What is Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI)?

Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) is the scientific study of the interaction between emotions (the psyche), the brain (neuorological system), and the immune system. It springs from healing traditions that are both ancient and modern, Eastern and Western.

The power of the mind to influence the body is quite remarkable.  The mind is a potent healer that has long been overlooked by practitioners of Western medicine.  By focussing our mind we can relieve pain, speed healing and help the body combat hundreds of ailments.

Our subconscious mind understands things as pictures or symbols, rather than our conscious mind which communicates via words.  Our subconscious mind is our memory store, so when we recall events from our past or childhood, we think in pictures, images, sounds, or feelings of pain/pleasure.  It is rarely ever through words.

It is our subconscious mind that monitors our bodily functions ie ensuring that our heart is pumping, we are breathing ok etc.  A good example, of how picturing something in our mind can cause a bodily reaction is to imagine holding a fresh, juicy lemon in your hand. Perhaps you can feel its texture or see the vividness of its yellow skin.  As you slice it open, you see the juice squirt out of it. The lemon’s tart aroma is overwhelming.  Finally, you stick it in your mouth, suck on it and taste the sour flavour as the juices roll over your tongue.

More than likely, your body reacted in some way to that image.  For example, you may have begun to salivate.

Pictures or symbolism is the language that the mind uses to communicate with the body.  You can’t really talk to a wart and say ‘Hey, go away,’ because that’s not the language that the brain uses to communicate with the body. You need to imagine that wart and see it shrinking.  Imagery is the biological connection between the mind and body.  This is an effective method used in mind body healing.

It is estimated that an average person has 10,000 thoughts or images flashing through his mind each day. At least half of those thoughts are negative, such as anxiety of meeting a quota, a coming speech, job related anxiety, etc.  Unharnessed, a steady dose of worry and other negative images can alter your physiology and make you more susceptible to a variety of ailments, ranging from acne to arthritis, headaches to heart disease, ulcers to urinary tract infections.

Your thoughts have a direct influence on the way you feel and behave.  If you tend to dwell on sad or negative thoughts, you most likely are not a very happy person.  Likewise, if you think that your job is enough to give you a headache, you probably will come home with throbbing temples each day. This is just another clear example of the power the mind exerts over the body.