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psychophysiology
bodymind psychobiology
psychospiritual approaches
definition
The psychobiology of mind-body:
Mind and body are not separate phenomena, one being spirit and the other matter. Mind and body are both aspects of one information system. 'Life' is an information system. Biology is a process of information transduction. Mind and body are two facets or two ways of conceptualizing this single information system.
Most theories of mind-body relationships stop short at this point without saying anything more definite about how mind and body are connected and how they communicate. The state-dependent theory of mind-body communication and healing addresses this, and can be expressed as four integrated hypotheses:
« The limbic-hypothalamic system is the major anatomical connecting link between mind and body.
« State-dependent memory, learning, and behavioral processes encoded in the limbic-hypothalamic and closely related systems are the major information transducers between mind and body.
« All methods of mind-body healing and therapeutic hypnosis operate by accessing and reframing the state-dependent memory and learning systems that encode symptoms and problems.
« The state-dependent encoding of mind-body symptoms and problems can be accessed by psychological as well as physiological (i.e., drugs) approaches, and the placebo response is a synergistic interaction of both.
Thus, the two fundamental processes of mind-body communication and healing are: mind-body information transduction and state-dependent memory, learning, and behavior mediated by the limbic-hypothalamic system. State-dependent memory, learning, and behavior phenomena are the 'missing link' in all previous theories of mind-body relationships. They bridge the mysterious gap between mind and body; and they are the common denominator between traditional Western medicine and all the holistic, shamanistic, and spiritualistic approaches to healing."
(Rossi, 1986, p. 54)
The autonomic, endocrine, immune, and neuropeptide systems all operated by activating receptors on the surfaces of the individual cells of the tissues of the body. These receptors are like locks that must be opened to turn on the internal activities of the cells' cytoplasm (and even their genes). The neurotransmitters of the autonomic nervous system, the hormones of the endocrine system, the immunotransmitters of the immune system, all function as 'messenger molecules' or keys that open the receptor locks on the surface of the cell. This messenger molecule and cell-receptor communication system is the psychobiological basis of mind-body healing and holistic medicine in general. (Rossi, 1986, p. 129)
see also:
body reveals: the spirit
bodymind relationships
converting a symptom to a signal
healing belief systems
holographic paradigm
human energy centers: overview
human energy fields: overview
mind beyond body
process paradigm
shifting cerebral dominance
state-dependent learning
the shadow and physical symptoms
footnotes