My search for peace of mind has taken me from giving up much control of my well-being to biopsychiatry, to exploring my unhealthy behaviors, to ultimately finding peace amidst fellow seekers in the holistic healing world. I found peace on my yoga mat, by eating healthy food, by quieting my mind through meditation, and by surrounding myself with people that nourish my soul.
My wife, Carrie, has been by my side as we’ve collaboratively explored ways to enrich our lives and optimize our human experience. Recently, our search has intensified. My beautiful wife was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer.
My wife’s response to this life-threatening situation has been inspiring. She has methodically explored all available treatment options – both traditional and non-traditional. She has sought advice from survivors and healers and listened intently to their offerings. While she went about preparing to engage in a battle with cancer, I went in search of ways to best support her through this challenge.
My efforts led me to several books and articles about the mind-body connection in healing. The power of the human mind is extraordinary. I am fascinated by studies like the Rogaine study−where people taking sugar pills grew hair.1 In Mind over Medicine, Dr. Lissa Rankin credits this phenomenon to the power of relaxing the mind. When the mind is relaxed the body’s self-healing mechanisms are active. When we are in this state and believe we are taking a drug that will grow hair – we are capable of growing hair even with a sugar pill.
This state of having a relaxed mind was dubbed the “relaxation response” by Dr. Herbert Benson of Harvard University. When the mind is relaxed all the natural healing abilities are turned on. The immune system is releasing healing hormones and endorphins. In a relaxed state one can respond thoughtfully to life’s challenges. In his work The Biology of Belief, Dr. Bruce Lipton articulates a concept called the state of growth. Lipton argues that one’s mindset dramatically impacts one’s creativity and capacity to overcome obstacles.
The opposite of the relaxation response was dubbed the “fight or flight” or “stress response” by Dr. Walter Cannon. The stress response is activated when the body is in self-preservation mode. In this state, the immune system is deactivated and stress hormones are released into the body. One’s ability to respond thoughtfully to challenges is limited. It is about reacting – as if a bus is coming at you. The problem is the human mind has a difficult time distinguishing between abstract and actual threats (i.e. a bus barreling towards you, vs. worrying about what someone thinks about you). Most people spend an inordinate amount of time in fight or flight mode. Much of our ill health stems from the physiological consequences of repetitive stress responses.
The mind, if relaxed, has an amazing ability to heal the body. Carrie and I have long been yoga partners – so I knew we would continue our practice. How else can she make sure she is in a relaxation response mode? Further research revealed how important it is that Carrie’s treatment team believes she will be cured. Their believing and conveying said belief, that she will fully recover, enhances her relaxation response.
In Love, Medicine and Miracles, Dr. Bernie Siegel, a pioneer of the Mind-Body connection in medicine, says that doctors can literally kill their patients by the information they convey. Saying “there is nothing more I can do” or “put your affairs in order” can seal the fate of their patients. These prognoses cause fear and put patients in a perpetual stress response, thereby shutting off their natural healing abilities. Dr. Siegel said, “All patients must be accorded with the conviction that they can heal, no matter what the odds.2”
By giving negative predictions, doctors create a nocebo effect that activates the stress response. The nocebo is the opposite of the placebo. The placebo shows the power of positive belief – it activates the relaxation response. The nocebo effect shows the power of negative belief – it activates the stress response. The nocebo effect has caused people receiving sugar pills in cancer studies to lose hair and experience nausea.3 Dr. Lissa Rankin said, “Scientists believe the nocebo effect is caused primarily by activation of the same stress response the placebo effect relieves. When a patient is cursed, either by a witch doctor, a family member, or a modern physician, the stress of the bad news stimulates the stress response.4”
Dr. Andrew Weil said that when doctors take away hope and potential for healing from their patients they are essentially “medically hexing” them. Their pronouncements elicit the stress response and can lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy. Giving prognoses that take away hope is a form of hexing. The mind responds to this fear by turning off the body’s self-healing mechanisms. When you feel fear, your mind is worried about protection, not about healing and growing.
“By labeling a patient with a negative prognosis and robbing him or her of the hope that cure might be possible, we may ultimately prove the poor prognosis we have bestowed upon our patient correct. Wouldn’t we be better off offering hope and triggering the mind to release health-inducing chemicals intended to aid the body’s self-repair mechanisms?5”
– Dr. Lissa Rankin
Having examined ways to transcend difficult experiences, Carrie and I have come to believe the following three principles are important:
- One needs to cultivate an internal belief that they will get better. It is imperative that one has hope – they need to believe that suffering is a transient experience. There has to be a belief, regardless of the situation, that “this too shall pass.”
- It is essential that we have people around us that share our belief that we will get through the current challenge. Dr. Bernie Siegel said, “Nothing helps someone get better as much as someone granting the possibility.6” Immediately get rid of the people that think you will not get better. I believe, despite the myriad of problems surrounding the peer role in the mental health system, that peer support can be profound. There is something vitalizing about being around people that have successfully navigated what we are currently going through. The cancer survivors who have come into Carrie’s life have made immeasurable contributions to her wellbeing.
- We need to be actively involved in our own health and not give our power away to medical professionals. We need to have a sense of control. For Carrie, it is practicing yoga, praying, questioning everything the docs say, being in nature and eating nourishing foods. When we feel we are at the mercy of others our stress response is turned on. Taking even initial steps for yourself can have a significant impact on your mindset. If you need to lose weight and commit to doing so – the first time you exercise or skip dessert you feel better. You have not actually lost weight yet but you have made an effort and your mind rewards you. If you have a big term paper due that you are stressing about – the first time you sit down to work on it you start feeling better – even though you have many hours of work to go. We need to realize how resilient we are and move forward accordingly. We will start to truly heal and grow when we cultivate our inner strength.
My research has been into ways to best support my wife as she beats cancer. But I cannot help thinking about how “hexing” happens around me everyday in the work that I do. In fact, the hexing that happens in the mental health field is the worst kind. People are told they have a “chemical imbalance” that will require them needing medication for the rest of their lives – giving their mind no hope of living drug-free thereby eliciting a stress response. People are told to avoid stress. They are told that they will be on federal assistance for life. They are told that they have a genetic brain disorder or disease. These are all examples of “medical hexing.”
The part that makes it worse than what is happening in the physical realm is that the treatment for so-called mental illness is not based on provable science. Cancer is completely different. We can see it under microscopes, in CAT scans and MRI’s. The so-called mental health experts (hexperts), by treating emotional distress as a disease, have created a crisis in our country. Pathologizing and labeling human emotions has led to the hexing of many people. Human emotional struggle and suffering are very real. But medicalizing these experiences is causing an epidemic. We need to look for healing within the context of our lives and not in medical textbooks. We need to value individual narratives: healing lies in our stories. For our individual and collective well-being we need to stop identifying with labels that block healing energy. And we need to avoid the hexperts.
References:
1. Lissa Rankin, Mind over Medicine (Hay House, 2013)
2. Bernie S. Siegel, Love, Medicine & Miracles (Harper Collins, 1986) p. 39
3. Lissa Rankin, Mind over Medicine, p. 21
4. Lissa Rankin, Mind over Medicine, p. 25
5. Lissa Rankin, Mind over Medicine, p. 34
6. Bernie S. Siegel, Love, Love, Medicine & Miracles, p. 196
This is a beautiful post, and I feel it delivers a simple and profound message: a negative, fear-based mindset is really the enemy when it comes to health and well-being. All the very best to you and your wife during this time of dedicated and meaningful healing.
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Thank you Alex. This is definitely a time for dedicated and meaningful healing – I love those words!
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I love this. thank you Deron.
Best to you and your wife!
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Thank you Monica!
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Thank you for your post and all good wishes to you and your wife. Many of us dealing with mental health issues in the family often think the biggest medical hex is a psychiatrist telling a patient that they are a lifer, but we fail to appreciate how this is also true when it comes to cancer and other medical conditions. What the doctor says can be very damaging. What others say can damage. You have highlighted what any can do to fight back and give themselves hope, which is (1) don’t hang around the naysayers. (2) stop identifying with labels and practices that weaken cell vitality and block energy healing (the naysayers and gloomy literature); (3) keep an open mind into what may work and listen to what others say that has worked for them.
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Rossa,
Thank you for commenting. I definitely agree that what people say can be very damaging. After writing this blog, I reread The Four Agreements. Don Miguel Ruiz does a great job articulating the power of words. Societally we need to change the words that are used with people experiencing emotional distress.
Best,
Deron
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Knowing that I was writing this blog for MIA, I did not flesh out my use of the word “epidemic” in the last paragraph. A couple friends, not associated with this platform, have asked why I think medicalizing human emotions is creating a crisis. My reasons are: Every day 850 adults and 250 children are added to the disability rolls for mental health reasons. In 1987 there were 16,200 children receiving disability payments for mental health reasons. In 2007, the number was 561,569. People entering the public mental health system are dying 25 years younger than the rest of the population. The growth in psychiatric diagnoses is staggering. There are also the blatant human rights violations that are happening around the country to people with psychiatric labels. We need to have honest community conversations about the real mental health crisis in this country.
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Deron,
On a related noted, I am trying to get someone to understand that if you see a doctor and reveal past psych med history, everything will be seen though that lens even if it is definitely the result of the medical condition you are dealing with. I know people would say I need to stop worrying about trying to convert this person but I think her reaction is quite typical of why we have such a fight on our hands. It is why I keep telling people that even if they were to get their wish to abolish psychiatry which I think is very unlikely by the way, our problems are not solved.
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True. I’ve been trying to diagnose my back pain problem since 2yrs now and I couldn’t help but get really angry when the doctor looked up my medical history and suggested “maybe it’s because of depression”. It’s an easy way out for anyone who encounters a difficult diagnosis or is undereducated or simply lazy. “It’s all in your head” is a very good substitute for actually doing your work.
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My god B, how the heck does a doctor blame back pain on depression? I am so sorry about what you have experienced.
See, that is why I am so reluctant to disclose mine unless I am 100% sure I can trust the doctor on that. So far, I know of only one doctor I am considering seeing whom I would trust with that information based on everything I know about him.
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Very nicely said, Deron. And I completely agree, “Giving prognoses that take away hope is a form of hexing.” And that’s basically all psychiatry does. Which is quite pathetic, and even evil, given the negative health consequences – not to mention the extreme toxicity of their drugs. Your three principles of healing – positive personal attitude, only having medical assistants with a positive outlook, and having a healthy lifestyle and inner strength or self confidence – are all very important as well.
My best to you and your wife as you move through this more difficult leg of your journey, but it seems you both are approaching the situation with forethought and wisdom. And the power of positive thinking can work miracles. “What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.” Soon, hopefully, your wife will be singing, “Hear me roar.” Let’s hear it for the “Stayin’ Alive” stories!
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Thank you for your kind words. My wife has been amazing at maintaining a positive outlook through this challenging ordeal. I hope to hear her singing soon!
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Hi Deron thank you for sharing. May all healing energy be with your wife Carrie and your family.
I am from a small island, where the hexing way of life is taught from an early age where I came from, which means I had a double whammy choosing to seek psychiatric services when I was experiencing difficulties trying to let go of coping skills that weren’t working for me. I am grateful that I was born a peaceful soul and figured out that I needed to connect with that Peace again.
Today I am drug free from psychotropic drugs, and I connected back to my culture and examined all the things that I was taught. I am working on eating healthy and exercising which stabilizes my mood just fine with out harmful drugs. I know I have more work to do and I am hopeful instead of feeling doom on drugs and the lack of no control taught to me about hexing.
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Corrine,
Thank you for commenting my friend. And thanks for being an inspiration to me and so many others in Connecticut.
Peace,
Deron
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Have a look at http://www.drjoedispenza.com and his book ‘You are the Placebo: Making Your Mind Matter.’
Canadian biochemist, physician and orthomolecular psychiatrist Abram Hoffer (1917-2009) used to ask his patients “What do you want to do when you are well?’ Many burst into tears because no one had ever told them they could get well. They got the idea and most of them did get well.
M. had acute leukemia. She told me the handsome young doctor put his polished shoe on the side of her bed and told her she had two to three days to live and not to expect a miracle. She told the doctor that only ‘God’ knew how much longer she had to live. She went into ‘strong remission’ and lived another ten years. The doctor died of a heart attack the following week. He was 43 years old. We did prayer, imagery, nutrition and energy healing.
See also http://www.bengstonresearch.com and theintentionexperiment.com.
Unfortunately medical hexing is rampant. On a subtle level we all sense what the doctor thinks. Work only with a doctor who thinks you can heal.
All the best. Thank you for this excellent post.
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Great article. Good wishes to you and your wife. Just to undo some of the hexing: breast cancer is actually one of the most curable/manageable ones and I know people who have survived 20+yrs with it.
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Great article . Best wishes to you and your wife. My first teacher in natural healing 40 years ago Joseph Liss N.D. Traditional Naturopathic Drugless Physician routinely guided people to a cure from cancer. No woman ever lost a breast under his care and every case of breast cancer resulted in cure. He used to say ,the medical doctors hide what they don’t know behind terminology’s. They see something they give it a name. They make up there own language. In each person they inherited an organ weaker then the other organs. That is where disease may settle.The problem was retention of waste. He would say” elimination and purification” is what is needed and Traditional Naturopathy covered that subject. He’d say the medical doctor’s are so stupid , cancer is not local , it’s constitutional ,it’s in the blood and manifests in the weakest organ. Fat feeds the cancer. The quality of the blood is directly related to the quality of the soil. The soil feeds the plant and the plant feeds the man .
Check out if you please Charlotte Gerson of the Gerson Clinic in Tijuana Mexico. She has 3 great videos on youtube. Her father was Max Gerson personal physician to Albert Schweitzer discovered the cure for cancer around 1930. Also Linda Page N.D. Traditional Naturopath author of “Healthy Healing,” also Richard Schultze http://www.herbdoc.com Also well worth checking are the protocols of the Paracelsus Klinic in Switzerland under Dr. Rau where 80 practioners work as a team. You can google them. I especially appreciate their advanced dental protocols which they recommend for all their clients because they have found that improper dentistry can confuse diagnosis. Energy healing I use YuenMethod and Homeopathy is always helpful and with what you’ve already written sounds like you’ve got it covered. To a return to vibrant health.
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