Has the idea the of the direct relationship between physical and mental health ever cross your mind? When I get sick or injured, my mom would always say to me that it is because of my mindset; that I was too negative about something and that it is a lesson for me from the universe to be more positive and loving. A french writer Voltaire once said “I have chosen to be happy because it is good for my health.” in the 17th century. Socrates, a Greek philosopher also mentioned the connection between the mind and the body. Despite this, today, it is still difficult to accept for some people.
Nevertheless, more and more researches and works appear on this topic all around the world. Theoretical and practical researches have confirmed the fact that basic emotions such as joy, happiness, sadness and anger have an impact on a person’s health and have a strong connection with certain diseases.
The stream of thoughts that come to mind can inspire, inspire a person, and can oppress and strain him. Think about it: one thought can energize a person, give a portion of happiness and inspire for the whole day (or even more). And then you radiate high vibrations: happiness, pleasure, joy and gratitude. Therefore, when you know how to sort your conclusions and manage those important and not very necessary thoughts for yourself, you know how to manage your reality. And no matter how strange it may sound – your health.
In this study my assumption is that there is an influence of the cognitive sphere of activity on the occurrence of physical diseases. There has not been a lot of scientific studies done on this topic. However, in a research called “Optimism and Immunity: Do positive thought always lead to positive effects?”, Suzanne C. Segerstrom, a psychology professor at the University of Kentucky, states there are no doubts about the fact that thoughts have a certain energy, since any living cell emits radio waves that can be picked up by devices, and, therefore brain cells are no exception to the general rule. According to Segerstrom, the more positive thoughts people have about their future “the better their adjustment to diverse situations including college transition, pregnancy, cardiac surgery, and caregiving” And for example, “optimism predicted lower ambulatory blood pressure”. Thoughts can carry health or illness not only to whom it is directed, but also to the one who created it.
But how can interactions and communication between people have an impact on the organisms? Communication is an expression of emotions and thoughts, and it is action. What determines the actions of people? Certainly, those character traits that are inherent in these people. Professor Segerstrom investigates on the subject of connection between way of thinking and the physical state. What happens frequently is that a person begins thinking about his life only when a particular ailment appears. A visit to a doctor, either does not bring results at all, or it results in a temporary improvement, after which a disease takes a chronic form. The theoretical and practical significance of identifying the correlation between the character traits of a person and and his somatic diseases is relevant, because the solution of this problem will help a wide range of people, using the information found, to become more peaceful and harmonious personalities.
What exactly is health and who is a healthy person? World Health Organization defines health as “ A state of of complete mental, social and physical well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” In Russia, people say “In a health body here is a healthy mind”. This means that a healthy, positive mind influences a healthy body. According to the humanistic branch of psychology, a person is an integral system, and when studying a person’s disease, the whole body system has to be taken into consideration, including the mind. So we can sum up that it is necessary to treat a person starting with a study of his behavioral and mental characteristics. In a study called “Psychosomatic Pain: New insights and management strategies.”, Rubin Jay J, shares significant information concerning the psychosomatic medicine. A psychosomatic medicine is medical field that studies the relationship between state of mind and physical well-being. The word psychosomatic consists of two greek words; “psycho” means “soul” and “soma” means “body”. A wide range of psychologists and biologists today can affirm that most of the diseases, and maybe even all of them with no exceptions, can be describes as psychosomatic. This means that if you study the development of diseases well enough, you will inevitably find psychological variables that also contributed to the disease.
Rubin Jay J states that biologists and doctors who seek to relieve human pain and suffering, overcome a disease, can be advised more than follow a traditional holistic approach, given the psychological and social determinants of the disease they study. For example, today there is enough evidence that a widespread fight against cancer, in order to be successful, must take into consideration the so-called psychosomatic factors. Lack of satisfaction of basic needs such as security, belonging, love, respect, self-esteem, as well as the unsuccessful attempts of self-realization lead to unhealthy and deficient disease.
In every person, there is a tendency to escalation of needs. In the animated movie “Ratatouille” (2007) by Pixar Studios. The main character, Remy, a rat who wants to cook for a famous restaurant, states that “Change is nature”. It made me think. Nothing is steady. And happiness is the awareness of growth. The word “awareness” is the key to answering the question of the study. The level of awareness of oneself and one’s desires is the key point. One can not make the right decision in his life until he begins to listen to himself, to his own self at every moment.
