Every minute of every day, our bodies are physically responding and changing in response to the thoughts that we are thinking.
As therapists we know first hand about the power of the mind/body connection. We’ve all got lived experiences of how our clients rehabilitation and healing is directly impacted by their intentions and the beliefs they hold about:
- Their physical health and well-being
- Their ability to recover
- Our competence and capability as therapists
- The efficacy of the treatment options we choose
As we all know optimistic expectations and positive learned associations change our brain chemistry and enable physiological and cognitive outcomes such as less fatigue, lower immune system reaction, elevated hormone levels and reduced anxiety.
The Placebo Effect
A great deal of research has been carried out into the mind body connection and into the placebo effect. Studies show that thoughts alone can improve vision, fitness and strength. There is both anecdotal and clinical evidence documenting how people, who have taken inactive drugs, have recovered and others, who have been misdiagnosed with fatal illnesses or believe they have
been hexed or cursed, die despite being clinically healthy.
Pharmaceutical companies are very aware of the powerful impact of the placebo affect, so they use double and triple-blind randomised studies to try to exclude the power of the mind over the body when evaluating new drugs.
Self Directed Neuroplasticity
We are great fans of the work of Dr Joe Dispenza. His thinking and research centres around Self Directed Neuroplasticity (SDN); the concept that our thoughts and attention direct the formation of new neural pathways and the destruction of old ones. We use the principles of SDN to inform the conversational work we do with our clients during their rehabilitation journey.
In his book You Are The Placebo he explores how neuroscience is now able to explain exactly how our thoughts and emotions activate our body’s self repair mechanisms and result in what is often described as ‘miraculous healing’. This healing process begins with focused healing intentions originating in the frontal lobe of our brains. These thoughts translate into neuropeptides and then these chemical messengers send signals throughout our body turning genetic switches on and off.
Every thought we have causes neurochemical changes, some temporary and some long lasting. For instance, if we consciously practice gratitude, we get a surge of rewarding neurotransmitters, like dopamine, and experience a general feeling of lightness and optimism, probably correlated with more of the neurochemical norepinephrine.
In the article “How Your Thoughts Program Your Cells” Jordan Lejuwaan describes the process beautifully-
“There are thousands upon thousands of receptors on each cell in our body. Each receptor is specific to one peptide, or protein. When we have feelings of anger, sadness, guilt, excitement, happiness or nervousness, each separate
emotion releases its own flurry of neuropeptides. Those peptides surge through the body and connect with those receptors which change the structure of each cell as a whole. Where this gets interesting is when the cells actually divide. If a cell has been exposed to a certain peptide more than others, the new cell that is produced through its division will have more of the receptor that matches with that specific peptide. Likewise, the cell will also have less receptors for peptides that its mother/sister cell was not exposed to as often”.
So, if our clients regularly think negative thoughts and are experiencing stress and worry then they are bombard their cells with negative peptides and are quite literally programming their cells to receive more of the same negative peptides in the future. They are also lessening the number of receptors of positive peptides and are making themselves more inclined towards negativity.
The good news is our bodies are in a constant state of renewal, so we can help our clients to adopt positive thinking practices, like mindfulness and gratitude to reprogram their pessimistic cells to be more optimistic.
Our Role as Therapists
We believe our role as therapists is to support our clients develop the resources and practices to become what Dr Joe describes as “Our Own Placebo”
We can help our clients develop positive thoughts, feelings, and biological set points that enable health and well-being. By helping our clients develop the regular and disciplined use of visualisation, mental rehearsal, meditation and breathing practices, they can adjust the levels of oxytocin, dopamine, cortisol etc. and support their healing. By helping them to connect with positive beliefs and an optimistic mindset they will set off chains of physiological events which will enable healing and recovery.
Find Out More
If you are interested in finding out more about Self Directed Neuroplasticity, then why not join us on our Neuroanatomy Course or contact us to have a chat.