EXERCISES-ASSUME A POSITION THAT IS NOT TOO COMFORTABLE

The actual posture of the body has quite an influence on the effect of mental exercises. This applies particularly to our degree of comfort, the symmetry of our bodily position, and the movement of our body.

Assume a Position That Is Not Too Comfortable-Most people believe that the more comfortable we are, the more effective will be our relaxation. This idea is quite wrong. If we lie down comfortably on our bed, relaxation comes relatively easily. But as I mentioned previously, this type of relaxation has little effect in relieving our inner tension. When we relax in this way our relaxation is largely brought about by the physical comfort and warmth of our surroundings. Our body and limbs are supported comfortably by the soft bed. Nervous impulses arising in the skin, muscles, and joints report this state of affairs to the brain. As a result we feel relaxed. But this is not what we want. We aim for mental relaxation which comes from the mind itself. In order to achieve this we must not be too comfortable; if we are, our brain is swamped by comforting messages from our body and limbs, and there is little need for the mind to assert itself in this direction. In fact the most effective relaxation for releasing our inner tension comes when we achieve relaxation while we are slightly uncomfortable physically. In these circumstances the relaxation comes from the mind itself, and it is effective in permanently relieving inner tension.

A doctor came as a patient to see me, saying in a rather aggressive fashion that he had heard all about my relaxing methods. He had tried them; and they were not any good. When I asked him, he told me that he practised lying down comfortably on his bed. When I explained the necessity for a more uncomfortable position he tried again and immediately was more successful.

I first realized the very great importance of this a few years ago. At the time I was travelling in India seeing what I could learn from yogis. They of course all meditate in the familiar

cross-legged, squatting position known as the lotus posture. In all the books that I have read about Eastern religion and mysticism it is stated that this cross-legged, squatting position is comfortable for Asiatics. This is obviously true, as in India one sees people all around sitting comfortably in this position. But it is comfortable for the Indian only as long as he sits loosely in this position.

Yogis whom I questioned closely about their posture for meditation all told me that it was uncomfortable. I then learned that the meditating yogi keeps pulling his feet more and more tightly under his buttocks, so that in fact he is always slightly uncomfortable. My own experience, and my experience with patients, has taught me that some minor physical discomfort is very important in attaining effective mental relaxation.

A shrewd man who had had little formal education was running a large and successful business enterprise. Over the past few years he had become increasingly tense, and was compensating with alcohol. One day I asked him what he liked doing best in the world. His reply was, “Drinking beer.”

I taught him how to relax and he learned to maintain his relaxation in uncomfortable circumstances while I was there to supervise him. But at home he would practise only when lying on his bed. He just lacked the necessary self-discipline to do the exercise properly. He actually made a good recovery, but it necessitated more visits to me than he would have otherwise needed.

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Because conventional drugs used in medical treatment of arthritis are, as a rule, only aimed at masking and suppressing the symptoms, they naturally have no place in a program of biological treatments. Pain is an important symptom, a signal, which is initiated by the body’s own defensive mechanism to attract necessary help and assistance for its healing activity. To suppress and mask pain, without finding out why it is there and trying to eliminate the underlying causes of it, is contrary to the philosophy of biological medicine. It is of vital importance to realize that the various symptoms of disease, such as pain, swelling, stiffness, fever, tiredness, loss of appetite, etc. are not negative phenomena which have to be eliminated and suppressed, but they are positive, constructive symptoms initiated by the body’s own healing mechanism in its effort to restore health. When this is clearly understood, then the wise doctor will not waste his own and his patient’s time masking the symptoms and providing temporary relief. He will adopt a positive attitude which will aim at eliminating and correcting the underlying causative factors of arthritis and supporting the body’s own recuperative powers.

Even such a drug as cortisone, although it will temporarily activate and stabilize the chemical balance of the tissues, will never correct the initial disturbance and will eventually cause more damage by undermining and impairing the body’s own corrective measures. Therefore, cortisone, like any other toxic drug, should be used only in a situation of extreme emergency.

Consequently, the first rule of a biological program is complete withdrawal of all drugs. In the great majority of cases this presents no problems. Naturally, withdrawal of pain-killing drugs will cause a certain amount of discomfort for the first few days, but on a new biological program the patient soon will be pain-free, even without pain-killing drugs.

The consensus of opinion of doctors who use biological methods in their practice is that the prospects of achieving a betterment and cure of arthritis with the help of biological treatments is in inverse relationship to the extent and intensity of the drug treatment the patient received previously. Prolonged use of drugs will eventually suppress and break down the body’s own defense and healing mechanisms causing severe chemical and hormonal imbalance. The disease will then be pushed further and further towards the condition where it will be completely incurable.

Therefore, in order to obtain lasting results the withdrawal of all drugs is imperative.

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