Episode 35:
Emotions, Their Physical Effects, and Alternative Healing Modalities
In Episode 32, Kim and Kristi explained yoga therapy. In Episode 27, Betsy told us how a near-death experience eventually led her to the Emotion Code. In Episode 24, Carrie told us a bit about Theta Healing, and in Episode 14, John described how they study biophotons in the lab at the Rhine Research Center. Tonight, we'll briefly discuss emotional and spiritual health, how they might affect your physical well-being, and whether current science understands the links between them and energy healing modalities.
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Welcome to the PEEP Podcast. I’m your host Nicolle Morock, and on this episode, we're talking about the links between emotional and physical health and a couple of different energy healing modalities and how science maybe working toward understanding them.
Before we begin, I want to make it perfectly clear that I am not playing doctor. If you feel you may be suffering from physical or mental illness, your first priority should be to consult a qualified physician. The healing modalities we discuss on this podcast can be considered complementary to modern western medicine and are not meant to replace it in any way.
As I listed in the introduction, we've heard from a variety of guests about the complementary and alternative healing modalities they practice, as well as a researcher who studies the human energy field as it relates to energy healers. I've also done a few episodes on the early years of parapsychology, which included notes on people who claimed to be able to heal others using magnets. While the idea of natural healers, energy healers, and holistic practitioners goes back to prehistory, investigating their practices using the modern scientific method is a relatively recent endeavor, and one that not a lot of scientists have embarked on.
So, what does the science say about some of the topics we've covered so far?
Let's take a look at some articles dealing with emotions, their physical effects, and alternative healing modalities. I'll place links to my sources in the show notes on my website at peeppodcast.com.
First, let's consider how emotions are tied to physical health.
In an article called "The dynamic relationship between emotional and physical states: an observational study of personal health records," Lee, et. al, described their study.
Quoting the introduction –
"A growing body of research has called attention to the influence of emotion on health and the possible management of the relationship between these two variables. The instantiation of an affective state directly involves alterations in multiple physiological systems of the body, which leads to physiological responses that can directly influence physical health depending on the nature, frequency, and time course of the emotional state. Physiological responses are meant to be adaptive in the short term but can lead to maladaptive outcomes in the long term if not correctly regulated. Furthermore, recent evidence has sufficiently demonstrated the importance of comorbid relationships among emotional, psychological, and physical symptoms. For example, a worldwide survey using a national representative sample identified an association between chronic pain and mental disorders. Similarly, there is a growing consensus that negative emotions influence the development of cardiovascular diseases and that chronic digestive disorders are closely linked with a variety of psychological disorders, including depression. Taken together, these studies provide a clear indication that chronic physical symptoms are best understood in the context of psychological factors."
End quote.
The researchers developed a mobile app called Mind Mirror that asked 20 participants to record their emotions and physical sensations throughout the day for 30 days. (It was a small study to look at whether that type of app would be helpful for tracking feelings and physical symptoms.) For the purpose of this discussion, I am looking at the correlation part of this study, not whether the app would be useful.
Quoting the conclusion:
"The current 30-day observational study examined relationships among pain, fatigue, and emotional valence and provided evidence that the physical condition and emotional state of healthy participants are interrelated. Positive changes in emotional valence were associated with improvements in physical condition via decreases in pain and fatigue, while negative changes in emotional valence were associated with the aggravation of pain and fatigue."
Now, I know there were some complex phrases in those quotes, but basically, this study confirmed previous research that how you feel emotionally – positive or negative – is related to your physical health, especially in the case of chronic ailments.
Another article from HopkinsMedicine.org called "Forgiveness: Your Health Depends on It" says the following, and these are three direct quotes. Again, the link to the article will be in the show notes:
"Studies have found that the act of forgiveness can reap huge rewards for your health, lowering the risk of heart attack; improving cholesterol levels and sleep; and reducing pain, blood pressure, and levels of anxiety, depression and stress. And research points to an increase in the forgiveness-health connection as you age."
"Chronic anger puts you into a fight-or-flight mode, which results in numerous changes in heart rate, blood pressure and immune response. Those changes, then, increase the risk of depression, heart disease and diabetes, among other conditions. Forgiveness, however, calms stress levels, leading to improved health."
"Studies have found that some people are just naturally more forgiving. Consequently, they tend to be more satisfied with their lives and to have less depression, anxiety, stress, anger and hostility. People who hang on to grudges, however, are more likely to experience severe depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as other health conditions. But that doesn’t mean that they can’t train themselves to act in healthier ways."
As recently as February 7th of this year (2022), Psychology Today published a blog post titled "How Mental Stress Can Affect Physical Health: Pandemic-associated emotional and behavioral changes have impacted health."
Quoting author, Ran D. Anbar, M.D.'s key points:
· 65 percent of 1,000 surveyed American adults reported experiencing increased stress because of the COVID pandemic.
· Stress may be the likeliest cause of the reported shortness of breath, dizziness, chest pain, and elevated blood pressure.
· Stress-reduction techniques improve heart health.
· Optimism, having a sense of purpose, happiness, mindfulness, and a feeling of psychological well-being are associated with better heart health."
End quote.
Not all symptoms associated with heart issues are a result of those issues. Many could be triggered by stress.
Quoting Dr. Anbar's takeaway:
"Stress can aggravate many medical conditions including heart, lung, stomach, and brain disorders. Therefore, a recommendation for enhanced stress management should be offered early in the course of treating the majority of medical disorders."
So, basically the gist of those articles is simply that hanging on to negative emotions and grudges can affect your health in negative ways, while having a positive outlook can improve your physical well-being.
Now we'll look at two of the healing modalities that are currently being studied and that have been linked to a reduction in stress, enhanced relaxation, and better moods:
In "Exploring the therapeutic effects of yoga and its ability to increase quality of life," Catherine Woodyard writes in the abstract:
"The objective of this study is to assess the findings of selected articles regarding the therapeutic effects of yoga and to provide a comprehensive review of the benefits of regular yoga practice. As participation rates in mind-body fitness programs such as yoga continue to increase, it is important for health care professionals to be informed about the nature of yoga and the evidence of its many therapeutic effects. Thus, this manuscript provides information regarding the therapeutic effects of yoga as it has been studied in various populations concerning a multitude of different ailments and conditions. Therapeutic yoga is defined as the application of yoga postures and practice to the treatment of health conditions and involves instruction in yogic practices and teachings to prevent, reduce or alleviate structural, physiological, emotional and spiritual pain, suffering or limitations. Results from this study show that yogic practices enhance muscular strength and body flexibility, promote and improve respiratory and cardiovascular function, promote recovery from and treatment of addiction, reduce stress, anxiety, depression, and chronic pain, improve sleep patterns, and enhance overall well-being and quality of life."
End quote.
Further into the paper, she explains (quoting):
"Yoga is recognized as a form of mind-body medicine that integrates an individual's physical, mental and spiritual components to improve aspects of health, particularly stress related illnesses. Evidence shows that stress contributes to the etiology [or cause] of heart disease, cancer, and stroke as well as other chronic conditions and diseases. Due to the fact that stress is implicated in numerous diseases, it is a priority to include a focus on stress management and reduction of negative emotional states in order to reduce the burden of disease. Viewed as a holistic stress management technique, yoga is a form of CAM that produces a physiological sequence of events in the body reducing the stress response. The scientific study of yoga has increased substantially in recent years and many clinical trials have been designed to assess its therapeutic effects and benefits."
End quote.
Woodyard reviewed published research articles related to the beneficial health effects of yoga, and wrote this as part of her conclusion:
"Researchers are only beginning to understand how disciplines such as yoga promote personal growth, health and well-being. By acknowledging the unity of mind, body and spirit, mind-body fitness programs (i.e. yoga) can assist people in their pursuit of peace, calmness, and greater wholeness and integration in their lives. Health care professionals, health educators and the like, need to be aware of the potential of yoga as an important component of a personal wellness plan."
End quote.
In the case of yoga, a 3,000-plus year-old practice, science has had plenty of time to start researching its benefits, but what about a newer modality like Reiki? (In all transparency, I became a Reiki Master last week, so this one is near and dear to my heart.)
In their article, "Effect of Reiki Therapy on Pain and Anxiety in Adults: An In-Depth Literature Review of Randomized Trials with Effect Size Calculations," Susan Thrane and Susan M. Cohen looked at the peer-reviewed published studies on Reiki's effects on anxiety and pain in randomized clinical trials.
Quoting their abstract:
"After removing duplicates, 49 articles were examined, and 12 articles received full review. Seven studies met the inclusion criteria: four articles studied cancer patients; one examined post-surgical patients; and two analyzed community dwelling older adults."
End quote.
While there were some promising numbers from these trials, there were also problems with them. For one, the sample sizes of trial participants were small, too small to show the type of significance you'd like to see in conclusive results. A Reiki session may last from 30 minutes to 90 minutes depending on the practitioner and what the recipient needs, so for the trials these authors looked at, there was no standardization of the practice. And finally, the timing of the Reiki sessions varied from trial to trial, which was also problematic. For results to be repeatable, the process of getting them must be standardized.
Now quoting their conclusions section:
"While the number of studies is limited, based on the size Cohen’s d statistics calculated in this review, there is evidence to suggest that Reiki therapy may be effective for pain and anxiety. Continued research using Reiki therapy with larger sample sizes, consistently randomized groups, and standardized treatment protocols is recommended."
End quote.
So, for my friends who say Reiki is not recognized by science, I say this is a case where science still has some work to do. As I've said in a previous episode, there was a point when we didn't understand lightning, but eventually scientists figured it out. Science is a process, not an end point.
These are just a few of the articles out there on these subjects, and I encourage you to do your own research. Keep in mind that when using a search engine like Google, if you google "why Reiki works," you'll get more results with those answers in the affirmative. Whereas if you google "proof Reiki doesn't work," you'll get results with more answers in the negative. For my research, I used Duck Duck Go and typed neutral search terms in the query box to find articles from reliable sources like Psychology Today and The National Center for Biotechnology Information, part of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Happy researching and thank you for listening!
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Sources:
The dynamic relationship between emotional and physical states: an observational study of personal health records
Ye-Seul Lee,1 Won-Mo Jung,1 Hyunchul Jang,2 Sanghyun Kim,2 Sun-Yong Chung,3 and Younbyoung Chae1
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5308597/
Forgiveness: Your Health Depends on It
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/forgiveness-your-health-depends-on-it
How Mental Stress Can Affect Physical Health
Pandemic-associated emotional and behavioral changes have impacted health.
Posted February 7, 2022
Exploring the therapeutic effects of yoga and its ability to increase quality of life
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3193654/
Effect of Reiki Therapy on Pain and Anxiety in Adults: An In-Depth Literature Review of Randomized Trials with Effect Size Calculations
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4147026/
Susan Thrane, RN, MSN, OCN, Pre-doctoral Fellow and
Susan M. Cohen, DSN, APRN, FAAN
