Center for Spiritual Living
Teaching Chapter
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Scientific Research Related to the Mind/Body Connection
Religious Science/Science of Mind teaches that our minds, which are a part of the Infinite Mind, create our experiences according to our beliefs. We call this the "Law of Mind" since it is continuously being proven in our experience when we correctly use that Law. This page shows that science is also proving that Law to be true. It summarizes scientific research which is related to this Law of Mind.
The nature of science is that many studies are needed, using various experimental techniques, before a hypothesis can be proven or disproven. The Editor includes, wherever possible, research that has
been published in peer reviewed scientific journals
1. BELIEFS MATTER As published in the January 13, 2000 New England Medical Journal, researchers found that students and teachers in a high school who suffered from actual physical ailments (including headaches, nausea, shortness of breath, and dizziness) were really suffering from "mass psychogenic illness." After exhaustive tests, no toxic compounds were found at the school. Contagious anxiety resulted from the belief that toxic compounds were present.
2. FOCUSED CONSCIOUSNESS Dr. Dean Radin, who was interviewed on the PBS TV program "Thinking Allowed," said that a research study showed that, at the same time that about a billion people were watching Princess Diana's funeral on TV, random number generators throughout the world became significantly less random. In other words, the focused consciousness of millions of people seemed to increase order in the world.
3. OPTIMISTS VERSUS PESSIMISTS A number of studies are showing that optimists have healthier and longer lives than pessimists. For example, in the June, 1998 "Journal of Personality and Social Psychology" Dr. Suzanne Segerstrom (University of Kentucky) reported that immune cell activity of optimistic law students was significantly higher than that of their pessimistic colleagues. Immune cells help to thwart infection. Another study in Ohio, published in the "Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine" found that wounds of pessimists heal 40% slower than those of optimists. Dr. Christopher Peterson of the University of Michigan stated "There's ample evidence that pessimists can become more optimistic."
EDITOR'S NOTE: We know that studying Religious Science/Science of Mind is an effective and fun way to "change your thinking - change your life." Now Science has proved it.
4. EFFECT OF VIOLENT MEDIA (Certain Movies, TV, Video Games, music,etc.)ON THE MIND The U.S. Senate has proposed legislation to reduce violence in schools. Senator Orrin Hatch said more than 1,000 studies over the past 40 years examining the effects of violence on children have not changed the predominant finding. "Exposure to media portrayals of violence increases aggressive behavior in children," he said." The American Academy of Family Physicians became the fifth national medical group to claim that children who view media violence are more likely to become violent and aggressive later in life. Four other groups -- the American Medical Association (AMA), the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the American Psychological Association -- issued a joint statement to Congress on the issue.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This is akin to the phrase often used by computer programmers: "garbage in...garbage out." In Religious Science/Science of Mind, we say the Law of Cause and Effect always works. It can work for us or against us. It is up to us to feed our minds with positive, uplifting ideas and ignore the peer pressure and race suggestion that can lead us away from our Source. Once we realize our connection with the Infinite Intelligence, we know that every being is also part of that Intelligence, and violence would be unthinkable.
5. OF PLANTS AND HUMANS Dr. Bernard Grad of the University of Toronto conducted a study which found that plants which were watered by people with a positive consciousness were much healthier than those which were watered by people who were depressed. All the conditions were the same except for the consciousness of the people who watered the plants.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This gives a whole new meaning to the term "green thumb." It clearly illustrates the fact that there is a Medium through which we transmit our thoughts to modify our environment, either positively or negatively. That Medium is the Law of Mind.
6. THE SURVIVAL OF THOUGHT AND EVOLUTION Two University of Arizona Scientists, Dr. Gary Schwartz and Dr. Linda Russek, have uncovered new evidence that every idea ever thought is forever contained in the universe as real living information or memory. They deduce that consciousness survives death and that "God not only exists, but is evolving." They have published their findings in their book The Living Energy Universe.
7. DIABETES AND THE MIND Dr. Marc Siegel, an MD on the faculty of a teaching hospital in New York State, discovered that a patient with multiple personalities had diabetes only with certain of those personalities. For example, she had a high diabetic blood sugar count with the personality of "Sandra," but had a normal blood sugar count when she changed her personality to "Donald." He verified this under controlled conditions of diet and insulin in the hospital.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This is another fascinating example of the Mind-Body connection.
8. SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE OF A HIGHER POWER Physicist Dr. Jack Sarfatti has shown mathematically that there are thought-like patterns beyond space and time that operate in another dimension. He hypothesizes three levels of consciousness: the highest level (equivalent to God) produces the other two levels.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This is analogous to the Religious Science/Science of Mind teaching of Spirit (God or Conscious Mind) working through the Law of Cause and Effect (or the Subconscious Mind) to produce the physical manifestation.] He is proving that evolution does not occur randomly - i.e. there is a larger consciousness that "loads the dice" to give order to the universe. This is synchronicity. One practical application of this work could be the eventual development (with nano-technology) of "conscious computer chips" that could produce life-like robots. He is further beginning to prove that space travel via the mind may be possible, as was first postulated by astronaut Edgar Mitchell.
9. MOST STUDIES TO DATE SHOW THAT "DISTANT" HEALING, INCLUDING PRAYER, HAS POSITIVE EFFECTS Dr. John Austin published a study in the June 6, 2000 issue of the medical journal "Annals of Internal Medicine" which found that, out of 23 preliminary studies of various types of distant healing (including different forms of spiritual healing and non-contact Therapeutic Touch) 13 (57%) showed significantly positive results, 9 showed no significant difference, and only one resulted in a negative effect.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The bottom line is that the odds are good it will work for you. As students of Religious Science/Science of Mind we learn that, if we know it will work, it will. Our beliefs are 99% of the equation - in either direction.
10. YOUR MIND CAN MOVE MOUNTAINS (without a bulldozer?) A 20 year Princeton University study using hundreds of participants has shown that people can move objects by concentrating their minds ( i.e. psychokinesis). Dr. Robert Jahn, Director of Pear Laboratory at Princeton, stated that, although the effect is small, it is reproducible. The objects in the experiment were pendulums, dripping water, random generators, toys, etc. The distance from the objects did not matter.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This is further evidence that consciousness is not limited to the body.
11. YOU ARE NOT YOUR BODY Studies in the U.S., England, and Australia have confirmed the reality of out-of-body experiences, which are estimated to occur in about one out of every five people during their lifetimes. It can happen during meditation or stress.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Could this be further confirmation of our belief that the spirit survives the body?
12. ANTI-ADDICTION PRESCRIPTION How can we kick bad habits? The first step, according to Jeffrey Schaler, psychologist, adjunct professor at American University School of Public Affairs in Washington, D.C., and author of "Addiction Is a Choice" (Open Court, 2000), is to believe that you are not powerless in relation to your own behavior. "Know that you have the power to overcome your addictions and bad habits," Schaler says. "Some addiction recovery programs teach people that they are victims of a disease. Teaching people that they can't control their behavior means that people are likely to prove that true. If, on the other hand, you teach people that they can control their own behavior, they're likely to prove that true, too." Schaler suggests approaching the habit-kicking challenge as a process of transferal: changing a negative habit into a positive one. In effect, the focus won't be on stopping a bad habit, but on creating a new healthy habit. "If you're trying to lose weight, for example, and you focus on not eating, all you end up doing is thinking about eating. Instead, focus on exercising or on eating healthfully," Schaler says.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This is how we approach Spiritual Mind Treatments (which include affirmations) in Religious Science. We focus on knowing the Truth about ourselves - that we always have the capacity to overcome any negative experience, which we consider to be temporary. We affirm this knowledge with a positive declaration of our REAL condition, in a spiritual sense.
13. SUBCONSCIOUS HEALING POWER On the PBS TV series on Psychology, an experiment was reported where some patients in a hospital under anesthesia were given positive messages before and during their operation, and others were given negative messages. Later, under hypnosis, only the patients that were given the negative messages showed anxiety, while those that were given the positive messages recovered faster from the operation and needed less medication.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This is yet another clear demonstration of the power of the mind to heal.
14. TRIPLE BLIND STUDY PROVES THAT DISTANT SPIRITUAL HEALING WORKS! In a July, 2001 PBS "Thinking Allowed" two part TV interview, Dr. Elizabeth Targ, a research scientist at the California Pacific Medical Center, reported the results of a rigorous study that found major health benefits resulting from distant spiritual healing. Of the 40 aids patients in the study, those that received distant healing meditations conducted by experienced healers, had six times fewer new illnesses, and their illnesses were much less severe. The study was unusual, since the healing was conducted WITHOUT THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE PATIENTS OR RESEARCHERS, thereby totally eliminating the "placebo effect." The control group had 68 hospital days versus only 10 for the treated group. Psychological distress was down 25 points for the treated group, while it went up 14 points in the control group. 40% of the control group died during the study, and NONE died in the treated group. Future studies will increase the randomization of the patients and will use inexperienced healers.
15. CONSCIOUSNESS RULES!! It is the perennial "chicken or egg" debate...which came first - consciousness or the neurons of the brain. Dr. Peter Russell, a physicist who has worked with the famous cosmologist Steven Hawkins and has written the book From Science to God , stated his theory (in a September, 2001 "Thinking Allowed" PBS interview) that Consciousness came first and is the ruling force in the Universe. This contradicts the presumption by many biologists that we think because of our brain cells. Dr. Russell points out that Quantum Physics has shown that our consciousness seems to play a part in changing our physical reality! The real world may not be related to space, time, and matter. In other words, brain cells don't create consciouness - they AMPLIFY it. This is analogous to the statement of quantum physicist Irwin Schroedinger, who said that the ultimate reality is Mind.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the Religious Science philosophy.
In a separate interview, Dr. Russell said that consciousness is similar to light, since both operate outside of space, time and matter. Similar to consciousness, light has no mass and experiences no time and distance. The Special Theory of Relativity states that light does not travel and it takes no time for light to get from one place to another. (The "speed of light" is a misnomer - it is actually the ratio of space and time.) Consciousness, or thought, is more omnipresent than light, because, although light can be blocked by objects, thought cannot be. Consciousness is therefore everywhere present at the same time.
EDITOR'S NOTE: In the Bible, the first thing that God said was "Let there be Light." Dr. Russell's insights support the idea that Divine Consciousness formed the Universe. In Religious Science we teach that our individual consciousness is part of the Divine Consciousness and forms our own individual universes. In a collective sense, our thoughts therefore impact the entire Universe.
16. THE MANTRA STUDY Dr. Mitchell Krucoff published a research report in the summer, 2001 edition of the "American Heart Journal" that demonstrated the effectiveness of combining standard medical techniques with prayer, meditation, and other distant healing techniques on heart patients. The "MANTRA" study, which stands for "Monitoring & Actualization of Noetic Trainings" is being conducted by doctors of Duke University, Durham, NC. The "double blind" studies are being conducted by using these distant healing techniques with "controls" and without the knowlede of the heart patients. To date, patients that have received the distant healing techniques have had 50 to 100% few side effects.. These techniques are beginning to become accepted by mainstream medicine, with interest being expressed for further research by the National Institute of Health.
17. PRAYER & IN VITRO FERTILIZATION Prayer seems to almost double the success rate of in vitro fertilization procedures that lead to pregnancy, according to a study carefully designed to eliminate bias. The findings, published in the September, 2001 issue of the "Journal of Reproductive Medicine," reveal that a group of women who had people praying for them had a 50 percent pregnancy rate compared to a 26 percent rate in the group of women who did not have people praying for them. In the study, lead by Rogerio Lobo, chairman of obstetrics and gynecology at Columbia University's College of Physicians & Surgeons, none of the women undergoing the procedures knew about the praying.
18. MIND OVER PARALYSIS (entered 4/4/02) In a study conducted by neuroscientist Dr. Edward Taub at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, it was found that stroke victims with one arm or leg paralyzed (becausue the other side of their brain had been injured) completely recovered from the paralysis within two weeks when their good arm or leg was immobilized and activity and exercise was done only with their paralyzed arm or leg. This caused the injured part of their brain to regenerate.
EDITOR'S NOTE: It's a classic case of Mind over Matter, or the Law of Cause and Effect. Because the people had assumed the brain injury and paralysis was permanent, they had not used their paralyzed arm or leg. In the same way, "paralysis of thought" can be overcome if we tap into the Infinite Intelligence, which is evolving our power to heal through our consciousness.
19. TREAT BEFORE YOU SLEEP (entered 4/6/02, from Jan., 2001 Popular Science article) Researchers at Trent University in Peterborough, Canada, using PET scans of people before and during sleep, found that people were using REM sleep (the deepest stage of sleep, with the most vivid dreams) to stabilize and consolidate what they had learned during the previous day. This shows that people learn better if they sleep on it.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This shows that one of the best times for doing Scientific Prayer (a.k.a. Spiritual Mind Treatments) is just before we go to bed. Since we are learning as we sleep, Divine Right Action will then assure our success to the degree that we learn our lessons. The last part of a Treatment releases it to the Law of Cause and Effect. We can then sleep peacefully in the knowledge that the results we desire are already happening.
20. RESILIENCE TO NEGATIVE EVENTS One week after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on America, a Washington Post reporter compiled the results of research studies to date on the traits of people who bounce back from negative events in their lives. Among those traits is a belief in a higher power and the practice of prayer or meditation. It is a belief that they are part of a universe that extends well beyond their personal lives and concerns. One of the researchers (Lawrence Sank, clinical psychologist with the Center for Cognitive Therapy of Greater Washington) found that resilient people seem to have "a notion of self-narrative.",,,that is, they talk to themselves in inspirational ways.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Religious Science fosters both traits, since it is a spiritual philosophy that uses "Spiritual Mind Treatment" a.k.a."Scientific Prayer" to instill the reality of human potential into the mind, and to look at the big picture of our One-ness with God's Universe.
21. OTHER DIMENSIONS (entered 5/24/02 from 2/19/00 Science News article) SEE ALSO 26 By using atom smashing accelerators, Scientists are testing new mathematical quantum physics string theories that indicate the presence of other dimensions existing parallel to ours. The consensus among physicists is that there are such dimensions. One question is the size of each dimensioin. Some theorize that the dimensions are extremely small while others feel that they are the size of our universe.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Will the results of these experiments prove scientifically the existence of places that our souls travel when we make our transition to another Plane? This is the Religious Science belief. Stay tuned for further exciting revelations.
22. IT'S ONLY A NAME? (entered 8/10/02 from July, 2002 "Popular Science" p.36) A study conducted at the State University of NY at Buffalo found that, to a significant extent, people choose their careers based on their names. For example, people named George or Geoffry are 40% more likely to become geologists and people named Dennis are more likely to become dentists. Research psychologist Brett Pelham concluded that "... much of what you do is subconsciously decided."
EDITOR'S NOTE: Religious Science believes that our subconscious mind is our "soul" that is connected to the Soul of Infinite Intelligence. This soul receives direction from our consioius mind and implements that direction to produce results. This study finds that, to a significant extent, we can choose the careers of our children by our choice of names. This may be true for last names also. For example, your webmaster, Orest Lewinter, chose meteorology as a career, and our Treasurer's name is Don Countermine - and he was a math teacher!
23. THE "HOLOGRAPHIC PRINCIPLE" (entered 12/14/02 from Nov., 2002 "Popular Science" p.98) Harvard physicist and mathematician Raphael Bousso is mathematically proving the validity of the "Holographic Principle," - a theory that implies that the three dimensional universe we live in might be an illusiion - a shadow of a higher dimensional universe. The theory postulates that everything in this universe can be described mathematically as a hologram (such as the one that we have on our credit cards) from each object's surface. This might eventually lead to a theory that can describe every physical thing with physical laws.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Metaphysics postulates that there is more than what meets the eye. If physics can prove the existence of other universes, metaphysics and physics will eventually converge. We know that when we tap into the Infinite Energy Source, we are going beyond our physical universe.
24. THE "RELAXATION RESPONSE" (entered 9/22/03) On a recent Scientific American Frontiers TV show on PBS, Dr. Herbert Benson of the Mind/Body Medical Institute showed how he used the "Relaxation Response" technique (which had been coined by him) to greatly reduce stress in patients, as measured by various instruments. The technique involves the repetition of the word "calm" with every breath. "The Therapeutic Use of Relaxation Response in Stress-related Diseases" Esch, T., Fricchione, G., Stefano, G. Medical Science Monitor. Vol. 9 No. 2: RA23-34, 2003.
EDITOR'S NOTE: If this technique is combined with a Spiritual Mind Treatment, it can be even more powerful, since it adds the vital spiritual connection with the Infinite Intelligence. In this way, the Law of Mind is used to actually manifest whatever is desired. Within a Spiritual Mind Treatment, I go one step further by visualizing my breathing in and absorbing whatever quality I want from the Infinite supply of Mind/God. If I want to treat another person, I can then visualize breathing the quality out to that person - all within the five steps of a Spiritual Mind Treatment. SEE ALSO 27.
25 NO PRICE TAG ON HAPPINESS (entered 10/7/03) When economist Richard Easterlin of the University of Southern California examined data from 1500 people surveyed over a 28 year period, he found that wealth and possessions increase happiness only briefly. Those people with the best social connections with friends and family were the happiest.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Religious Science teaches that we are all one with God and therefore with each other. It stands to reason that positive interaction with each other is the natural state of affairs and therefore leads to the greatest happiness.
26 STRING THEORY SIMPLIFIED (entered 12/30/03) A recent PBS TV Nova special explained the concepts of "string theory" (a theory of physics which is part of quantum mechanics). The theory (which, if proven, will unify all physical laws of the Universe) is that everything in this Universe and in 10 to 11 parallel universes is composed of circular sub-microscopic strings of energy that vibrate in different ways. It is estimated that, within 100 years, scientists will find these strings. Stay tuned.
SEE ALSO 21 for EDITOR'S NOTE, etc.
27 HEALTH BENEFITS OF MEDITATION (entered 12/30/03) A joint study by the Universities of Wisconsin (led by Richard Davidson) and the Univsersity of Mass. Medical School (Jon Kabat-Zinn) found a number of health advantages manifesting in 25 volunteers (compared to 16 control group people) who were trained in and practiced meditation over an 8 week period. The meditators had much better immune responses to flu shots, pumped out less of the stress hormone cortisol, and recovered faster from negative events. They also consistently showed greater activity in the left frontal cortex of the brain, versus the right. and less activity in the amygdala (fear center) of the the brain. Dr. Solomon Snyder, of Johns Hoptkins Medical School, said "It is reasonable to assume that meditation may increase serotonin, a calming neurotransmitter, in the brain."
EDITOR'S NOTE: A form of active meditation that Religious Scientists practice is Spiritual Mind Treatment or Scientific Prayer. Click on the left for an example. SEE ALSO 24.
28 ATTEND YOUR SPIRITUAL CENTER AND PRAY! (entered 12/30/03) A November 10, 2003 Newsweek Magazine article ("Faith and Healing") summarized the findings of 150 studies on the effects of spiritual center attendance and prayer on health and life expectancy. The most persuasive finding is that such regular attendance increases life expectancy by 5 to 8 years and significantly improves a number of health factors. A consensus of the studies also found spirituality to protect against cardiovascular diseases and prayer to improve recovery from acute illness.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This is not surprising to Religious Scientists.
29 PLAYING GOD (entered 2/28/04) James Watson, one of the discoverers of the DNA structure of genes, lectures throughout the world in favor of genetic engineering. He says "People say that we're playing God. Well, if we don't play God, who will?"
EDITOR'S NOTE: He must be a Religious Scientist, because we believe that we are one of the ways that God expresses Itself in the evolution of the Universe. We have the responsibility to find ways to enhance life on earth in positive ways. When we do so responsibly, we are a means for fulfilling God's intent. Religious Science also teaches personal responsibility, because power without responsibility is not the way of God.
30 BRAIN CONTROL (entered 7/1/04) According to this Web MD article, scientists have invented a device, called the BrainGate system, that uses a tiny silicone chip and electrodes implanted in the brain which allow peoples who can't move to operate a computer with their thoughts. These chips harness the brain's own electrical current and use it to create movement, such as moving a cursor across a computer screen. It's at: http://my.webmd.com/content/article/85/98694.htm
EDITOR'S NOTE: Electricity, such as lightning, travels through space. It is therefore not far fetched to think of the brain's electrical currents traveling outside the brain, influencing it's environment. Our thought has more power than we can imagine!
31 MIND OVER BACK PAIN, DEPRESSION, & ANXIETY (entered 7/1/04) This March, 2004 Readers Digest article (p.47) described the results of research by doctors (led by Dr. Teresa Damuch) at the Indiana University School of Medicine, which found that "positive thinking" and other methods (exercise, deep breathing, and distraction) helped patients to significantly reduce the back pain, depression, and anxiety of those treated this way (half of the 210 also getting standard medical treatment). The next step is to determine which technique is the most effective.
EDITOR'S NOTE: As Religious Scientists, we effectively use the "positive thinking" technique of "Spritual Mind Treatment." Click on "Scientific Prayer" to see an example, or take a class at our Center, or read the book "The Science of Mind" by Ernest Holmes.
32 MAX PLANCK, THE METAPHYSICIST (entered 7/1/04) Max Planck, the father of quantum theory, stated, in his 1918 Nobel Prize acceptance speech, that there is no such thing as matter. He believed that all matter comes into being and exists only because there is a force behind it, and that behind this force is consciousness itself - an intelligent Mind.
EDITOR'S NOTE: And So it Is.
33 FEELINGS CHANGE DNA (entered 9/15/04) Research conducted by Dr. Rollin McCraty, (et al) resulted in the finding that feelings change the shape of DNA. When 28 trained researchers placed their hands around (but not touching) vials of DNA while feeling gratitude, love, and appreciation, the DNA (to a statistically significant extent) relaxed and became longer. When they felt anger, fear, frustration, or stress, the DNA tightened up, shortened, and switched off many of the DNA codes. (McCraty, R., M. Atkinson, D. Tomasino, "Modulation of DNA Conformation by Heart-Focused Intention," HeartMath Research Center, Pub. #03-008, 2003, www.heartmath.org)
EDITOR'S NOTE: This research shows what Religious Scientists already know....that thought is energy that can change living matter and therfore affect our health and the health of others.
34 NATURAL SLEEP (entered 1/14/05) In a 4 week study, researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center found that cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) is more effective than sleeping pills in curing insomnia. The study was conducted on 63 chronic insomniacs, who were divided into 4 groups....one receiving only CBT, another receiving only the sleeping pill Ambien, the third receiving CBT and the sleeping pill, and the fourth receiving a placebo pill. The first two groups drifted off to sleep 44% faster than usual, as compared to 29% for the sleeping pill group. PLUS, insomnia returned after the study for the sleeping pill group, while the CBT groups enjoyed long-term improvement. (summarized in Jan., 2005 Readers Digest, p. 49)
EDITOR'S NOTE: The Religious Science / Science of Mind technique of Spiritual Mind Treatment, whether done by a Licensed Practitioner or by an individual, can be as effective as CBT (and less costly, or "do-it-yourself"), since it trains the mind to think correctly. It does this by adding a Spiritual dimension, which cannot yet be explained by Science. See the Practitioners Page on this site or, after a Sunday Celebration at the Center, ask which books are best to learn Spiritual Mind treatment...or take a Fundamentals class at the Center.
35 A PRAYER MIRACLE (entered 4/16/05) Carla was on Montel William's TV talk show explaining how she was totally cured of terminal lupus and a virus that was attacking her heart. It happened at the very same time that her church group was praying for her. She said she felt a flutter at that time and then completely recovered. Her doctor said that it was truly a miracle, since there was no medical explanation for this recovery. She had been given only a few days to live before the prayer session.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Although individual cases are considered "anecdotal evidence" by scientists, there are enough such "miracles" to constitute real proof (see other summaries above). In Religious Science, we know that prayer (especially Scientific Prayer or Spriitual Mind Treatment) work seemingly miraclulously by tapping into the Infinite Power of the Universe.
36 VIRTUAL REALITY PAIN RELIEF (entered 7/23/05) After a barbecue accident, Michael McKenneney's severe burns gave him constant excruciating pain and suicidal thoughts, which couldn't be relieved with drugs. His doctor gave him experimental "virtual reality therapy," After a period of wearing special goggles and watching computer generated calm and cool snow scenes, his pain disappeared. (ref. Jane Pauley TV talk show interview, May, 2005). (anecdotal, but interesting).
EDITOR'S NOTE: As Religious Scientists, we know that we don't need speical equipment to change our thoughts. Spiritual Mind Treatment is our technique that makes virtual reality real in our minds, with the help of God. We use it for healing, prosperity, relationships, creativity, and Divine Right Action in all matters.
37 THICKEN YOUR BRAIN WITH MEDITATION (ref. November, 2005, "NeuroReport.") A new study shows that key parts of the brain actually get thicker through the practice of meditation - and that it may slow age related thinning of the frontal cortex. The study involved 20 people who practiced Buddhist Insight meditation for 40 minutes each day. The researchers speculate that other forms of meditation likely have a similar impact on brain structure, but that each tradition probably has a slightly different pattern of cortical thickening based on the specific mental exercises involved. The research, led by Sara Lazar, of Massachusetts General Hospital. (More detailed summary at http://www.livescience.com/humanbiology/051111_medidate.html )
EDITOR'S NOTE: In addition to meditation, Religious Scientists use a more active (and less time consuming) form of meditation called Spiritual Mind Treatment, or Scientific Prayer. As the scientists conducting this meditation study speculate, this form of meditation may also effect the brain in positive ways. Research would be needed to confirm that. However, we know that the practice effects our lives in numerous positive ways. See other "prayer" related research results above.
38 "PLACEBO-SCHMEEBO" (entered 12/11/05) Patients will feel better if they believe they're taking painkillers -- even if their doses contain no medication, according to a University of Michigan study. The study, examining the placebo effect (recently published in the Journal of Neuroscience) showed, for the first time, that the brain releases chemicals (endorphins) that relieve pain in patients who believe they're being treated. Researchers say the findings could lead to new ways to treat chronic pain. Dr. Jon-Kar Zubieta, associate professor at the Michigan Medical School, said "The mind-body connection is quite clear."
EDITOR'S NOTE: Using the mind/Mind connection to cure the body is not new to Religious Scientists. By means of the tools Spiritual Mind Treatment, affirmation, and other techniques, we tap into the Healing Power of the Universe to know that we are already healed.
39 POSITIVE THINKING REDUCES PAIN Doctors who say, "This won't hurt a bit" before a painful prod or poke may be delivering a dose of pain reliever with their words. A new study suggests that low expectations about impending pain can actually lower a person's perception of it. Positive expectations about lower pain produced about a 28 percent decrease in pain ratings (measured by an MRI) -- equal to a shot of morphine," says researcher Tetsuo Koyama, MD, PhD, of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. Three levels of heat pain were applied to volunteers while their brains were scanned with an MRI - after being told (sometimes incorrectly) of the expected intensity of the pain. (ref. Koyama, T. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Sept. 6, 2005; vol 102: pp 12950-12955)
EDITOR'S NOTE: We can similarly prepare our minds for relatively unpleasant experiences by using Spiritual Mind Treatment (active meditation) to know the Spiritual Truth and temporary nature of the experience.
40 VISUALIZATION LOWERS HEALTH CARE COSTS (entered 8/5/06) In a study conducted by Blue Shield of California, it was found that the use of guided imagery before operations significantly reduced hospital stays and medication costs, resulting in an average saving of $2000 per surgery.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Religious Science/Science of Mind Spiritual Mind Treatments (as learned in classes at the Center) use not only visualization, but also add the extra dimension of connection with a Higher Power.
41 POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS REDUCE STRESS A UCLA research team found that students who conducted the most positive affirmations before being subjected to stress experienced the lowest stress levels, as measured by before and after cortisol tests of their saliva. (ref. Creswell, Psychological Science, Nov. 2005, vol 16: pp 846-852)
42 PRAYER STUDY FLAWED (ref. 3/31/06 NY Times) A prayer study conducted by Dr. Herbert Bensen (Mind/Body Medical Institute) found that distant prayer conducted for people who were about to undergo heart bypass surgery did not improve outcomes. Your editor sent Dr.Bensen a 6/7/06 e-mail (to hbensen@bidmc.harvard.edu) that there was a serious flaw in the requirement that the pray-ers include the words "no complications." Religious Science Practitioners are presently being trained to use only positive language in their Spiritual Mind Treatments. As an example, try NOT to think of a pink elephant. A pink elephant is the first thing you'll visualize. Your editor also recommended that any future study separate the effects on people with various beliefs. For example, an aetheist's consciousness may react negatively to people praying for him or her.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Please see the introduction to this Page. Scientists know that, because of the many variables, more than one study is needed to prove or disprove anything. This website page gives only a small sample of prayer studies, the vast majority of which have to date proven the benefits of prayer, especially for those who are spiritually aware of an Infinite Intelligence that they can use to better their lives and the lives of others.
43 OPTIMISM AND HEART HEALTH A Dutch study of 545 men aged 64 to 84 found that, over 15 years of follow-up, optimism was associated with about a 50% lower risk of cardiovascular mortality. (ref. Giltay EJ, Kamphuis MH, Kalmijn S, Zitman FG, Kromhout D, Dispositional Optimism and the Risk of Cardiovascular Death: The Zutphen Elderly Study. Arch Intern. Med. 2006; 166:431-436)
EDITOR'S NOTE: Every time we do a Spiritual Mind Treatment or affirmation, we are using more than optimism....we are using the KNOWING that our lives are already improved.
44 FOOTBALL FOCUS...MIND OVER PAIN The famous football player Donovan McNabb was so focused on playing football that he was totally unaware that he had broken an ankle.
45 THROW OUT YOUR CLOTHES DRYER Buddhist monks who spent 10,000 hours in practicing a kind of meditation called "Tomo Yoga" increased their body heat enough to steam dry freezing cold towels draped over their backs.
46 POSITIVE SPIRITUAL/RELIGIOUS THOUGHTS SPEED PATIENT RECOVERY (NEGATIVE SPIRITUAL/RELIGIOUS THOUGHTS HINDER IT) (entered 8/22/06) The results of a study to be presented at the 114th annual convention of the American Psychological Association shows that having positive spiritual thoughts appears to enhance a patient's recovery process, while negative spiritual views appear to hinder it. The researchers (from the Universities of Washington and of Connecticut) studied the religious coping styles of 309 subjects who underwent cardiac surgery at the University of Michigan Medical Center. They found that subjects who employed positive religious coping techniques experienced less anxiety and depression and more perceived social support than those who relied on negative religious coping mechanisms. The positive religious coping techniques included seeking religious support, bonding with others who share similar religious beliefs, and exercising forgiveness, among others. The negative religious coping ststyles included, but were not limited to, spiritual/religious discontent and doubt. The lead study author was Any L. Ai, PhD, of the University of Washington.
EDITOR'S NOTE: You won't find a spiritual teaching more positive than Science of Mind/Religious Science. Join us at the Center for Spiritual Living.
47 HOT NEWS ABOUT COLDS Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pa. found that people who scored high for positive emotional style in a survey were significantly more likely to resist colds and flu. 193 healthy adults got medical checkups and completed surveys on their emotional style. Positive emotional-style traits included being lively, happy, or calm. Negative traits included being tense, anxious, sad, depressed, angry, or hostile. They were then exposed to viruses that cause colds or flu. The participants were then quarantined for five to six days to see who got a cold or flu. (Cohen, S. Psychosomatic Medicine, November/December 2006; vol 68: pp 809-815)
EDITOR'S NOTE: This is totally consistent with other previous studies (see above). The technique of Spiritual Mind Treatment, as taught at our Center, is a great way to achieve a "positive emotional style" that will heal every aspect of our lives to make us happier - relationships, prosperity, emotions, and (as is evident from these studies)....health.
48 FAITH CURES ANXIETY & DEPRESSION In a study published Feb. 16, 2007 in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association, Salvatore Giaquinto, MD, of the San Raffaele Pisana Rehabilitation Center in Rome, after evaluating 132 survivors of stroke (median age: 72) for anxiety and depression, found that higher anxiety and depression scores was associated with lower religious and spirituality beliefs. Reduced depression and anxiety speeds healing.
EDITOR'S NOTE: It is likely that the people with stronger spiritual beliefs use practices such as prayer (or, as Religious Scientists, Spiritual Mind Treatments).
49 VISUALIZING PAIN AWAY Scientists at Stanford University and the biotech company Omneuron trained patients to reduce chronic pain by just visualizing it and learning to control it....with the help of special fMRI scanners and software. Some could reduce pain by more than 40%, according to one of the study leaders Sean Mackey, MD. (March 2007 Readers Digest, P. 123).
EDITOR's NOTE: Visualization is one of the ways that Spiritual Mind Treatments are so effective in improving not only health, but also prosperity, creativity, relationships, etc.
50 HEALING FROM AFAR Arizona State University recently published a review of 17 studies on people with heart disease, cancer, infertility, and other conditions. The studies found significant benefits when the patients were prayed for, regardless of the distance separating the patients and the people who prayed. (summarized in Feb., 2008 Readers Digest, p. 66)
EDITOR's NOTE: Of the various praying practices, we have found that Spiritual Mind Treatment is the most effective in healing all conditions (health, finances, relationships, etc.).
51 SOLDIER INTUITION A July 29, 2009 New York Times article ("In Battle, Hunches Prove to be Valuable"), stated that, in the past two years, an Army researcher, Steven Burnett, has conducted a study into human perception and bomb detection involving about 800 military men and women. Researchers conducted exhaustive interviews with experienced fighters, including personality tests, and measured depth perception, vigilance and related abilities. The troops competed to find bombs in photographs, videos, virtual reality simulations and on the ground in mock exercises. The study complements other research which suggests that the speed with which the brain reads and interprets sensations like the feelings in one’s own body and emotions in the body language of others is central to avoiding imminent threats. For example, the article cites a June, 2009 Princeton University study which demonstrated how a "gut feeling" may arise BEFORE a person becomes conscious of what the brain has registered.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Science of Mind/Religious Science believes that our minds can tap into the Infinite Intelligence of the Universe, which can guide us in difficult situations.
52. MIND OVER COLD In a May, 2009 History Channel show, a Dutch postal worker (Wim Hoff) was studied by the Oregon Health & Science University for his amazing feats of withstanding extremely cold temperatures by using mind exercises. For example, he ran 13 miles at -22 degrees F without his shoes, climbed Mt. Everest in only his shorts, and swam under Arctic ice. In the University lab, he was covered with ice wearing only his shorts. Using his mind training, his core temperature didn't get below 97 degrees F and his heart rate was normal.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Although this is an extreme case of mind over matter, we can use our minds to overcome more practical challenges. But by all means, button up your overcoat!
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