The Biology of Belief - Healing from Within

The biology of belief - We've all heard that the mind and body are connected, but what does this really mean and how is this helpful to know? I can share from my own experience of healing from physical illness.

Receiving an illness diagnosis label can be heartbreaking. Trust me, I was in my first year of university with a heart full of aspirations that, within a few months, fell to the floor from the arms of my bed-ridden body. I remember how within weeks my survival instinct struggled to protect my ego from the fact that my sense of identity, direction and life plans were becoming all at once shattered by my health status. I remember how fear became dread and my sense of worth sank into an unbearable fight to stay afloat against the intensifying current of my deteriorating health. 

This article isn’t to depress you. I am in an abundantly healthy place now - physically, emotionally, spiritually too - and my journey to health has been one of the most profound blessings of my life. One of the most transformational parts of my healing journey has been awakening to the fact that the so-called ‘normal emotions and beliefs’ that are often associated with illness can be put into question, and that these beliefs can be replaced with empowering, ennobling and heart strengthening beliefs that offer a nourished soil from which wellness in all its forms can grow. 

Since illness is an experience shared by many, as are the emotions and self-limiting beliefs that often accompany illness, I have created this article to first, dispel some of these beliefs that people (including myself once) can innocently fall victim to during ‘illness’, and second, to offer empowering healing beliefs (that I have discovered through my own journey) to take their place towards greater health. The words we speak into our lives not only have an effect on our experience, they also have a profound effect on our biology, psychology and health destiny. 

10 Common Illness Beliefs: 

1. Fear - I should be afraid of my body, my symptoms and my future. My body is failing. 

2. Powerlessness - I am powerless over my condition and my health is not in my control.

3. Handing over control to medical system - Doctors know the answers. I must rely on pharmaceutical products. 

4. Permanence - I will have this condition forever. 

5. Incapability - I must stop doing everything I love and stay in bed. My body is not capable of sustaining health.

6. Worthlessness - I am no longer worthy of health. I am not worth the time of the medical system. 

7. Brokenness - I am broken and ill. My body is flawed and so am I. 

8. Aloneness - I am in this alone and will suffer alone. 

9. Uselessness - Since I am physically unwell, I am of little use. 

10. Physicality of illness - My physical illness is purely physical.

10 Empowering Health-Nourishing Beliefs: 

1. Wholeness - I am whole. My mind, body and soul work in harmony, and work together for my wellness.  

2. Body Wisdom - My symptoms are portals to connecting with and evolving into my wiser, awakened self. They are messengers, signalling to me that something (in the dance between my body, psyche and environment) is simply out of balance and that I am ready to evolve into a more aligned, elevated version of myself, through attuning to my body’s innate wisdom. 

3. Power - I am my own healer. I am the active agent of my own healing. My brain and mind are capable of creating health, transformation, abundance and joy. Even in the midst of a health crisis, I am powerful. 

4. Regeneration - Every cell and organ in my body is designed to regenerate and replenish itself. Chronic illness is reversible. My body is capable of sustaining life and regeneration. 

5. Multidimensions of healing - Subconscious beliefs, not just my conscious thoughts, shape my reality and destiny. When I transform my meanings of events, I transform my experience. Whatever I believe is my limit, is my limit. Emotional healing is just as important as physical healing. I know what I want and I can achieve it. 

6. Inner knowing and trust - I rely on myself and my intuition to know what’s right for me. I know when to say no and set boundaries. I am the source of my own worth and self-respect. The more I derive worth from within and respect myself, the more I surround myself in people that respect me. The more I fill up my own cup, the better I can serve others. My intuition and inner knowing know the way. 

7. Support - I am supported. I am not alone. Others walk the path of healing with me and I connect with them. When I ask for help, I create a sustaining system of support with people who care. I support myself and allow others to support me too. I can tap into universal divine guidance and assistance in any moment. I am loved, seen, understood and important. I am valuable and I am valued. 

8. Worth -  I am deserving of abundance, greatness, pleasure and health. I am worthy. I derive worth from an internal state of self-awareness, self-acceptance, self-understanding and self-love. I am worth it. 

9. Seasons - Tests come in seasons and are character defining. This season of tests has planted seeds in nourished soil that are growing and blooming. The sun is rising and I am reaping the fruits, flourishing. I am thankful in my adversity for how this test is strengthening my character. I can share these fruits with others. There is purpose to my pain, and in every symptom life is preparing me for something great. I have great purpose in this world. 

10. Contribution - My tests give me wisdom, strength and empathy to support others through their journeys. My story is powerful and worth sharing with others. Through giving to others, I am fulfilled.