Are You Starting to See a Pattern?

Mirror neurons in the brain fire both when taking a specified action and perceiving the action. 1
Repeatedly watching distressing images can cause acute stress symptoms. 2
Becoming informed of the excercise you are already doing can make you more fit. 3
Imagining exercising can grow muscle mass. 4 5
Learned emotions can be inherited (genetically, by as least 2 generations of progeny). 6
Expecting one outcome can have you miss another. 7
Belief that you are eating a special substance will influence your mood. 8
Our beliefs about stress will influence our experience of stress. 9
Back pain can be a “symptom created by the unconscious mind as a distraction to aid in the repression of strong unconscious emotional issues” 10
The line in your physiognomy between thinking, perceiving, imagining and doing is quite blurry. We have a cultural conversation around physical health, and we have a pretty good idea what constitutes physical health. The same cannot be said about our thoughts. We need to pay closer attention to what we think every day, as our thoughts, perceptions, beliefs and expectations have a significant impact on our health and even the ways our lives unfold throughout the day.

  1. Mirror Neurons: From Monkeys To Humans[↩]
  2. PNAS[↩]
  3. ‘Exercise’ is mindset as well as activity[↩]
  4. How You Can Easily Exercise Without ANY Equipment, or Even Working Out[↩]
  5. How To Grow Muscles Without Lifting Weights[↩]
  6. Darwin v.2[↩]
  7. Invisible Gorillas Aren’t Just For Radiologists[↩]
  8. Expectations of Food, Excercise and Beneficial Effects[↩]
  9. Stress and Belief About Stress[↩]
  10. Forbes, 9/26/12, America’s Best Doctor and His Miracle Cures: Dr. John E. Sarno[↩]