It Couldn't All Be In My Head – Could It? Activation – Part I

Apologetically and with a nervous chuckle, the young woman who had been suffering from some long term health issues said, “This is going to sound weird, but I think I started to feel better right after calling you to set up the appointment.”  

Was it just in her head? There were actually a couple of dynamics taking place.

 First: Most of us have heard of the Placebo Effect. People are given sugar pills and a certain number of them will get well just because they believe that this pill will make them well.

 However, there is also something called the Nocebo Effect. In one study, cancer patients were given sugar pills, but were told it was chemotherapy drugs. 30% of the cancer patients lost their hair. Why? Because they believed that they were being given chemotherapy drugs and knew that a side effect was hair loss.

 The Placebo and Nocebo Effects lend credibility to the idea that a person's attitude and emotional state can cause a physical problem to appear or disappear.

 Your thoughts matter and what you believe matters.

 This young woman, at some level, believed that it would be beneficial to at least set up an appointment and come to see me.

 Second: Another dynamic that took place with this young woman was that by setting up an appointment, she gave herself HOPE. Hope is an amazing thing. Take it away from someone and what have you got left? Scripture says it perfectly:

 Proverbs 17:22 - “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”

 Unless you are already dead, there is always hope.

 Third: There is a systematic approach to natural health and healing referred to as the A B C + D Approach. The “A” is activation. Activation is always the first step in the healing process and it may well be the most critical.  You probably already utilize this concept and aren't even aware of it.

 More on Activation in Part II.  In the meantime, ask yourself, “What's in my head?”