Mind Over Matter - Part 3

In the mid-fifties, there was a flurry of popular medical literature and the buzz word was 'Psychosomatics'! Pray, what was this? Suddenly it was discovered, that quite a lot of diseases were not purely biochemical in nature or the results of infections, but had their origins in the mind. Also, that the mind steered the course of diseases towards healing or deterioration. In the 60s a Wall Street broker under the pen name of 'Adam Smith' wrote a paper back, 'Powers of the Mind'. He spent all his fortune traveling and living with remote tribes, in different parts of the world. He studied their witch doctors, healing rituals and local Grand Ma remedies. He cites one very simple example of how an Indonesian tribe treats headaches. The one with the headache goes to an elder and narrates his or her woes. He or she is asked to close eyes and place a finger on the forehead and 'feel' how high the headache is on the forehead. After the afflicted has placed the finger on the imaginary spot, the elder keeps the finger on the same spot and then slowly, very slowly brings it down, till the finger reaches the tip of the nose. Then with a loud clap of hands, shouts 'Headache gone' and lo it is gone! This is not likely to work for you or me, but for those who grew up with that belief system, it works!

'Adam Smith' in his preface to 'Powers of the Mind' mentioned the remarkable case of Dr. Norman Cousins, who laughed himself out of death! That rang a bell! Though a M.D. Dr. Cousins had switched over, as the much respected editor of an equally prestigious 'Saturday Review of Literature'. In college I used to read it regularly and particularly his editorials. Was this the same Dr. Cousins? I searched and located his book, 'Anotomy of an lllness:
As Perceived by the Patient: Reflections on Healing and Regeneration.'

Immediately, I bought 6 copies of the book and passed them around. I suggest, that all my dear friends grab hold of the DVD of a movie, by the same name, 'Anatomy of an Illness' and see what a cheerful and playful mind can do. Not being a doctor, I leave the experts to tell in their own words the amazing story: