Mind and Body Therapy
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) defines as interventions “employ[ing] a variety of techniques to facilitate the mind’s capacity to affect bodily functions and symptoms.” Research has shown that MBT is effective for healing various health disorders. It reduces the risk of heart disease and it helps people be physically active and quit smoking.
MBT is grounded in the scientific discipline of psychoneuroimmunology (PNI). MBT is also known as biopsychosocial/spiritual medicine, humanistic medicine, integrative medicine, or, simply, “the new medicine.” There is, however, nothing new about the notion of mind and body interconnectedness. Native peoples throughout North and South America have for centuries used ceremonies for creating and maintaining harmony in personal, social, environmental, and spiritual realms of life. The mind/body connection is also recognized in Chinese and Japanese traditional medicine.
In contemporary Western science, the idea that mind and body are deeply interconnected is still relatively new. However, PNI research provides support for this idea. For example, there is growing evidence that stress-induced weakening of the immune response can impact infectious disease. Research has shown that stressors such as job change, relocation, family conflicts, and life cycle transitions may increase susceptibility to the common cold virus. Similarly, stressors affect antibody and T-cell response to hepatitis B and flu vaccines. Other studies have demonstrated that the nervous and immune systems influence one another on a cellular level.
In addition to the connection between stress and immunity, science provides support for the linkage between psychological and physical wellness on a broader level. A large body of scientific literature shows that our brains change in response to experience and training. Scientists have begun to dissect the complex mechanisms by which this happens. Emergent findings indicate that activities with presence, compassion, and positive intention change the brain to respond in a different and healthy way. Similarly, research has shown support for the healing potential of positive behaviors and emotions induced by various mind and body relaxation techniques.
On the whole, PNI research suggests that Western-based scientific findings are consistent with “old” wisdom in Chinese, Japanese, and Native American traditional medicines. This is to say that mind and body, regardless of how you look at it, are not as separate as it may seem to many of us. In fact, they are deeply interconnected, always influencing one another. That said, the only thing left to conclude is that mind body therapy (MBT) is a welcome return to holistic practice.
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Author: Dace Jansone, St. Joseph's College, Connecticut
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