by Tim Brunson, PhD
The feedback loop between the mind and body is extremely strong. Consider the phantom limb syndrome. When a person loses an arm or leg, the related areas of the somatosensory cortex are still present. Additionally, as the insula plays an important role in sensing the body, it also plays a critical role in the mind holding an awareness of the lost limb. Clearly, the structure and activity within the brain reflect structures present in the body. And since a structure (i.e. a neuro-physiological pattern) is also integrated (i.e. receives input and provides feedback) with other non-neurological structures of the body, the state of one system is reflected in and is somewhat a reflection of the states (i.e. weights of elements) of others.
Returning back to the brain for a moment, the state of any physiological system is related to specific patterns of neural networks, neural pathologies (i.e. substrates of the brain that are not functioning properly), and the balance of cerebral energy among and between substrates. This is important for two reasons. First, the existence of a specific pathology in the body may be reflected in psychosomatic concerns such as anticipation and fear [e.g. the right orbitofrontal cortex (R-OFC), the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), the insula, and elements of the limbic system]. Add to this the synchronous relationship between sectors of the somatosensory cortices and the affected physiological structure. However, since this relationship is synchronous, it stands to reason that a change in neural organization and functioning – which can be called a "neural signature" – can affect a physical structure.
There are several examples of this. For instance, a person who suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD) can experience an abreaction triggered by practically anything. For a war veteran the event or perception could be something as simple as mistaking a fire hydrant as a possible Improvised Explosive Device (IED). The anticipation that this creates in the R-OFC then activates both the ACC and the amygdala. This "worry circuit" instigates a fight/flight response in the limbic system (including the hypothalamus) and signals the pituitary gland to start a sympathetic response. Blood flow then concentrates in the major muscle groups and the heart. The organs of the viscera receive less nutrition, and the enteric nervous system signals for the gastrointestinal organs to slow digestion activities. The immune system is somewhat suppressed. Even the cells of the body may go into protection mode, which entails the closing of the effector portals, causing nutrition and reproduction to cease. This entire process started due to a mental phenomenon – namely anticipation within the R-OFC.
Brain signatures (i.e. the relative distribution of cerebral blood) are reflected in pathologies in the rest of the body. Georgetown University pharmacologist, Candice Pert, PhD, (1997) insists that brain dysfunction is related to somatic pathologies. This two-way synchronous relationship dictates that when the body changes, the brain is affected and when the brain changes, the body is affected. If imagery and suggestion is used to change how the mind is used, then the input from the brain should force an adaptation by specific physiological structures.
The specificity of the imagery is vital to the response of the involved physiological structures. Starting in the R-OFC, a mental image of the desired states (i.e. the final results of the healing process) is communicated to the section of the thalamus that responds to R-OFC input. This in turn signals the ACC, the insula, parts of the limbic system, the appropriate areas of the somatosensory cortex, and other relevant brain structures to begin the therapeutic reorganization to match the desired outcome. This neural signature then must become congruent with the physiological patterns. This causes a disjuncture, as the current un-healed state of the affected area or organ does not match the pattern being developed within the brain. Again, the intensity of the elemental weights [i.e. the intensity of the emotions such as the strength of the association (versus dissociation) are the "adverbs and adjectives" applied to the imagery] of the neural signatures must overpower the weights being used to encode the experience within the dysfunctional or unwanted physiological structures. The natural tendency to adapt will lead to the physiological structures morphing to respect the demands of the mental imagery. This is the "science" behind all research regarding the use of imagery to heal somatic pathologies. This includes the Harvard Medical School wound healing studies (Ginandes et al., 2003) discussed in the previous chapter and earlier in this one.
When somatic healing is required, the hypnotherapeutic operator must get specific information concerning the results that are needed to complete the healing. One example of this would be the recovery from arthroscopic knee surgery. This common one-day, outpatient surgery normally trims cartilage damaged during athletic or other activity. The tear causes an irritation resulting in knee pain. The jaggedness of the otherwise smooth joint leads to inflammation, which will never stop until the tear is repaired. The procedure typically includes an incision and the use of a laser to cut away the torn cartilage. Healing involves a reduction in the inflammation, which displays the body's conscious efforts to self-heal, and healing of the incision wound. The selected guided imagery should be that of the inflammation becoming unnecessary and subsiding and of the healing of the wound caused by the incision.
While the use of imagery to affect something as noticeable as the healing of wounds should be rather obvious, it is also logical that imagery could affect other organs and processes. In 2001, the author participated in a discussion with Daniel Handel, MD, who at the time was working with the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). (Handel is currently with the NIH's palliative care department and continues to use hypnotherapy with terminally ill patients.) The topic was the efficacy of hypnosis for changing blood cholesterol levels. Although at this point there exists no published research covering such use of hypnosis, due to the volume of anecdotal stories (and an increasing interest among those in the research community) involving the somatic effects of hypnosis, there was a consensus that the hypothesis had enough probability to warrant research.
By extending the logic derived from contemporary research involving wound healing (Ginandes et al., 2003) and the effects of attention and visualization in meditation (Luders et al., 2009; Vertergaard-Poulsen et al., 2009), it is therefore reasonable to presume the relationship between healing and hypnosis. When hypnosis involves relaxation, establishing a parasympathetic growth mode is conducive to the body's efforts to heal. On the other hand, when suggestion and imagery create a "mental model" or ideal, this causes the related physiological structures to seek to adapt. The patients in the Ginandes study – who imagined their mastectomy wounds healing quickly and had a clear vision of the healed state – showed considerable progress as compared to the group that only used traditional treatment.
Another aspect of the mind's impact on physiological healing involves the role of stem cells. Lipton (2005) discusses how DNA – which was previously considered fixed and non-adaptable – can change if the input from the environment consists of a challenge to which its existing patterns cannot adapt. This gene-level adaptation is known among researchers as epigenetics. When this process occurs in stem cells it may also encourage the cell to replicate into a form that satisfies the demand (i.e. produces the type of cell needed). Stem cells are located throughout the entire body. They are also believed to exist within every significant substrate of the neural system – a fact that further underlines the importance of neuroplasticity in allowing the brain to adapt to fit a situation. The act of stem cells creating new cells required to fit the demand for healing can result in a reaction to imagery and suggestion.
The International Hypnosis Research Institute is a member supported project involving integrative health care specialists from around the world. We provide information and educational resources to clinicians. Dr. Brunson is the author of over 150 self-help and clinical CD's and MP3's.
References:
Ginandes, C. Brooks, P. Sando W., Jones C. & Aker, J. (2003 April 3). Can medical hypnosis accelerate post-surgical wound healing? Results of a clinical trial. American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis<.I>, 45(4):333-51.
Lipton, B. (2005). The Biology of Belief: Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter, and Miracles. Santa Rosa, California: Elite Books.
Luders E., Toga A. W., Lepore, N., & Gaser, C. (2009, April 15). The underlying anatomical correlates of long-term meditation: larger hippocampal and frontal volumes of gray matter. Neuroimage. 45(3), 672-8.
Pert, C. (1997). Molecules of Emotion: The Science Behind Mind-Body Medicine, New York: Simon & Schuster.
Vestergaard-Poulsen P, van Beek M, Skewes J, et al. (2009, Jan 28). Long-term meditation is associated with increased gray matter density in the brain stem. Neuroreport. 20(2), 170 – 4.
Posted: 09/08/2014
