My interest in human behaviour started way back as a little girl watching Friday night shoppers stroll up and down Victoria Ave. Those old enough should remember that local tradition well. However it wasn't until about 25 years ago when I picked up my first book about how to change thoughts, that escalated my interest even further. The book was called Hypnothink by Ursula Markham. She wrote it as an account of her inspirational meeting with a man who was struck down with a severe stroke yet he had surpassed all expectations and prognosis with a complete recovery. Hypnothink is how he believed he recovered. One thing that distinguished him from others was that he had a strong conviction of just how powerful his thoughts were and he used this belief to heal his broken body. Granted he was a hypnotist by trade and the extra-ordinary to him was 'normal' in his mind. (Boy have I thought about the irony of this – twenty five years on as I now have someone in my life who has also had a severe stroke!). Knowing what I know now, hypnothink is another name for neuroplasticity. i.e. the brain's ability to change, re-create, or create new neural pathways. This isn't a coloumn about 'healing' but about possibilities. I've personally explored many pathways seeking broader understanding around health and well being; from organised religion, to a large genre of what some people call 'alternative' therapies. I've touched on physiology, the principles of exercise, rehabilitation, human development and the social context in which we live, and all of it has had an impact on my belief system and I've learnt and integrated a lot. Neuroscience brings it all together for me with proof of what otherwise would have been cast aside as pie in the sky. Imaging techniques can now catch a thought's pathway as it travels through our brain, old thoughts, new thoughts, negative and positive, even prayer and medatitive thoughts - can all be tracked, and physical effects measured as a consequence. At last science can now prove what has been known for centuries by many cultures, how our mental/emotional and spiritual health affects our physical health. The thoughts we have - matters. It does open up a whole lot of questions about how this technology may be utilised in the future though. Will it be better for us? Will we use it to empower us or will others use it to control our thoughts? Will it bring unity or more division? The current biomedical model of health will look very differently once it becomes mainstream that our body must work as a whole system and not just from a pathological perspective. We are made up of systems within systems all working holistically together and neuroscience is the proof to those who are skeptical. Obviously my interest is in empowering others by creating more awareness around the need for more self efficacy. I walk alongside people helping them to find (or re-find) their skills and passions to bring mindfulness to their lives which inevitably encompasses body/mind/spirit and relationships. One sustained step forward in one area will bring a step forward in others but like anything it takes practise and consistency. The biggest habit to break is the habit of ourselves, as our brains are designed to reflect the context in which we live. That means that when forward steps are needed we will need to think objectively at times, and be able to think bigger than some of our limiting thoughts. Whilst they are valid and awareness of them is needed, it is how we manage them that will be crucial to our wellness. Often we need to ensure that our relationships around us support us in the way we need to get us through. If we have people around us that would rather that we don't change then it's going to be extremely difficult. If we don't like the solutions in our lives we need to not wait for others or our environments to change, but change the way we act by changing the way we think which will in turn change everything and everyone around us.
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