Lissa Rankin – Relaxation is key to unlocking our body’s self-healing mechanism

Lissa Rankin, MD about the self-healing powers of our mind and body

I have rarely seen such a convincing argument for the self-healing powers of the body as in this brilliant talk by Lissa Rankin at TEDx American Riviera 2012. She bases her argument on over 3500 scientific research studies that she has reviewed and throughout which she found overwhelmingly positive evidence that the body can in fact heal itself just by feeling nutured and cared for, believing in a cure and – by relaxing. Stress and fear lead our body to go into fight-or-flight mode that result in the release of the stress hormones cortisol, norepinephrine and epinephrine (adrenaline). These hormones’ function is to help us through short stressful situations (read – the lion that is chasing us), however, nowadays we are just constantly under stress because every email message or telephone call signals a potential ‘threat’ and our body simply does not get the opportunity to switch into ‘healing mode’ where hormones like oxytocin and dopamine are released that are responsible for the self-healing cababilities of the body. So if the natural change from stress to relaxation is not working very well, we need to take active steps to help our body relax and thus be able to release those healing hormones. Some well-known relaxation practices include meditation, yoga, getting a massage, spending time with people you love or simply spending some time in the peace and quiet of nature. If you haven’t got the time, money or physical abilities to go out into nature then our Atmosphaeres may be a solution for you. Go ahead and try them and I guarantee you that you will feel your worries and stress fade away in the instant that you put on your VR headsets and soak up the beautiful and soothing sights and sounds of nature. Feel how tension melts away and how all of a sudden you can take a deep breath and start the healing process. Remember, relaxation is the key that unlocks our body’s capabilities to heal itself.

Watch Lissa Rankin’s TEDx talk Is there scientific proof we can heal ourselves? and let me know what you think or share a story of yourself or someone you know who has healed him/herself.

About the Author

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Eric Fassbender

Dr. Eric Fassbender holds a PhD in Virtual Reality and since 2013 he and his wife Susanne Fassbender have created a large catalogue of 360° Videos and VR Experiences that have been used successfully in numerous scientific research studies.