Our Mind, Our Body

Aug 15th, 2007 | By | Category: Articles

Last year I was suffering from a very unusual illness. I was suffering from hair loss from my face leaving patches with an inflammation. I was occupied with other things and I didn’t pay any attention to it for a whole two months. My neighbor who was also suffering from the same disease, and is now entirely bald, told me that it is due to some infection caused by some micro-organisms present in water. He, further, warned me to prepare myself to face the eventuality of a body without hairs. I was horrified for a while.

During clinical consultation, it was explained to me that my condition was caused by different types of micro-organisms like bacteria, fungi, viruses, or even parasites. It is a condition that can involve fungal infection in which the fungus invades the hair shaft and root, and causes the hairs to break, and may also result in soreness. My condition, they told me, was not infectious. The Head of Skin Department at the State Hospital told me that in Allopathy there is no fool proof treatment for this disease. Most of their patients were struggling with it.

It was then that I decided that though I am going to get the best modern medicine had to offer, yet I would also start praying twice a day for the absolute eradication of my ailment. The doctors injected some drug into my skin, every alternate week, for about two months. Later they had to stop it because the drug was causing atrophy in my skin. Five months later the patches disappeared and I was absolutely fine, despite having stopped the treatment. My neighbor was most surprised to see this.

Some people told me that my prayers had done the trick, while others gave the credit solely to the treatment and the idea of prayers curing a person was made fun of. For me the most important element was wisdom from life, which guided me to pray acutely so that my condition could be correctly diagnosed by the experts, and finally treated. The mechanism of the phenomenon or the therapy had no significance to me. I found this self help experience wonderful, and very close to my life. Eventually, I ended up documenting it.

Modern medical science is only beginning to explore the subtle interconnections between body and mind, between the physical and spiritual aspects of life. Both physical and spiritual aspects are vital manifestations of the life force that is inherent in the cosmos itself. Life at each moment encompasses both body and spirit, and both self and environment of all conscious beings in every condition of life, as well as non conscious like plants, sky and earth down to the most minute particles of dust. Life, at each moment, permeates the universe and is revealed in all phenomena. Medicine can not solely cure us; it also requires a platform of life force, the source of which is our mind.

 A person's inner emotional state will be revealed in his or her physical appearance. The feelings of someone in a happy and optimistic mood are reflected in their face. In contrast, the way of walking and the drawn features of a person weighed down by suffering, communicate to us his or her inner torment, even from a distance. Our inner mental state also affects the physical functioning of our bodies. The most dramatic manifestations of this are laughter and tears, physical signs of our inner feelings. Mental or psychological stress has been linked to a range of illness from skin disorders, allergies, asthma and ulcers to cancer. Depression and hopelessness lower the body's resistance, making us vulnerable to a variety of afflictions. On the other hand, a positive determination to overcome illness can "inspire" our organs and even individual cells toward health.

"When our determination changes, everything will begin to move in the direction we desire. The moment we resolve to be victorious, every nerve and fiber in our being will immediately orient itself toward our success. On the other hand, if we think, 'This is never going to work out,' then at that instant, every cell in our being will be deflated and give up the fight." True health and genuine happiness must encompass both the physical and the spiritual. Many of the experiences of people relate to improved health, physical or material conditions. The source of the unhappiness is from the self that is spiritual disorder from within that produces the manifest effect in the environment. We also see many clear day-to-day examples of the connection between mind and body. For instance, when we are surprised or frightened, our faces turn pale. This is because fear causes blood vessel to constrict, decreasing the flow of blood to the skin.

The above examples illustrate how a spiritual change can bring about a physical change. But even more obvious are examples in which a physical change brings about a change in the mind or spirit. A simple toothache can change our entire outlook, making us irritable or even rude. Another obvious example of a physical change having a spiritual effect is the drinking of alcohol. A chemical that directly affects the body’s metabolism, alcohol can make an otherwise shy person outgoing, or even confrontational. An even more direct example is that of physical injury to the brain, which can cause a person to undergo a complete and permanent change in temperament and behavior, depending on what specific part of the brain is damaged. The fact is that every human feeling, every thought, has some sort of physical manifestation even if only a delicate electro-chemical change in the brain or nervous system.

With in these changes every situation we encounter in our life is a crystal clear logical effect to the cause we create for ourselves deliberately or unintentionally. We comprehend it merely a few times. If there is ‘Night’ there is also ‘Day’, if there is  Sorrow’ there is ‘Happiness’, if there is ‘Bad’ there is also ‘Good’, if there is a ‘Cause’ there has to be an ‘Effect’

Let’s reap first rate quality and courageous Causes.


Comments can be sent to rohit@themag.in



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