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Remembered wellness
elicits spiritual healing |
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| There is within us
an innate pattern of well-being that is both spiritual and physical.
Our spiritual belief systems, regardless of their objective, external
validity, are important to healing because they help elicit our inner
pattern of "remembered wellness." This link between spirituality and
healing comes from the book Timeless Healing: The Power and Biology of
Belief (Scribner's) by Harvard University cardiologist Herbert Benson,
M.D. - the man who brought us the "relaxation response" in his research on
the role, via meditation, of the mind in healing. He has now placed
a capstone on his work with this compilation of evidence and the rationale
for the importance of spirituality.
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According to his theory, spiritual
practices such as prayer and meditation help recreate the mind/brain state
of wellness. How well is his theory accepted by his peers? At
a recent Harvard conference on spirituality and healing, there were more
than 1,000 participants. Interviewed by Brain/Mind Bulletin,
Dr. Benson reported that this conference was the second largest in the
history of the university.
He confided his own belief in God, but noted, "health-wise, it doesn't really matter if I"m right or wrong. What matters is that the simple act of believing makes us healthier beings." For details on Dr. Benson's cardiology program, write to him at Deaconess Hospital, Behavioral Medicine Division, 1 Deaconess Road, Boston, MA 02215 Reprinted with permission of: Association for Research and Enlightenment, Inc.© Copyright Venture Inward Magazine Sept/Oct. 1996 |
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