The term psycho-physical refers to the way in which the mind interacts with physical or biological parameters. There is a buzz-phrase “mind over matter” which touches upon this important discovery. It can be hard to explain this body-mind interface to people who assume you are saying, in effect, that their illness is “all in the mind” or psychosomatic (a completely different concept). But just as when you heal the body (physical) condition, you feel better, so sometimes, when you improve aspects of mind function and structure, you get an improvement in the body. There is a potential two-way traffic here, which must not be overlooked!
And just as it is important, sometimes, to address physical problems first, at other times it is necessary to address the mental first, in order that recovery can take place. The mind in healing has two distinct aspects:
• The mind as the “problem”, so to speak (mental unease or dis-ease) and
• The mind as a “tool”, something with the power to help to recovery process
An example might help to make this more understandable. Cancer is pretty obviously a physical disease; it’s about rogue cells that get out of control. But cancer has been seen repeatedly as a reaction to unhappiness and unresolved stress. Dr Hamer in Germany went so far as to interview thousands of cases and concluded that almost 100% of patients had some unresolved psychological catastrophe in the three years leading up to the emergence of the tumour (loss, divorce, bereavement, work overload etc). Even more importantly, he found that by addressing the trauma and reducing its impact he could aid recovery and produce a dramatic improvement in remission and survival rates for the cancer victims. This effect was independent of any benefits from chemotherapy and other methods of treating the cancer.
You will readily see that this is far from saying cancer is “all in the mind”.
The unconscious mind in particular is a powerful force which operates at all levels, to maintain blood pressure, heart rate, and many emotional and physical body balances. The unconscious mind has the highest motives; it wants to protect you from harm (this is the mind which allows people to swallow razor blades or glass, without coming to harm). Sometimes it tries to fulfil this protective role by hanging onto experiences from the past and applying them inappropriately. It “learned” to do this at times of excessive stress, emotion, pain and conflict. The techniques I have developed over the years allow us to de-couple these experiences. They can be retained as valuable learning but are not forced through when the response isn’t appropriate. It’s literally turning back the clock to before you became entrapped. You feel as free as you once did but you get to keep the wisdom! That’s a pretty good trade.
