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SCIENCE OF MIND:
The Mind of the Body
with Dr. Gerald Sinclair
1) First of all, as a psychologist, what types of behavioral issues have you seen (and treated) that arise from one’s lack of conscious contact with his/her body? When left unchecked, what do these behaviors lead to over time?
I prefer the question of Body WITH Mind and the disorders that occur when they are separate. The question is quite appropriate to our entire urban lifestyle and is easily contrasted with the present chaos in our lives and the world. In fact, history will show the decline and fall of every society when it loses awareness of the mind/body relationship. For myriad of reasons, we now live with mind/body fragmentation more than ever before - our Urban Lifestyle is almost purely intellectual with little association of integrating consciousness as a HUman Being. We have degenerated into HUman Doings overriding our physical consciousness with intellectual performance and function. We are a culture of minds with fewer and fewer experiences of the body relationship.
This has given rise to an entire set of support services. We have health clubs, gymnasiums, therapists and huge numbers of people involved with forms of therapeutic touch. In previous times, these resources were not only unheard of but were unnecessary for the general population. Today, we work so incessantly with thoughts that the very vehicle, our body that carries those thoughts is completely ignored. Even religions encourage us further away from the body awareness to work for the rewards of an afterlife rather than integration in this physical life.
The results of our unconscious body/mind have created new "dis-eases" never before seen, new forms of mental illness and new forms of psychotic anger that have never before existed. These result in massively different behaviors that challenge the practitioner to discover new and effective methods for his clients. Illnesses like Fibro-Myalgia, AIDS, Chronic Fatigue, etc., did not exist 25-years ago. 50+% divorce rates did not exist 25-years ago either.
No one forces anyone to contract an illness. No one forces behavioral disorders. We do it to ourselves. Understand, this is a complete departure from current Medical laboratory thinking and is resisted fiercely. Has anyone visited a medical facility to talk about the Mind/Body relationship or the Spiritual methods in healing? Yet, we spend millions of research dollars discounting the Placebo Effect calibrated in drug testing. Obviously, there is an extraordinary Mind/Body relationship to be able to heal a physical illness with a sugar pill.
2) What are some simple exercises you can offer to help people become more aware of their bodies, and how to integrate the mind and body into their daily lives?
The question is best-answered in reverse… integrate the mind and we can not help but be aware of our body, everything in our life and the entire world. As we realize our own personal connection to our own physical self, we also realize our connection to everyone and everything in life. We are not separate from the realities of this planet; we ARE the realities of this planet.
A very basic exercise that puts us in context with our Body/Mind Self has been used since before history – Breathing. Such a necessary act is usually done with no awareness whatsoever. For undefined reasons, women are much worse at breathing than men, but, men are not greatly more accomplished. So, I recommend learning the Body/Mind association with something uncomplicated and common to all. Regenerative Breathing – the act of mentally inhaling and exhaling as a conscious, physical state… it is so simple but seems to be an alien experience. The Body runs on oxygen, the Mind uses oxygen and the Body/Mind has to work together to get its very life sustenance. Breathing has to become an ACT of thought – breathing with self-awareness of, well, Breathing. We do it without consciousness automatically but when combined with thought, we create a tremendous benefit of bringing life to the Body AND the Mind. Of course, deep breathing from the diaphragm is the style I teach. If this is not clear, just “sigh” deeply and frequently and that will be a good beginning.
3) What are some of today’s ailments, dis-eases and difficulties that are manifestations of our inability to anchor into our bodies—as individuals, families, communities and society at large?
Certainly, all dis-ease is the result of imbalance in some form or another. A classic example is contracting an ulcer. No one forces anyone to get an ulcer – we create it within ourselves. Worry, indigestion, stress, trauma, irregular sleep patterns, etc, etc are all different “excuses” creating the same illness. We literally “eat ourselves up” with mental anguish. We frequently live completely in our thoughts with no connection to the harm being visited on Body health. Left unchecked, the body dies. The Medical Profession will rightly point out that an ulcer is caused from a bacteria in the digestive system but, then, why not everyone? Thought, mental anguish, profound concern – the Mind is a driving influence on Body Health and the breakdown takes place at the weakest point.
It is my observation that ALL illness has a “mental” cause and is the root of imbalance in Health. As has been said, “As we think, so we are.” Health practitioners are only now beginning to recognize the impact of the state of mind in maintaining health. The “Will to live” is generally an acknowledged concept and the placebo effect is a regular factor in pharmaceutical testing. More exploration needs to be done in THESE areas since they are pure products of the Mind/Body relationship at its best.
4) What would happen if a magic wand waved everyone into their bodies, and that became the central consciousness of our society?
Actually, this already exists. Surely, we know spiritually powerful people like Mother Teresa, the Dalai Lama, and great teachers in all cultures and modes. How did they get to their levels of peace, creativity and awareness? What is so different from ordinary people? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. We all have the potential to be creative, peaceful beings and Humans are advancing toward this powerful awareness. The Magic Wand was “waved” in the DNA, Genomes, Codons, etc. at the point of existence. What is now being discovered has existed since the beginning of the Human Being. The more we understand about our Body, the more it joins with the Mind and the Human Spirit to create life as a Human Being.
5) We know how the mind works to dominate/suppress the body—but how Does the mind ideally work with the awakened body?
I have not seen that the mind is “the” dominating factor or that we even “know” how the mind works. Many of my experiences have been quite opposite where passion and emotion dominate the mind. Any news program has event after event of passionate behaviors that have no logic or reason. War certainly reflects passion over reason. A mind working within an awakened body is the same as an awakened mind working within a Human body. There is integration. The two terms are not different when they are inter-reliant and inter-functioning. The mind creates the body just as the body determines the state of the mind. When we fully understand this interdependence, we can have wellness without restriction – we become wellness and balance itself. For example, long distance runners enjoy the mental well being from endorphins that give a runners’ high. It is not a chemical “high” at all but the balance of body/mind in motion. The awakened body consciously knows that it is creating itself.
6) What is our potential as individuals and species if we operate from deep cellular consciousness, from the body, from the place where memories, spirit, intelligence and instinct converge?
We have long held that every experience has either a positive or a negative impact on every cell in the Body. Consequently, we should be able to access life experiences almost at will. I am confident that there is a cellular reconstruction when Mind changes to a healthy cell from a cell influenced by trauma. Think of it this way, every 7-years there is a complete regeneration of every cell in the body. We have the opportunity to replace any illness with total health and recovery; yet, traditional Medicine has yet to work with this principle. We observe this in counseling and can pre/post measure improvements. Thoughts, in fact, can and do change the molecular structure and subsequent health of each cell. We can change to negative as well. A deep cellular consciousness, then, can restructure any illness, memory or trauma – anything through the electrical magnetics of positive or negative thought. We Humans don’t like to take responsibility for our own thoughts and our resulting well being. I have been fortunate to work with courageous individuals that have changed the state of their health through cognizant therapy with support herbal medication… courageous because they were willing to enter areas traditional medicine said would not work. Regression techniques have been used for years to access memories, spiritual intelligence and intrinsic knowledge. We can enter these in a positive or negative frame. It is our choice as to the outcome.
7) Explain briefly how the shaman works with the intelligent body in readings, healings and journeys.
This is a bit like explaining how an artist paints pictures. We can understand technique intellectually but until the paintbrush puts color on the canvas, it is just a discussion. In any healing, we bring thoughts and prayers to work on the Spiritual side of change at the cellular level. It is quite a “simple” concept much like Da Vinci might explain his art.
Shamanic healing appears to be miraculous and mysterious because it defies technology, medical logic or political protocol. However, in Shamanism, it is quite natural in its process. Our technology does not even know what to call Shamanic healing – witchcraft, quackery, faith-healing or usually anything derogatory - when, in fact, nearly every mother on the planet has an innate sense of how to heal a sick child with no “hard data” whatever. We have a feel of how to proceed much like a surgeon has a feel of an operation even though the surgeon is educated and technically trained. Shamanic healing has been a part of every culture of every era and our space-age-video culture is not any different and not any better understood either. Prayer or herbs or spiritual medicine is not welcome in any hospital I have ever been in.
Healer is also a misnomer – the Shaman does not heal but merely re-balances the body with the mind with the soul with the source of all life. And, this certainly invites skepticism at the very least. But, traditionally, the Shaman will step personal ego aside and allow different energies to pass through to the imbalanced individual to effect actual molecular and cellular changes. There are as many forms and methods as there are cultures and languages but the process is the same. I think we do a severe disservice to the Shaman Healer even with this definition. After all, why would we question the graceful brushwork of a master painter like Leonardo Da Vinci? It is his gift of beauty that we can all enjoy.
Blessings of all Life in all ways,
Dr. Gerald Sinclair
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