I was going through the 12,000 pictures on my phone, trying to find an easier way to delete probably thousands of junk ones, when I came across a picture from 2012 of all the books I had to get and read for a neuroscience program I was doing.
I remember feeling like neuroplasticity was the greatest discovery in the world.
It impacted me for years as I realized, one by one, how my brain was wired around specific areas (finances, relationships, identity, health). I then took 60-90 days to rewire my perspective in ways I consciously chose in those areas.
By now, basic neuroscience is almost common knowledge.
We know that every thought you think creates a physical neuropathway in your brain. The more you think about something, the more neural pathways you make and the stronger they become.
So, by thought alone, you physically change your brain.
The way you react to and see life is determined by how your brain is wired.
You choose which pathways you want your physical brain shaped and run by via repetitive thought and action. Your brain then filters reality based on what you are obsessed with or deem most important, based on what you are focusing on most.
Psycho - neuro- biology
It is widely accepted that your mind and brain are not the same thing, and that the mind is what controls the brain. So, if you can change your brain through your thoughts, then does your brain change your body?
Yes!
psycho - neuro- biology
Meaning your psyche changes your brain and your brain changes your body. Each thought you think and emotion you feel generates a certain biochemical reaction in the body. That reaction affects your neurotransmitters, hormones, and cells. It gives direction to your nervous, immune, and endocrine systems.
Your brain starts to make adaptations in your body based on whatever signal the mind is giving it (consciously and unconsciously).
Placebo and Nocebo
A clear way to prove the undeniable impact the mind has on the body can be seen through placebo and nocebo effects. These are phenomena in which a person's expectations or beliefs about a treatment influence their physical or psychological response.
Injected with Endotoxin - Control Immune Response
Wim Hof climbed to the "death zone" of Everest—wearing only shorts and boots, no oxygen, no shirt. Most people would freeze, hallucinate, or die. He was calm, clear, and breathing consciously the whole time.
He ran 13.1 miles shirtless and barefoot in the Above the Arctic Circle to prove that the human body can adapt to extreme cold without damage—through breath and belief.
He was injected with E. coli… and felt fine. This one blew scientists’ minds. At Radboud University in the Netherlands, Wim was injected with endotoxins (E. coli bacteria) that should’ve made him violently ill. What happened? He used his breathwork and mindset techniques to stay calm and completely override the immune response.
He had no flu symptoms, no fever, no nausea—just calm, clear, and conscious.He has trained thousands of other people with his breathing and mind over body techniques and has proven that anyone can use their mind to do incredible feats.
One of his most fascinating studies showed how he can teach people how to control their autonomic nervous system (what was once thought impossible) and control their immune response.
Results from the study (Voluntary activation of the sympathetic nervous system and attenuation of the innate immune response in humans), published in National Academy of Sciences indicate that the techniques developed by Wim Hof allow to control and decrease the levels of inflammation.
The study included 24 volunteers — 12 volunteers were trained for 10 days in meditation, breathing techniques, and exposure to cold (immersions in ice cold water). The other 12 volunteers represented the control group and were not trained. After completion of the training, all volunteers were injected with endotoxin, which always causes an immune response and extreme vomiting. The 12 volunteers who were trained succeeded in controlling their immune response and did not experience the negative symptoms that the other 12 did.
Mind Stopping Sickness
A popular case of a woman suffering from severe nausea and vomiting. Objective measurements of her gastric contractions indicated a disrupted pattern matching the condition she complained of. Then a ‘new, magical, extremely potent’ drug was offered to her, which would, the doctors proclaimed, undoubtedly cure her nausea. Within a few minutes, her nausea vanished and did not come back! The very same gastric tests now revealed a normal pattern, when, in actuality, she had been given syrup of ipecac, a substance usually used to induce nausea! When the syrup was presented to her, paired with the strong suggestion of relief of nausea, by an authority figure, it acted as a (command) message to the brain that triggered a cascade of self-regulatory biochemical responses within the body.
Mind causing hair loss and nausea
This trial told a group of cancer patients the side effects of the drug they were being given could be hair loss and nausea. Half of the group received the actual chemotherapy drug being tested, while another group received a placebo – a fake, harmless, inert chemical substance. Pharmaceutical companies are required by law to test all new drugs against a placebo to determine the true effectiveness. 31% of the patients on the placebo chemotherapy – an inert salt water injection – lost their hair, and 56% had severe nausea!
Mind and Surgery
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that patients who underwent placebo arthroscopic surgery for osteoarthritis of the knee were just as likely to report pain relief as those who received the real procedure. The study involved 180 patients who were randomly assigned to one of three groups: arthroscopic debridement, arthroscopic lavage, or placebo surgery. The placebo group received skin incisions and a simulated procedure without the use of an arthroscope or removal of cartilage. Both patients and outcome assessors were blinded to the treatment assignments, and the results showed no significant difference in pain relief or functional improvement between the groups.
Life Takeaways
These findings show the power of belief and expectation on the body.
The more a person believes something is bad for them, the more their body responds badly to that thing.
The more a person believes in a supplement or a Doctor, the more their body responds to it.
It’s very hard to verify the effectiveness of a certain product without doing trials where people are given placebos because the belief in what you are doing is one of the most important factors in the effectiveness, as now being shown in multiple trials with SSRIs for depression.
That is why influencers or holistic practitioners have a lot of power if people trust them.
Unconscious Brain Changes
If what we are consciously choosing to think about something (good or bad) affects what happens in the body, then it also makes sense that the psyche can unconsciously interpret events —→ change the brain ——> brain starts adaptations in the body (disease or imbalances).
The root of the majority of health and mental health issues begins with conscious or unconscious interpretations (stress, trauma, shocking events), expectations, and beliefs about what is happening in your life.
Those interpretations, expectations, and beliefs change the brain, and the brain changes the body.
First: That doesn’t mean you caused something to happen. You Experienced It.
There is a massive difference between:
“I caused this” vs. “I experienced something that overwhelmed my system—and my body responded with a survival-level adaptation.”
Shame says: “I did something wrong.” Truth says: “I went through something too big, too fast, and my body held it for me.”
That’s not fault—that’s brilliance. Your body never betrays you. It adapts. It loves. And sometimes it holds trauma until you’re safe enough to release it.
So what does this mean for you?
It means you can use this to your advantage.
You can question what you believe and expect about everything.
You can intentionally generate thoughts and emotions that change your brain to change your body.
It means joy is not the reward after healing - it’s part of the medicine. Joy, love, gratitude, and oxytocin are the most healing agents available.
It means we can no longer ignore the fact that your mind is where it all starts, so we should start there.
This is fascinating! What books would you recommend to read more?
Great post! Health stuff is what lead me to hypnotherapy and subconscious methodologies. It’s really where most of the root causes are (as you noted). 🙌🏼
And fascinating with the Wimhof info…some of that was new info for me. Thanks for sharing!