Mind over matter
Many of my concentrations recently have focused on the concept of the mind being a very important factor in determining the experience you have in any given situation.
IT HAS BEEN WELL documented the effect of a given mindset on the outcome of the treatment of a patient. This so called ‘placebo’ effect is now so well known that it features prominently in the scientific studies. The placebo is defined as the use of ‘inert therapy in a clinical context which causes a psychological or physiological improvement in condition’. This as a statement is completely ridiculous,
Some people, who think they are getting better, get better solely because they think they are getting better.
Now the placebo effect has not been studied very thoroughly and so not much is known as to why it works or how complicated a disease it will cure. Nevertheless the phenomenon works in pain settings amongst others. This is clearly an example of mind over matter. I have also heard a statistic stating that patients who feel they have more to live for have greater rates of survival in risky surgery (although I cannot find any confirmation)
Another example recently I have seen of mind over matter is involved in ageing. A recent horizon documentary detailed investigations into the elderly. One specific experiment involved taking elderly men (over 79), and recreating the environment around them to be that of the 1950′s. The logic was to reset their mind-sets to those of themselves as twenty year olds. Although the program did not go into most of the details of the experiment it was clear that some of the participants had improvements in their sight, hearing and mobility. The mind-sets needed to be created in such as strong way that the participants lived in a specially fitted home. The take home message seems to once again be that the mental attitude that a person takes towards any situation determines not all but a good majority of the outcome.
This principle is further illustrated in this lecture found on YouTube , in the lecture several experts detail similar placebo effects in the world of digital audio. One interesting example is the ‘EQing’ of an instrument on a sound desk only to discover that they were not actually having any real life effect. The knowledge that you were changing something seems to be enough to convince yourself that is it changing (even though it is not).
This does not bode well for black and white thinkers like me. It raises many questions as to the validity of truth etc. If something thinks something it can become true simply by their thinking of it, removing a lot of objective viewpoint. I think the solution is relatively easy. Give a poor man a break. Here are 3 simple rules that I think black and white thinkers could do with thinking about as some provocation for thought.
1.Given that people hear what they want to and see what they want to, what am I reading in situations that are not there?
2. If I come into conflict with people around me, what mind-sets are they carrying into this situations that means they will not spot my ‘right answer’ even if it whacks them in the face?
3. Have I got answers I am looking for before the questions have even been asked?
These 3 simple questions help to paint a picture of what is going on around you knowing that peoples mind-sets will probably carry more than you can ever say in any given situation. Do not underestimate the power of the mind for both positive and detrimental effects. Whether you create a positive attitude for someone to change the way they interact with a situation or you understand a negative mind-set to circumvent a person in another situation understanding the mind can be a key to unlock your problems.
