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Conventional medicine tends to regard the body and the soul as two separate and independent systems, and is not well aware of the influence the mental and emotional states have on physical health. According to this approach, the body influences the soul, but the soul has little, if any, influence over the body. Consequently, conventional medicine focuses on fixing the "machine", the body, or, in other words – treating the symptoms and not the root causes of the illness. This approach has created an imbalance in the body-soul relationship.
Alternative medicine views the body and soul as one whole unit, and regards the human being as an energy system functioning wholly, with the soul influencing the body, and the body communicating with us using symptoms originating in the soul.
Our thoughts and emotions have a critical and profound influence over our physical health, and through them we can heal the physical symptoms. The body is the best sensor of the needs of the soul, both mental and emotional, and if there is some sort of imbalance, our body will soon alert us to its existence. Our sages of blessed memory have acknowledged this, stating: "a healthy soul in a healthy body", meaning the health of the soul precedes the health of the body.
In the past few years, conventional medicine has opened up to alternative medicine, and after changing the latter's name to " Complimentary Medicine", many medical professionals view it quite positively, and it is actually being used for complimentary treatments in conventional medicine. In 2004, Volume 143 (book 1) of the "HaRefua" medical magazine presented a comprehensive review of hypnotherapy, relaxation therapy and guided imagery. In a research conducted by Lyles et al. on 50 cancer patients who suffered from nausea after chemotherapy treatments, the patients received relaxation therapy and were instructed to use guided imagery to moderate the sensations of nausea. The control group patients were taught how to calm themselves. The researchers found that the patients who received relaxation therapy better controlled their anxiety before the chemo treatments, and didn't suffer as much nausea and vomiting urges afterwards.
Many therapy researches have unequivocally proven the reciprocal influence of the body and soul, and for years now, this influence has been used in complimentary therapy in addition to conventional medicine, for a variety of medical issues, such as: encouraging the patients, soothing them, calming their anxieties and assuring their cooperation during treatments. Just as important is the use of guided imagery as preventative medicine.
In order to have physically and spiritually healthier lifestyles and improve the quality of our being, we must develop intuitive thinking, use thought processes to connect with our internal lives and realities and cultivate positive thinking.
"The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven." John Milton used these words to express the position and power of the imagination in the human experience. Our imagination has an endless amount of power, allowing us to travel anywhere we wish to go. In many cases, the power of our imagination leads us to negative paths of fear, anxiety, confusion, difficult past experiences and feelings of uncertainty, which add stress and tension and endanger both our physical and spiritual health. Guided imagery is a powerful experiential tool. It enables us to connect with our inner selves by using visualization and relaxation. We develop the ability to connect body and soul, the physical and the spiritual. Thus we discover the path to our subconscious and are guided to positive horizons. Guided imagery enables us to listen to our inner voice and affect our feelings, sensations, awareness, behavioral and thought patterns, and through these, our physical health.
The uniqueness of guided imagery is the conscious, willful creation of mental and sensory impressions for the purpose of personal transformation. The word "conscious" distinguishes between guided imagery and dreams, which occur during unconscious or partial conscious states. The word "willful" means selecting the time, place and objective, as well as the general contents of the process in a willing intentional manner. The words "mental and sensory impressions" mean that aside from the visual image, in our minds we also create sounds, tastes, odors, etc., which stimulate our subconscious to take part in promoting our goal and direct our consciousness to act assertively. |
