Sickness of the mind, or the body, reveals how our systems work — and, why loss of equilibrium often leads to a breakdown. To bring a sense of cadence, or measure, to this element, we’d draw on a wealth of information related to the latest biological and medical findings, especially in our age run amuck by stress, or psychosomatic illnesses, and in the light of the glorious connections that already exist between ancient puzzles, the brain, behaviour, immunity, and disease.
A case in point. Though the fantasies of novelists aren’t exactly the same as hard scientific evidence — albeit there’s plenty of it as well — the sharp divide between those that proffer psychological explanations of disease and those that reject such theories in favour of purely physical causes is reflected in attitudes towards two particular disorders: tuberculosis, and chronic fatigue syndrome [CFS]. As Sir Peter Medawar, the Nobel Prize-winning immunologist and virtuoso writer, put it, “[Tuberculosis] is an affliction in which the psychosomatic element is admitted even by those who contemptuously dismiss it in the context of any other ailment.” Not surprisingly, there is abundant evidence, dating back hundreds of years, that the course and progression of tuberculosis are influenced by the sufferer’s mental state.
It goes without saying that someone who is infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis develops a protective immune response that could hold the bacteria in check and prevent them from multiplying. The resultant stalemate between the body and bacteria can mean that the disease will remain dormant for years. But, if something happens to compromise, or weaken, the body’s immune defences, the bacteria can run riot and cause a resurgence of the disease. You know it, don’t you?
Stress, depression, and other psychological factors, can just as well alter our vulnerability to many diseases, including bacterial and viral infections, heart disease and cancer. The supposition? The relationship between our mind and health, for more reasons than one, maybe construed to be mediated not only by our behaviour, but also biological connections between the brain and the immune system. These connections work in both directions. Result: our physical, or bodily, health can influence our mental state and vice versa.
This is precisely the point where one could think, or aspire, of what could be succinctly termed as tangibility dynamics. In simple terms, it could be related to a leisure pursuit — a way of diversion from obvious ‘traps’ — to leading a better life. You engage in a hobby because you take pleasure from it, or because it relaxes you. You don’t get frustrated with it because you could have done better with it. The whole idea of a hobby is to ‘let go’ — and, experience something for itself. You don’t do it to prove your brilliance, genius, or self-esteem. You do it for inner peace — bliss. Your relationship with a hobby is natural, not self-conscious.
Think of meditation as a hobby, as it were — if it isn’t one already, or is — in much the same manner, not as something that gets caught up as one of your usual preoccupations. Rather, think of it as a ‘focus’ area of life where you can let go of the obsessive desire to improve yourself, get ahead in the rat race, or do better than anybody else. Meditation as a hobby is worth its weight, but not if you want to envision yourself as one who is meditating for peace — to improving the world. You also ought to think of meditation as an open approach. You do it because you like doing it, without fanfare. Think of meditation as a sport — of reaching a goal, a goal that brings happiness, or fulfilment. When you practice meditation in this mode — simply, sensibly, and without jargon — it decreases the hubbub of our lives. It makes you feel better in word and deed.
It would be quite interesting to note that the relationship between brain activity and meditation has been extensively investigated during the past 5-6 decades. The popular view, today, is meditation produces a type of relaxation — not sleep. This is one reason why it has become one of the many ways to teaching individuals, and patients, how to relax. It also comes as no surprise that mind research has shown that meditation may not just be a ‘novel’ state of consciousness, but also multi-faceted. Researchers, like Daniel ‘Emotional Intelligence’ Goleman, PhD, for instance, argue that behaviours typically called concentration and mindfulness could be best described as strategies used to change one’s awareness of internal, or external, stimuli.
— First published in India First
