The Body Has A Mind Of Its Own: A Review
By Laura M. Turner

In my mind, I thought losing twenty-five pounds would be the end all, be all, of my health and fitness goals.  Not so.  After I reached my target, I didn't feel one bit different.  I felt like the same girl that was in a body twenty-five pounds heavier. Sure when I looked in the mirror the person I saw was different; the clothes she wore were clearly smaller. Yet, now I barely recognized the mirror's reflection.  

Turns out I'm not the only one who feels this way after losing weight.  According to Sandra and Matthew Blakeslee authors of the book The Body Has A Mind Of Its Own, it is our internal mind mapping that can give our brain a false sense of reality. The concept seems confusing at first, but it's actually not that difficult to understand. 

In short, the body has two ways of digesting information. One through sensory circuits.  These are the touch receptors on the outside of the body that create the physiological stimulus and response.  Secondly, and almost more importantly, the body perceives information through its sense of self-awareness or what authors describe as "learned attitudes about your body." This self-awareness process, as I understand it, works by taking inventory from the space around the body (what scientists call the peripersonal space) and records its findings in the brain.  (For more information on mind-mapping and weight loss, be sure to read Sandra and Matthew Blakeslee's article Why Do You Feel Fat After Losing Weight here).

Moreover, if both systems are not firing in synch, then the brain can easily mistake the information it receives. In my understanding, if my self-perception tells me, "Hey, Laura, you're still fat," no mirror image can change this way of thinking.  This insight can go a long way in explaining  why the recently thin still "see" themselves as fat. Further, not only can this create negative self-awareness if gone unacknowledged - it can also create a host of other destructive behaviors including eating disorders and phantom anatomy. Once understood, however, this principle makes it easier to work toward healthy change by teaching the body map impaired ways to reunite both parts of the "self."

Moreover, The Body Has A Mind Of Its Own doesn't end with this fascinating research.  It is jam-packed with insightful studies written in a user friendly format.  The message is universal however, the body has its own way of thinking .  The good news is, most often there is much we can do to help orchestrate thought with reality.  Of special interest to me was the author's documentation of the positive effects of creative visualization. I love the idea that our thoughts could create our reality through proper use of mind pictures. 

If you are interested in the latest mind, body research, you will be staying up very late to read page after page of The Body Has A Mind Of Its Own. Here, the Blakeslee's give us their prescription for marrying the two entities.  An example: After losing weight  I now understand that my brain needs to recognize my new body, piece by piece. To get all of my muscles re-firing therefore, I must retrain them as a parent of a small child.  Holding my thoughts by the hand, I can now retrain them into a new "thin" way of thinking.

To do this will involve reintroducing my muscles to my brain one by one.  Teaching my body new skills that require balance and muscle resistance will strengthen communication.  My brain must now treat my body/mind as a "whole." Translating this "re-membering" process to other corners of physiology, I am excited about the possibilities.  Both that self-image issues can now evolve above and beyond a hurt inner child, as well as the balance that could exist in the bodies of the handicapped and in the minds of those with destructive self-image issues.  After reading The Mind Has A Body Of Its Own, I believe all of our gifts can be improved, simply by becoming aware of the ways we think about them.  I found this book both rewarding and enlightening in its intelligence and I am certain you will, too.