Man is More Non-physical Than Physical
I've just heard the news of a young actress who's a gym buff pronounced fit by medical doctors and yet dropped dead a few weeks ago.
In addition, I've known of an aged man who's a heavy alcoholic and smoker all his life and yet seem to remain well.
Bad health affected Alan's life. When he entered our therapy session, he complained of not able to sleep enough for years, unexplainable aches and pains in his body, and lack of energy at work.
When he had himself checked in the hospital, the doctors gave him a clean bill of physical health.
Even with nutrition and disciplined exercise, Alan found himself still feeling physically sick. Probing deeper in his psychotherapy, he discovered a truth: his lifelong emotional problems were the ones producing his physical illness or deterioration.
He had the worst mental health between ages 13 when he was abandoned by his parents to 53 when he went through a painful marital divorce. Because of this, even if science and medicine can cure every disease of his body, he still could not be well.
Health is not just physical. It can actually be more non-physical. Our best medical and psychological knowledge indicates that wellness or wholeness is far more than not being physically ill.
As Dr. Bruce Larson put it, "Our bodies are barometers of our inner, nontangible experiences, thoughts, fears, angers, resentments, hopes, joys. It is safe to say that 90% of most physical ailments have a real emotional, spiritual connection."
Mental health plays a powerful influence on what happens to our bodies. When we are better at loving, having more satisfying personal relations, good emotional copers, and close to God, the odds are we'll have no or minimal illness. We avoid premature aging or health deterioration.
The fact is, we have more control or autonomy than we think in this whole matter. We can all learn and practice to be and do those things that make for real, whole-person health.
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