How Connecting the Mind, Body & Spirit Can Lead to Finding Our Bliss

by Diana Raab, PhD

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For years, researchers have known that our emotions have a strong impact on our health. For example, when we are stressed or anxious, our bodies warn us that things are not right. The mind-body connection means that our bodies respond to the way we think, feel, and act.

Over the years, I’ve noticed a shift in where I feel discomfort in my body during times of stress. For the first fifty years of my life, I felt stress in the muscles of my neck. More recently, I feel pain in both of my feet. When I feel physical discomfort, I try to pick up my journal and write about what I am feeling. This helps me tune in to my mind-body connection. Knowing the source of my discomfort somehow allows me to deal with it.

The body, mind, and spirit are forces of energy that work together and react to one another. In other words, a person’s mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health all work together to produce a sense of well-being. Connecting them is a way to keep the energy flowing in our bodies. When we have good energy flow, we feel good about ourselves, we feel good about others, and may also experience a greater sense of life purpose. This sense of balance, well-being, and harmony may also lead to feelings of euphoria or bliss.

We all have personal experiences with ourselves or others when something is troubling us, and how we begin to manifest in physical symptoms, whether it’s neck ache, back ache, headaches, palpitations, fatigue, changes in appetite, or other random ailments. This means that your mind, body and spirit are out of balance.

When we talk about the mind, we are usually referring to the self or the person we consciously perceive ourselves to be. This is also known as the ego. When I think about going deeper into consciousness, I am reminded of the following elevator metaphor.

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Imagine yourself lying down and remaining perfectly still in a moving elevator. Your eyes can be completely open or closed. As you begin to relax, envision the elevator doors opening slowly on each floor, allowing people—or secrets—out that have been patiently waiting to leave. Then, figuratively push the descent button and see yourself going even deeper into your mind—each floor brings you deeper—as the doors continue to open and close on each floor. If the elevator doors remain closed for too long in our lives, our minds can become cramped and unhappy. This exercise is good to help us release negative energies that accumulate, which can occur when we lack a balance between the body, mind, and spirit.

Another good way to release negative energy is through the practice of journal writing. This is a productive way to bring the light back into our lives, facilitate healing, and help us think positive thoughts. Good writers have a strong connection between the body, mind, and spirit. They are most honest when they write from the heart, because the heart is a truth holder.

The mind plays a vital role in both physical and psychological health. Those who have a healthy mind, try to keep their brain exercised regularly and try to minimize their stresses and worries. Having a positive attitude and feelings of gratitude, all contribute to having a balanced mind. Dr. Bernie Siegel, a pioneer in illuminating the connection between the body and the mind, said in his book, Love, Medicine and Miracles that the mind’s effect on our health is both direct and conscious, and that the communication between the two is continuous. He uses the example that we can determine how much we love ourselves by how well we take care of ourselves—whether we eat right, exercise regularly, sleep enough, and even whether we wear our seat belts in the car.

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Maintaining a healthy body means that we nurture our body by eating wholesome foods and maintaining a regular exercise regime. It’s also about seeking medical care as needed, whether the practitioner practices Eastern or Western medicine.

When we open ourselves to spirituality, we are opening and connecting ourselves to the world beyond the mind. Spirituality means different things to different people. Consider viewing it as an understanding and recognition of interconnectedness between people. This is a good reminder that we are not alone, and that everything we do has the potential to affect others.

Spirituality is also about relaxing into a state of harmony. It is about finding our bliss, which can be a lifelong journey during which we search for meaning and clarity. In her book The Seeker’s Guide, Elizabeth Lesser says that some of the larger issues people seek to understand are those of life purpose, love, human suffering, higher consciousness, death, and what lies beyond. And, although they’re difficult to go through at the time, it’s important to remember that sometimes life crises can be catalysts for helping us understand the deep connection between the body, mind, and spirit.

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Diana Raab

Diana Raab, PhD, is an award-winning memoirist, poet, blogger, speaker, and author of 13 books. Her latest poetry chapbook is An Imaginary Affair: Poems Whispered to Neruda. She blogs for Psychology Today, Thrive Global, Sixty and Me, Good Men Project, The Wisdom Daily and many others. Visit: www.dianaraab.com.