Generous Gifts Funds Listings Summer Bulletin July 2010
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From the Congregational Nurse
Mind-Body-Spirit and Physical Health
We may think of the Mind-Body Connection as some new-age concept, possibly invented by daytime television. But Judaism has long recognized the unity of our body and spirit. In our liturgy, we ask for a complete healing (refuah shleimah), meaning a healing of body (guf) and of spirit (nefesh). It is completely artificial to separate your spiritual health from your physical health. We are one organism.
Hilda came to my office to have her blood pressure checked. She is on medication and is knowledgeable about limiting her salt intake. Though usually within normal parameters, the reading this time was high. Using an open-ended question to invite her opinion, I asked, “What do you think is happening here?” She immediately answered, “I have not slept for several nights. I have been having nightmares about my experiences in the concentration camps. Even though it happened 60 years ago and I thought I had put it all behind me, for some reason now it seems to be haunting me. I think about it all the time, awake and asleep. It is as if it just happened to me.”
As she responded to my questions, she realized what was frightening her. She feared that the vivid recollections meant she might be losing her mind. We spoke about memory, and I was able to reassure her that she was not crazy. I suggested that possibly she might be helped by meditation visualizations which promote a sense of safety and calm. We practiced the technique, and she agreed to try it at night when she felt haunted. We also spoke about her beliefs about God and how she reconciles her feelings with what happened to her. And just to be sure, we covered all possible contributing factors; we reviewed the role of salt and medication in controlling her blood pressure. We continued to meet for a few sessions until she was comfortable with the techniques and felt reassured that she wasn’t on the brink of madness.
Hilda’s blood pressure had risen in response to her feelings of stress. Not only was she not getting a restful sleep due to her nightmares but she was worried about her own mental health. Ongoing stress affects our physical health in many ways. It can raise blood pressure, affect cortisol levels and even cause our platelets to clump together, thickening our blood. Hilda recognized her physical health was deteriorating in response to the spiritual crisis she was experiencing.
A physical illness often precipitates a spiritual crisis. Questions of “why me?” can haunt us. We may wonder what we might have done to “deserve” this illness. We may question our belief in God or see God as abandoning or punishing us. Instead of finding solace in prayer, we may move the other way, into feeling more alone than ever. The psalmist cried out “My God, why have you forsaken me?” (Psalm 22)
We may become socially isolated, throwing us even deeper into the darkness. Bikkur holim, the custom of visiting the sick, is said to lessen a person’s illness by 1/60 with each visit. The Talmud understands the important connection between maintaining social connections and our physical health.
Mind-body-spirit is not a new age concept. It is an important interweaving of our systems—physical, mental and spiritual. It is essential to pay attention to all three. A crisis in any of the systems could precipitate problems in any of the others. Asking yourself the question, “what do you think is happening here?” may be a way of looking at that connection and trying to find a way to lead yourself back to place of wellness in both body and spirit.
Karen Frank 973.994.2290, ext.262
