Wholistic Care – the Body, Mind & Soul Connection

Many think that the connection between body, mind and soul is obvious, all arising from our existence in the physical body. But, there is more to it than that, as scientists in the medical field are finding out.

In his book When the Body Says No, Gabor Mate, M.D. details the physical effects of emotional and spiritual stress, defining stress as “a biological process, a wide-ranging set of events in the body irrespective of cause or of subjective awareness. Stress consists of the internal alterations that occur when the organism perceives a threat to its existence or well-being.” The endocrine system (i.e., hormones) has a very active role in preparing the body to react to stressors, be they physical, emotional or spiritual, through the adrenaline rush or the “fight or flight” response. Mate describes the physical and emotional link in the HPA axis. The HPA axis, made up of the hypothalamus, pituitary, and adrenal glands, is the hub of the body’s stress mechanism. The hypothalamus is the two-way communicator with the brain centres that process emotion. Through its connection with the pituitary, and thus the adrenal gland, the emotional state is connected to the physical body. Suppressing either the physical or emotional response has proven to be detrimental to the health of the body.

The mind, conditioning itself to ignore the stressors’ hormonal effect (because of life circumstances or relational situations) is then helped by the body, through the development of physical symptoms, to remove itself from the emotionally detrimental situation. Consequently, whenever the patient enters into a situation where the body perceives the threat of exposure to that stressor, symptoms will redevelop. For example, an asthmatic attack or psoriasis flare up will occur.

This means we cannot simply treat symptoms or diseases, but must go further into the emotional state of the patient to determine the underlying psychological cause of the disease. It is no longer satisfactory to say that we do not know the reason why some people develop MS or ALS or Asthma. We must now recognize that the body is attempting to relieve itself of an emotional or spiritual stress, and in so doing, creating a chronic state of “fight or flight” anxiety, which makes the body hyper-sensitive to stressors and subject to the development of disease.

This is why Reflexology and Therapeutic Touch, among other wholistic treatments, are becoming popular choices in self assistance to healing. Indeed, as more medical studies confirm the mind/body/spirit connection, the more widespread will be the adoption of wholistic healing methods and the pro-active attempts by patients to aid in healing themselves. Wholistic healing is not intended as a replacement of western medicine, but it will certainly enhance treatment and healing of the whole person, the body, the mind, and the soul.

Juliette Harrison