The ability of the mind and spirit to influence the body’s processes is a major theme in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) literature. Some CAM authors have taken this idea to the extreme, claiming that the mind has complete control over the body. In this article, the origins and functions of the concept of the mind’s preeminence over the body are examined from historical, psychological, and sociological perspectives. Historically, this concept became especially emphasized during times of widespread social upheaval, possibly because dissociation from the body is an effective psychological coping mechanism. Important social functions are also served by the identification with an immaterial self, which may explain this concept’s prominence in CAM. Habitual dissociation from the body, however, is unhealthy. The implications for medicine of a more balanced view of the mind-body relationship are explored.
American Psychiatric Association. (2001). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (Rev. 4th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
2.
Anonymous. (2002). Asceticism. In Encyclopedia Britannica deluxe edition CD-ROM [Computer software]. Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica.
3.
Astin, J. A. (1998). Why patients use alternative medicine: Results of a national study. Journal of the American Medical Association, 279, 1548-1553.
4.
Astin, J. A., Shapiro, S. L., Lee, R. A., & Shapiro, D. H. (1999). The construct of control in mind-body medicine: Implications for healthcare. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 5 (2), 42-48.
5.
Buber, M. (1957). Pointing the way: Collected essays (M. Friedman, Trans.). London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.
6.
Buber, M. (1958). I and thou (2nd ed.). New York: Scribners.
7.
Butler, J. (1989). Gender trouble: Feminism and the subversion of identity. New York: Routledge.
8.
Chopra, D. (1989). Quantum healing: Exploring the frontiers of mind-body medicine. New York: Bantam.
9.
Chopra, D. (1991). Perfect health: Waking up the body’s intelligence. New York: Harmony.
10.
Chopra, D. (1993). Ageless body, timeless mind: The quantum alternative to growing old. New York: Random House.
11.
Chopra, D. (1999). Journey into healing: Awakening the wisdom within you. New York: Harmony.
12.
Dossey, L. (1984). Beyond illness: Discovering the experience of health. Boulder, CO: Shambhala.
13.
Dundas, P. (2002). The Jains. New York: Routledge.
14.
Freeman, L. W., & Lawlis, G. F. (2001). Mosby’s complementary and alternative medicine: A research-based approach. St. Louis, MO: Mosby.
15.
Gergen, K. J. (2000). The self: Transfiguration by technology. In D. Fee (Ed.), Pathology and the postmodern: Mental illness as discourse and experience (pp. 100-115). London: SAGE Publications.
16.
Griffith, E. H., Gonzalez, C. A.,& Blue, H. C. (1999). The basics of cultural psychiatry. In R. E. Hales, S. C. Yudofsky, & J. A. Talbott (Eds.), Textbook of psychiatry (3rd ed., pp. 1463-1492). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press.
17.
Gross, R., Olfson, M., Gameroff, M., Shea, S., Feder, A., Fuentes, M., et al. (2002). Borderline personality disorder in primary care. Archives of Internal Medicine, 162, 53-60.
18.
Hay, L. (1984). You can heal your life. Santa Monica, CA: Hay House.
19.
Hekman, S. J. (1996). Feminist interpretations of Michel Foucault (re-reading the canon). University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press.
20.
Herkovits, M. J. (1973). Cultural relativism: Perspectives in cultural pluralism. New York: Vintage.
21.
Jarvis, W. T. (2001). Why health professionals become quacks. Retrieved November 24, 2002, from http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/quackpro.html
22.
Kingma, D. R. (1999). The future of love: The power of the soul in intimate relationships. New York: Doubleday.
23.
Koller, J. M. (1985). Oriental philosophies (2nd ed.). New York: Scribners.
24.
Laing, R. D. (1959). The divided self. Baltimore: Penguin.
25.
Lambert, M. (1998). The Cathars. Oxford, UK: Blackwell.
26.
Lowen, A. (1967). The betrayal of the body. New York: MacMillan.
27.
Müller, M. (Trans.). (1962). The Upanishads. In Sacred books of the East (Vol. 15, Pt. 2). Mineola, NY: Dover. (Original work published 1884)
28.
Nagel, T. (1986). The view from nowhere. New York: Oxford University Press.
29.
Nietzsche, F. (1967). The will to power (W. Kaufman & R. J. Hollingdale, Trans.). New York: Random House.
30.
Putnam, F. W. (1993). Dissociative disorders in children: Behavioral profiles and problems. Child Abuse and Neglect, 17, 39-45.
31.
Shilling, C. (1993). The body and social theory. London: SAGE Publications.
32.
Smith, J. (1999). Radiant mind: Essential Buddhist teachings and texts. New York: Riverhead.
33.
Sontag, S. (1983). Illness as metaphor. London: Penguin.
34.
Speigel, D., & Maldonado, J. R. (1999). Dissociative disorders. In R. E. Hales, S. C. Yudofsky, & J. A. Talbott (Eds.), Textbook of psychiatry (3rd ed., pp. 711-737). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press.
35.
Tipton, I. C. (1974). Berkeley: The philosophy of immaterialism. London: Methuen.
36.
Turner, B. S. (1984). The body and society. Oxford, UK: Blackwell.
37.
Vithoulkas, G. (1980). The science of homeopathy. New Delhi: B. Jain.
38.
Walsh, W. H.,& Grayling, A. C. (2002). Problems in metaphysics: The mind-body relationship. In Encyclopedia Britannica deluxe edition CD-ROM[Computer software]. Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica.
39.
Zalman, S. (1984). Likutei Amarim-Tanya. New York: Kehot. (Original work published in 1796)
40.
Zukav, G. (1990). The seat of the soul. New York: Fireside.
