Mind Over Medicine: Scientific Proof That You Can Heal Yourself

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At the heart of the book is a discussion about how to go about performing one’s own diagnosis and writing one’s own prescription. As I mentioned earlier, this isn’t about cutting the doctor out. In this case one is diagnosing one’s stressors and prescribing activities to eliminate them. This doesn’t mean one should pass up medical treatment or doctor’s advice. However, it may entail switching doctors if you have a doctor that firmly believes you are incapable of getting better—you don’t need any doubts about your body’s ability to do its thing being foist upon you. Beyond her expertise as an author, Dr. Lisa Rankin is an incredible person who genuinely cares about the well-being of others. Her compassion and authenticity resonate throughout the book, creating a sense of trust and connection with readers. She has dedicated her life to bridging the gap between conventional medicine and holistic approaches, empowering individuals to become active participants in their healing process.

New insight into how unresolved trauma can stand in the way of healing from chronic and life-threatening illnesses-and powerful tools we can use to heal it

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In the years since then, Dr. Rankin has deepened her exploration of the world's healing tradition and her understanding of the healing power we hold within ourselves--if only we can tap into it. This revised edition of Mind Over Medicine reflects her latest research, evolving wisdom, and work with clients and students in her healing community, as well as with doctors and other healers in her Whole Health Medicine Institute. When Mind Over Medicine was first published, it broke new ground in the fertile region where science and spirituality intersect. Through the process of restoring her own health, Dr. Lissa Rankin discovered that the conventional health care she had been taught to practice was missing something crucial: a recognition of the body’s innate ability to self-repair and an appreciation for how we can control these self-healing mechanisms with the power of our own consciousness. Mind Over Medicine" delves into the fascinating connection between the mind and the body, providing a thought-provoking exploration of the power of the mind in healing and well-being. Dr. Lisa Rankin, with her expertise as a physician and her compassionate approach, guides readers on an empowering journey to understand the profound impact our thoughts, beliefs, and emotions have on our physical health. Even the title of this book reflects my own state of consciousness when I first wrote it. “Mind Over Medicine” suggests that the all-powerful mind can control your reality, and all you have to do is learn to harness it. I desperately wanted that to be true. If it was, then I could comfortably hold on to my old-world view: that doctors are in control of life and death, only now we need to help patients control the mind, in addition to practicing good medicine. The possibility that we might not be capable of controlling life and death was just too distressing to me at the time I first wrote this book. Now I’m more comfortable with the unknown and more willing to trust the mystery rather than trying to control life. I think of the book more as “Consciousness Over Medicine” or maybe even “Consciousness IS Medicine.” I no longer believe that healing is a purely mental process, but I do believe that expanding your consciousness has the potential to cure life-threatening diseases and shift your whole life, and this book will help you do that. What sets "Mind Over Medicine" apart is the author's ability to blend scientific evidence, personal anecdotes, and practical guidance seamlessly. Dr. Rankin presents a wealth of research, demonstrating the mind's influence on physiological processes, including the immune system, hormone regulation, and cellular repair.

In that space, you will find your Inner Pilot Light, and in the divinity, you will discover within your humanity, healing happens; and with healing, cure sometimes follows. If this leaves you unsettled, let me reassure you by saying that if you can trust the journey and even borrow faith from the hundreds of thousands of people who have embarked upon this journey before you, you will discover that you have within you everything you need to be all that you must be. Dare I say that you will become the embodiment of what your soul came here to planet Earth to become? Sometimes this will result in full and permanent cure, and you will feel like you’ve been blessed with a miracle. Sometimes it will not, and I won’t be able to explain why, but I do know that it’s probably not because you failed to do something right.It was not until I left my job as a conventionally trained physician working in a hospital in 2007 that I was first introduced to best-selling books that had been published in my lifetime and gobbled up by the public, such as Love, Medicine & Miracles, by Bernie Siegel, M.D.; The Relaxation Response , by Herbert Benson, M.D.; Minding the Body, Mending the Mind, by Joan Borysenko, Ph.D.; or Kitchen Table Wisdom , written by the doctor who would become my mentor, Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D. On the contrary, I was raised by a rigidly skeptical physician father and a family full of Methodist ministers and missionaries, where I was brought up to separate science and spirituality at all costs. Any attempt to combine the two was judged as New Age nonsense or charlatanism at best—or the work of the devil at worst. This kind of childhood programming set me up to be the least likely person on the planet to write a book like this. In the years since then, Dr. Rankin has deepened her exploration of the world’s healing tradition and her understanding of the healing power we hold within ourselves—if only we can tap into it. This revised edition of Mind Over Medicine reflects her latest research, evolving wisdom, and work with clients and students in her healing community, as well as with doctors and other healers in her Whole Health Medicine Institute. I am thrilled to share my heartfelt review of "Mind Over Medicine" by Dr. Lisa Rankin, a truly remarkable book that has exceeded all my expectations. In adherence to the provided criteria, I will discuss the content of the book, highlight Dr. Rankin's exceptional qualities as an author and individual, and express my intention to gift this book to friends who appreciate holistic approaches to medicine.

With age comes wisdom, and as I work on the revised edition of this book, I am just now integrating the tensions inherent in the paradoxical nature of reality. Ten years ago, I would have said, “You can heal yourself,” and I realize now this is half true. It’s true that taking charge of your health can move you out of the disease-inducing frequency of victimhood and transition you into the health-inducing state of realizing that you can impact your reality with the brave lifestyle choices you have the power to make. It’s also true that most people can’t heal themselves alone. Some people take “self-help” too far and stress their nervous systems with the all-American story of the rugged individualist, with the idea that you can make anything happen if only you push and strive and exert the power of your will hard enough. I now find it more true to hold the paradox of doing what you can to be proactive about healing yourself while simultaneously surrendering to the flow of an unknowable Mystery so vast that we cannot fathom it with our cute little pea brains. Such seeming contradictions run rampant when you go as far down the rabbit hole of researching healing as I’ve gone. New insight into how unresolved trauma can stand in the way of healing from chronic and life-threatening illnesses and powerful tools we can use to heal it. When Mind Over Medicine was first published, it broke new ground in the fertile region where science and spirituality intersect. Through the process of restoring her own health, Dr. Lissa Rankin discovered that the conventional health care she had been taught to practice was missing something crucial: a recognition of the body's innate ability to self-repair and an appreciation for how we can control these self-healing mechanisms with the power of our own consciousness.Comparing "Mind Over Medicine" to other books in the field, it stands out as a beacon of hope and empowerment. Dr. Rankin's approach goes beyond traditional medical paradigms, urging individuals to explore the mind-body connection and embrace holistic healing strategies. Her emphasis on the importance of self-care, stress reduction, and cultivating positive beliefs provides readers with practical tools to support their well-being. Can faith healing, karma cleansing, chakra fluffing, or sugar pills contribute to healing? Sure, but not in the way that the faithful thinks. These systems--each of which has proponents who’ll swear they witnessed first-hand the power of faith or magic or invisible energy (and they are probably not lying)--work because the person who firmly believes in these therapies is able to relax and let their bodies can do what they do. This book is one of many that challenge the conventional approach to medical care in which a patient is a passive character who just goes to the doctor and does (or ingests) whatever the doc tells them to. In the vein of works by Deepak Chopra and Bernie Siegal, this book is written by medical doctor who has different beliefs on healing. So what’s the niche of “Mind Over Medicine”, given that there are already a number of prominent medical doctors preaching the same message? That message is that your body is a healing machine and will do MOST (not ALL, none of these individuals advocates abandoning modern medical science) of the heavy lifting of healing, if you create the right conditions. Rankin presents results from scientific studies as the thrust of her book. I’m not really that familiar with Siegal, but you’ll find Rankin’s work a great deal less spiritual and more scientific than the works of Deepak Chopra. There’s a lot of scientific interest in understanding why some people experience spontaneous remissions from the most lethal of ailments while others succumb to diseases that most people weather with ease. While many people will chalk it up to divine will or chakra nudging or having one’s demons expunged, these aren’t satisfying answers for the scientifically minded individual. However, neither is the extreme skeptic’s suggestion that these are just randomly distributed flukes of nature—and it’s a waste of time to try to explain the outliers. The latter being unsatisfying because phenomena like the placebo effect are well documented.