Body Mind or Mind Body Connection?

Mind Body

Mind Body Medicine (MBM), which is also be referred to as Stress Illness, is an emerging discipline with roots in Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS) and Psychophysiologic Disorders (PPD). MBM refers to the power the mind has to affect physical changes in our body. Many examples can be drawn on to illustrate MBM, an obvious one is a red face or 'flush' when we are embarrassed or have feelings of arousal if we are attracted to someone.

Body Mind

What if we were to flip the way we see this and consider the sequence of what happens for a minute? It is true to say that sometimes we feel the heat on our face and realise that we are embarrassed or feel aroused and realise we find someone attractive. This is body mind connection.

Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen has developed a way of working called 'Body Mind Centering'. The premise of her work is to raise body awareness, to sense, feel and act, and her wonderful book is called 'Sensing, Feeling, Action'. Movement Therapists work on reconnecting their patients with their bodies. Somatic coaches do something similar. In each case body awareness is improved, and confidence in the body significantly enhanced. People experiencing chronic pain often feel disconnected to their bodies and sometimes, they feel let down by their bodies. It can be so liberating to feel flexible and confident physically.

Mind Body or Body Mind?

Does this mean that strictly Mind Body Medicine could also be called Body Mind Medicine? Yes, I suppose it does, but I think that would be quite confusing and possibly divisive. It is however, important to recognise that increased body awareness can play a significant role in a healthy life and help us to heal if we are experiencing chronic pain.

Neurophysiologic Disorder

Neurophysiologic Disorder (NPD) seems to me to offer recognition of the information exchange between body and mind. NPD recognises that thoughts can directly affect your nervous system creating a physiological response. If this response is pain then the body is telling the mind something is wrong. Equally, we can send a positive message from the body to the mind through neural pathways.

The experience of chronic pain often means that we leave the body and retreat into the mind described by Popova as 'that ever-calculating, seething cauldron of thoughts, predictions, anxieties, judgements, and incessant meta-experiences about experience itself.' Many patients I teach associate their recovery with a re-connection with their body, as if whilst they were experiencing chronic pain they were disconnected from their body.

Amy Cuddy has published research to confirm that this positive message can be sent from the body to the mind, she calls it allowing your body to lead your mind. The premise is body awareness, and in her TED talk (2012) and in her book 'Presence' (2016) she specifically refers to a power pose that can positively affect our mind and how we think. The power pose is essentially being open across the chest rather than closed or concave; a lifting of the breast bone, or puffing out of the chest if you will. It's like a shot of self-confidence, an injection of self-belief or self-worth. This message is sent from our body to mind and interestingly it can also send a non-verbal message to other people. What is seen by others is a self-confident stance and invariably an assumption is made that the person is self-confident as Amy Cuddy says in her TED talk, 'Don't fake it till you make it, fake it until you believe it'.

Information exchange between body and mind

To listen to the body or to develop body awareness actively through movement or Body Mind Centering, for example, opens up the opportunity to add another dimension to Mind Body Medicine. In my experience it appears that for some people the Body Mind connection is the key to their healing process and a healthy life.

Illness Beliefs and Highly Sensitive People

Image: Robert Pittman

One of the most difficult hurdles for people experiencing chronic pain is recognising that the 'illness beliefs' we assume everyone shares may in fact be particular to just us or our own family.  Working with nurses recently, I became very aware of how difficult it is to come to terms with the fact that we don't all share the same beliefs about illness. It seems that our childhood family unit can play a big part in how we view illness when we are adults.

Our childhood family values about illness may also trigger a reaction in us as adults for another reason. We may be what the researcher Elaine Aron calls ''a highly sensitive person'' (HSP) and the more people I meet recovering from chronic conditions the more relevant Aron's work seems to be.

Highly Sensitive people notice the world in finer detail -  they notice faint smells, the feel of a fabric, the volume of voices, and pick up on other subtle nuances embedded in life that others may overlook. This is a good thing: every group can benefit from a HSP to notice subtle communication, or suggest adjustments to an environment that might make it more comfortable. HSP can think and act slightly differently to the majority in a group, which means they may sometimes feel uncomfortable or not sure if they belong. If the group has a strong identity that relies on conformity the HSP may feel out of place.

If the HSP is aware of their sensitivity then it may not be an issue, particularly if they value and take pleasure in having a slightly different perspective.

When it comes to beliefs about illness and other things, most of us,  including highly sensitive people, might assume that everyone shares the same beliefs. This is not the case, and now as adults our childhood illness beliefs may need a review, bearing in mind our sensitivity, as there can be a link between the attributes of a HSP and the personality trait of perfectionism.

A child with the perfectionist trait of wanting to 'get it right' would have paid close attention to the subtle nuances of family illness beliefs. These beliefs will be strongly held, often throughout adulthood as well. Hence, it might come as rather a shock when we discover different illness beliefs to the ones we grew up with, and face the challenge of re-evaluating  our convictions. 

What do you believe about health, happiness and self regulation?

Is it time to take a look at the beliefs that support you?

You're never too old to move!

The other day a family friend’s legs buckled underneath him after walking only five metres. When I asked him what was wrong, he explained that his legs are so weak now that he can’t walk.

He has recently had to undergo an official business audit which had to be completed within six weeks, and so was exceptionally stressful. He risked losing his license to practise as an Estate Agent in France if it was not completed on time or to the required standard. His accountant worked alongside him, and together they managed to submit the audit on time.

Immediately, my friend took to his bed and stayed there for five days, exhausted and unable to move. When I saw him he seemed convinced that he would never be able to walk properly again. "I’m 67 years old, I’m overweight, I have diabetes. This is it, I know I will be spending more and more time in bed."

We stopped, and I asked him to hold the wall beside him and lift one leg in order to rotate the ankle. I did it too, and showed him. He lifted his leg while telling me he would "keel over". He didn’t. He told me his ankle was "too old to rotate". It wasn’t. We did the same thing on the other side. I asked him to do that 3-5 times a day. He told me he was old and his knees couldn’t stand it and he would be in his bed tomorrow.

The next day I received an email:

"Oh Mags oh Mags, I went for a WALK this morning, amazing how much better my legs feel.’"

Now my friend knows he can effect positive change in his body. To celebrate his success, I went for a 24km hike up into the mountains. The view was breathtaking. It seems even the smallest exercise makes a difference to how we feel, and what I am increasingly amazed by is that what we think and believe has a part to play in our general health too.

Such a beautiful view... definitely worth the hike!

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Can how you breathe really affect your level of pain?

Image: Shawn Rossi

When someone arrives in my studio with chronic pain, they are assessed to see what movement range they have. Part of my work as a movement specialist is to teach gentle Pilates-based movement, using adapted exercises to strengthen muscles that may have been neglected and free up the body where it has restrictions The intention is to improve confidence in moving and to extend the range of pain-free movement. At the same time, I introduce deep breathing techniques to stimulate the intercostal muscles in the ribcage. Significantly, most people experiencing chronic pain can breathe in for only two, or maybe three, seconds. Over time it becomes more normal for them to breathe in for up to five seconds. As each person is different, they set their breathing goal according to their preference, for any number of seconds up to eight. Apart from activating and strengthening the ribcage muscles, deep breathing can stimulate self-healing activity in the body through the parasympathetic nervous system. The 2009 NICE report  recommends deep breathing as a way of reducing chronic low back pain, referencing plenty of evidence.

It's important that clients are medically screened to rule out serious problems, but if no issues are found then it is possible there may be a neurophysiological explanation. This means that the autonomic nervous system is out of balance. In simple terms, the autonomic nervous system has two modes of operation, and if they are not in balance the body may not produce the right environment in which to heal itself. The balance of the autonomic nervous system can be affected by many things - in particular stress. As the nervous system is operated unconsciously, it may require a different approach from the conventional biomedical one to re-balance it, and deep breathing may play a part.

In order to rebalance the autonomic nervous system, we need to understand the neurophysiology of chronic pain and how to recognise triggers that might perpetuate symptoms associated with it. This will help with pain resolution as well as improving stress resilience, which can lead to life changing results. Pain cannot be seen; it is experienced. The medical definition of chronic pain is pain that has persisted within the body for over 3 months, as opposed to pain evident for less than 3 months which is referred to as 'acute'. We expect the body to heal itself naturally in the short term. Appropriate medical intervention such as painkillers, or in some cases, surgery may be required, but in every case a balanced autonomic nervous system will help the healing process. Deep breathing can actively assist the body to achieve that balance.

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Audio: An introduction to Resolving Chronic Pain

This short audio recording from Mags Clark-Smith explains what Chronic Pain is, why a lack of diagnosis can be so damaging, and what you can do to begin resolving your chronic pain.

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Let's not focus on the pain, shall we?

Image: Vincent AF

Let's not focus on the pain, shall we?

So many patients are upset that they can't get a medical practitioner to give them a reason for their pain. The expectation is that every pain has a biomedical explanation. In fact this may be true, however, the biomedical function of the autonomic nervous system is often overlooked. The questions and answers below might help you to further explore this:

Might it help to change the way we look at chronic pain?

The premise behind Resolving Chronic Pain (in line with TMS / PPD*) is the neurophysiology of chronic pain. The aim is to recognise neural pathways that are not helpful to you and with the help of the Resolving Chronic Pain programme create new, more constructive neural pathways.

What is the neurophysiology of chronic pain?

The neurophysiology of chronic pain is about recognising the importance of the parasympathetic nervous system. It's ability to heal the body, and how this 'self healing' is obstructed by low grade stress. Stress activates the sympathetic nervous system stimulating adrenalin and cortisol to be produced and priming the body for 'fight or flight' synonymous with the stress response. When the body is in the stress response it cannot self heal and therefore the natural resolution of acute pain is delayed.

Stress and Fear

It turns out that the chronic pain may also be linked with fear, a close companion to stress. A key understanding of PPD is that issues the mind is reluctant to contemplate or might be deeply angry about, are expressed through pain in the body. 

Chronic Pain is difficult to pin down

“Pain has always been a bit of a puzzle” says Ben Seymour, a neuroscientist at the University of Cambridge. “Hearing or vision can be traced from sensory organs to distinct brain regions, but pain is more complex, and incorporates thoughts and emotions. For example, studies have linked depression and anxiety to the development of pain conditions, and volunteers put in bad moods have a lower tolerance for pain”.

Depression and Pain

The stress response can lead to depression in a cyclic way, negative thoughts activating the sympathetic nervous system. The chemical reaction of the stress response leading to too much cortisol, depleting noradrenaline and dopamine levels so energy is depressed, replaced by apathy and negative thoughts.

The autonomic nervous system is invisible

About a quarter of those with chronic pain who contact UK charity 'Action on Pain say that their doctors don't believe them. “The problem is that chronic pain is invisible,” says chairman Ian Semmons. It is understandable that someone in chronic pain might feel upset, and therefore have negative thoughts if they think their Doctor disbelieves them.

Biomedical Solution

A balanced nervous system may be the biomedical solution that both doctor and patient are looking for.

*Glossary of terms: TMS Tension Myositis Syndrome, PPD Psychophysiological Disorders

Reference: Brain signature of emotion-linked pain is uncovered Jessica Hamzelou, January 2015

Please see Mags Clark-Smith's CPI article explaining how the autonomic nervous system works

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Chronic Pain: To suppress, manage or cure?

One of the most exciting speaking engagements for me this year was organised by Georgie Oldfield with support from SIRPA's executive board: Chronic Pain – To Suppress, manage or Cure?

All the speakers were health practitioners – doctors, researchers, psychotherapists - interested in the work of Dr John Sarno, a spine surgeon who identified TMS (also known as PPD) as a condition responsible for many cases of chronic back pain. John Sarno's daughter Christina attended the research meeting and the conference. She felt that her father would be thrilled that the work he started over 40 years ago is gathering pace.

The outcomes of this conference include plans for another gathering  at the Royal Society of Medicine in November 2016, many more health professionals engaged in understanding the neurophysiology of chronic pain, a TMS research group formed by all the interested speakers and a hardship fund set up by SIRPA.

My personal guest was John Lindsay, chair of Chronic Pain Ireland. Here is what he wrote after the event:

“My congratulations on a great event.... I was really impressed by your speakers and as a result of attending the event I am going to re-evaluate our approach to Self Management of Chronic Pain. My sincere thanks for the 'guest' invitation.”

More information about what the speakers said in our forthcoming Blogs!

Glossary of terms:

SIRPA: Stress Illness Recovery Practitioners Association

TMS: Tension Myositis Syndrome

PPD: Psychophysiological Disorders

The executive board of SIRPA at the conference on 26th April 2015

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Does it matter what we believe?

Research suggests that 95% of the time our mind reverts to the beliefs we hold in our subconscious, laid down before we were seven.

Pain can be caused by the body expressing a disconnection between those beliefs and what we consciously believe now.

We particularly revert to these long held beliefs in times of stress or when we are under pressure. It appears that during childhood we learn our belief system from the 'significant' others around us - be it our parents, older siblings, other family members, neighbours, friends or teachers. We observe how they deal with adversity, joy, money, relationships, in fact every aspect of living and we adopt their beliefs almost by osmosis. These form our 'core' beliefs.

'Give me the child until he is seven, and I will give you the man'

St Frances Xavier

Jesuits recognised that a child learns without discrimination until the age of about seven, and neuroplasticity of the brain research supports this now.

Later in life as adults many of these 'core' beliefs are no longer part of our belief system on a conscious level. However, under stress or otherwise we might automatically revert to them as a gauge against which we measure ourselves and others. Joseph Pilates famously said it takes 10,000 repeats to change a movement pattern, and a similar number of repeats are required to change a 'core' belief. It is as if they are instilled within us, logically we can disown them but when under pressure they can come back into play.

Many people who have successfully resolved their chronic pain have addressed their beliefs and bravely 'reprogrammed' their core beliefs to suit their present lifestyle. Brave, because it might require digging deep, churning up a few things and then doggedly sticking with the repeats to establish fresh self selected beliefs. This may need expert support and the use of specific tools.

So it seems it does matter what we believe, as chronic pain can be the body's expression to the brain that our beliefs are not true to who we are now.

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Presentation in Westport, Ireland on Sunday 19th April

There was an enthusiastic audience of therapists at the TASK conference in Westport, Co Mayo in the beautiful west of Ireland this Sunday 19th April. Mags gave a presentation based on four case studies illustrating the nature of Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS) within a Whole Health Medicine Institute (WHMI) framework.

Mags will also giving a presentation this forthcoming Sunday 26th April 2015 at The Royal Society of Medicine in London: The ‘Suppress, Manage or Cure’ SIRPA conference is the first TMS conference in Europe. It’s very exciting with several key speakers from USA – Dr. David Clarke, Dr. Howard Schubiner to name just two.

In Westport, there was also great excitement celebrating 20 years of TASK Ireland and a fabulous practical session covering elemental postural techniques and abdominal muscle work. Mags developed a physical social network and individuals, duets and groups discussed their ‘take away’ key points from the presentation. 

Here are some of the take away points:

·       Respecting individual perspectives.

·       Valuing Active Listening.

·       Nurturing gentle physical movement.

·       Therapeutic relationship potential.

·      Appreciation that each practitioner has a unique blend of skills to offer.

What skills do you think are important to resolving chronic pain? We would love to hear your views please comment below!

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Praise for RCP Virtual Programme

'A breath of fresh air' – the Virtual Programme from Mags and Siobhán

Chronic pain, defined as lasting more than three months, is not normal and it is not something that patients should have to bear. In these teleclasses, Mags and Siobhán will guide you through their approach to dealing with chronic pain in a warm and engaging way. The classes are an interactive opportunity to engage with your pain and to learn more about how to resolve it. 

A single purchase gives you unlimited access to all six teleclasses, meaning that you can pause, rewind and reply the class at your leisure. There is no pressure to advance through them quickly, giving you the time you need to absorb new information and reflect upon what has been said. 

Mags and Siobhán take the listener through a clear and logical six step process, inviting them to examine their limiting beliefs and attitude to pain. There are many exercises and extra resources suggested along the way, empowering you to chose how much or how little extra research you would like to do. 

The content has been praised by patients as it is 'positive and encouraging. But it is realistic and shows a deep and sympathetic understanding of the difficulties of patients suffering from, chronic pain. Patients are encouraged to help themselves in a practical way, and difficult issues such as past emotionally charged experiences are acknowledged but not dwelt on.'

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