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Reflections on 'Mind as Healer, Mind as Destroyer' conference
The Scientific and Medical Network held a major conference on 'the Body and Beyond: Mind as Healer, Mind as Destroyer' at Latimer Place, Buckinghamshire, last weekend. This is part of a series of cutting edge annual conferences which alternate in subject between 'Beyond the Brain' and 'the Body and Beyond'.
David Lorimer set the scene with a talk on some largely forgotten 20th century thinkers/writers/researchers who explored the power of positive thinking in affecting life and health.
David Spiegel, Professor of Psychiatry at Stanford University, USA, gave a fascinating talk on 'Hypnosis and Health', including data from brain scans showing that hypnotically induced analgesia and anaesthesia actually blocks pain at the level of perception. If however, the hypnotist instead alleviates pain by diverting the patients attention away from the pain, then the pain is perceived by the brain but without causing the conscious experience of pain. This raises very interesting questions about the power of mind over body.
Kavita Vedhara is Professor of Health Psychology at Nottingham University. She gave a talk on 'Psychoneuroimmunology: What has Stress got to do with it', in which she presented research findings showing that the observation that people under stress are more susceptible to infectious diseases is supported by biochemistry: Among elderly people, it seems that stress reduces their ability to produce antibodies in response to flu vaccination.
On Saturday afternoon we had parallel sessions presented by participants: David Beales and Helen Whitten; Sue Bayliss; Ingrid Collins; Zohar Dina Glouberman; and Marilyn Monk. I attended Marilyn's presentation on 'The Science of Imagination', touching on factors influencing control of gene expression, a fascinating area of research.
The next plenary session on 'Placebo and Nocebo Responses' was by Michel Odent who is famous for his work in obstetrics, introducing the whole concept of water births and the birthing pool. I found his talk disappointing. He has a very particular view of orthodox antenatal care which he sees as having a strong 'Nocebo' effect on pregnant women. This seemed to be based more on opinion than on evidence. Placebo/Nocebo is such an important effect, with a large body of evidence to support it, that I felt he didn't do justice to it.
Saturday evening we watched a beautifully mde film by doctor and artist Vanda Playford, showing the work of a spiritual healer, from the pre Hispanic tradition of Mexhica Pactili.
On the Sunday morning we had excellent complementary talks from two clinicians: Paul Gilbert, professor of Clinical Pyschology at the University of Derby, and Dr David Beales, a practising physician with the NHS, both of whom use mindfulness and self compassion techniques in the treatment of physical and psychological conditions. It is remarkable that more than 50% of people who see their GP have no underlying pathology!
It was an inspiring weekend and, as with all Network events, the most valuable part was meeting the other participants: some 160 of them from around the world. On the Saturday night we had a cathartic party and sing along, undoubtedly improving our health and wellbeing! The venue was excellent. We had our own separate building set in lovely gardens and with access to a swimming pool. I'm already looking forward to next year's Beyond the Brain conference which will be the same weekend.
Independent philosopher
Barbara Montero is an independent philosopher to the extent that she does not follow so many modern philosophers in acting as an under-labourer to a dated Newtonian view of science. Montero offers a shrewd analysis of the reasons why mainstream thinkers are unhappy with theories of consciousness that derive consciousness from the fundamental level of the universe. She asks why properties that are mental should be accounted as non-physical, rather than as being part of the physical universe. She suggests that properties related to the mental tend not to be regarded as acceptable parts of the physical universe, because if the mental were seen as fundamental, it would have emerged like that from the Big Bang. She thinks that for some this might hint at the existence of a god, and further than that a human or mental related purpose to the universe.
The power of purpose and autonomy
This is a beautifully illustrated presentation on the limits of monetary reward, and the power of purpose and autonomy to motivate.
There is an unbounded main of thought...
"There is an unbounded main
Of thought, beyond our wildest dream,
Through which arrives in every brain,
Imbued with ego, a tiny stream."
"The earth is ailing, water sick
And nations on the brink of war,
Air with the fumes of poison thick
Because mankind has wandered far
From her divinely ordered route
In search of pleasure, wealth and ease
Her passions and desires to suit,
Her fancies and her whims to please."
adapted from Gopi Krishna's last book, The Way to Self-Knowledge, published in 1987.
Conservation of Consciousness?
Conservation is an important principle in physics. Energy that comprises everything that exists is conserved. It cannot be destroyed but can only be converted from one type of energy into another. This principle of conservation extends to momentum and electrical charge, which are also conserved.
Animation of evolution - art meets science
A superb animation, mindboggingly brilliant in fact, illustrating evolution and the arrow of time. Art meeting science in the most creative way.
Nature quote
“Nature is one of those words – like ‘crowds’ and ‘traffic’ – that we use to distinguish ourselves from a group of which we are unarguably a member.” Michael Bywater
THE ROOTS OF COINCIDENCE - ARTHUR KOESTLER, HUTCHINSON & CO 1972.
I have finally got around to reading Arthur Koestler's seminal book which deals with the early days of experimental research in psychokinesis, telepathy, parapsychology and the emergence of quantum physics as a new basis for understanding the reality of the universe, described by Sir James Jeans in his Rede Lectures:
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