Positive thinking has been unfairly criticised at times for claiming to achieve more than it can deliver. It can't accomplish everything but then what else can?
An Irish banker, Dermot O'Connor, has recently demonstrated clearly the power of positive thinking. I listened to him talking to Gloria Hunniford, the host of the 'Heaven and Earth' Show, on BBC1 on July 30th, 2006.
8 years ago, Dermot had been a high flying banker working out of Dublin. He was used to travelling all over the world and, literally, had the world at his feet.
However, one morning he went to work and made an urgent business call. He started talking with slurred speech on the phone like a drunken man.
Everyone in the office started laughing. They thought that he had been drinking the night before.
Over the next few weeks he discovered that he had an aggressive form of multiple sclerosis. He had experienced two attacks in two months. His life fell apart.
He nearly died at the time of the diagnosis according to a lot of people. Doctors told him he could not be cured and that his quality of life would change dramatically and immediately.
He continued to take what he could from conventional medicine but sought help from other sources as well.
"What made you think you must do something as well as accepting the conventional medicine which you believe in?" asked Gloria Hunniford.
"The time of diagnosis was a very grim time for me," replied Dermot.
"The Chinese say: 'Where the mind goes the body eventually follows.' I was told about all these terrible things that potentially would happen to me and, initially, I felt worse every single day.
"I turned to positive mental techniques including NLP and mental techniques from the East just because I wanted to survive this condition mentally but instead of just coping mentally I was surprised to find some of my symptoms started to dissipate.
"Because my mind was thinking my legs are going to get weaker and my bladder is going to get weaker, I had this kind of ritual everyday where I would stand up and test the strength of my legs and check my eyesight to see if my vision was going to change.
"Everyday I would feel I was getting worse but, because of the techniques I was using, I was now feeling that I was getting stronger physically in every way.
"After about 8 months my symptoms had disappeared!"
Dermot knew of course that remission is possible with MS but believes:
"You must actively participate in bringing yourself into remission."
Gloria Hunniford's beautiful daughter, Caron Keating, had cancer for 7 years before she died aged 41. Gloria believed that positive thinking helped extend her life:
Caron lived by the book 'The Power of Now' i.e. living in the moment and being really positive all the time.
Gloria described what they spoke about: "We never talked about death - only about life and I believe positive thinking can extend life.... but everyone's cellular make up is different and everybody reacts differently. It can't be a pattern for everybody
Dermot continued: "I don't believe positive thinking can cure all ills but, with a multi-dimensional approach, you can help your doctors to treat your illness.
"There is lot of skill involved. Just like an Olympic athlete, you don't rely on your coach to win the gold medal for you. You have optimum nutrition and exercise plans and a sports psychologist to support you.
"You don't just go to the coach and say 'I'd like to win the gold medal. I'll check back in next month to see how I am doing.' You'd go through a whole process and one aspect of that would be a positive mental attitude.
"Saying 'positive mental attitude' is a bit like saying football is about kicking a ball. It is an acquired skill and there a lot of techniques we go through in the book."
Dermot has written a book about his experiences called 'The Healing Code'
"MS opened my consciousness to many different things. Much of the stuff in the book - all of the stuff - is scientifically verified."
Dr Mark Hamilton took part in the interview representing at least one viewpoint from orthodox medicine. He agreed with all of Dermot O'Connor's views:
"I can't see any clash. Positive thinking seems to work alongside conventional medicine. The NHS or the doctor is the coach but it is up to you to take your training forward. Whatever the diagnosis is, happy people have been proved to live longer. Doctors would be foolish to ignore this.
Gloria commented: "I like the word 'complementary' rather than 'alternative' medicine."
She did feel, however, that Dermot O'Connor had made some sweeping claims on the first page of his book which might not apply to everyone.
Dermot admitted: "It's not the immortality code - no book can tell you how to survive all illnesses - if you look at people like Lance Armstrong who have recovered when the odds are stacked against them rarely is it simply just a miracle.
"There are more things taking place and more responsibility being taken by the person. Of course, when people try all these things they can still fail."
Dr Mark Hamilton gave his view again: "Conventional doctors are advocating looking into other areas and adding on to what conventional medicine can provide.
"I don't think any doctor worth their degree is going to say that what we know is going to cure everything. What we can do has limitations. I think complementary medicine is in addition to conventional medicine. I can't see any clash."
Gloria finished the interview with a question for viewers:
"Do you agree with Dermot that we all have the power within us and the positive thinking to change our lives and help us recover from illness or should we just stick with conventional medicine and let the doctors do their job?"
Several years after his diagnosis, Dermot is in the best health of his life. He has moved from grim despair to being a bright and energetic proponent of positive thinking and multi-dimensional healing. He believes that what helped him can help others as well. .
It was refreshing to hear the views of an open minded doctor like Dr. Mark Hamilton. There is no need for 'either, or'. There is every need for 'both, and'.
Conventional and complementary medicine can give us two strings to our bow and enhance our chances of both mental and physical survival.
When we add positive thinking to the mix, we are not guaranteed final success but surely have a much better chance of achieving our health goals.
There is second key lesson, apart from positive thinking, which emerges from Dermot's story. He took responsibility for his own health. He did not rely solely on the doctor to cure him.
Taking responsibility for our own health is not a burden but a relief. There is something we can do apart from sitting in waiting rooms and consulting a doctor for the average ten minutes. We might even enjoy the experience of finding out more about what produces good health.
We can test out several systems for ourselves and decide, for ourselves, which works best for us.
I found the whole interview to be a refreshing change from the usual clash between conventional and complementary medicine and am relieved to think that I can take responsibility for my own health.
John Watson is an award winning teacher and 5th degree blackbelt martial arts instructor. He has written several ebooks on motivation and success topics. One of these can be found at http://www.motivationtoday.com/36_laws.php
You can also find motivational ebooks by authors like Stuart Goldsmith.
Check out http://www.motivationtoday.com/the_midas_method.php
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