Yes, I know the title of this might turn some people off but hear me out. We have entered a state of affairs where the concept of medicine is entirely divorced from the spirit in the Western world. Even in psychological medicine where the topic of consciousness is very relevant, most dare not to enter the realm of belief, God, higher powers, or anything of the sort. Certainly, there can be plenty of merit in discovering why we think the way that we do, or trying to think better thoughts. Though frankly, I do think as a society we are incredibly excellent at analyzing ourselves to death with little in the way of results. It’s all well and good to understand why you’re crazy, miserable and unhealthy, it’s an entirely different thing to actually behave differently.
While a certain side of me does empathize with this idea that we need to intervene at the level of thought or simply in the body to help people get better, I question how we as a species can divorce the soul from this equation. I don’t by any means believe that there is a correct religion, higher power, or version of spirituality. But I know one thing - the power of belief is unmatched. If we believe that a difficult experience that we have had is meaningful, that is the difference between something that we grow and learn from, and something that constantly triggers us and appears in the shadows to haunt us and keep us stuck at any given turn. If we believe in a power that is leading us to do important things with our life, then our difficulties begin to seem less lofty and we can gain some sense of peace when things get difficult, as they always do.
In writing this blog, I got curious about any actual studies that have been done on this matter and what I found was really quite interesting. Specifically, I came across a meta-analysis (synthesis of a large number of existing studies) which examined the impact of spirituality on terminal cancer patients. The meta study shows: “…the experience of spirituality can positively impact the lives of terminal cancer patients. Further, these findings suggest that spirituality can be a transformative experience that allows individuals to experience peace at end of life.” Now, I don’t know about you, but if there’s a treatment that can provide some kind of peace as I go through a terminal illness, I think that’s a worthwhile treatment. It may sound strange to discuss something like spirituality in the context of a medical treatment. But why shouldn’t it be? Why shouldn’t engaging in spiritual practice be a real treatment for our problems the same way that going to therapy might be? If it’s effective as this study suggests for emotional health during the most difficult time life, one would think it would be encouraged from inside our medical system.
I would even go further and note that it’s pretty common knowledge among those who work in medicine that the power of belief is paramount. We see this in our own lives incredibly often. For one, the idea of a “psychosomatic” symptom. Many of us have experienced what feels like was a heart attack - resulting ENTIRELY from our own thoughts. The symptoms are still real. Beyond this, every time I think about the placebo effect, I get weak at the knees. The idea that simply thinking that something is working, causes it to work. We require new medications to surpass the impact of the placebo (AKA literal magic) effect before they get approved…well, at least, allegedly we do. And finally, have you ever spoken with a medical worker about when people who are sick end up passing away? It’s when they give up. Everyone knows this and yet the focus is never on how to harness this power of belief and meaning, and rather, to circumvent it. I am by no means saying that we should not use medications and modern science and all that good stuff but if we know that spirituality and the power of belief plays such a powerful role in our lives then WHY are we not encouraged more to find this for ourselves.
Now, I think it’s valid to draw a distinction between the two ideas previously mentioned, that is, the idea of belief (and how that creates the placebo effect) vs. spirituality. Believing that we can heal, that we can improve, that we can get better, that we are not stuck, etc., is certainly not a concept limited to those of us that actively practice spirituality. That said, I think that it’s reasonable to say that people with a spiritual practice are more likely to believe that they can move forward in the face of difficulty and their higher power can help them through. Further, I think it’s more likely that such people feel comforted by their spirituality or religious structures while they are suffering because, if I were to venture a guess, they are not alone.
I think based on the tone of this blog, you can tell that I think that spirituality can have a profound impact on our physical health, too. I will concede that when investigating the evidence, the meta study that I looked at did not show a clear improvement in physical health based on spirituality. That said, this is something that I believe needs to be studied more and in specific ways. I think it’s clear that spirituality has a positive impact on our experience with suffering, and I think if we believe that a higher power wants us to heal and we feel supported…it begins to happen.
Keep Thriving,
Greg
Thinking about self-limiting beliefs today. Are there limiting beliefs that you’ve held in the past that have kept you stuck? How did you move past them?
This is the perfect place to build your tribe! Feel free to authentically and boldly share what’s going on with you, relevant parts of your health and wellness journey or any helpful information you might come across.
NOTE: This is a community for men. Women are wonderful, but if they are found in the community, they will respectfully be asked to leave.
Keep Thriving,
Coach Greg
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