Pain and the mind

A series of articles is gettings started today over on CNN in a section known as The Chart. Today's article is called Mind-body: How mental, physical pain are linked and it's by Dr. Charles Raison. Here's a bit of what he says:

...[W]hen it comes to health and well-being, it turns out that much of what science has discovered validates many ancient spiritual beliefs. I’ve been fortunate in my career to “cash in” on this fact by exploring how ancient meditative practices can be brought to bear to heal mind and body in the modern world. Working with inspirational figures like His Holiness the Dalai Lama has given me a profound sense of gratitude that we don’t have to throw our rational brains out the window when it comes to exploring how the life of the spirit can be used to better our lives.

Each of these posts will be structured around research that provide exciting new perspectives on mind-body issues.

And here's something on Dr. Raison's bio page:

He says that many people don't understand that the way they structure their thoughts, their relationships, and their physical conditioning will - over time - either promote well-being or contribute greatly to sickness and depression.

And, of course, we learn the kinds of skills by which we are able to structure our thoughts through meditative practice.

As you've heard me say many times: this stuff really works!