Bodymind stands, as self-evident. for body and mind. Still, its precise meaning varies from one meditation tradition to another. These different understandings often complement each other. For example, philosopher Herbert V. Günther has stated that “What we call ‘body’ and ‘mind’ are mere abstractions from an identity experience that cannot be reduced to the one or the other abstraction, nor can it be hypostatized into some sort of thing without falsifying its very being”.
Modern Western culture inherited a Cartesian Dualism not evident in many other cultures, like the Navajo and Tibetan cultures. In Vajrayana, Mahayana, Theravada, Zen Buddhism the concept of bodymind, or namarupa, is key. In Vajrayana, namarupa is informed by the related doctrines of heartmind and Yogachara’s mindstream. Within these traditions, Bodymind is held as a continuüm and field phenomenon. Arpaia and Rapgay discuss the connection of mindbody in the eighth chapter of their book, Tibetan Wisdom for Modern Life , entitled “Health: strengthening the mind-body connection”.
David E. Shaner, PhD, coined the compound term “bodymind” in his thesis work at the University of Hawai’i, “The Bodymind Experience in Japanese Buddhism,” which he defended in 1979 and published in 1985. Dr. Shaner translated the term Shinshintouitsu AikidÅ.
Benson is Mind/Body Medical Institute Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and director emeritus of the Benson-Henry Institute (BHI). He is the author or co-author of more than 175 scientific publications and 11 books. More than four million copies of his books have been printed in many languages.
Benson is a pioneer in mind/body medicine, one of the first Western physicians to bring spirituality and healing into medicine. In his 35+ year career, he has defined the relaxation response and continues to lead teaching and research into its efficacy in counteracting the harmful effects of stress. The recipient of numerous national and international awards, Dr. Benson lectures widely about mind/body medicine and the BHI’s work. His expertise is frequently sought by national and international news media, and he appears in scores of newspapers, magazines, and television programs each year. Dr. Benson’s research extends from the laboratory to the clinic to Asian field expeditions. His work serves as a bridge between medicine and religion, East and West, mind and body, and belief and science.
Benson has pioneered mind-body research, focusing on stress and the relaxation response in medicine. In his research, the mind and body are one system, in which meditation can play a significant role in reducing stress responses. He continues to pioneer medical research into Bodymind questions.
Dr. Benson describes health and well-being with the metaphor of a three-legged stool: one leg is drugs, one surgical procedures, and one self-care.
As stated on the Mind/body Mind/Body Medical Institute website: “medicine is the third leg that incorporates all of the following:
* The relaxation response
* Cognitive behavioral therapy
* Physical activity
* Nutrition
Exactly how psychological and social factors, personal beliefs, and stress affect the development of disease continues to be studied. It is known, however, that the mind and body communicate constantly. What the mind thinks, perceives, and experiences is sent from our brain to the rest of the body.
Mind/body medicine teaches you how to take control of your life – how to use your own healing power to reduce stress and other negative behaviors and thoughts – and thus maintain or regain health”.
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