Response To Documentary "Heal"

Heal is a documentary film directed by Kelly Noonan Gores and produced by Adam Schomer which takes viewers on "a scientific and spiritual journey where we discover that our thoughts, beliefs, and emotions have a huge impact on our health and our ability to heal." This Netflix-featured documentary about the mind-body connection seeks to shed light on the "powerful connection between the human psyche and physical health" by gathering insight from leading scientists, mental health providers, and spiritual teachers. They also follow the healing journey of individuals who seek out holistic treatment interventions for different medical conditions. The most notable story was that of Elizabeth, a survivor of stage 4 cancer. As a therapist with a particular interest in the mind-body connection and holistic treatment interventions, I found this movie to be quite enlightening and applicable. 

The movie begins with a quote that provides a perfect introduction to the profound interaction between mind and body. "We hold onto our emotions and develop density in our bodies". What is meant here is that stress and unprocessed emotions have been found to cause inflammation and blockages in the body. Further, inflammation in the body is found to be the root cause of most illnesses. This quote essentially encapsulates the idea that our thoughts, beliefs, and emotions affect our health. The film does not stop there. Next, we find out how we came to this conclusion and what this information means to us. To do this the film goes all the way back to 1925 when the field of quantum physics was discovered. This discovery caused scientists and other professionals in the field to begin challenging the beliefs that were currently held about illness and treatment. This mostly included the belief that our body is simply a physical entity comparable to a machine that malfunctions randomly and requires physical maintenance to repair. Quantum physics exposed the idea that inside all of our bodies are tiny atoms of energy that are constantly vibrating and are movable. Further, it set in motion the idea that our thoughts also create powerful energy and that energy forces can alter things in the physical realm such as what is going on inside of our bodies. Hence the idea was created that our thoughts could potentially affect our physical bodies' condition. 

Next, the movie delves deeper into scientific research which helps support these claims. The first includes some coverage of the strength and significance of the placebo effect. During this segment, an organic chemist reports his experience of testing drugs for a large pharmaceutical company and his amazement when he often witnessed comparable results for true medications and the sugar pill placebo for a variety of illnesses. This realization opens up further exploration surrounding the need for medication that produces such harmful side effects when oftentimes harmless placebos are creating the same effect. It also makes relevant the idea that medications treat only the symptoms of the illness and not the root cause which is often emotional. The film clarifies that they are not disputing the use of medication for physical trauma but questioning its use for other illnesses which are caused by stress. Here we also learn about the field of epigenetics. Epigenetics is the study of biological mechanisms that can switch genes on or off and the idea that environmental stimuli such as socialization, food, the physical environment, and sleep can cause genes to be turned off or turned on. To take this discovery a step further the film covers how our minds tell our cells what the environment is and therefore how to function, again highlighting how our thoughts influence the physical body in a directly correlated way. 

To drop back into the effect of stress on the body the movie explores the basics of the autonomic nervous system. Most clinicians are familiar with the fight or flight response which is often closely tied to diagnoses like PTSD. The movie reviews the historical need for the fight or flight response and then fast forwards to the effects of the fight or flight response being over-utilized in today's society. When the sympathetic nervous system or our fight or flight reaction is activated our bodies release cortisol (stress hormone), adrenaline, and norepinephrine (stress hormone). The body only has limited supplies of these neurotransmitters and when they run out the body begins to "borrow" from other entities of the body such as the gut, the elimination system, and the immune system in order to keep up with the need.  This in turn weakens these systems and causes our bodies to become increasingly acidic and inflamed. When we see clients who have internalized traumatic events, especially in childhood or have poor attachment styles we almost always see a more sensitive and over-utilized stress response system. 

Now that we are informed about these processes what can we do with this information? The encouraging message of the film is that all hope is not lost. In fact, many of the solutions are readily available but often less utilized than those under the medical model. The very beginning of the movie notes that, given the right conditions, the body can heal itself and this fact is so clearly illustrated throughout the film in the success stories of Elizabeth, a stage 4 cancer survivor, and Anita, a Lymphoma survivor. A multitude of these interventions was discussed and demonstrated in the film such as meditation, emotional freedom technique, and utilizing sound waves to activate the parasympathetic nervous system. Other modalities mentioned included inner child healing, scared anger work, reiki, cranial sacral therapy, and breathwork. Along with an exploration of the effect of a healthy diet, particularly plant-based, the film also explores the great healing properties of visualization and gratitude. The practice of visualization and gratitude are both associated with the energetic power of our thoughts on the body. All of these treatment modalities seek to heal the body’s energy by moving and unblocking negative energy and relaxing the stress response system. Meditation, for instance, has been found to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system which is our "rest and digest" system by relaxing our stress response system. Not only that, it has been found to increase the secretion of oxytocin which is referred to as the "love hormone" and endorphins from the pituitary gland as well. Lastly, regular meditation has been found to raise our IGA levels which are our body's primary defense against bacteria and viruses. 

The final powerful takeaway which I will share in this review includes a list of the 9 most common strategies utilized by those who have made miraculous medical recoveries or "radical remissions" gathered by a researcher named Kelly Turner. Kelly has interviewed over a thousand people from around the globe who have made such recoveries. These cases were all categorized as terminal by doctors. My hope is that this insight and these strategies may help clinicians to enhance their work with clients suffering from both physical and mental/emotional ailments. The list is as follows:

-Radically change diet

-Taking control of your health

-Following your intuition

-Using herbs and supplements

-Releasing suppressed emotions

-Increasing positive emotions

-Embracing social support

-Deepening your spiritual connection

-Have a strong reason for living

References: 

Noonan Gores, K., & Schomer, A. (2017).  Heal. Beverly Hills, CA: Elevative Entertainment.

www.healdocumentary.com