by Peter Winslow
I recently fielded this question from a very thoughtful member of our AS Victors group:
“Can repression of identity cause pain? The internal conflict is deep… but I sense I am on a path of awakening. I long for the purest form of freedom.”
To the question, the answer is absolutely, positively, undeniably yes—repression of identity can cause pain. The body’s first signal is usually electromagnetic and can be recognized in an emotional state. If ignored long enough, it can develop into chronic pain and disease of one kind or another. In my book Help For People With Ankylosing Spondylitis I elaborate on this and cite the clinical studies that document these findings.
Following is an excerpt from my book Heal For Real which addresses the issue directly:
Disease requires us to stop distracting ourselves and shift our efforts and attention. Some diseases force us to put our lives on hold and focus solely on the condition. This is the primary function and purpose of disease. That’s right, disease has a purpose. The purpose of disease is to make you pay attention to what is really important.
As we already know, chronic illness is often caused and exacerbated by chronic stress. Here’s a powerful insight: emotional stress can be caused by an inner conflict between the determination, and the free will of the individual. That means a struggle between the “ego” or head, and the “soul” or heart of the person.
When your “head” and your “heart” are pulling you in different directions, the inner conflict creates chronic stress which roots itself deeply into the subconscious mind. An example might be giving up your lifelong dream, so you can remain in a mundane job that offers stability. When an emotional issue like this remains unknown or ignored, the symptoms of pain or dis-ease can arise, come to call your attention to the conflict raging on deeper levels of your consciousness.
That’s when people may feel trapped, victimized, with little choice in the matter. They don’t know what to do but put their energy and attention into a self-image of struggle and suffering, even living and dying with the symptoms of an “incurable” illness.
The mission for these people is epic: to discover and act upon how the dis-ease actually serves them, and learn what it can bring to their lives in terms of inner healing, personal growth and spiritual wisdom.
I believe your condition carries a profound message. Dis-ease appeared because you are ready for change, perhaps ready to make peace with yourself. Rather than act like a hapless victim, choose to see it differently. Consider your condition as the gateway to a path of personal empowerment.
You fell ill for a reason, and the reason may be this: There is a divine message trying to get through to you. Choose to recognize your dis-ease as part of that process, a messenger which can guide you back to wholeness.
Reframe your attitude and consider your condition, debilitating as it is, to be in the interest of your own greatest good. This decision can help bring relief and resolve to your deep inner conflicts, regardless of what happens in the body.
With the shift in awareness, the ill condition will abate, and you emerge the stronger for it. Thus is the purpose of dis-ease accomplished. It may now leave you in peace.
The condition you once viewed as needless suffering is revealed for what it really is—a messenger from the most high, illuminating the dim vistas of your darkness, thrusting you upon the altar of your life’s purpose, right here and now in this present moment.
Take heart, feel gratitude and sense a powerful rejuvenation flow through you, for very few of your efforts and adventures will give you this enormous opportunity for freedom—authentic personal freedom—the quest of every soul and sentient being.
Peter
by Peter Winslow
We all know that by managing our stress more effectively, we can more easily reverse the symptoms of chronic pain.
Enter meditation. Practicing meditation is an ideal solution for reducing your stress and easing your symptoms. It can be as easy as taking a few minutes to concentrate, and as simple as closing your eyes and watching your breath.
Let’s look at some of the ways meditation can help you:
- Meditation diverts attention away from pain. Concentrating on pain creates more of it. And the more you focus on it, you more you feel it. Directing your attention away from pain is clinically proven to relieve it, and meditation is a superior way to do that.
- Meditation helps reverse symptoms of chronic illness. It generates more oxygen, lowers blood pressure, and reverses stress in a number of ways. These are physical changes which alleviate pain and stress, and will reduce the symptoms of Ankylosing Spondylitis.
- Meditation relaxes you. It decreases metabolism and improves heart function while normalizing breathing patterns and brain waves. The mind is uncluttered and cleared of stress, which increases cognitive function and promotes a deeper sense of wellbeing.
- Meditation wards off illness and infection. Meditation is a powerful immune booster. Untreated stress damages your body and harms immune function, leaving you more vulnerable to illness and injury. When you relax and de-stress regularly, you are less prone to disease and discomfort.
- Meditation improves overall health. Brain scans have shown that meditation produces long-term improvements in metabolic function, heart rate, attention, memory, learning and mental perception.
And—did I mention? There are tremendous emotional benefits that come with meditation too. You’ll feel more present, more positive and more confident, all while cultivating true peace of mind. These in turn enhance your ability to reverse the pain and symptoms of Ankylosing Spondylitis.
For help and guidance with meditation and mental imagery, check out the free resources available to you here on HelpingHealing.com.
To your improving health –
Peter
by Peter Winslow
The body’s natural relaxation response is a powerful antidote to stress. Techniques like deep breathing, visualization, progressive muscle relaxation, meditation, and yoga activate relaxation in the body and mind. With regular practice, these techniques reduce stress levels and boost feelings of joy and inner connectedness. They also condition you to stay calm and collected in the face of adversity.
You can’t always avoid stress, but you can counteract its negative effects by using the “relaxation response” – a state of calmness which is the polar opposite of the stress response.
The stress response floods your body with chemicals that prepare you for “fight or flight.” While the stress response is necessary in emergency situations, it wears your mind and body down when constantly activated by daily activities. The relaxation response brings your system back into balance by metabolizing stress hormones in the bloodstream, slowing the heart rate, lowering blood pressure and relaxing the tension in your muscles.
In addition to its calming mental and physical effects, research shows that the relaxation response increases energy and focus, protects against illness, relieves aches and pains, heightens problem-solving abilities, and boosts motivation and productivity. Best of all, it is very easy to learn and everyone can do it.
Peter
by Peter Winslow
Pain and stress are common symptoms of Ankylosing Spondylitis. To manage those symptoms more effectively, think yoga. Yoga is proven effective for reducing inflammation in the body, thereby reducing chronic pain and discomfort. Yoga is also a superior method for reducing the mental and emotional stress that often burdens Ankylosing Spondylitis sufferers.
Yoga is an alternative practice which can be used to complement your medical treatment plan. It combines physical and mental disciplines structured to create peacefulness in mind and body, which is why it works wonders to reduce pain, stress and anxiety. As you practice yoga regularly, you will soon come to love how good it feels.
There are few AS sufferers who will not benefit from yoga as a method to manage their symptoms. Regular practice of yoga decreases stress and tension; increases strength, balance and flexibility; lowers blood pressure, induces deep sleep and reduces serum levels of cortisol, a primary stress hormone. All of these benefits are proven to reduce inflammation in the body.
If you’ve not done yoga before, pick a class and style suited to beginners. Restorative yoga is one of the more gentle versions, while vinyasa and flow are more athletically focused. Bikram or “hot” yoga is not typically recommended for first-timers. If you have questions about engaging in yoga as part of your Ankylosing Spondylitis medical treatment plan, speak to a doctor or physical therapist who can offer the guidance you need to proceed properly.
Good yoga instructors always place emphasis on having their students respect their own levels of flexibility. The key is to make it challenging, but not overwhelming. Do this by listening to your body and paying close attention to what feels right, and always remain within those guidelines. As you do, you help your body help itself, and it responds to your efforts positively and naturally.
Yoga provides a host of benefits to AS sufferers. It provides strong emotional support due to emphasis on proper breathing, which circulates more oxygen throughout the stressed and damaged tissues in the body. Many people report increased levels of energy and decreased feelings of depression and fatigue. Finally, yoga relaxes the mind, which has innumerable benefits for mental, emotional and physical health, including a powerful reduction in sensations of chronic pain.
Consider complementing your medical treatment plan with yoga to ease the physical and emotional stress of Ankylosing Spondylitis. You’ve got nothing to lose but the pain.
Peter
by Peter Winslow
Most Ankylosing Spondylitis sufferers are aware that by keeping stress at bay, they can more easily manage their symptoms. Enter meditation. Meditation is a perfect solution for reducing stress and managing the symptoms of AS.
Meditation can be as easy as taking a few minutes to create a focus; it can be as simple as closing your eyes and concentrating on your breath.
Let’s look at some of the benefits that meditation has to offer for people who suffer with AS.
When you feel frustration, stress, or pain, taking a few minutes to meditate is a great way to bring yourself back into balance. By feeling more centered, your body responds favorably to the pain and symptoms of Ankylosing Spondylitis.
- Meditation diverts attention away from pain. Concentration on pain creates hypersensitivity to pain; the more you focus on it, you more you feel it. Directing your focus and attention to something else is proven to relieve pain, and meditation is a great way to do it.
- Meditation helps reverse AS symptoms. It generates more oxygen, lowers blood pressure, and reduces stress in a myriad of ways. These are physical benefits which help to ease the pain and reverse the symptoms of Ankylosing Spondylitis.
- Meditation relaxes you. It decreases metabolism, lowers blood pressure and improves heart function while normalizing breathing patterns and brain waves. You use oxygen more efficiently, and even sweat less. When done regularly, immune function improves. The mind is uncluttered and cleared of stress, which increases cognitive function and creativity.
- Meditation improves your health. During meditation, brain scans have shown that there is an increase in areas that control metabolism and heart rate. Studies done with Buddhist monks have shown that meditation produces long-lasting improvements in memory, attention, learning and mental perception.
- Meditation wards off illness and infection. Meditation is a potent immune booster. When you relax and de-stress regularly, you are less prone to infectious disease. People with untreated stress do damage to their bodies and harm immune function, leaving themselves more vulnerable to illness and injury.
Did I mention the emotional benefits of meditation? You’ll feel more present in the moment, feel more positive, more confident, less depressed, and create much more peace of mind. All of these in turn strengthen your ability to manage the pain and symptoms of Ankylosing Spondylitis.
Peter
by Peter Winslow
Research studies published in medical journals report that there are anti-depressant medications on the market that register no measurable results in clinical trials. The assertion has been made that a “placebo effect” may be responsible for the benefits that the retail users of those medications report to their doctors. You probably know that a placebo works only because you think it will. It happens when you believe a neutral substance will have a positive effect on you and because you believe it, it really does. So far there’s no scientific explanation for it and some people tend to laugh it off, but the placebo effect is serious stuff because it’s a part of who you are.
In modern medicine, studies about the placebo effect have been going on for decades, reporting confirmed cases of the placebo effect in action. One of the more astonishingly invasive studies in 1959 through the National Institute of Health involved a “mammary artery ligation” procedure, used in those days to cure angina pain. The cardiac surgeon makes an incision in the chest and ties off two particular arteries, the theory being a resulting increase in blood flow to the heart. The Seattle cardiologist hired for the study performed sham surgeries where 8 of 17 patients got incisions and stitches, but nothing more. 100% of the patients who got no real surgery reported being cured. Later, this particular procedure was abandoned.
Such invasive studies are not as prevalent, but are still being conducted. For example, in 2002 at the Houston VA Medical Center, 180 patients with osteoarthritis in their knees were surgically treated with either (1) arthosopic procedures to remove damaged cartilage or (2) placebo surgery of simulated arthroscopic surgery, making an incision but not removing any cartilage. Even after two years, and not being told who did and did not receive the “real” surgery, there were no differences between the placebo and non-placebo groups. All patients reported improvement in their pain and ability to use their knees.
Dr. Bruce Moseley, the orthopedic surgeon performing the surgeries reported to United Press: “I was initially very surprised… I could not imagine anybody suggesting that anything we do in surgery would be beneficial from a placebo effect. I associate placebo effect with pills… In my simple surgeon’s explanation of this, the magnitude of placebo effect is directly proportional to the patient’s perceived intervention,” Moseley explained.
You won’t catch me volunteering for any surgical clinical studies….
The placebo isn’t in the sugar pill – it’s in the conscious communication you send to your subconscious inner intelligence. The placebo effect is the definitive example of what the inner intelligence does with your thoughts. In clinical trials, medical placebos have shown an astonishing rate of efficacy – over thirty percent – and this is compelling evidence that as you believe, you often receive. Everyone gets the placebo effect from time to time and if you have a body and a mind then you’ve gotten it too. The placebo effect occurs because of an elegant natural law – the body follows the mind.
The placebo effect is proof-positive of your own ability to heal. It’s a prime example of how powerful your inner intelligence is.
Peter
