Mind Over Medicine with Lissa Rankin MD
The Mind Over Medicine series that Lissa Rankin presented at the Ranch recently was one of the most educational and inspirational talks I’ve ever been to. The information that I learned in her class is invaluable and has moved me to read her book and take in as much as I can learn about the subject of ‘mind over medicine’.
So what is Mind Over Medicine? Well, first and foremost it’s a book Lissa wrote about her experience working as an OB/GYN physician and her valuable findings in which she discovered that our bodies literally have the capability to heal themselves when given the right tools.
Here are some highlights from her classes at the Ranch:
Lissa spoke about the Spontaneous Remission Project which “consists of over 3,500 case studies in the medical literature of patients who have been cured from seemingly ‘incurable’ illnesses, either without medical treatment or with treatment deemed inadequate for cure.” After interviewing Dr. Kelly Turner who was also studying this phenomenon, they found there was a common thread (below) throughout the 3,500 cases.
- Changing your diet.
- Deepening your spirituality.
- Feeling love/joy/happiness.
- Releasing repressed emotions.
- Taking herbs or vitamins.
- Using intuition to help make treatment decisions.
For more information about these behaviors, please visit Lissa’s write up regarding the Spontaneous Remission Project.
The body knows how to heal itself when it is facilitated or in a relaxed state. When we are in flight or flight mode, it deactivates our ability to heal mainly because the body is focused on its heightened state of stress.
The most important lesson I took from the class is to listen to you intuition and your body. Be honest with yourself. Lissa calls this your Inner Pilot Light.
Your Inner Pilot Light knows what’s true for you. This is what you want to consult to make sure you’re on the track in the categories below:
- Relationships
- Work/Life/Purpose
- Spiritual Life
- Creativity
- Money
- Mental Health
- Body
- Environment
- Sexuality
Each of these facets of life have been scientifically proven to affect health and are essential in diagnosing the root cause of your illness. Through her research, Lissa has found that when one or more of these facets are not connecting with what’s true for you, it can affect your ability to heal yourself. For example, a toxic environment, relationship or financial troubles can all lead to stress which inhibits the healing process. It is essential to know what trigger your stress response and the things that trigger your relaxation response.
I really relate to what Lissa spoke about. I do all the things we are told to do to be healthy; eat organic, exercise, yoga, meditation, etc. And the truth is I rarely get sick, but when I do it’s almost always after an extremely stressful week or day. Knowing that I have the power to heal myself and that my body is made to heal itself is extremely empowering! I’m excited to read Lissa’s book and to learn as much as I can about her findings.
To learn more about Lissa, check out her website lissarankin.com.
