

However, it also greatly reduced scientific inquiry into humans' emotional and spiritual life, and downplayed their innate ability to heal. This Western viewpoint had definite benefits, acting as the foundation for advances in surgery, trauma care, pharmaceuticals, and other areas of allopathic medicine. In this view, the body was kind of like a machine, complete with replaceable, independent parts, with no connection whatsoever to the mind. But during the 17th century, the Western world started to see the mind and body as two distinct entities. Until approximately 300 years ago, virtually every system of medicine throughout the world treated the mind and body as a whole. What is the history of mind-body connection?Īwareness of the mind-body connection is by no means new. Her anger, a product of her stress, also fades away. She also finds it easier to control her diabetes with insulin, probably because reducing her anxiety helps reduce her stress hormones.

Julie begins to notice when her blood sugar is dropping, so she can eat to prevent herself from going into a diabetic coma. The MBSR practices help Sylvia slow down and actually pay attention to her body. On her doctor's advice, Julie tries Mindfulness Based Stress-Reduction (MBSR) classes along with her regular diabetes care program. It turns out that despite Julie generally healthy habits, her anxiety prevents her from paying attention to the cues her body gives her when her blood sugar is too low. Even scarier, despite careful monitoring of her blood sugar, she finds herself in a coma once or twice a month. She often gets angry at herself, and snaps at others for small mistakes. And while she loves her job, she feels anxious about running a business. She has a PhD, an interesting career, and good friends. Well-educated, slender, and attractive, Julie seems to have it all.
