How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body

During these times of when we are bombarded with messages of fear about "getting sick", I want to share with you my experiences of the body's tremendous capacity to heal after dis-ease or injury and its wonderful capacity for wellness and well being when we create a nourishing environment for mind, body and soul.

I stood before the audience at the Hyannis Resort and Conference Ballroom at the Hyannis Marathon Weekend Pre-Race Pasta Dinner.


I began my talk with, "Do you know that the subconscious mind can’t tell the difference between something you imagine and something you actually experience?" I went on to suggest that everyone imagine taking a bite of lemon from a lemon slice that might be in their drink. I saw everyone scrunch their face and purse their lips. I felt my own salivary glands fire up.

I was blessed to connect with David R. Hamilton, Ph.D. on social media after watching the Heal Documentary. He put out a call for stories for people who healed harnessing the power of visualization. My story was one that was chosen for inclusion in his 10th Anniversary Edition of his best selling book, "How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body."


The title of my story is "My Master Electrician." I share how, after the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome in December of 2006, I discovered the gift of poetry in my soul. Poems poured out of me in which I imagined myself healthy, whole and running...yes running free even though I was told to prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair and a whole host of other "predictions" for what would happen to me as I aged! I had never run a day in my life and used a toe up leg brace, a cane and at times a wheelchair for mobility.


When I wrote poetry I literally felt no pain despite having endured chronic pain for decades. I meditated several times a day visualizing healing of my neuromuscular connections from having contracted paralytic polio at the age of 5 allowing my master electrician...God, the Divine, Source, Creator of all Things...to guide me in the process of rewiring my entire nervous system. I imagined the breaches that occurred from polio and enduring trauma at the hands of family members completely healed. Little did I know at the time that these thoughts were actually creating chemical changes in my body that created healing.

A New Lease on Life

Rented space
rendered apart
plundered
what God has wrought
let no man put asunder.

Old wallpaper stripped
plumbing purged
once a trickle now flows
flickering lamps rewired
no longer dim
light bathes this old house.

Owner occupied
she smiles
sitting on the porch swing
butterflies dance

In a moment of unbridled joy
barefoot and free

they become One.

Before the diagnosis of Post Polio Syndrome, I was aware of the power of the mind/body connection through Bernie Siegel, MD. He is one of the pioneers in the field of mind/body medicine. A nurse introduced me to his work in the 1980's when I was hospitalized for a bone infection in my shoulder.

Bernie shared the story of Evy McDonald in his book "Love, Medicine and Miracles." She was a polio survivor who was diagnosed with ALS as an adult. She watched her body whither away like a bowl of jello as she sat in a wheelchair until she decided she was not going to die hating herself and her body. She sat in front of a mirror without clothetos and began to love her body just as it was in its withered state. She healed her heart and the body, receiving a love message, healed. Today she is a minister leading a full life inspiring others with the healing power of love. She inspired me to go on a quest to heal my life following the wisdom of Bernie and many other mind/body luminaries. I went on to run the 2009 Boston Marathon!



After a serious knee injury in December of 2014, I redoubled my efforts to heal from the effects of paralytic polio and trauma. A chiropractor introduced me to the work of Dr. Joe Dispenza and the movie, "What the bleep do we know...." We used KT tape to grow a new gastroc muscle, chiropractic care and he designed a new strength training program for me so I could get back to the sport that became my therapy and my new lifestyle of health and well being. Despite the warnings from the medical community that I needed to have a re-evaluation for the "progression" of Post Polio Syndrome that was surely going to happen from the Post Polio Clinic Team and needed to stop running, I went on to run 3 consecutive Bermuda Half Marathons in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

In Dr. Joe's book, "You Are the Placebo," he cites numerous examples of how the mind can heal the body and how it can also create dis-ease. He cites an example of a gentleman who was told that he had terminal cancer. He died when the doctors told him he should expect to die and on autopsy had absolutely no cancer anywhere in his body. That is the power of suggestion and how we can harness the power of the mind for creating healing and well being as easily as believing there is dis-ease and having our bodies biochemically respond to those messages. Dr. Candace Pert wrote two books, "The Molecules of Emotion" and "Everything you need to know to feel Go(o)d" that underscore the power of the mind/body connection from a scientist's perspective.

Dr. David Hamilton was a scientist in the pharmaceutical industry who became fascinated with the placebo effect. He left his career in the pharmaceutical industry and has published 10 books to date using science to inspire us to become our highest and best selves and have a
positive influence in the world around us.

There are many luminaries who are contributing to the body of knowledge that gives a wider holistic perspective to what is being reported in the mass media.

I could have easily followed the advice of the medical community who warned me that if you use it you will lose it and prepared to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair experiencing a rapid decline as I aged.

Instead, I got still and asked for Divine Guidance, following the promptings of my heart and soul and created a miracle of healing harnessing the power of my mind.

To learn more about my healing journey and explore resources for healing, visit my website at www.marymcmanus.com

My books are available on Amazon

From my heart to yours
In health and wellness,
Mary