HOW TO HEAL ONESELF & OTHERS. William Walker Atkinson
Чтение книги онлайн.
Читать онлайн книгу HOW TO HEAL ONESELF & OTHERS - William Walker Atkinson страница 8
Название: HOW TO HEAL ONESELF & OTHERS
Автор: William Walker Atkinson
Издательство: Bookwire
Жанр: Сделай Сам
isbn: 9788075839718
isbn:
"By the term 'efforts of nature,' we mean a certain curative or restorative principle, or vis vita, implanted in every living or organized body, constantly operative for its repair, preservation, or health. This instinctive endeavor to repair the human organism is signally shown in the event of a severed or lost part, as a finger, for instance; for Nature, unaided, will repair and fashion a stump equal to one from the hands of an eminent surgeon. Nature, unaided, may be equally potent in ordinary illness. Many individuals, even when severely ill, remain at rest in bed, under favorable hygeine, regimen, etc., and speedily get well without a physician or medicine."
The vis medicatrix naturae is a very potent factor in the amelioration of disease, if it only be allowed fair play." "We are compelled to acknowledge a power of natural recovery inherent in the body—a similar statement has been made by writers on the principle of medicine in all ages." "Whatever other theories we may hold, we must recognize the vis medicatrix naturae in some shape or other." "A natural power of the prevention and repair of disorders and disease has as real and as active an existence within us as have the ordinary functions of the organs themselves." Hippocrates, the founder of the science of medicine, said: "Nature is the physician of diseases." Ambrose Pare had inscribed over the door of the great medical school, the Ecole de Medicine of Paris, these remarkable words: "Je le ponsez et Dieu le guarit," which freely translated means: "I dressed the wound, and God healed it!"
A careful investigation shows that this much vaunted vis medicatrix naturae, the "Nature" of medical science, is really mental in its nature; and is identical with our conception of the Corporeal Mind. Mind is ever at work in the physical processes of cure. The basis of all true healing is to be found in this Corporeal Mind, under whatever name it may be called—this fact must ever be kept in mind.
The Corporeal Mind, however, sometimes lags in its work; or else it becomes sluggish and apathetic; or perhaps discouraged from some cause or other. In such cases it may be stimulated to action, and even guided and set to work in the proper direction by means of the proper incentive coming through the Conscious Mind, or else directed immediately to itself. This fact makes possible all forms of mental healing, no matter under what name they may operate, or under what theory they may proceed—the basic fact remains the same.
And, alas! the rule works both ways. For we find that much disease is caused, maintained, and perpetuated by means of wrongful suggestions or ideas implanted in the Corporeal Mind by means of influences, suggestion, teaching, advice or other methods of implanting an idea in the mind. The Corporeal Mind, though very set in its way as a rule, is affected by suggestion or wrong ideas if strongly and repeatedly presented to it. And when it finally is affected by these ideas, it manifests its false belief by means of its very efficient system of sympathetic nerves reaching to all parts of the body—and disease and improper functioning begins. Next to false ideas, perhaps, Fear is the most potent factor in this mental causation of disease. Fear paralyzes the activities of the Corporeal Mind, and prevents it from doing its work properly and efficiently.
It is to be hoped that the student will not pass over these important basic and fundamental explanations on the ground that they are "dry reading." Such a course would be very foolish, indeed; for it is necessary that these fundamental and basic principles of the theory of the cause and cure of disease may be thoroughly grasped and remembered, in order that the principles of healing may have an intelligent foundation.
LESSON VI
MENTAL CAUSES OF DISEASE
Before proceeding to the consideration of the subject of the healing of disease by the power of mind, it will be well for us to pause for a moment that we may realize the potency of the mind in the direction of causing disease. For, let us not try to escape this truth, mind turned in the wrong direction will as surely cause disease as mind turned in the right direction will cure disease. The mental motive power runs when reversed as well as when turned forward.
Medical science, in its history, has taken note of many instances of great mental epidemics, accompanied by physical ills, disease, and death. Fear is contagious, as all physicians know, and when it is based on a strong belief in a suggested idea of disease, the disease spreads with marvellous rapidity. The pages of the records of medical science are filled with the testimony of eminent physicians regarding this evil potency of mind in the direction of causing disease. The following are typical instances of this testimony:
"Diabetes from sudden mental shock is true, pure type of a physical malacy of mental origin."—Sir Samuel Baker.
"In many cases, I have seen reasons for believing that cancer had its origin in prolonged anxiety."—Sir George Paget.
"I have been surprised how often patients with primary cancer of the liver lay the cause of this ill health to protracted grief or anxiety. The cases have been far too numerous to be accounted for as mere coincidences."—Dr. Murchison.
"Eruptions on the skin will follow excessive mental strain. In all these, and in cancer and epilepsy, there is a predisposition. It is remarkable how little the question of physical disease from mental influence has been studied."—Dr. Richardson.
"My experiments show that irascible, malevolent and depressing emotions generate in the system injurious compounds, some of which are extremely poisonous; also that agreeable, happy emotions generate chemical compounds of nutritious value, which stimulates the cells to manufacture energy."—Prof. Elmer Gates.
Dr. Hack Tuke, in his important work on the influence of the mind over the body, gives numerous cases of the causing of serious diseases by ideas held in the mind, or by simple mental states induced by fear. He gives many cases in which paralysis, jaundice, premature greyness and baldness, decay of the teeth, uterine troubles, erysipelas, eczema, and impetigo, have been caused in this way.
The records of physiological psychology contain many references to cases in which serious illness, and even death, have been caused by the efforts of practical jokers to "scare" their victims. The usual plan is to have several persons, during the course of a few hours, tell the victim that he is looking very ill, and that his appearance resembles that of another friend who grew suddenly ill and then died. The usual result is that the victim will become frightened, and in some cases be actually prostrated with weakness and compelled to take to his bed.
Medical students frequently contract the diseases whose symptoms they have been studying in their text-books. Moreover, it is an established fact that specialists in medical practice frequently contract the very disease that they have been studying so closely, and treating so continuously in their practice. The strong mental image tends to influence the Corporeal Mind, and that manifests in physical disorder. Many persons have contracted diseases described in detail in the patent medicine almanacs and other fear-producing printed matter describing the disease for which the medicine is intended.
Medical annals also contain numerous references to cases in which persons have died from the belief and fright arising from having taken what they have supposed to be poison, but which in reality was some harmless drug. Cases are known in which such patients died after having manifested all the symptoms of poisoning by the drug that they had supposed they had taken, but of which an autopsy failed to reveal even a trace.
The well-authenticated instances of the production of stigmata, or the marks of the nails on the hands and feet of the crucified Savior, on the bodies of СКАЧАТЬ