The Paradox of Mind-Body Medicine

And why it needs to be part of every treatment plan

A disturbing trend emerged in my practice over the years.

No matter how much I knew about biochemistry, there were cases that I could not help.

Then I discovered light therapy, and a whole new world of therapeutics opened up to me.

But there were still cases that I failed to help.

What was I missing?

The answer is mind-body medicine.

What is mind-body medicine? And why is it so important?

The trouble with the mind is that it plays tricks on the body that are beyond belief. The mind causes diseases of the body that truly beggar belief. The problem with this is that, because it is so unbelievable, people seek intently for a cause of their disease outside of themselves.

Slipped disks. Bone-on-bone arthritis. Tears, herniations, and more are all illnesses created by the mind within the body.

To the uninitiated, the amateur, or the gross materialist, the notion that the mind can create unbearable pain and dysfunction within the body is so unbelievable that most physicians, let alone physical therapists, personal trainers, chiropractors, and more go to their graves without ever comprehending the reality of it.

The Mind-Body Paradox

The paradox that arises is that, without a doubt, things like stretching, physical therapy, massage, manual manipulation, and more can bring great relief to physical ailments of the body.

If things like massage, stretching, manual manipulation, and other physical manipulations of the body can make the body better, then how is the disease within the mind?

Pain and suffering within the mind is unavoidably referred to the body. The more psychological pain the patient knows, no matter how deeply repressed it may be (and therefore unaware of it the patient may claim to be), the more physical and bodily pain the patient will know. When we treat pain in the body, we often alleviate symptoms as the central nervous system receives empathy and encouragement, but the underlying cause remains.

The body's aches and pains are often the cries of the soul, trying to get the attention of the mind so that the patient will seek out the catharsis of confession.

A Story of Healing

A poignant story from a mentor of mine, Dr. Knight, illustrates this point well.

Dr. Knight was caring for an elderly man in a nursing home. The man always complained of pain, no matter how much pain medication he was prescribed. Pain medications numb the psychological pain that manifests within the body. My mentor finally asked this man, "is there anything bothering you?"

The man confessed that he had left his wife and infant son once upon a time. He had reconciled with his ex-wife and received her forgiveness. But he had never reconciled with his son. His son was grown.

Dr. Knight set up a meeting between the two of them. The son came to the nursing home and met his father for the first time as an adult.

The old man apologized to his son and received his forgiveness. And then he died, that same night.

I told this story in a podcast appearance on The Way Forward, with my friend, Alec Zeck. It was one of the best interviews I have ever given.

Pain is just a signal your body is sending you that you have unfinished business with people you have run across in your lifetime.

Many patients run from the responsibility attendant to such a revelation. They will even attack those who suggest it.

Suggesting it therefore requires tremendous sensitivity on the part of the healer. And mark that I say, "healer," because it doesn't have to be the physician. Anyone can help someone come to terms with their regrets and sorrows.

Creating a New Reality

What do we do about the ailments that the mind creates within the body?

We create a new reality by creating new patterns of thinking.

There are a few ways to do this, all of which are variations on the same theme.

Here are the books I recommend on this topic:

• Mach 2 with Your Hair on Fire, by Richard Brooke

• Psychocybernetics, by Maxwell Maltz, MD

• Safe People, by Cloud and Townsend

• Non-Violent Communication, by Marshall Rosenberg

• Healing Back Pain, by John Sarno, MD

• Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself, Joe Dispenza, DC

• Freedom: Winning the Battle Within, by Danny McDaniel

• They Shall Expel Demons, by Derek Prince

Beyond that, the rest comes down to the actual practice of mind-body medicine. And that takes time, diligence, and honesty with oneself. That's why, despite being well-known, few people actually use mind-body medicine. If the greatest medicine of all is teaching people how not to need it, then mind-body medicine is the most powerful kind of medicine there is.

The Complete Picture

But what about the biochemistry? What about all the stuff that influencers love to talk about, like keto, carnivore, salt, magnesium, and more? Of course, that matters. The power of your mind to engage in practices like meditation successfully depend upon the balance of the nutrients, hormones, and more within the body.

You won't get great results until you combine biochemistry, physical and mechanical medicine (massage, physical therapy, manual manipulation, etc.), with mind-body medicine.

And that's why Hippocrates said things like, "physicians are many in title, but few in reality." What he meant was that despite the title being conferred to many, few physicians take the time or develop the capacity to combine all of these approaches in a unified, coherent plan.

Yet this is the key to the best results possible.

And that's why, while I might talk most of the time about things like hormones, minerals, vitamins, light, sound, and EMF, in every case I endeavor to introduce mind-body medicine as soon as possible.

That's enough for today.

Until next time, be well,

Dr. Stillman