The Healing Power of our Minds

By Eben Alexander, MD

Based on the new book, Living in a Mindful Universe: A Neurosurgeon’s Journey into the Heart of Consciousness, by Eben Alexander, MD and Karen Newell
 

Can human beings truly demonstrate the power of mind over matter, where sheer force of will is enough to determine an emergent reality in the physical world? When viewed from the proper perspective, the answer is a resounding “Yes!”

Study after study confirms that at least 30 percent of the benefit of a therapeutic modality is likely due to a patient’s belief that they are receiving a medicine or treatment that should make them better, known as the placebo effect.

Studies in epigenetics (the study of biological mechanisms that will switch genes on and off) and neuroplasticity further open the door to the potential influence of a patient’s beliefs, behavior, and attitudes, offering insight into some of the most profound healing capabilities a human might enjoy.

Our beliefs have tremendous influence on our interpretation of reality, and ironically, our society generally underestimates the power of mind. Modern culture has placed its trust in the scientific method in its search for answers, so it’s puzzling that we don’t know more about how all of this works. Stunning advances in science and technology on many fronts make us feel as if we are close to knowing everything. But some basic mysteries about our existence have for centuries baffled the scientific community, with little consensus agreement.

Some such mysteries are far from being solved. We cannot yet definitively explain, for example, the nature of the observer in quantum physics experiments, the ultimate function of DNA, the location in the brain where memories are stored (if at all), nor the mechanism of the placebo effect.

At the heart of these enigmas is the mind-body question that asks, “Which is primary: our physical bodies or our minds?” The current widely accepted assumption of conventional science is that physical matter is all that exists and that our conscious awareness is an illusion that arises from it. With this thesis as a starting point, it has been impossible to explain the mysteries noted above, yet our mainstream society continues to parade materialist science as the source of foundational truth.

Could the tide soon be turning? Our world is on the verge of an unprecedented shift in understanding the nature of consciousness and ultimately of all reality, and the implications of this shift will affect each of us on a directly personal level.

In Living in a Mindful Universe, Karen Newell and I reverse the fundamental assumption that physical matter is all that exists and explore more viable ways to explain our reality, all within a modern scientific framework. This view assumes our mind plays a much bigger role than previously understood and begins to resolve those previously unsolvable mysteries. This perspective is fortunately one that empowers us as individuals and brings much more meaning and purpose into our lives.

Undoubtedly, healthcare at large can also benefit from this refreshing worldview. Our conventional western approach to medicine is focused on healing the physical body. As physicians (a word derived from our focus on the physical, especially the body), we are taught that disease and imbalances are due to molecular interactions and physical biological relationships inherent in the specific treatment we advise. But what if something more, something deeper, is going on?

A main focus of my three-decade career in academic neurosurgery involved treating patients afflicted with one of the most deadly diseases known — malignant tumors of the brain. The technologies I helped to develop (stereotactic radiosurgery, intraoperative MRI, and focused ultrasound surgery) were mainly directed at such tumors, although they also served in the treatment of other less deadly maladies of the brain. As is often the approach in modern medicine, our goal was to inject powerful new technologies into that most challenging effort to overwhelm a disease whose survival time was generally measured in months from the initial diagnosis.

Despite our industrious efforts, these surgical technologies have not made a major dent in the course of that disease, partially due to its nonlocal, thus non-surgical, nature. However, several patients whom I first encountered in the 1990s, who arrived in my office having been told they had at most a year to live, remain alive today, seemingly free of their brain tumor. What made the difference in their course?

Reflecting back on all of those patients, it is clear to me that a more positive attitude — a belief that one could thrive no matter what challenges one faced daily — very well played a role in the ultimate course of the patient’s disease. Of course, some of those patients, even with strong positive beliefs, went on to succumb in a time course consistent with the overall average. But those exceptional long-term survivors universally manifested a positive belief that they were living their lives without bearing the yoke of a “terminal illness.” I came to realize that any patient attitude that was less than a hearty belief in the silver lining was a dire prognostic sign, one that powerfully negated my best technological efforts as a neurosurgeon.

I was trained to diagnose a health issue and then choose to perform surgery, prescribe a drug regimen, or perhaps advise some form of physical therapy. These approaches to wellness assume that making a change to the physical body will lead to improved health. But other factors, such as attitude and beliefs, seem to play a major, if not dominant, role. As Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motors, so wisely observed “There are two kinds of people: Those who think they can, and those who think they can’t, and they’re both right.”

A tremendous amount of healing — of becoming whole, of achieving physical, mental and emotional health — comes from recognizing this fundamental process of mind over matter. This is a complete reversal from the conventional view of science taught in medical school. My own experience of complete healing following a 7-day coma due to E. coli bacterial meningo-encephalitis is better understood when coupled with the incredible journey into consciousness that ensued throughout that week.

And mine is not the only example. There are many cases of unexplained return to health following an experience in the unseen realms (the near-death experience, or NDE, literature has numerous examples). Touching the force of unconditional love that many encounter in these realms seems to play an important role in such healing.

Seemingly miraculous healing also happens to people leading ordinary lives. The Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) has compiled more than 3,500 references to documented medical cases of spontaneous remission of a wide variety of diseases. In one study[1] comparing 75 factors of complete remission in cancer cases, nine stood out above the others. Along with dietary changes, supplements, and taking charge of one’s health, remarkably, six of the nine factors are directly related to spiritual health: following your intuition, releasing suppressed emotions, increasing positive emotions, embracing social support, deepening your spiritual connection, and having strong reasons for living.

Developing a richer sense of our spiritual nature (not simply “religious”), which includes a focus on our connectedness with others and a sense of meaning and purpose in our lives, are aspects of true health that we ignore at our peril. As a physician, I have come to see that any true vision of health must include not only the physical, mental, and emotional realms, but, most importantly, the spiritual. As more profound capabilities for overall healing arise from attention to our internal nature, I expect more commonly to encounter examples of “miraculous healing” beyond the explanatory power of our current medical paradigm.

Considering the harmful side effects of many medications, it would be wise to devote more research dollars to expanding our knowledge about this powerful effect of our minds to achieve healing. When fully accepted and applied in clinical practice, this approach has the potential to overhaul our entire system of health care. When fully accepted and applied throughout other disciplines, imagine how our world might change!

[2] Turner, Kelly. Radical Remission: Surviving Cancer Against All Odds, New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2014.

Eben Alexander, MD, has been an academic neurosurgeon for the last 25 years, including 15 years at the Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Children’s Hospital, and Harvard Medical School in Boston. The author of the New York Times bestsellers Proof of Heaven and The Map of Heaven, he lives in Charlottesville, Virginia. Karen Newell is a cofounder of Sacred Acoustics, an innovator in the emerging field of brainwave entrainment audio recordings used to help listeners reach expanded states of awareness.