The Power of Positive Thought

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  1. Do you believe that positivity can help speed the healing or recovery of sick people?

    • 143
      Yes
    • 5
      No
    • 8
      Not sure

156 members have participated

Specializes in Med Surg, LTC, Home Health.

it is not a new concept that positivity can help speed the healing or recovery of sick people, but i wanted to see how many nurses actually believe in the power of positive thought....

1dr. masaru emoto, a water researcher from japan, performed thought experiments on water molecules. he discovered that when these molecules were exposed to positive thought (accomplished in part by writing positive messages on the bottle of water itself), that beautiful geometric shapes would form as discovered when examining the molecules under a microscope, whereas negative thought created asymmetric, erratic shapes. this discovery that thought has a literal impact on our reality is not just found here.

2according to quantum physics, everything is energy in motion, including our thoughts. and those thoughts tend to attract similar energies. thus, positivity will attract positivity.

3for proof of such an occurrence we simply look at the placebo effect. i once had a patient who was always in pain. he received roxicet for the pain but requested more than permitted quite often. so with the doctor's permission, my partner and i began giving him vitamin c tablets which quite resembled the roxicet. the results were positive. the patient felt relief, just from his belief that he was receiving actual pain medication. studies on patients with parkinson's disease, who experience symptoms based on an insufficient production of dopamine, go even a step further than that. they found that when some patients received a placebo, not only did the symptoms of parkinson's disease (such as shuffling gait or hand tremors) decrease, but there was also an increase of dopamine in the brain. this is a true demonstration of the power of belief and positive thought actually affecting our lives at the cellular level.

with this type of proof before us, does it not make sense then that believing negativity and reinforcing negative thoughts daily could have the opposite effect, and actually decrease the happiness we experience and even promote illness? definitely!

4according to ayurveda, the medical field of india, "disease starts in the mind with thought. by cultivating the garden of your mind and generating positive thoughts, you can prevent disease."

all things are possible, and in the words of emily dickinson, "all but death can be adjusted".

do you believe that positivity can help speed the healing or recovery of sick people?

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

I voted not sure because I think in some instances definitely but in others no. It has been my limited experience with patients who are terminal that no amount of "fighting to the end" makes a darn bit of difference and truthfully I'd rather their families give it a rest and let the person work toward acceptance and hopefully enjoy what little time they have left. Just my two cents of course.

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i am definitely a proponent of positive thoughts.

even w/negative outcomes, it has been those w/positive thinking that has turned a perceivably, reprehensible event into one of peace and acceptance.

there are indeed, blessings and opportunities rampant in our lives, ea and every day.

it's all a matter of perspective.:balloons:

leslie

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Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.

I am a firm believer in positive thoughts and healing......

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

Yes. The mind-body connection is very powerful.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.
I voted not sure because I think in some instances definitely but in others no. It has been my limited experience with patients who are terminal that no amount of "fighting to the end" makes a darn bit of difference and truthfully I'd rather their families give it a rest and let the person work toward acceptance and hopefully enjoy what little time they have left. Just my two cents of course.

Agree. No amount of positive thinking can cure death.

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Agree. No amount of positive thinking can cure death.

true...

but why is death viewed so negatively?

aw, nevermind.

i digress...

leslie:)

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.
Agree. No amount of positive thinking can cure death.

I was hoping I didn't come off as too jaded. I had a fairly young, mid 40s, patient a few years ago with lung cancer. She had a very large, loving family and they would literally rally at her bedside. They would chant "you are going to beat this", bring her articles about people who were cured of any ailment you can imagine just by prayer/meditation etc. She would cry when they left saying she was just so tired and that she felt like she was letting them down. My supervisor tried to gently talk to them but it didn't really seem to make a difference. They were doing the best they could for sure but it still makes me sad to remember.

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I was hoping I didn't come off as too jaded. I had a fairly young, mid 40s, patient a few years ago with lung cancer. She had a very large, loving family and they would literally rally at her bedside. They would chant "you are going to beat this", bring her articles about people who were cured of any ailment you can imagine just by prayer/meditation etc. She would cry when they left saying she was just so tired and that she felt like she was letting them down. My supervisor tried to gently talk to them but it didn't really seem to make a difference. They were doing the best they could for sure but it still makes me sad to remember.

your story delineates the often fine line between positive thinking and overt denial.

often, positive thinking displays itself just by virtue of accepting the fate that has been handed you:

and enabling subsequent processes to evolve.

to me, the persistent chants of "you can beat this", is not positive thinking.

too often, it is an exercise of futile and exhausting application, preventing the pt to engage in very necessary tasks at hand.

of course, i'm referring to those whose options have been depleted and there is truly nothing else to be done.

leslie

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Specializes in Med Surg, LTC, Home Health.
They would chant "you are going to beat this",

I have seen families like this as well, and could only feel saddened for the patients who already knew better. Indeed there is a line in the sand where once crossed, there is no going back. The spirit of positive thought is not one that begins at the onset of disease. It exists always in the soul, and could possibly prevent disease, so i wonder if this intrinsic nature of some could be taught to others and become a part of them as well. That is the goal, to not only spread the ideals of positivity, but at least demonstrate the possible ramifications of negativity.

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I voted "not sure", While I agree that "positive thought" will definitely help, I think the speed of the recovery, depends largely on the illness itself, and how it is being treated by the patients physician.

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I believe strongly in the power of positive thought. Even when one can't be cured, positive thought can help them to heal. We all need healing, & for some, there is limited time to do just that. At the end of life, a positive outlook can help someone with their closure. A negative outlook can be disabling.

We know what stress does to the human body-mind-spirit. Positive thought is a stress remedy.

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