EDITED 4/11: I’m thrilled to announce that I’ll be hosting a screening of this film in Anacortes, WA on May 7th @ 6pm at the Anacortes Center for Happiness. I’ll facilitate a conversation on the body-mind connection after the movie. Please join us if you’re in the area.
I came across this movie trailer today, and found it inspiring.
My favorite line from the trailer is by Dr. Herbert Benson MD, and he says, “Modern science has shown us the mind has the power to heal.” Seemingly simple words, but to a woman who has been struggling with a chronic health challenge for months, it is a refreshing reminder of why I’m devoting more and more of my time to my own personal mediation practice, and why I’m so compelled to share it with others.
THE FILM
The Connection is a film that proves we have more influence on our health outcomes than we ever thought possible.
Everyday millions of people are turned away from their doctor’s rooms with a diagnosis of a chronic illness. Tests are ordered, drugs or surgeries are prescribed; but often little is offered by way of explanation or cure.
Filmmaker Shannon Harvey was one of them. At 24 years old she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. Her immune system had become hyperactive and was attacking normal, healthy tissues. Her muscles and joints were inflamed and she was told if her disease progressed she could end up with organ failure, or wheelchair bound.
In search of a cure, Shannon turned to nutrition, exercise and alternative therapies. But she was still sick. There was one thing she did know. When she was stressed, she got worse and with a background in journalism, Shannon sought answers in pioneering science. She soon realized that in order to change her health she needed to change her mind.
The Connection is a film about how frontier research is proving that there is a direct connection between our mind and our health. The film features scientists, researchers, writers and doctors, as well as remarkable true stories of people adding mind body medicine to their healing toolkit to recover from severe back pain, heart disease, infertility, cancer and multiple sclerosis.
While the science is complex, the solutions for people suffering with illness are astonishingly simple. The film shows that we can counter the harmful affects of stress with an equally powerful relaxation response triggered through specific techniques such as meditation. It shows that emotions can impact the course of an illness for better or for worse and could even be the difference between life and death (emphasis is mine). The film explains the mechanisms behind belief, which scientists now know contributes 30 to 50 percent of the effect of any known biological cure and explores how scientists at the cutting edge are now learning that the mind can even influence the expression of genes and the rate at which we age.
From interviewing world leading scientists to meeting people with remarkable stories of recovery from severe back pain, heart disease, infertility, cancer and multiple sclerosis, this documentary delves into the link between our mind and body.
The film includes an internationally recognized line up of scientists including Dr. Herbert Benson, researchers including Dr. Dean Ornish, writers including Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn and renowned medical doctors including Dr. Andrew Weil.
The film also features compelling true stories of recovery such as Professor George Jelinek, a Professor of Emergency Medicine who has recovered from multiple sclerosis, and Dr. Ian Gawler who recovered from an aggressive bone cancer against the odds.
This is a film for people who have tried everything. It offers answers and proves that you can change your mind, change your health and change your life.
