Renowned German psychologist Bruno Klopfer published a famous study in 1957 on the connection between human psychology variables and cancer. In this famous study, Klopfer documented the life of a man named Wright who had been diagnoised with an advanced form of cancer in his lymph nodes. All treatments had been tried, retried and Doctors were accepting that Wright would not have much time left. Klopfer wrote the following:
"His neck, armpits, chest, abdomen, and groin were filled with tumors the size of oranges, and his spleen and liver were so enlarged that two quarts of milky fluid had to be drainedout of his chest every day. Wright heard about an exciting new drug called Krebiozen, and he begged his doctor to let him try it. At first the doctor refused because the drug was being tried on people with a life expectancy of at least three months. Finally the doctor gave in and gave Wright an injection of Krebiozen on Friday, but in his heart of hearts he did not expect Wright to last the weekend. Ten days after Wright’s first treatment, he left the hospital and was, as far as his doctors could tell, cancer free. When he entered the hospital he had needed an oxygen mask to breathe, but when he left, he was well enough to fly his own plane at 12,000 feet with no discomfort.Wright remained well for about two months, but then articles began to appear asserting that Krebiozen actually had no effect on cancer of the lymph nodes. Wright, who was rigidly logical and scientific in his thinking, became very depressed, suffered a relapse, and was readmitted to the hospital. This time his physician decided to try an experiment. He told Wright that Krebiozen was every bit as effective as it had seemed, but that some of the initial supplies of the drug had deteriorated during shipping.The physician used only plain water and went through an elaborate procedure before injecting Wright with the placebo. Again the results were dramatic. Tumor masses melted, chest fluid vanished, and Wright was quickly back on his feet and feeling great. He remained symptom-free for another two months, but then the AMA announced that a nationwide study of Krebiozen had found the drug worthless for the treatment of cancer. This time Wright’s faith was completely shattered. His cancer blossomed anew and he died two days later.”
Many studies have come to show that the human is more powerful than most of us believe it to be. Harvard professor Ellen Langer has devoted her life to the research of the human mind. She has found that giving nursing home resident more control over their lives made them live longer, or she made hotel maids lost weight simply by telling them that their work burned as many calories as a typical workout, or Langer found that instructing a group of elderly men to talk and act as if they were 20 years younger reversed the aging process.
Klopfer, Langer and dozens of other doctors, researchers and professors can all confirm that the mind is arguably the most powerful part of your body. The mind, in all its power, needs to be tamed and used responsibly. It needs to be guided and led, because as studies show, the way we use it can make us or break us; liven us or kill us, literally.
Along with these studies on the power of our minds, there is also the belief in the "law of attraction" which is the belief that if you think something, you will attract it to you:by focusing on positive or negative thoughts, one can bring positive or negative results. While I don't believe that if I keep thinking I will win the lottery, I will actually win, or if I keep thinking that my car is going to explode, it will mysteriously explode in the street, I do most definitely think that the thoughts we think and focus on, will most definitely have a tremendous impact on our every day life and even our future.
If I were to go around thinking and over thinking about a math test I failed, I think that eventually these thoughts would bring negative results in my life. I would continue to think about the ifs and buts and what if this test will make me fail the class and then I would have to retake it and lose my scholarship and then have to take out loans and then not be able to afford to law school…. and I could keep on thinking about this for the whole day and through the following night(s) to the point where I haven't slept in weeks. And where did all those thoughts get me? Absolutely no where. Now I would be sleepy AND stressed. Instead of accepting that even the best of students will fail a test or two in their lifetime and that things will be okay, I let my mind become my enemy. Ever thoughts we think has some sort impact on our life and ultimately attitude, and attitude is a major component of an individuals quality of life.
When things go right, life is pretty easy. But when things go wrong or not in the direction we planned or get hard, we have 2 options: we can figure out and stay positive, or we can pout and be "pissed."
It is so easy to just get in a mood when things go wrong. But the funny thing about life is that things go wrong all the time. Flights are delayed, traffic never goes away, gas prices skyrocket, tires go flat, electricity goes out, toilets get plugged, mosquitoes exist, boys break hearts, PMS happens, your favorite TV shows get cancelled and we have all slept through our alarms. Simply put, stuff happens, and it's going to keep happening, even to the most well planned, organized and detailed person. That's just life.
Whats even more crazy is that those little things mentioned above, are just a few examples of the little things that show our character and ultimately shape not just the day that "my alarm clock didn't go off" but also can set off a chain of events for the rest of the day, week or even month. We can accept these things with a sense of humor and calm acceptance or we can pout and be pissed off for the rest of the day… So, what kind of mindset do you posses and do you think your mindset is that of a nurturing mind or one of a destructive mind?
I have challenged myself every day to take every. single. little. thing. as a gift from God and to give thanks for everything that goes right and everything that goes wrong; everything that is easy and everything that makes me want to punch a wall; for everything that feels good and for everything that hurts; for everything that is fun and exciting and for everything that is boring and mundane; for people who love me and for people who hate me and to be honest, this is not the easiest task in the world. Sometimes I want to feel sorry for myself, sometimes I just want people to pull it together and grow up and sometimes I just want things to go right, like is that really too much to ask for?
All these things can be done, but only if that is the attitude and mindset I choose to take on and embrace every morning. What a powerful tool I have on my shoulders, but I do not always apply it correctly. Instead of using it to think good thoughts and set myself up for success, I spend time thinking about how things could be better or I was somewhere else or if I was doing something more exciting or if only that had gone right or etc. We can quiickly run out of reasons to be thankful for or excited for, but it is so easy to think of things we just want to change or things we want someone else to change. What a shame that we let our minds wander and are so quick to have negative responses instead of turning unfortunate circumstances into positive thoughts and stepping stones to a better personal attitude and self growth.
So many of our regrets and rainy days could be changed by a simple diversion in our minds. Instead of wandering into a territory of negatively or sadness, we each possess the capability to build up not ourselves but those around us. Colbie Caillat has the right idea in her song "Think Good Thoughts" as she sings "Think good thoughts//Imagine would the world would be if we just, think good thoughts//stop the bad from feeding//I won't let the negativity turn me into my enemy//Promise to myself that I wont let it get the best of me//That's how I want to be."
I second Ms. Caillats desire for how she lives her life, and beyond just thinking good thoughts and promising myself to be happy, I am even more happy that I do not have to take on this challenge alone. When life begins to just pound the back of my head with everything that is going wrong, I remember that I have a Savior who loves me unconditionally and is ready with open arms to carry me every time I stumble and fall. What a wonderful thing it is to no that I do not have to go through life alone. Even the strongest fall, even the Roman Empire collapsed and even the unsinkable Titanic sank, everyone and everything is subject to the game of life. So think good thoughts and don't let your most powerful earthly possession go to waste. The mind is a precious gift, use it wisely.
PS. Here's a little Colbie :)
Klopfer, Langer and dozens of other doctors, researchers and professors can all confirm that the mind is arguably the most powerful part of your body. The mind, in all its power, needs to be tamed and used responsibly. It needs to be guided and led, because as studies show, the way we use it can make us or break us; liven us or kill us, literally.
Along with these studies on the power of our minds, there is also the belief in the "law of attraction" which is the belief that if you think something, you will attract it to you:by focusing on positive or negative thoughts, one can bring positive or negative results. While I don't believe that if I keep thinking I will win the lottery, I will actually win, or if I keep thinking that my car is going to explode, it will mysteriously explode in the street, I do most definitely think that the thoughts we think and focus on, will most definitely have a tremendous impact on our every day life and even our future.
If I were to go around thinking and over thinking about a math test I failed, I think that eventually these thoughts would bring negative results in my life. I would continue to think about the ifs and buts and what if this test will make me fail the class and then I would have to retake it and lose my scholarship and then have to take out loans and then not be able to afford to law school…. and I could keep on thinking about this for the whole day and through the following night(s) to the point where I haven't slept in weeks. And where did all those thoughts get me? Absolutely no where. Now I would be sleepy AND stressed. Instead of accepting that even the best of students will fail a test or two in their lifetime and that things will be okay, I let my mind become my enemy. Ever thoughts we think has some sort impact on our life and ultimately attitude, and attitude is a major component of an individuals quality of life.
When things go right, life is pretty easy. But when things go wrong or not in the direction we planned or get hard, we have 2 options: we can figure out and stay positive, or we can pout and be "pissed."
It is so easy to just get in a mood when things go wrong. But the funny thing about life is that things go wrong all the time. Flights are delayed, traffic never goes away, gas prices skyrocket, tires go flat, electricity goes out, toilets get plugged, mosquitoes exist, boys break hearts, PMS happens, your favorite TV shows get cancelled and we have all slept through our alarms. Simply put, stuff happens, and it's going to keep happening, even to the most well planned, organized and detailed person. That's just life.
Whats even more crazy is that those little things mentioned above, are just a few examples of the little things that show our character and ultimately shape not just the day that "my alarm clock didn't go off" but also can set off a chain of events for the rest of the day, week or even month. We can accept these things with a sense of humor and calm acceptance or we can pout and be pissed off for the rest of the day… So, what kind of mindset do you posses and do you think your mindset is that of a nurturing mind or one of a destructive mind?
I have challenged myself every day to take every. single. little. thing. as a gift from God and to give thanks for everything that goes right and everything that goes wrong; everything that is easy and everything that makes me want to punch a wall; for everything that feels good and for everything that hurts; for everything that is fun and exciting and for everything that is boring and mundane; for people who love me and for people who hate me and to be honest, this is not the easiest task in the world. Sometimes I want to feel sorry for myself, sometimes I just want people to pull it together and grow up and sometimes I just want things to go right, like is that really too much to ask for?
All these things can be done, but only if that is the attitude and mindset I choose to take on and embrace every morning. What a powerful tool I have on my shoulders, but I do not always apply it correctly. Instead of using it to think good thoughts and set myself up for success, I spend time thinking about how things could be better or I was somewhere else or if I was doing something more exciting or if only that had gone right or etc. We can quiickly run out of reasons to be thankful for or excited for, but it is so easy to think of things we just want to change or things we want someone else to change. What a shame that we let our minds wander and are so quick to have negative responses instead of turning unfortunate circumstances into positive thoughts and stepping stones to a better personal attitude and self growth.
So many of our regrets and rainy days could be changed by a simple diversion in our minds. Instead of wandering into a territory of negatively or sadness, we each possess the capability to build up not ourselves but those around us. Colbie Caillat has the right idea in her song "Think Good Thoughts" as she sings "Think good thoughts//Imagine would the world would be if we just, think good thoughts//stop the bad from feeding//I won't let the negativity turn me into my enemy//Promise to myself that I wont let it get the best of me//That's how I want to be."
I second Ms. Caillats desire for how she lives her life, and beyond just thinking good thoughts and promising myself to be happy, I am even more happy that I do not have to take on this challenge alone. When life begins to just pound the back of my head with everything that is going wrong, I remember that I have a Savior who loves me unconditionally and is ready with open arms to carry me every time I stumble and fall. What a wonderful thing it is to no that I do not have to go through life alone. Even the strongest fall, even the Roman Empire collapsed and even the unsinkable Titanic sank, everyone and everything is subject to the game of life. So think good thoughts and don't let your most powerful earthly possession go to waste. The mind is a precious gift, use it wisely.
PS. Here's a little Colbie :)
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