Changing our thoughts and emotions in order to treat illness or chronic pain used to be considered New Age nonsense by conventional medicine until the recent discovery of neuroplasticity.
And what is neuroplasticity? Put in very simple terms, it is the ability of the brain to learn or unlearn certain patterns or behaviors. Doctors would say that it is ability of neural networks in the brain to change through growth and reorganization.
But what sparks that reorganization or ‘unlearning’? Exactly what you may have guessed: that "nonsense" recipe of thoughts, beliefs and feelings.
In a recent Washington Post article, entitled “Chronic pain is surprisingly treatable—when patients focus on the brain,” the author writes:
"the view that chronic pain originates in the brain-- that... it can be eliminated by altering thoughts, beliefs, and feelings rather that changing something in the body or flooding it with chemicals–has long been controversial and is still largely dismissed as New Age hooey... "
But “science”, aka conventional medicine, is finally catching up to what Biodecoding has known for 3 decades: that our brain can ‘unlearn’ disease or problematic behaviors by clearing up energetic blockages created by trapped unconscious and repressed emotions and beliefs.
In other words, this “fringe” thinking is finally finding legitimacy through the
acknowledgment of neuroplasticity. As the Post writer puts it: “It’s increasingly clear that chronic pain is often “neuroplastic” – generated by the brain in a misbegotten effort to protect us from danger.” The article goes on to talk about the success of treating chronic pain by having the brain unlearn its dysfunctional patterns.
Meanwhile, Biodecoding has not only been aware of the ability to rewire the brain, but its awareness has been going beyond.
“How?” you ask. Allow me to indulge your curiosity.
First, according to Biodecoding, neither pain nor symptoms are a “misbegotten” effort by the brain. For clarification’s sake, let’s look at the definition of ‘misbegotten’: badly conceived, designed, or planned.” Nothing could be further from the truth. Nothing in our body is badly conceived or designed. Nature does not make mistakes. And as much as we may forget that we are part of nature, our bodies don’t. Physical symptoms, behavioral issues and emotional imbalances are all adaptive survival solutions. Because our bodies are SMART, and wired for survival, disease is not something gone awry; it is not the body malfunctioning; it is a survival adaptation that responds to biological laws.
Secondly, Biodecoding has been operating with the awareness that pain or symptoms are not just “brain generated”. It has long been aware of the intimate connection between brain psyche-organ, and that it is a simultaneous dance. Meanwhile, “legitimate” science is still seeing the brain as the “control room” rather than the synchronous workings of brain- psyche-organ.
Thirdly, the key to understanding our bodies and its diseases rests not just on “hooey” –e.g. psychological, symbolic or intellectual approaches, but on a Bio-logical one. And let me repeat, there is nothing “misbegotten” in the body’s reactions. There is a clear logic to its responses—one that becomes clear when we learn to decode the symptoms.
Finally, it isn’t just about the brain, as the Washington Post article title suggests. The title derives from its praise of the success of the mind-body therapies it cites (https://wfapo.st/3aQb1Pe)One study involved 151 subjects with persistent back pain. A third of the group were given a placebo, a third were given no treatment (control group) and a third were given eight one-hour sessions of a new treatment called ‘Pain reprocessing therapy’ (PRT). This technique teaches people to reinterpret pain as a neutral sensation coming from the brain, rather than something threatening. Sixty-six percent of those who received PRT were nearly pain free after this purely psychological intervention, compared to only 10% in the control group. Meanwhile 98% had some improvement.
Of course this is great news! Especially given the dismal success rates of surgery for back pain – around 25%. But I believe even better results are possible. And it comes not only when we focus on the brain. I believe it comes with the Biodecoding approach—which understands the intrinsic link between the emotions (psyche), organ and brain. Its distinctive feature is its awareness that emotions affect the cells, not the mind, and that these emotions are caused and maintained by a belief. And certain emotions and beliefs are associated with specific organs and tissues. And these organs have very specific brain relays. And this ensemble forms our operating system.
The real problem is this: as we go through life, our operating system needs updating. Especially as it gets programmed at a very early age, and it becomes structured on what is known in Biodecoding as “programming conflicts”. And it is these programming conflicts that lie at the root of much of our dis-ease. But when these programming conflicts are addressed, improvements can happen instantly. And permanently. …Yes, even with chronic pain.
In this age of technology, it is a given that our phones and computers need regular updating. But few of us approach our body with that awareness.
Does that sound like hooey to you?
Don’t worry…in a few short years, conventional medicine might catch up, give the concept a fancy name, and pretend they knew it all along.