Mind-Body Dualism: Reductionist Approach to Health and Wellness

The Cartesian model of the body and mind states that the mind and body are separate. This model of dualism was important for the west since it separated the church from medical science which allowed science to advance without the oversight of the church.

This separation resulted in western health sciences ignoring the role of mind in the care of the body and that of the body in the care of the mind. Simply beacuse the words used to denote individual parts of a whole does not mean they are unconnected, different and separate. The separation of mind and body resulted in a mechanical and dispassionate approach to healthcare but not a comprehensive approach that results in successful healing and overall wellbeing. There is no mental disease that exists apart from the nervous system which is a part of body.

According to a recent national study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, “The prevalence of stress in primary care is high; 60% to 80% of visits may have a stress-related component”. And yet the so called scientific profession of western medicine is not prepared to revisit the basic model on which it is based.

According to a 2012 report of the American Academy of Pediatrics, toxic levels of stress, in addition to physical and mental disorders, can cause a host of social and economic problems. The report notes that prenatal exposure of the fetus to maternal stress can lead to persistent developmental disorders.

Must then we suffer the ravages of stress until the medical profession changes their professional model? No, not if we learn to be stress resilient. There are many strategies of doing so. According to Dr. Benson, a common thread running through all of them is regular elicitation of relaxation response. Dr. Benson thinks that the western model of healthcare is unstable. It is like a stool with two legs. A third leg is needed for stability, and that is recognition of the intimate connectedness of the body and and the mind with regular elicitation of relaxation response to stay healthy both in physical and mental terms.

Mind and body are inseaprably connected like two sides of a coin. Cells of which we are made are the building blocks not only of the body but also of the mind.

References:
Gendle, M. H. (2016). The Problem of Dualism in Modern Western Medicine. Mens Sana Monographs, 14(1), 141–151. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5179613/

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/1392494

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/129/1/e232

Benson, Herbert and Klipper, Marian Z. "The Relaxation Response". New York: Harper, 2000

Rajiv Malhotra and Dr Herbert Benson discuss the future of mind sciences and how it can form a major component of integrated healing in the future. The discussion starts with Dr Benson acknowledging Indian culture as the source of various meditation and yoga techniques. He then talks about the importance of repetition of certain sounds to break the chain of harmful thoughts and it's usefulness in stress management.

He envisions a future of ubiquitous healing where mind sciences techniques can be used in conjunction with modern medicine and surgery. Rajiv and Dr Benson also discuss the importance of education in dissemination to individuals as well as medical professionals of this scientifically proven age-old innate capacity of humans.