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The Psyche and the Soma
Themes underlying a mind-body holism
Therapy treats the mind, and medicine treats the body. So say our prevailing ideas about health care, which are based on a fundamental philosophical assumption called mind-body dualism.
But our mind is an outgrowth of our body, and our body is controlled by our mind. Mind-body dualism may have been helpful in the past, but a new era of health care needs a new paradigm for healing.
How can we start to move towards mind-body holism? This article will briefly explore three themes that underly both mental and physical processes, pointing to a holism that seems to encompass them both.
Breathing and Attention
Breathing is the action of filling and expelling the lungs with air. This happens with the contraction of a muscle called the diaphragm, which increases the space available to the lungs and causes them to fill with air due to negative pressure. After the breath is taken, the lungs deflate due to their own elastic recoil, as well as that of the chest cavity.
The diaphragm can be put under either voluntary or involuntary control…
