There is an incredible amount of scientific study on the mind-body connection, for those who need evidence of mind-body self-healing. For now, we’ll just look at a small sampling of studies, and books written by professionals in the medical field who share their knowledge and experience of the science of the mind body connection and its healing power.
Norman Doidge, M.D. illustrates in his book, “The Brain That Changes Itself”, visualization is experienced neurologically (as evidenced in many MRI studies) in the same way as the action itself. When we visualize a physical activity, the same neurons are activated as when we actually perform the activity.
Many other medical doctors have confirmed the power of visualization, and how the body responds as though it’s physically happening. “Scientists agree that the human nervous system cannot tell the difference between an actual experience and an experience imagined vividly, emotionally, and in detail.” Dr. Dennis Waitley, “The Psychology of winning.”
Herbert Benson, M.D., Director Emeritus of the Benson-Henry Institute (BHI)at Massachusetts General Hospital and author of eleven books including “Relaxation Revolution: The Science and Genetics of Mind Body Healing.” Benson’s research has found that mind/body practices elicit the relaxation response, quelling the release of stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline. Your heart slows, blood pressure falls, digestion eases and immunity soars.
Mind-body specialist Dr. James Gordon, founder and director of The Center for Mind-Body Medicine, reminds that the mind and body are essentially inseparable as “the brain and peripheral nervous system, the endocrine and immune systems, and indeed, all the organs of our body and all the emotional responses we have, share a common chemical language and are constantly communicating with one another.”
In his book “Love Medicine and Miracles”, Dr. Bernie Siegel writes of numerous examples of the placebo effect and the mind body spirit connection used in healing; he asks his readers to become “open to the healing gift within us.” DR. Bernie Siegel writes his books from the perspective of a surgeon who witnessed “exceptional patients” who experienced complete recoveries, and he studied the power or love and prayer in healing. Both from research and in his own life experience.
Dr. Bernie Siegel writes about people who have used meditation and mental images to restore their health, these “exceptional patients” worked to re-establish communication between mind and body and experienced the body respond to the minds messages in a positive and powerful manner.
This isn’t “new age” the idea of mind as medicine goes back to ancient medicine. Dr. Bernie Siegel writes about this as well, “In traditional tribal medicine and in Western practice from its beginning in the work of Hippocrates, the need to operate through the patients mind has always been recognized.
Prayer indeed is good, but while calling on the gods a man should himself lend a hand.
– Hippocrates
In Love Medicine and Miracles, he writes about numerous studies done on the mind body connection, and the power of the mind including:
A study that was done in 1976 by Gurucharan Singh Khalsa, founder of Boston’s Kundalini Research Institute. The study was conducted at the Veterans Administration hospital in La Jolla California and it showed that yoga and meditation increased blood levels of three important immune-system hormones by 100%.
1980 Alberto Villoldo from San Francisco State College was able to show that regular meditation and self-healing visualization improved white-blood-cell response and improved efficiency of hormone response.
Dr. Joan Borysenko, Boston’s Beth Israel Hospital, has shown that relaxation and meditation can and does reduce the need for insulin in diabetics
With all the positive results from mind body practice, including visualization, it makes sense to use this practical approach to help restore our fertility.
“Visualization takes advantage of what might be called a “weakness” of the body: it cannot distinguish between a vivid mental experience and an actual physical experience” – Dr. Bernie Siegel
“…meditation and visualization are powerful tools to help you be aware of your true needs and then make them happen. Seeing what you want in your mind’s eye helps convince your unconsciousness that it’s possible, and helps create an atmosphere of hope.” – Dr. Bernie Siegel
Dr. Bernie Siegel recommends taking 15 minutes or so, three or more times each day to quiet the mind and practice your visualization. It does take time, but you are worth the time. Visualizing throughout the day can be done, even with a busy schedule once you make it a priority and make the commitment.
In her book, “Women’s Bodies Women’s Wisdom”, Christiane Northrup MD talks about fertility and the mind body connection. “Fertility is affected by many different factors… In my experience those couple who are most willing to look at and work with the mind/body connection in addition to the other aspects of fertility are the ones who are most successful either conceiving or healing their relationship with fertility. “
“The conventional ‘management’ of infertility generally focuses on the body as a hormonal machine and in a large part ignores emotional, psychological, and even nutritional factors that have physical and hormonal manifestations. Though the mind/body connection in infertility has been appreciated for decades, only recently has this important link begun to be explored more seriously. As our society has become more technology focused, the study of the mind/body connection in infertility holds the potential to help many couples, and a thorough psychological interview should be a routine part of every fertility investigation.” “Women’s Bodies Women’s Wisdom”, Christiane Northrup MD
“The mind/body approach to fertility … is powerful enough to effect subtly changes in your endocrine, immune, and nervous systems. Regardless of what you’ve been told about fertility, you need to know that your ability to conceive is profoundly influenced by the complex interaction among psychosocial, psychological, and emotional factors, and that you can consciously work with this to enhance your ability to have a baby “ “Women’s Bodies Women’s Wisdom”, Christiane Northrup MD
“We need to expand the meaning of fertility and birth. We must begin to see female birth power for what it is – the basis of all of creation. When enough women sense this creative female power inherent within each of us – not dependent on what we produce or don’t produce with our bodies, not dependent on whom we let into our bodies – the world will change. When women tap into this power, the children, the ideas, and the new world to which we give birth will be supportive of all beings, including ourselves. “Women’s Bodies Women’s Wisdom”, Christiane Northrup MD
“Every one of us has encoded in our cells the knowledge of what it is to conceive, gestate, and give birth to something that grows out of our own substance. You don’t have to have a baby to learn how to labor. Labor, whether physical or metaphorical, teaches us not to fight the process of birthing, no matter what we’re birthing, even when it hurts and we want to quit.” “Women’s Bodies Women’s Wisdom”, Christiane Northrup MD
In “Women’s Bodies Women’s Wisdom, “Dr. Northrop refers to numerous studies including the The Goddess of Fertility, “Boston Magazine, March 1997, pp.57-117 Dr. Domar’s program 44 % pregnancy rate. This is an article about Dr. Alice Domar with Deaconess Hospital in Boston who helped women heal from the stress of infertility while also increasing conception rates substantially by using guided meditations, visualizations, and other mindfulness techniques.
There are many more books and studies on the topic of the mind body connection in healing, the above mentioned are only a small selection. Meditation, mindfulness, visualization are just some techniques for accessing the healing power of the mind body connection.
There are countless studies, and stories, that show the power of the mind-body connection and the power of visualization. Yet, with all of life there are no guarantees. We see fertility treatments work for some woman, we see it not work for some women, and we see it work eventually for some, while others take other paths to motherhood. We see the same with medications for body wellness and disease, sometimes they work great, sometimes they work to a varying degrees, and sometimes they don’t work. It’s up to us individually to do our best to take care of our own health, life, and well-being. This means we do what’s in our power to increase our chances for a successful pregnancy. It’s best not to fixate or obsess over it, but rather relax into a state of being open and receptive, allowing life to unfold as it will while you openly take the steps you knowledge and intuition lead you to take in order to move closer to and achieve the deep desire of your heart.
Visualization is one tool, one aspect, one more beneficial thing you can do to increase your chances of having a baby. Diet, supplements, naturopathic lifestyle are another tool. Acupuncture, or other natural or medicated fertility procedures are another tool. It’s important to release and relax into this journey. It can be really hard when money is tight, and time feels it may running out, all of these intense thoughts and feeling do more to create stress and obstacles that don’t help. Visualization and meditation can help give you some space between your thoughts, and between your feelings, allowing you to maintain a calm, open, receptive state of well-being along this journey.