There is a tendency in Western medicine to separate mental and emotional issues from physical health problems. This has never been the case with traditional medicine. All systems of traditional medicine have seen strong connections between the mind, emotions, and spirit and physical health problems.

The truth is that healing is rarely a process that involves only the physical body. It also involves thoughts, beliefs, and emotions. In fact, healing actually begins in the mind with the belief that it’s possible to get well.

Placebo and Nocebo Effects Illustrate Power of Thought

The power of thought in health is demonstrated by the existence of the placebo effect. Placebo means “I will please,” and refers to the fact that a certain percentage of people will get well on any treatment, as long as they believe it will help them. The percentage varies, but it is around 30% of all patients.

The very fact that it’s possible to heal from a placebo, shows the power of belief in the healing process. This power should be utilized when we’re seeking to recover from various health problems. We need to believe the medicine we’re taking or the therapy we’re using will work, or we won’t even try it.

The power of the mind in health is also demonstrated by the nocebo effect, something many people don’t know about. Nocebo means “not pleasing.” The research into the nocebo effect shows that not only can your mind help you heal, it can also make you sick.

This research involves giving a person a placebo and telling them that it’s a medication with potential for side effects. When this is done, some people will experience negative side effects on the placebo. For instance, people taking sugar pills believing they are chemotherapy drugs will experience nausea and lose their hair. The implication of this is that mental attitudes and emotional issues can also be a root cause of physical health problems.

If using medications or physical therapies helps us get better, that’s great. But sometimes, a person doesn’t respond to therapies that should work, or the problem keeps returning and the person never seems to be rid of it. When this happens, we should consider the possibility that mental attitudes, emotional issues, or past trauma may be a factor in their health problems.

Shifting Your Focus from Disease to Health

To utilize the power of the mind in healing, people need to start by shifting their focus from disease treatment to health building. Experts in positive thinking stress that you tend to create what your mind focuses on. Unfortunately, when it comes to health, people rarely focus on health. Instead, they worry about the disease or the treatment. They may suffer from fears that they will get the same diseases their parents did, because it “runs in the family.” This attitude keeps them from doing things to prevent these problems.

This also extends to how to handle disease. If a person tells themselves, “I’m going to fight/beat this disease,” the focus isn’t on health. It’s focusing on disease. Experts in positive thinking also suggest that when you are against something, you tend to strengthen it. So, when seeking healing, a person needs to change the very nature of the questions they ask. They should stop thinking, “How can I get rid of this disease?” and ask themselves, “What do I need to do to be healthy?” This shifts the mind from thinking about what they don’t want (disease) to thinking about they do want (health).

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