The Case: Bethany is a 37 year-old teacher who’s always sick Doctors can’t explain why her immune system is failing She’s meticulous about her hygiene and has tried every natural supplement available. The Investigation The obvious explanation for Bethany going from cold, to flu, to cold was that she worked in a classroom full of germs. But, her fellow teachers weren’t getting sick like she was. Bethany seemed to be sick with something new every month. When changing her diet and taking the usual nutritional supplements didn’t help, we knew there had to be something else going on. Usually, I don’t like to say that it was all in her head but in this case, I suspected there was a mind body connection. My first clue came when Bethany mentioned how meticulous she was about washing her hands and how bad she felt about getting sick and missing work. That’s when I knew I needed to dig deeper into her mindset. It turned out that she had some deep-seated shame around being sick that went all the way back to her childhood. Her parents had, over time, taught her that getting sick should be avoided at all costs and that it was very bad. How could this result in her physically getting sick? Did this mean that she wasn’t actually sick she only thought she was sick? The answer is actually a scientifically proven physiological response to shame. It’s something I first learned about when I encountered the research of Dr. Mario Martinez. Dr. Mario (as I like to call him) is the bestselling author of the Mind Body Code: How to Change the Beliefs that Limit Your Health, Longevity, and Success. He has also created multiple learning series on the connection between mind, body, and self. He is a world-renowned expert on biocognition and I am honored to call him a mentor. Because of my work with Dr. Mario, I knew that this fear of illness that Bethany’s parents had instilled could be the missing clue in her health mystery. Biocognitive Science is an Integrative Science Dr. Mario starts by explaining that the connection between our mind and our physiology is proven scientifically. His work also takes our culture into consideration. This includes looking at our collective beliefs of anything important to a group like religion, our concept of wellness, ethics, and aesthetics to name a few. Cultural Understanding Comes from Cultural Editors We learn about the good and bad of our culture from those in a position of authority. In the beginning, this is likely to be a parent but doctors, teachers, pastors can all be a part of that too. These editors teach us shame as a way to survive in our culture but at some point, the need to survive ends and we can hang on to the shame unnecessarily. Shame Causes Inflammation Research has proven that shame can cause a physiological reaction; inflammation. We know that inflammation is associated with many diseases including those affecting the immune system. When we hang on to non-survival shame, we can compromise our health. There is an Antidote to Shame Dr. Mario’s research shows that there is a way to reverse feelings of shame, even deep-seated, spontaneous shame responses. In this episode, we discuss the method of first identifying the trigger of shame, the feelings associated with shame, and the mental trick for reversing or countering the physiological response to shame. Belief in Genetic Predisposition Can be a Trigger Another way cultural conditioning affects our health is when we believe that any genetic propensity to an illness will lead to us realizing that illness. This belief has a physiological effect on the body. Our mind is sending signals to enhance the genetic expression of that illness. Set Personal Boundaries to Avoid Triggers Shame can be triggered by many things including partners, parents, or you boss. It’s important to create boundaries for these potential shame triggers so that you have less exposure to feelings of shame. You can also recondition your thinking around genetic disposition beliefs.