Self-healing for the Mind and Emotions

Self-healing for the Mind and Emotions          by            Steven Hodes, M.D. 

Here is an enlightening article about the nature of self-healing of the body.Similarly we can heal ourselves emotionally too.

Feeling blue or anxious? Before you reach for the Zoloft or Xanax, consider reaching inside yourself for the answer to what troubles you. 

Our bodies are adept at self-healing. This reality is witnessed daily in the broken bones, minor infections, upper respiratory issues, gastroenteritis attacks, minor headaches and other ailments that all seem to resolve on their own. 

We can't negate the need - and the gift - of medical and surgical interventions that help save lives and get us through medical crises, but we too often overlook this truth: Our bodies are the true source of this healing. The ability to heal is an essential life force that runs through us all. 

Our intention to heal, along with a positive outlook, has long been recognized as an essential aspect of healing our physical beings. What is less obvious is that we are also capable of healing ourselves emotionally. 

This notion finds its origins in the work of Candace Pert and others in the field of psychoneuroimmunolo gy who found that each and every cell of our body contains receptors that enable them to bind to peptides circulating in the body. Pert refers to this process as “molecules of emotion.” 

In my own medical practice, I've seen the practical truth of this theory while performing thousands of endoscopic procedures at my surgical center in Edison, New Jersey. 

Anesthetics are used in order to ensure patient comfort and safety. It is astounding to observe how rapidly anesthetics can induce a state of sedation similar to sleep. Patients feel no discomfort at all and quickly awaken when the intravenous drug is discontinued. This could only occur if the anesthetic could interact with receptors in the cells of the brain that are responsible for awareness as well as the awake state. The binding has to be quick and rapidly reversible. 

This concept holds true with anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medication as well. Any drug that works on our moods, emotions and state of mind - such as Valium, Xanax, and Klonopin for anxiety or Paxil, Prozac, Zoloft and Celexa for depression - could have no effect on us if they did not bind to existing receptors in our brains. 

If our brains are built with receptor sites that can allow modern medicine to do its job, doesn't it make sense to consider that on the deepest levels, we are also equipped to heal our own mental and emotional imbalances? 

Clearly, these receptors exist within us for a reason. As the products of millions of years of primate and mammalian evolution, we inherited them for a reason. Perhaps they gave us a Darwinian advantage over creatures that did not possess them. 

They very likely served to allow our ancestors to calm themselves, become less anxious and even less depressed. Obviously, a calmer state of mind would offer an evolutionary advantage over those who did not possess such self-healing abilities. 

I believe we are biologically structured to be able to reduce our own emotional distress and to be happier and more content. We have the power within to become our own emotional healers.

Dr. Steve's Prescriptions: 

1. Metaphysical Awareness: Nurture faith and belief in your biological capacity to heal your own emotional distress. 

2. Physical Exercise: Certain internal chemical compounds such as adrenaline are released by emotional stress, and exercise can “burn” them off. 

3. Meditate. Learn to calm the chaos of the mind and create peace from within. Brain scanning has proved that this alters the “molecules of emotion.” 

4. Eat Right: For a clear mind, become aware of how your body and mind react to certain foods and chemicals. Carbohydrates, sugars, alcohol, wheat products and fats can create emotional imbalances in some people. 

5. Pursue Spiritual Exploration: Prayer and connection to a higher reality can empower us emotionally

6. Seek and Createa Soulful Community: We are innately social beings, and we calm each other through expressions of love, compassion and support.

7. Try Therapy: There is nothing wrong with talking out your troubles to a qualified therapist or analyst.

8. Take Medication When Needed: The goal is to tap into our innate ability to heal ourselves through natural and complementary methods. Use medications like antibiotics when your body temporarily needs help with the healing process. 

Jabali Muni.