Does holistic healing work? Can you mentally improve your physical health?
Holistic healing is a contemporary practice that’s also commonly known as “alternative medicine.” It’s a more natural method of improving health without the use of pharmaceuticals or surgical treatments.
Check out José Silva’s holistic healing methods, from his book The Silva Mind Control Method.
Improving Your Physical Health With the Alpha State
You can use Alpha state visualization as a holistic healing method to improve your physical health. Silva reports that this method is effective for chronic illnesses like asthma and migraines and can even improve outcomes for cancer patients when it’s used in conjunction with traditional treatments.
(Shortform note: Silva’s claims about the health benefits of his method are primarily based on personal experience and anecdotal evidence. Few peer-reviewed studies exist examining the potential benefits of the method, and the studies cited in the book were conducted prior to 1977, when the book was published. However, medical experts say that mind-body therapies (like the Silva method) can reduce stress and help treat the conditions that Silva describes.)
To improve your physical health or encourage healing from illness and injury, Silva recommends practicing this six-step process for 15 minutes every day:
1) The first step of the process is to make your mind a gentler, more positive place in general, as this will increase your power to heal yourself. To do this, Silva recommends focusing on the words you use while in both Alpha and Beta states because your choice of words can trigger real-life outcomes. The more often you speak positively about your life and your health, the more you’ll trigger measurable positive changes. For example, if you constantly complain that your life is difficult, you’ll make it even more difficult; but if you tell yourself every day that you’re in great health, your body will get the message and improve your health over time.
(Shortform note: The idea that our thoughts and words can influence reality is well-documented. In The Expectation Effect, David Robson explains that our expectations about our lives and health trigger specific processes in the brain that impact those outcomes. For example, people who associate aging with illness and frailty are more likely to suffer from cardiovascular problems as they age than people who see aging as a positive change. Additionally, like Silva, other experts have found that the specific words we use influence these expectation effects—studies show that negative words increase our perception of pain, while positive words can improve performance and mood during physical tasks.)
2) Second, go into the Alpha state. Silva writes that it’s not possible to feel anxiety, anger, or guilt while in this meditative state; therefore, training yourself to get into that state and stay there will help you limit those negative feelings and their impact on your physical health.
(Shortform note: Modern science confirms that emotions like anxiety are triggered by high-frequency Beta activity, and entering the Alpha state calms those same emotions in the brain. As Silva argues, calming those negative emotions can help avoid their physical health effects, including cardiovascular disease and asthma.)
3) Once in your Alpha state, remind yourself that you’re committed to creating a positive mindset through your language.
4) On your mental screen, picture the illness you’d like to heal. Briefly allow yourself to feel its effects on your body.
5) Replace that image with an image of yourself perfectly healthy and free of the symptoms that are troubling you. Make this image as real as possible, and try to feel that healthy state in your body. (Shortform note: Today, some medical experts practice a form of this visualization in the field of psychoneuroimmunology (PNI). However, rather than picturing the literal body in its current and future states, PNI patients often visualize metaphorical images, such as an army of antibodies gunning down cancer cells, then celebrating their victory on the battlefield.)
6) Once again, repeat your intention to become a more positive, loving person. (Shortform note: In steps one, three, and six of this exercise, Silva reiterates the importance of becoming a positive person. However, taking this advice to extremes may lead to toxic positivity, in which you deny and suppress emotions like anger or sadness in pursuit of 100% positive thinking. Over time, this approach can backfire, causing the negative emotions to grow stronger. Instead of denying those negative emotions, psychologists recommend allowing yourself to feel them without judgment.)
