Thinking about mind and body goes back a long way into recorded history but came to prominence through the writings of the French philosopher, Rene Descartes, some 400 years ago. He advocated viewing the mind and body as separate entities with the mind and soul defined as thinking and the body defined as matter and unthinking.
This view has continued to be debated in the intervening years and has clouded medical thinking as it developed into the scientific era. Modern medicine often looks at the body as a machine which needs to be mended if it malfunctions. This ‘mending’ can be by introducing chemical substances (drugs) by injection or orally, by manipulating body parts, by surgical or other intervention, by various psychological therapies or in some other way. The essence is there is a healer who is providing external intervention.
This viewpoint ignores the role of the body itself and the individual who, in essence, can provide the means for self-healing. This self-healing (particularly with regard to psychological disorders) is very much a link between the mind and the body.
A lot of research has been carried out and there is a lot of evidence to show that there is a strong link between the mind and the body.
Even if we show a mind body link, we have to consider: what benefit is this and how can we use this link to improve our health and wellbeing?
For some, the mind body link is the basis of a scientific approach, demonstrating how the two can be synchronised. For others it is synonymous with using alternative medicine practices and in this context it can be misleading.