 people. This is a
rather amazing statistic, considering an effective treatment was not discovered until the mid 1900s
(Watson 58-60; Talbot 101). Were people able to ward off the disease simply because they knew
the cause? And if so, what was the mechanism in play here?
How much control does the mind actually have over the body? Can people control their own
individual cells? In the late 1980s, J.V. Basmajian, a physician and scientist, found the answer to
that question. By placing small electrodes into a motor nerve cell, then informing the test subject
each time the cell would fire, he documented that the test subject could fire the isolated cell at will.
Basmajian concluded that as long as an individual was given feedback about the cell he wanted to
affect, the subject would quickly learn how to control that cell (Achterberg 198). Further research
suggests that the element of feedback may not be necessary (Achterberg 198).
A spectacular example of the ability of the mind to control physiological function is that of Mirin
Dajo, a Dutchman who seemed to be able to pierce his body with a sword, causing himself no
bodily harm. Hans Naegeli-Osjord, a Swiss doctor, upon learning of this, asked Dajo if he would
allow this feat to be documented. Dajo agreed, and on May 31, 1947, he entered the hospital,
“bared his chest and concentrated, and then, in full view of the assemblage, he had his assistant
plunge the foil through his body.” Naegeli-Osjord reported that the sword went right through his
torso, as evidenced by the X-rays taken. Dajo not only remained unharmed, there was no bleeding
produced by the entry of the sword (Talbot 103).
Clearly the role of the mind in the healing process is in need of much further study. The examples
cited above open the door for limitless possibilities, if we only dare to open the door and walk
through it.
References Cited
Achterberg, Jeanne. Imagery in Healing: Shamanism and Modern Medicine. Boston: Shambhala, 1985.
Dale, Cyndi. New Chakra Healing: The Revolutionary 32-Center Energy System. St. Paul: Llewellyn, 2002.
Dossey, Larry. Be Careful What You Pray For…You Just Might Get It. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1997.
Epperly, Bruce G. God’s Touch: Faith, Wholeness, and the Healing Miracles of Jesus. Louisville: Westminster
John Knox, 2001.
Epstein, Gerald. Healing into Immortality: A New Spiritual Medicine of Healing Stories and Imagery. New York:
Bantam, 1994.
Goleman, Daniel. “Probing the Enigma of Multiple Personality.” New York Times 21 May 1985.
Lora, Doris. “The Way of an Explorer.” Shift: At the Frontier of Consciousness. 1 (2004): 18-23.
Pantel, Chandra. “Women’s Health and Spirituality: An Interview with Chandra Pantel.” The Spiral Path:
Explorations in Women’s Spirituality. Ed. Theresa King. St. Paul: Yes, 1992. 43-55.
Shealy, C. Norman. Miracles Do Happen: A Physician’s Experience with Alternative Medicine. Rockport: Element,
1995.
Siegel, Bernie S. Peace, Love and Healing: Bodymind Communication and the Path to Self-Healing: An
Exploration. New York: Harper, 1989.
Talbot, Michael. The Holographic Universe. New York: HarperCollins,1991.
Watson, Lyall. Beyond Supernature. New York: Bantam, 1988.
Northwestern College of Chiropractic in Bloomington, Minnesota, that indicates the most crucial
factor in the body’s ability to heal broken bones is the individual’s satisfaction with his/her job.
Apparently bones heal much faster when one likes what one does (12). This seems to indicate
that there is much more to healing than biology. What is the connection between the mind and the
body? Is there some way an individual can access his/her physical healing through the mind?
What kind of power do human beings really have?
The mind can be a powerful ally in one’s pursuit of self-healing. The now famous case reported in
the Journal of Prospective Techniques in 1957 by psychologist Bruno Klopfer involved the
treatment of a man named Wright who had advanced cancer of the lymph nodes. He became
excited when he heard about a new drug called Krebiozen that was being used on others with his
condition. Even though his case was too advanced for him to be considered for the drug, he
begged his doctor until he finally agreed to treat him with it. Wright began treatment on Friday. By
Monday he was out of bed. The tumors had “melted like snowballs.” He remained well until articles
appeared in the local newspaper declaring that Krebiozen actually had no effect, at which time
Wright immediately relapsed. Upon seeing this, the doctor explained to Wright that the article was
about a milder form of the drug, and there was now a new version that should work again for
Wright. The doctor administered a placebo with dramatic results. Once again Wright went home
well. Then the AMA announced that the Krebiozen study was a failure and ended all funding for
the drug. Upon reading this report, Wright immediately relapsed and died within two days (Talbot
93-4; Achterberg172-3; Epperly 163; Dossey 70).
Former astronaut Edgar Mitchell, whose mother was suffering from severe eye problems,
recounted a similar example. Mitchell, a scientist with keen interest in mysticism since his
experience of walking on the moon, had heard about an American healer named Norbu Chen and
wanted to know if he was indeed capable of laying hands on others to effect healing. Believing in
the power of God to heal through others, Mitchell’s mother agreed to go to Chen for restoration of
her eyesight. The results were dramatic. The next morning she was able to read without the thick
glasses she needed the day before. However, when she was told Chen was not Christian, she
became very upset, fearing her cure was the result of evil. Within hours her eyesight failed. It was
only through personal growth over the next ten years that his mother was able to gradually allow
herself to see. Before her death, she was no longer legally blind (Lora 20).
Additional evidence of the power of the mind can be found in the study of the role of placebos in
healing. While the medical community has been slow to accept most unexplained phenomena, it
has been forced to accept the issue of the placebo, which must be considered in trials of all new
medicines. If a new medicine only has an effectiveness rating of 30 percent, it is considered no
more effective than a placebo (Siegel 15; Shealy 7). A placebo is anything given to a person
expecting certain results that contains nothing that would create those results. Epstein
emphasizes that a placebo includes those “invisible elements of mind, faith, and love brought into
the therapeutic situation that create the healing possibilities” (108). Talbot describes it as a
mechanism used to fool the body into healing. He tells of experiments conducted in 1962
comparing the effects of LSD to those of a placebo. Conducted by Harriet Linton and Robert Lang’
s, test subjects who were told they were going to participate in a study of the effects of LSD were
given a placebo instead. Within half an hour after taking the placebo, the subjects began to
experience the classic symptoms of the actual drug. These effects lasted for several hours
(Hurley in Talbot 95).
Roughly a third or more people given a placebo will have a positive reaction to it (Siegel 15). In
some cases, according to C. Norman Shealy, founder of the American Holistic Medical Association,
studies show placebo effectiveness near 50 percent. One study even determined a rating of 90
percent (8). Placebos have been known to induce cures for a full range of problems from warts to
cancer. For many, a visit to the doctor can act as a placebo. Chandra Pantel, internationally
acclaimed expert on the prevention and control of hypertension and heart disease, relates the
story of Herbert Benson who requested permission from the Dali Lama to study the mind-body
feats of the monks. The Dali Lama asked Benson to look at Tibetan medicine as well, paying
particular attention to the belief of the doctor, the belief of the patient and the spiritual force
generated by the two. He reported that about 76 percent of the patients were helped just by the
visit to the doctor. “The trust between doctor and patient can actually alter a patient’s physiology
and effect the cure of bodily diseases” (Pantel 45). In a similar study reported in The Blanton
Peale Institute Journal of Religion and Health, John S. Welch attributes the placebo effect of the
doctor visit to the “ritual interaction with a physician acting in a priestly manner.” Welch concluded
that the effectiveness of placebo was in direct proportion to the faith the patient had in the belief
that a higher power worked through his/her physician (26).
Bernie Siegel in his book Peace, Love and Healing provides more evidence of the power of the
mind on the human body. Siegel relates the story of soldiers who were told they were about to
march a certain number of miles. Previously a group of soldiers had marched those particular mile
increments and once finished, their stress hormone levels were measured. The levels varied
according to the number of miles each soldier had marched. Breznitz, the researcher conducting
the study, actually had all the soldiers in the second group march one set distance. However, he
told each soldier he would be marching either more or less than the set distance. After the march,
when he measured the stress hormone levels, he found the levels matched the number of miles
the soldiers were told they would march, not what they had actually marched. (Siegel 29; Talbot
88). Clearly in this one measurable element, the body indicated it experienced what it thought it
was going to experience. The reality of the distance of the march was overridden by the
perception of that reality.
Another area that alludes to the power of the mind is that of multiple personalities. Studies on
people with multiple personalities have demonstrated the remarkable ability of the body to change
physiology as a result of a different personality exhibiting in the person. It seems that some
medical conditions are based on the individual personality as they come and go as a specific
personality takes over. Take, for instance, the studies documented by Bennett Braun of the
International Society for the Study of Multiple Personality, in Chicago. He noted one particular
case where an individual was allergic to orange juice. However, not all of his personalities were
allergic. “If the man drank orange juice when one of his allergic personalities was in control, he
would break out in a terrible rash. But if he switched to his non-allergic personality, the rash would
instantly start to fade and he could drink orange juice freely” (Goleman C1; Talbot 98). Talbot
also reports that in a person with multiple personalities, one personality who is drunk can
immediately become sober when another personality takes over. A personality who is not affected
by anesthesia may wake up the person on the operating table when the unaffected personality
emerges. Scars, burn marks, cysts, and left- and right-handedness can vary from personality to
personality within the same individual (Talbot 99). While much study has been done on the
phenomena of multiple personality, much is still needed. The above illustrations clearly suggest
that there is more than biology involved in the manifestation of some medical conditions. The role
of the mind in the process has not yet been proven, but must be considered in light of these
findings.
In the late 1800s, TB was a huge public health issue. Death rates were 600 per every 100,000
people. Then in 1882, Robert Koch learned that TB was caused by a bacterium. Once word of
the discovery got out, death rates immediately fell to 200 per every 100,000 people. This is a
rather amazing statistic, considering an effective treatment was not discovered until the mid 1900s
(Watson 58-60; Talbot 101). Were people able to ward off the disease simply because they knew
the cause? And if so, what was the mechanism in play here?
How much control does the mind actually have over the body? Can people control their own
individual cells? In the late 1980s, J.V. Basmajian, a physician and scientist, found the answer to
that question. By placing small electrodes into a motor nerve cell, then informing the test subject
each time the cell would fire, he documented that the test subject could fire the isolated cell at will.
Basmajian concluded that as long as an individual was given feedback about the cell he wanted to
affect, the subject would quickly learn how to control that cell (Achterberg 198). Further research
suggests that the element of feedback may not be necessary (Achterberg 198).
A spectacular example of the ability of the mind to control physiological function is that of Mirin
Dajo, a Dutchman who seemed to be able to pierce his body with a sword, causing himself no
bodily harm. Hans Naegeli-Osjord, a Swiss doctor, upon learning of this, asked Dajo if he would
allow this feat to be documented. Dajo agreed, and on May 31, 1947, he entered the hospital,
“bared his chest and concentrated, and then, in full view of the assemblage, he had his assistant
plunge the foil through his body.” Naegeli-Osjord reported that the sword went right through his
torso, as evidenced by the X-rays taken. Dajo not only remained unharmed, there was no bleeding
produced by the entry of the sword (Talbot 103).
Clearly the role of the mind in the healing process is in need of much further study. The examples
cited above open the door for limitless possibilities, if we only dare to open the door and walk
through it.
References Cited
Achterberg, Jeanne. Imagery in Healing: Shamanism and Modern Medicine. Boston: Shambhala, 1985.
Dale, Cyndi. New Chakra Healing: The Revolutionary 32-Center Energy System. St. Paul: Llewellyn, 2002.
Dossey, Larry. Be Careful What You Pray For…You Just Might Get It. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1997.
Epperly, Bruce G. God’s Touch: Faith, Wholeness, and the Healing Miracles of Jesus. Louisville: Westminster
John Knox, 2001.
Epstein, Gerald. Healing into Immortality: A New Spiritual Medicine of Healing Stories and Imagery. New York:
Bantam, 1994.
Goleman, Daniel. “Probing the Enigma of Multiple Personality.” New York Times 21 May 1985.
Lora, Doris. “The Way of an Explorer.” Shift: At the Frontier of Consciousness. 1 (2004): 18-23.
Pantel, Chandra. “Women’s Health and Spirituality: An Interview with Chandra Pantel.” The Spiral Path:
Explorations in Women’s Spirituality. Ed. Theresa King. St. Paul: Yes, 1992. 43-55.
Shealy, C. Norman. Miracles Do Happen: A Physician’s Experience with Alternative Medicine. Rockport: Element,
1995.
Siegel, Bernie S. Peace, Love and Healing: Bodymind Communication and the Path to Self-Healing: An
Exploration. New York: Harper, 1989.
Talbot, Michael. The Holographic Universe. New York: HarperCollins,1991.
Watson, Lyall. Beyond Supernature. New York: Bantam, 1988.
| Karl, E. Healing and the Mind. Holistic: Harmonizing Pathways to Wholeness (Summer 2006):37-41. Available at URL: www.holisticjournal.org. |