The Relationship Between Mind, Body, Health and Wellbeing - Essay Example

The Relationship between Mind, Body, Health and Well Being The relationship between mind, body, health and well being is primarily analyzed on the basis of psychological studies conducted by many researchers. The holistic model presented by Swinton in 2001, stresses upon the importance of considering the ethereal elements of religion and spirituality, when treating patients with psychiatric problems. While the holistic model presented by Swinton seems flawless; it is practically difficult to incorporate it in the professional psychiatric practice around the world. Most psychiatrics only believe in allopathic approach for dealing with their patients. The reasons why holistic model has not yielded the desired effects in the practice of psychotherapists are numerous: lack of belief of the psychiatrists in spirituality; having different views and concepts of spirituality from those of the patients; lack of training of nurses to adopt the spiritual ways of handling and treating the patients; lack of nurses in hospitals etc. Furthermore, the holistic model of treating psychiatric patients requires a lot of time, personal interest, and a belief in spirituality; and even if one of these things miss out, the holistic approach cannot be adopted. Under such circumstances, the allopathic approach works best to treat the patients suffering from physical or mental ailments, and the equation of mind, body, health and well being cannot be applied. The main aim of adopting a holistic approach is to identify the problem areas or such areas where improvement or betterment can be brought about. The whole system of beliefs of a person is analyzed to find out the hidden and underlying reasons or causes of a particular illness. Our mind controls our body functions, and to some extent our beliefs tune our mind. Well being does not only signify the physical state of health with no disease or illness; its meaning extends to the social, emotional, personal, and spiritual aspects of health. The parameters that gauge well being of people are: health, socio-economic factors, social interaction, marital status, and aspects of people’s living situations. The vulnerable group of people that is most probable to lower-well being is the one with negative life situations and low socio-economic profile. It is amazing how the working of our mind is influenced by our concepts of spirituality. If the body is experiencing pain, our spirituality can actually control and direct our mind to numb the sensory receptive. Spirituality shifts the focus of the mind from the physical pain and suffering to the higher aspects of life that are regardless of the materialistic world. A strong relationship between mind and spirituality positively influences our health and well being. The importance of religion and spirituality to the American public has been highlighted by recent opinion polls, media attention and empirical studies. Psychosocial researchers are incorporating these variables into studies of emotional and physical illness. A number of studies have found that, for cancer patients, religious, spiritual and quality of life concerns are paramount. This paper reviews the literature relating religion and spirituality to physical and emotional health and quality of life... The authors conclude that regular inclusion of religiosity and spirituality measures in quality of life studies is needed in order to understand the integration of mind, body and spirit in cancer care.’ (Mytko&Knight 1999) Swinton believes that our mental and physical health is correlated with our spirituality. Ironically, spirituality is associated with religion; the fact is that it is relatively independent of religion. Being religious or spiritual does not mean the same- religion has become more of a cultural philosophy; spirituality on the other hand is a personal odyssey of an individual to transcendence. For many people, spirituality cannot be described or defined in a logical manner. It may be impossible for us to understand the concepts of spirituality and its effects on our health and well being; ‘What we do need to do, however, is to begin to expand our understandings of science and empirical evidence to include methods and ways of looking at the world which will not overlook the spiritual dimensions of a person.’(Swinton 2001, p. 13) The healing process is enhanced if the patients believe that they will recover- even if they are suffering from worst cases of cancer or other life threatening diseases. If the mind of a person believes that the treatment he/she has been given shall heal him/her, then his body automatically starts responding to the treatment. This will bring positive changes in his health and well being- even if he/she is severely ill. The holistic approach cares about the whole person- not in parts. It encompasses the health of mind, body and soul. The physical health of a person depends upon his way of life- balanced diet; physical activeness; and involvement in healthy personal and social activities. Good health yields positive effects on our mind, body and well being. In case of suffering from a physical or a mental illness, a healthy mind and body will respond to it positively; while an unhealthy attitude will only worsen the condition. This is where the context of spirituality gains importance. A strong spirituality keeps the spirit alive in a person, even in the most adverse circumstances. As spirituality is the antithesis of materialism, it is hardly affected by the physical disadvantages, pain and suffering of the human body; or loss of other material objects in this world. The relationship between mind, body, health and well being is strongly dependent on the strength of each of these characteristics. But the definition of well being is something beyond the apparent physical health. It encompasses one’s outlook towards life; and how he/she interprets the phenomenon of life and relationships. A state of well being ensures that a person is satisfied and contented with the achievements and success he/she has had; and he/she also has had the strength to face failures and illness in life, and to cope with other crisis in personal, social and professional relationships. The inner strength of a person that enables him/her to steer through the rough sea of problems in one’s life sprouts from spirituality. Surprisingly, majority of the psychiatrists in the US and the UK do not believe in God- or spirituality. Thus they are unable to understand the direct relationship between mind, body, health and well being of their patients. ‘There is evidence that psychiatry can be prejudiced against spirituality, owing to assumptions that it is not an area which is deemed credible in terms of research.’(Swinton 2001, p. 42) Depression is a common mental illness found in all age groups. Depression is caused by a number of personal, social and psychological factors, and according to Swinton, it digs to the heart of a person and forces him/her to experience meaninglessness and hopelessness in life. Such condition has devastating effects on the mental and physical health of a person. However, if such cases are dealt strategically by giving a spiritual dimension to their treatment, the patients can learn to reframe their experiences and reinterpret them in a way that is therapeutically beneficial for them. (Swinton 2001, p. 167) Depression arises from the various sad and distressing instances in one’s life. Almost everyone goes through a phase of depression every now and then; but some people suffer from perpetual and clinical depression. Depression affects the mood and the attitude of a person to such a negative extent that he/she simply refuses to see the positive side of life and opportunities, and delves deeper and deeper into despair. Such patients are treated with antidepressants and various techniques of psychotherapy. While treating such patients, if the spiritual aspects of the individual patients are kept in mind, the results are likely to be positive. But the difficulty that arises in this approach is that the concept of spirituality varies from one person to another. It might be easy for a nurse or a doctor to relate with a patient with the same spiritual backgrounds- but in case of belonging to different schools of spirituality, the holistic approach will simply fail. People with strong spirituality believe that the material world is a transitory phase; and nothing will last forever. Their physical and mental pain and suffering rarely affect their spirituality- in fact it keeps them moving, despite their medical conditions. On the contrary, people who do not believe in spirituality have nowhere to turn to- their physical world collapses in front of their eyes and they feel themselves vulnerable to the adversities of life. Severe neurological degenerative diseases like dementia can also be treated with the holistic model of Swinton (2001, p.166). He has highlighted the work that clearly shows the importance of recognising the continuing personhood of people suffering from dementia, even in the midst of the neurological degenerative phase. The perspectives of the patients reveal that hidden psychological and spiritual dimensions are masked by the dominance of medico-biological condition. It is possible to re-humanize such patients by focussing on their former aspects and such therapeutic presence will help them reconnect with themselves, others and God. (2001, p.166) References: Mytko J J & Knight J S 1999, ‘Body, mind and spirit: towards the integration of religiosity and spirituality in cancer quality of life research’, Psycho-Oncology, Volume 8, Issue 5, pages 439–450. Swinton J 2001, Spirituality and mental health care: rediscovering a forgotten dimension, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, London. Read More