Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Mind Body Strategies

Developing a personal strategy to deal with the ever increasing numbers of  stressors in the modern world is essential. Here is a one page over view of  the mind-body connection. You don’t need lots, you only need to find one or two techniques that really work for you.

Everything in creation is made up of electromagnetic energy vibrating at different frequencies such as sound, light and color. The existence of electromagnetic fields around objects is known as an Aura. The Chinese refer to this energy as 'Chi' (pronounced Chee), the vital life force energy of the Universe, present within every living thing - also known as Ki, Qi or Prana. Chi has been written about and studied for thousands of years. But Western medical science is finally beginning to take a serious look at ancient Far Eastern traditions that focus on Chi - the life force energy which flows through the pathways (meridians and chakras) of all living forms.

"Theories of traditional Chinese medicine assert that the body has natural patterns of qi associated with it that circulate in channels called meridians in English. Symptoms of various illnesses are often seen as the product of disrupted or unbalanced qi movement through such channels (including blockages), deficiencies or imbalances of qi, in the various Zang Fu organs. Traditional Chinese Medicine seeks to relieve these imbalances by adjusting the flow of qi in the body using a variety of therapeutic techniques.'" - Wikipedia.

Other ancient wisdom spiritual traditions include prayer and the Christian sacraments, the Kabbalah's Tree of Life, and the Hindu chakras. The New Thought Movement is a more than century-old and focuses on practically oriented spirituality as characterized by William James as The Religion of Healthy-Mindedness. Norman Vincent Peale (born 1898), wrote, "There is a powerful and mysterious force in human nature...a kind of mental engineering....a powerful new-old idea....The concept is a form of mental activity called imaging.....It consists of vividly picturing, in your conscious mind, a desired goal or objective, and holding that image until it sinks into your unconscious mind, where it releases great untapped energies.... When the imaging concept is applied steadily and systematically, it solves problems, strengthens personalities, improves health, and greatly enhances the chances for success in any kind of endeavor."

The idea of imaging has been around for a long time. What Peale called a "powerful and mysterious force," Napoleon Hill, the granddaddy of PMA (Positive Mental Attitude), called the "Supreme Secret" (i.e. "Anything the human mind can believe, the human mind can achieve"). In another book he co-authored with W. Clement Stone, Hill said: "This is a universal law....that we translate into physical reality the thoughts and attitudes we hold in our minds, no matter what they are."

What Peale referred to as "imaging," others, such as consciousness teacher and author Shakti Gawain calls "Creative Visualization." This technique, sometimes called "guided imagery." Such mental processes are absolutely normal aids to everyday activities and do not involve an attempt to create or control reality through "mind-powers."  Visualization and some practices of modern psychology and holistic medicine, and is rapidly growing in acceptance in today's secular society as a neutral, scientific, non-religious method for self-improvement and has become prevalent in medicine, business, psychology, and education.

Religious Science, also known as Science of Mind, was established in 1927 by Ernest Holmes, who taught that the quality of life's experience first begins within our own consciousness. He promoted understanding evolution and biology from a spiritual perspective.

Mind and body practices focus on the interactions among the brain, mind, body, and behavior, with the intent to use the mind to affect physical functioning and promote health.
  • Meditation is a practice of concentrated focus upon a sound, object, visualization, the breath, movement, or attention itself in order to increase awareness of the present moment, reduce stress, promote relaxation, and enhance personal and spiritual growth and health.
  • Yoga is used for health purposes typically combine physical postures, breathing techniques, and meditation . People use various styles of yoga as part of a general health regimen, and also for a variety of health conditions.
  • Acupuncture is a family of procedures involving the stimulation of specific points on the body using a variety of techniques, such as penetrating the skin with needles that are then manipulated by hand or by electrical stimulation. It is one of the key components of traditional Chinese medicine qi gong, and tai chi.
  • Hypnotherapy is a combination of hypnosis and therapeutic intervention . The therapist leads the patient to positive change while the patient is deeply relaxed in a state of heightened suggestibility called trance.
Techniques can be mysterious such as  the laying on of hands, or quite simple, such as laughter therapy. These simple positive thinking techniques may help:
  • Reframing. Very simply take a step back from your life and try and view it with some detachment. Is your life really that bad? Are you struggling to find food each day? Is the world going to end if your situation doesn’t improve? Will it stop spinning? No, of course not, the only permanent in life is change. And whilst you may feel down at the moment for whatever reason put things into perspective.
  • Gratefulness. Following on from the above, how often have you sat and thought, yes, I’m really lucky to have close family and friends, a job to go to, access to developed healthcare, education and so on. There are lots of things in your life to be grateful for, I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you what they are. So, be grateful for them, fill yourself full of the feeling of gratitude and thankfulness for all the things that you already have! Once you feel thankful and realize what you already have then it gives you a foothold to propel yourself forward and to have another go at overcoming any challenging situations that you may be facing.
  • Smile. Yes simply smiling can make you feel happy. Normally people think that we smile as a result of being happy but you can actually do the reverse. Put the smile on your face and then it will make you feel happy. Yup, that’s right scientists have proven that this sort of backwards way of feeling good actually works, for more information try this source.
  • Sing. If you are feeling blue, simply recall one of your favorite songs and try and sing it out aloud. Go ahead and give it a try. It is virtually impossible to sing one of your favorite songs and remain in the same state of feeling, it will almost inevitably lift your mood. Sing along to a CD, DVD or whatever but aka sure you give this a try as it is so effective.
  • Exercise. Even just taking a long walk in the countryside, or swimming for half an hour stimulates the release of endorphins and neurotransmitters which give you the natural high feeling, there are many health related benefits. Improved mood, increased confidence, increased social interaction, improves quality of life, is a great coping mechanism, improves self-image and helps you sleep better.

Here are more forms of  Energy medicine

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