I never bought much attention into the ’mind influencing the body’ concept. To me, it was a bit like magic or something exotic. 

However, everything changed after I went through an ovarian tumor laparoscopy. My abdomen was filled with so much carbon dioxide that I got heavy chest pain, making it hard to move without a struggle. This ordeal stressed my body, paving the way for even more health issues.

Two months post-surgery, you’d think I’d feel ok, right? But I wasn’t. It was as if someone had jumbled up all my wires, plugging them into the wrong outlets. I battled with intense migraines which impaired my vision, constant dizziness and nausea.

After undergoing two MRIs of the head, consulting with neurologists three times, and having my hormone levels checked in the hospital—due to a couple of initial misdiagnoses—all my tests returned normal. So, on paper, I should’ve been in perfect health, right?

Turns out, that wasn’t quite the case. The avalanche of stress my body had been through didn’t just vanish. It manifested as PTSD and psychosomatic symptoms. In simpler terms, the stress didn’t just linger; it actively contributed to a whole new set of health issues.

This was a mind blowing discovery for me and told my husband 'Okay, it seems like I’ve got a mastermind here.”

I started thinking, if your brain has the power to knock you down, couldn’t the reverse be true? Can you potentially use your brain to alter your body?

It suddenly made sense that the body and mind are inseparable, and I shouldn’t be surprised by their connection. After all, the brain oversees every function in our body, from healing to daily operations. The idea of separating mental and physical health now seemed a simplification we’ve created to navigate through treatment challenges.

And then I started to explore what exactly happens when we experience stress and how our thoughts influence body reactions.

What really caught my attention was the placebo effect. This concept, that the mere belief in the effectiveness of a treatment can lead to healing, was known by me but never understood. It has now become evident to me that thoughts alone can influence physical health.

Another fascinating example of the mind’s influence on the body is the Wim Hof meditation and breathing technique. Hof exposed himself to injections of endotoxins, which can trigger a range of immune responses, from mild fever and inflammation to potentially life-threatening conditions like septic shock. Remarkably, he didn’t exhibit any of the symptoms. 

However, the documentary ’The Heal’ made the biggest impact on my understanding of mind-body connection. It explores alternative approaches to healing. This might initially spark some skepticism, as it presents concepts far away from what many of us have been taught. However, it poses a crucial question: How can we truly understand what’s possible without exploring all the perspectives?

Some time ago I watched a TEDx talk on mental health where the speaker pointed out that we often spend more time brushing our teeth than we do taking care of our minds. This observation really struck a chord with me: indeed, we tend to focus on occasional self-care acts rather than establishing daily routines for our mental well-being. We often prioritize our physical health, overlooking the fact that our mind and body are interconnected. 

We’re accustomed to looking after our physical health—regular exercise, eating well, and visiting the doctor when something’s amiss. Yet, often, the significance of mental health care frequently goes unnoticed.

The adage 'in a healthy body lies a healthy mind’ speaks volumes, but it’s truly a two-way street. Perhaps it’s time we also say, 'in a healthy mind lies a healthy body,’ underlining the symbiotic relationship between mental and physical well-being.