Aha Moments in Mind-Body Med

Three Astonishing True-Life Tales

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by Marilynn Preston

I want to tell you three real-life stories to make one big point about the mind-body connection. It's real. It's not waiting to be proven some day—it has been proven, with scientific rigor, time and time again. Your mind and body are communicating with each other right now, inside you, hormonally, chemically, energetically, whether you're aware of it or not.

Becoming aware is a process of self-discovery. When you sense the connections between your thoughts and emotions, and how your body might be expressing them—your low back hurts, your skin breaks out—it's an Aha! moment. You don't blame yourself for every illness or accident, but you're open to discovering if there are lessons to be learned, especially the effects of stress on your health and well-being. 

True story one:

Sandy's husband died some months ago. They'd been together nearly 25 years, a blissful second marriage for both. Sandy depended on Bill and Bill depended on Sandy, not in a sick way, but in a way that made them excited to be with each other, each trying to make the other happier.

Shortly after Bill died, Sandy stumbled and broke her foot. It was agony added to misery and Sandy didn't understand why it happened.

"I know that Bill is watching over me...so why did I have to fall?"

In time, she answered her own question. 

"I was moving too fast. I couldn't bear to be in the house without him, so I sold it right away and moved to a smaller place and I've been making a lot of fast, reckless decisions ever since." 

Sandy decided her broken foot was a sign to slow down, move more cautiously. It's not taking away her deep grief, Sandy says, but her mood is better, and she's making smarter decisions.

Story two:

Lew is 87, his wife Bonnie is 86, and they've been living happily, independently, in a house they never want to leave. On a recent Sunday night, Bonnie was taken to the hospital because she had difficulty breathing. It's not a new problem but it's a scary one. Lew spent the day with her in intensive care and came home to an empty house. He had some supper, put himself to bed, and woke up after a few hours, unable to move his legs. This had never happened before. Lew called a neighbor, who called 911, and after two days of hospital tests, his doctors could find nothing physical to explain his sudden paralysis. 

"I didn't want to go on without her," Lew figured out the next day, after his legs returned to normal. "That's why my legs wouldn't work."

Lew's home now, and so is Bonnie, both grateful to be together again. 

"The body is an amazing thing," Lew says. "It knows more than I do."

Story three:

 A married couple—tired of cold winters and in love with Northern California—went to look for a home in Marin County, Calif. They were all super expensive, so the couple decided they'd sell another piece of real estate they owned before buying something new in California. 

But then the indefatigable realtor took them to see the house of their dreams. 

"This is it!" they cheered, lost in a kind of real estate rapture. "We'll never find a better place!" 

Thrilled with their decision, they bid on the house without waiting for the other property to sell, which involved a risky bridge loan among other negatives, but what the heck, they high-fived: no guts, no glory. 

The night before signing the offer, the wife suddenly felt the worst pain of her life, gripping across her chest, lurching down her right arm. She hadn't fallen, lifted weights or done a crooked handstand in yoga. 

"Is this a heart attack?" she wondered. " No! It feels deeply muscular, like someone is twisting my arm. "

Her partner jumped to the exact right conclusion. 

"We're not buying the house! Look what your body is telling us. If you can't move your right arm, you can't sign the offer. Forget it. We'll wait until the time is right." 

The next day the wife saw a genius body worker, fluent in neuro-muscular stress, and by noon, her arm was 95 percent better. 

And she used it to hug her most understanding, and equally relieved, partner.

Energy Express-O! LET IT GO

“You must learn to let go. Release the stress. You were never in control anyway.” — Steve Maraboli

Marilynn Preston—healthy lifestyle expert, well being coach and Emmy-winning producer—is the creator of Energy Express, the longest-running syndicated fitness column in the country. She has a website, marilynnpreston.com, and welcomes reader questions, which can be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. She also produces EnExTV, a digital reincarnation of her award-winning TV series about sports, fitness and adventure, for kids of all ages, at youtube.com/EnExTV and facebook.com/EnExTV.  © ENERGY EXPRESS LTD.

 

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