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MIND AND BODY

Or

Mental States and Physical Conditions

by

WILLIAM WALKER ATKINSON







L. N. Fowler & Company
7, Imperial Arcade, Ludgate Circus
London, E. C., England

1910
The Progress Company
Chicago, Ill.

Copyright, 1910
By
The Progress Company

P. F. Pettibone & Co.
Printers and Bindors
Chicago




CONTENTS


        Foreword                                9

     I. The Subconscious Mind                  15

    II. The Sympathetic System                 29

   III. The Cell-Minds                         39

    IV. The Mental Basis of Cure               58

     V. The History of <DW43>-Therapy          84

    VI. Faith Cures                           115

   VII. The Power of the Imagination          135

  VIII. Belief and Suggestion                 155

    IX. <DW43>-Therapeutic Methods            173

     X. The Reaction of the Physical          196




FOREWORD


Mind and Body--Mental States and Physical Conditions! To the mind
of those who have contented themselves with merely the superficial
aspects of things, these two things--mind and body; and mental states
and physical conditions--seem to be as far apart as the two poles; seem
to be opposites and contradictories impossible of reconciliation.
But to those who have penetrated beneath the surface of things,
these two apparent opposites are seen to be so closely related and
inter-related--so blended and mingled together in manifestation--that it
is practically impossible to scientifically determine where the one
leaves off and the other begins. And so constant and close is their
mutual action and reaction, that it often becomes impossible to state
positively _which_ is the cause and which the effect.

In the first place, Science now informs us that in all living
substance, from cell to mammoth, there is and must be Mind. There
can be no Life without Mind. Mind, indeed, is held to be the very
"livingness" of Life--the greater the degree of manifestation of Mind,
the higher the degree of Life. Moreover, the New Psychology informs
us that upon the activities of the Subconscious Mind depend all the
processes of physical life--that the Subconscious Mind is the essence
of what was formerly called the Vital Force--and is embodied in every
cell, cell-group or organ of the body. And, that this Subconscious Mind
is amenable to suggestion, good and evil, from the conscious mind of
its owner, as well as from outside. When the subject of the influence
of Mental States upon Physical Conditions is studied, one sees that
the Physical Condition is merely the reflection of the Mental State,
and the problem seems to be solved, the mystery of Health and Disease
solved. But in this, as in everything else, there is seen to be an
opposing phase--the other side of the shield. Let us look at the other
side of the question:

Just as we find that wherever there is living substance there is Mind,
so do we find that we are unable to intelligently consider Mind unless
as _embodied_ in living substance. The idea of Mind, independent of
its substantial embodiment, becomes a mere abstraction impossible
of mental imaging--something like color independent of the 
substance, or light without the illuminated substance. And just as we
find that Mental States influence Physical Conditions, so do we find
that Physical Conditions influence Mental States. And, so the problem
of Life, Health and Disease once more loses its simplicity, and the
mystery again deepens. The deeper we dig into the subject, the more do
we become impressed with the idea of the universal principle of Action
and Reaction so apparent in all phenomena. The Mind acts upon the Body;
the Body reacts upon the Mind; cause and effect become confused; the
reasoning becomes circular--like a ring it has no beginning, no end; its
beginning may be any place we may prefer, its ending likewise.

The only reconciliation is to be found in the fundamental working
hypothesis which holds that both Mind and Body--both Mental States and
Physical Conditions--are _the two aspects of something greater than
either--the opposing poles of the same Reality_. The radical Materialist
asserts that the Body is the only reality, and that Mind is merely
its "by-product." The Mentalist asserts that the Mind is the only
reality, and that the Body is merely its grosser form of manifestation.
The unprejudiced philosopher is apt to stand aside and say: "You are
both right, yet both wrong--each is stating the truth, but only the
half-truth." With the working hypothesis that Mind and Body are but
varying aspects of the Truth--that Mind is the inner essence of the
Body, and Body the outward manifestation of the Mind--we find ourselves
on safe ground.

We mention this fundamental principle here, for in the body of this
book we shall not invade the province of metaphysics or philosophy,
but shall hold ourselves firmly to our own field, that of psychology.
Of course, the very nature of the subject renders it necessary that
we consider the influence of psychology upon physiology, but we have
remembered that this book belongs to the general subject of the New
Psychology, and we have accordingly emphasized the psychological side
of the subject. But the same