Every thought we think, every emotion we feel, every intention we hold, and every experience we encounter, shapes our brain and our physical body
It is a well-known fact, with scientific evidence, that the mind causes physical symptoms to embody themselves. Most modern lifestyle diseases are psychosomatic in nature, involving both the mind and the body. The World Health Organisation reports that mental disorders are amongst the leading causes of ill health worldwide. We find that mind plays an important role in the onset of diseases.
Before we examine the effects of emotions on our body and brain, let me share the famous water experiment carried out by Masaru Emoto on the effect of emotional energies on water. He exposed water in different glasses to both positive and negative words, different types of music, prayers, and so on. On freezing the water after exposing to the emotions and vibrations, it was found that the crystals formed when the water was exposed to positive words and thoughts like “I love you”, formed symmetrical and pleasing structures. On the other hand, water molecules exposed to negative words i.e. “I hate you” formed asymmetrical and ugly structures.
As our bodies are comprised of 70 per cent of water, you can well imagine how emotions affect our organs, systems and cells and molecules.
It is a well-known fact that when one is angry or anxious, one may develop physical symptoms of rapid heart rate, increased blood pressure, palpitations, nausea, and so on. These are immediate effects that are seen on the body. But what causes these symptoms? These symptoms are caused due to the increased activity of nervous impulses sent from the brain to various parts of the body that trigger the release of adrenaline into the bloodstream. The brain, under the influence of emotions, also affects the cells of the immune system, leading to physical diseases. Therefore, by thoughts alone we can turn on the switches that trigger the onset of a disease. As we start living our life like this, we become emotionally and mentally unstable and weak. When we turn on these switches but are not able to turn them off; we head towards an illness or disease, and slowly but certainly, our immune system also gets weakened. Our resistance and fighting ability against external bacteria and viruses and also the internal functions get disturbed because of the limited or excess release of enzymes and hormones.
Through numerous studies, it has been found that when we worry about a future condition or worry that a particular illness may occur and continue focusing on that thought, the physical body physiologically changes itself in order to prepare itself for the future scenario. The body will respond in a manner that the future condition has already manifested in the present. The autonomic nervous system gets activated and the corresponding stress chemicals are synthesised leading to the onset of the disease.
Louise Hay, the famous author, has ascertained that each and every disease has an underlying emotional cause. For instance, lack of joy causes heart problems, self-criticism causes headaches, cancer is caused due to deep hurt and resentment, and so on.
I would like to share a real incident with you of a Delhi-based girl. She came in touch with me through Facebook. Only 29 years old, the first thing she said to me was, “Kapil sir, I don’t want to die… I have breast cancer, please help me.” I agreed to help her and started working on her. In the process, I came in for a surprise. Although the girl wanted to get cured, there was something deep within her that was not willing to leave her illness. During the investigations and consultations, I came to know that there was lot of anger inside her due to some deep hurt. I asked her what had happened about five or seven years ago in her life. She brushed it aside saying that it was a thing of past and doesn’t concern her present life. I insisted and with great difficulty she told me the incident.
“About seven years ago, I was deeply in love with a guy, whom I wanted to get married to. But due to different religious background, my father did not allow it.” She broke down into sobs. After a while, she continued in an angry tone, “I want my father to suffer. He loves me the most in this world but now he will have to go through the same pain. He is suffering daily seeing his daughter go through the pain.” She stopped abruptly. She could not believe what she had said. There was so much bitterness and anger and non-forgiveness inside her that had manifested the cancer and she was not willing to let go of the bitterness and anger, which was not letting her disease to be cured.
Just as negative emotions are the precursors of diseases, holding positive thoughts, emotions and feelings bring about epigenetic changes that improve health.
There are numerous stories about miraculous healings where people have healed themselves by holding positive thoughts, emotions, practicing meditations or even have laughed their way to health. Dr Joe Dispenza had fractured his six vertebrae in a car accident and chose not to undergo a crucial surgery and used the power of his mind to resurrect his vertebrae and was able to walk in three months.
So what is the scientific explanation of such miraculous healings?
When one is truly focused on an intention for some future outcome, if the inner thoughts are more intense than the external environment during the process, the brain does not know the difference between the two. It has been seen that if we are grateful for a future condition, the unconscious mind begins to believe that the condition is already present. When we practice appreciation and thankfulness with clear intention, we are instructing our body and brain which changes themselves to make the future situation into a present one.
In such a scenario, new genes are signaled to function in new ways to prepare for this imagined event. As you mentally rehearse the desired outcome over and over again, say to become healthy, the frontal part of the brain get into work and creates an intention of being healthy and shows a mental picture of being healthy. It lowers down the impact of the external world. The frontal lobe in response to new thought produces new neural networks in different parts of the brain which synthesizes neuropeptides and hormones which signals the cells’ DNA to turn on a certain set of genes and turning of another set of genes which reflects the new state of being.
It is said that the physical body is a mirror of our inner thoughts. Therefore the conversation which you are having with your systems, organs and cells is very important with regards to your health. Our minds are created within relationships — including the one that we have with ourselves.
It is seen, therefore, that mind, relationships and brain play an integral and coordinated role in the well-being of a human being. The mind can change the structure of the brain and relationships. The brain can change the structure of the mind and relationships. Relationships can change the mind and the brain.
Meditation, prayers and other holistic healing techniques work at the emotional and physical levels and bring about a balance at those levels leading to improvement of health. It has been found through various studies that people practicing meditation have reduced anxiety, depression and pain. It is seen that the effects of meditation was comparable to the effects of behavioral treatments on patients. Brain imaging studies have shown that meditation activates those regions of the brain involved with emotional regulation, attention and self-awareness.
Therefore new thoughts create new choices, which trigger new actions and behaviours, leading to new experiences, generating new feelings, which ultimately lead to a new state of being.