The power of intent for mind body healing and pain management is quite extraordinary. It plays a big part because when we set our intent we have a goal to work towards and only with that focused goal can we work to achieving it.
This post will looking at examples of positive intention as well as investigating how negative intentions are occasionally set by unwitting doctors. This will highlight the importance of setting positive intentions and lead on to my personal opinions on why we should not always be so cautious. You will then see a pure example of intent from a movie, the clue here is ‘Wiggle Your Big Toe”. And finally sharing different quotes to help inspire and develop intent in us with the hope that this can help us heal and control pain management.
Lets get started by understanding how intention is described in the Dictionary, the answer is in 3 ways:
- A thing intended; an aim or plan.
- Medicine – the healing process of a wound.
- Logic – conceptions formed by directing the mind towards an object.
Interestingly each way is relevant to this post and shows us that with an aim and plan we can affect our healing. In medicine the healing of a wound just does what it is suppose to do and heal the wound and that the intention of directing our mind to an object or part of our body can help us achieve our health targets. These will overlap when using the power of the mind.
Some examples of intention which spring to mind that may make you see its power in a new light are:
- A New York Hospice, for the first time in it’s history, had no deaths in a month. that month was December 1999. It would be fair to argue that the cause of this was the patients had the intention to live to see the new millennium before passing away. I find this amazing that, one this could happen and two we have that much power over our body. I guess this intention along with a new purpose for living helped them live just a little longer. To hear this from the same source I heard it from please listen to the MP3 (9min 26secs) on the right from Result International.
- Hratch Ogali was a truly amazing man who helped many people recover and gain mobility back after serious spinal accident. His work was quite contentious because he would start by telling patience that they would walk again before working on the mind and in particular beliefs. Should you wish to learn more about Hratch and his work, check out a documentary about his work called Miracle Steps or read his book. To me his ways seem to make alot of sense.
- A 2007 study by the University of Cincinnati looked at the power of visualisation. It found that, out of the 32 patients involved, the 16 in the group who received visualisation alongside their physiotherapy had more movement that the other group of 16 who only received physiotherapy. The people who visualised had set their intention and goals to help them move closer towards the desired outcome.
A visual example of pure intent can be seen in the Movie ‘Kill Bill – Vol 1‘ I find it moving to see the power of the mind when there is no doubt in achieving her goal.
Source – www.miramax.com/watch?v=ljMjZyZDqY2nCeRVUVuDDsKcCDerL0YK
This to me is one of the best examples of intent I have ever seen and with that drive, determination and belief nothing was going to stop her from wiggling her toe and walking again, I know it was a film and not real life, but intent and belief is real and we as humans can choose to believe and respond to any situation we wish. If we choose to survive the diagnosis our chances of living and recovery are alot higher than if we choose to be a victim to it. A Kings College study supports this by exploring the views and beliefs of breast cancer patients 3 months after their mastectomy. Patients who had a fighting spirit, denial or acceptance had, after 5 and 10 years, a much higher rate of survival than those who felt hopeless and helpless.
One person who epitomised the fighting and ‘Wiggle Your Big Toe’ spirit was Douglas Bader who stated:
“Don’t listen to anyone who tells you can’t do this or that. That’s nonsense. Make up your mind, you’ll never use crutches or a stick, then have a go at everything. Go to school, join in all the games you can. Go anywhere you want to. But never, never let them persuade you that things are too difficult or impossible.”
Occasionally doctors can get in the way of you setting your goals and intent when they say things like ‘You will never walk again’ or ‘You only have 3 months to live’. These are only guesses, based on another patient who may be nothing like you in spirit and with a totally different life to yours. So build you own intentions and goals and like Douglas said don’t let others tell you what you can and cannot do.
Here are some quotes which can help you develop your intent for positive outcomes too
The question isn’t who is going to let me, it’s who is going to stop me.
Ayn Rand
I love this quote it really inspires me and changes my whole perspective when facing any adversity. Check out this Zen Pencils illustration of this quote to add to your inspiration.
The same boiling water that softens potatoes hardens eggs. It is all about what you are made of not your circumstances.
Source unknown
I can be an egg or a potato in any difficult situation. It is up to me to pick which is the best in each testing time. I have the power of perception is what this quote teaches me. There are times when soft, gentle and kind power is the best course of action, and others when grit and pure stubborn mindedness work better.
Everything can be taken from a man but one thing; the last of the human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.
Viktor Frankl
As mentioned earlier those with the right attitude tend to survive longer or are more likely to recover. Our attitude is something we have complete power over. Viktor Frankl concluded from his time in German Concentration Camps that if you have a purpose in life you can survive almost anything. What is your purpose that would help you develop your intent?
Because you are alive anything is possible
Thich Nhat Haan
This is so true, I think this quote is so inspiring. There is or has been a human who has recovered from almost every illness and endured so much pain, both physical and emotional and survived ( See Viktor Frankls Story ). Somebody somewhere has recovered from Ebola, Cancer, HIV and other diseases. My theory is, if someone else can do it, there is no reason why I can not do it too with the right drive and determination.
I hope you have found this post informative and now realise that this is your life and you can choose to ignore all that has been said above, follow it to the letter or find the path which is best for you. Either way I wish you health and happiness along the way.
