The Healing Power of Love

It’s a treatment that comes in a remarkable variety of forms and dosages, is abundant, non-toxic, costs nothing, can be self-administered, and yet it bears the most potent healing power known to mankind. So, why hasn’t this treatment made medical headlines worldwide? Perhaps because it is not patentable and cannot be bottled or sold. Or, perhaps, because in this age of technology we have surrendered our power to science, ignoring the wisdom of our own hearts. What is this magical treatment? It is, quite simply, LOVE.

And yet, there is nothing simple about it. It comes in numerous potencies and forms: compassion, charity, respect, nurturance, empathy, reverence, concern, camaraderie, understanding, agape, affection, gratitude, eros, social support — in fact, any kind of caring imaginable. As a feeling, an expression, or a vibration, it signifies a connectedness to other beings, and to all of life. “The more connected you are to life, the healthier you are”, declared Dr. James Lynch, a specialist in psychosomatic medicine at the University of Maryland’s School of Medicine.(1) ” ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’ is not just a moral mandate. It’s a physiological mandate,” he remarks. Let us look at some of the reasons one might assert this.

Altruistic actions, thoughts and emotions stimulate the brain to release endorphins, powerful natural painkillers which enhance our mood as well as our immunity, and help protect us from the deleterious effects of stress. In two major studies on volunteerism, “healthy-helper syndrome” was identified as a side-effect of altruism, resulting in reduced arthritis pain, fewer lupus symptoms, a reductions in the number of asthma attacks, migraines, colds, and in the incidence of flu.(2)

It is interesting that some academic studies, which set out to demonstrate other objectives, ended up documenting the effectiveness of caring. Such is the case with one Ohio State University study by Glaser and Kiecollt-Glaser. The study demonstrated that only half of the rabbits which were fed a high-cholesterol diet ended up with the predicted high cholesterol. The mystery was unraveled when it was discovered that the diminutive lab assistant had cuddled the bunnies in the accessible lower cages, but could only throw the food into the cages of their deprived counterparts in the top cages. Similar health-protective results have come from other signs of caring, such as social or tactile stimulation. These results have been documented in studies of premature babies, nursing home residents, burn patients, orphans, alcoholics, and people with tuberculosis, arthritis, and heart disease.(3)

To receive one of these health-enhancing love treatments, all you have to do is locate a listening ear, and share your woes. It has been shown in studies conducted by Dr. James Pennebaker of Southern Methodist University that several immune functions are elevated in people confiding in others, and the effects can last as long as six weeks.(4) If a human ear is unavailable, a furry one will do quite nicely. Among victims of heart attacks, pet owners are five times as likely to survive as those without pets.(5)

Perhaps the most remarkable treatment effect is that the observer benefits, as well, from loving thoughts and behavior. An illustration of this “observer effect” is a Harvard study in which volunteers’ salivary immunoglobulin was tested before and after viewing three films, including one on Mother Teresa and her work. After seeing the video on Mother Teresa, the viewers’ markers improved an average of 50%.(6)

There may be a minimum daily requirement for love in the form of companionship and social support. In numerous studies on 37,000 people over two decades, it was shown that loneliness doubles the chances of sickness or death.(7) In fact, Kraus & Lilienfeld found in 1959 that widowers have a death rate three to five times higher than married men of the same age for every cause of death.(8)

Love, in the potency we describe as romantic love, has been studied at the Menninger Clinic. The results indicate that people in love had white blood cells which were significantly more active in fighting infection. This apparently had the effect of inoculating star-struck lovers against colds.(9)

Perhaps the most amazing and convenient characteristic of love as a therapeutic agent is its ability to be administered long distance, not just over the phone, but through prayer. Dr. Larry Dossey recounts the power of prayer in the Spindrift Studies. The “patients” who responded to this treatment happened to be plants. Dr. Dossey reported that prayer works best when the recipient is stressed, is known to you, when the prayer is nondirective (“Let whatever is best happen”), and when the one who is praying is experienced at prayer. Dr. Dossey concluded that the effect of kind thoughts “…on living organisms outside the human body was significant, quantifiable, and reproducible.”(10) Similarly, human cardiac patients in a famous study conducted at San Francisco General Hospital by Dr. Randy Byrd also responded well to prayer. They had significantly fewer complications and required less medication. (11)

Volumes of persuasive data exist which point to the possibility that LOVE could be the “magic bullet” for which scientists and physicians have been searching. I highly recommend that you avail yourself of every opportunity to give and receive this healing balm — no prescription necessary.

And don’t forget to take a dose of your own medicine!

(1) Brent Q. Hafen, Kathryn J. Frandsen, Keith J. Karren, Keith R. Hooker, The Health Effects of Attitudes, Emotions, Relationships, (Provo, Utah: EMS Associates, 1992), p. 261.
(2) Hafen et al, p. 412.
(3) Robert Ornstein and Charles Swencionis, editors, The Healing Brain: a Scientific Reader, (New York: The Guilford Press, 1990), p. 88.
(4) Hafen et al, p. 260.
(5) Ibid., p. 304.
(6) Ibid., P. 404.
(7) Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than I.Q., (New York: Bantam Books, 1995), p. 178.
(8) Ornstein and Swencionis, p. 35.
(9) Hafen et al, p. 416.
(10) Larry Dossey, M.D., Recovering the Soul: a Scientific and Spiritual Search, (New York: Bantam Books, 1989), pp. 54-62.
(11) Hafen et al, p. 388.

Some Ideas for Helping in Disasters

Since so many compassionate, concerned people have been asking,
here is an outline of some suggestions as to how YOU can help alleviate
some of the suffering in the wake of the disasters around the world.

Stress Management – It’s Mostly an Inside Job

Stress. We all have it, and frequently blame our state of health on it. We speak as if stress is something happening to us, coming from outside us, over which we have no control. Yet, even though we are familiar with it, that is not the same as knowing what it is and how to handle it. Is stress really what we think it is? Let’s see…

What most of us label as stress is really the stressor – a circumstance, event, person, or issue which is the catalyst for some discomfort we feel. Stress is actually our discomfort or response to that stressor, and is based on our perception of our ability to cope with the stressor. So, if we think we’re able to cope, we’re under less stress than if we think we’re ill-equipped to cope — regardless of the magnitude of the stressor. It makes sense, then, to enhance our coping skills and change our perception. How do we do that?

First, except for a medical crisis, there is nothing that won’t benefit from a few well-used moments of time. So, in a stressful situation, take a few slow deep breaths to calm your emotions and your mind. Ground yourself. In other words, become more aware of yourself in your body, and of your surroundings. Be present, both in time and space. Continue to breathe, slowly and deliberately. Then, ask for guidance. Remember that inspiration is another word for inhaling. Finally, listen to that inner guidance, that still, small voice within. If it is congruent with your ethics, then follow it.

If you’re under stress, but have some time, you may find it helpful to turn on some Mozart or Steven Halpern music, diffuse some therapeutic grade lavender oil, and jump on the treadmill to get those endorphins pumping. Or into the tub with some sea salt! But few of us have that luxury when we most need it.
In stressful situations in which you’re pressed for time, cultivate some simple statements which will buy you a few moments to consider your options. When interacting with adults who are coercing me for a decision or wanting my help at an inopportune moment, I have a favorite saying. “That’s too important an issue for me to answer off the cuff. Let me think about it and give it the attention it deserves.” (This is potent, if properly used. If overused or misused, it will lose its effectiveness and your integrity may be in question.) For children, I find that the following works well: “If you insist on an answer now, it is “NO”, but if you give me a few minutes, I’ll think about it.”

Most stressful situations will sort themselves out if you answer a few simple questions. Is it important or unimportant? (Will it matter a year from now?) Am I the best person to handle this? (Be honest. Are you enabling?) And: Is it controllable or uncontrollable? This is where is gets tricky. If there is something that you can do on the physical level that would alleviate the problem, and you feel so guided, then do it. However, you may find that most challenges, at first glance, seem uncontrollable. Don’t be deceived. Let’s explore this on another level.

Your thoughts are energy, and energy influences matter. (Skeptics may want to review the Princeton stuies on random number generators, or the Spindrift Studies, reported by Larry Dossey, M.D.) Your thoughts can be powerful electromagnetic stress-busters. They must, however, be used responsibly, NOT to overcome the free will of another person. In the form of prayer or creative visualization, thoughts can be effectively directed in the following ways:

First, mentally envision a positive outcome. Pray, if you wish. Be creative, but always ask for “this, or something better”. Leave room for the universe to be creative and resourceful. You can be as specific or as general as you wish. Or, if you prefer a more nondirective approach, you may send guidance/wisdom/love to all individuals involved, or into the center of a situation. (Amazing results have been achieved by James Twyman, Gregg Braden and many others in bringing peace to areas of global conflict. ‘The Maharishi effect ‘ has achieved and documented similar results.) The power of your thoughts and prayers are enhanced when you FEEL as many positive emotions as you can muster, while imagining the resolution of the challenge. Imagine the relief and happiness you would feel if the situation were already resolved. Then feel it.

Sending light, using visualization techniques, can also be a powerful use of thought. Most people send white light. White, however, represents unconditional love, and lends energy to both light and dark sides of a conflict. Consider sending green for balance and harmony, pink for love, or purple for transformation.

In addition, there are affirmations and mantras which are useful in handling stressful situations. (My personal favorite is “I have all the time I need.”) Keep your statements brief, in the present tense, and phrase them positively to evoke pleasant emotion like joy or excitement. Repeat them until you feel an internal shifting. If possible practice them when in a relaxed or altered meditative state. Affirmations are especially effective when utilized with certain accupressure points, to help overcome any unconscious resistance.

What is the most effective way to handle stress? Work on it on another level. Instead of focusing all your efforts externally, try working on it on the inside, using your head and heart. What you think and feel CAN make a difference!