Mind-body medicine (MBM) was founded by late Harvard cardiologist Herbert Benson in the context of modern meditation research that emerged in the 1970s. Right from the start, there was the observation that connections and interactions between the brain, mind, body, and behavior can activate psychophysiological changes and a health-promoting potential in an individual : paths towards better health.
As a generic term, mind-body medicine, from the start, included mental or behavioral medicine approaches and other techniques from the areas of exercise, relaxation, stress regulation, and nutrition.
From the beginning, there was a close connection between the scientific investigation of meditation and relaxation mechanisms on the one hand and the exploration of individual self-healing and self-regulation potential on the other.
After initial expeditions to the Himalayas and early research, e.g., on temperature regulation under meditation conditions in Buddhist monks, Herbert Benson founded the Mind-Body Medical Institute at Harvard Medical School in Boston in 1988 (today: Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine) and coined the term ‘Relaxation response’. What Benson noticed early on was the observation that self-healing was a “mind thing”.
National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services describe MBM as a discipline that focuses on:
- The nature of the interactions that link the brain, the body, the mind, and behavior to one another.
- How emotional, mental, social, spiritual, experiential, and behavioural factors can directly influence health.
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services defines MBM techniques as those that:
- Focus on the mind as a means to influence physical functioning and promote health.
- Enhance individual capacity for self-knowledge and self-care.
MBM is thus based on the recognition of a central mind-body axis, which is a concept that encompasses consciousness, behaviour, and the interactions between the brain and the body.
A central principle of MBM focuses on how psychological, emotional, spiritual, social, experiential, and/or behavioural factors influence human health.
Any disturbance in these factors through our present or past life experiences, traumas ( however big or small), beliefs, suppressed emotions or undesired behaviours, completely disrupt the communication channels/ energy pathways of the body. This chronic disturbance stimulates the SNS – sympathetic Nervous system – which is our fight or flight response!
This is perceived as a threat in our body creating a strong stress response if left unchecked. As a result of this, inflammation increases and immunity is suppressed. This is how mental and physical illness progress!
In 1964, psychiatrist George Solomon noticed that people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) got worse when they were depressed. He began to investigate the impact emotions had on inflammation and the immune system in general. The new field was called Psychoneuroimmunology (“psycho” for psychology; “neuro” for neurology, or nervous system; and “immunology” for immunity).
Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) is at the heart of MBM therapies offered by Nupur.
Mind body medicine (MBM) approaches are not a substitute but rather complimentary to your conventional medical treatment!
References:
- The BERN Framework of Mind-Body Medicine: Integrating Self-Care, Health Promotion, Resilience, and Applied Neuroscience: Tobias Esch1, George B Stefano 2, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9330052/
- https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/treatment/mind-body-medicine