Every thought has an immediate impact on biochemistry. The best example of this is stress, where a physical or social threat triggers the ‘fight or flight’ response. This ‘protection’ response floods the body with adrenaline, increases heartbeat and respiration, and depresses the immune system and other vital functions. Chronic stress is a serious national health problem and the cause of more than 80% of all visits to the doctor. Thinking positive thoughts has the opposite effect. The body moves into the safety response and enters a profound state of physical and mental relaxation. It’s the safety response that leads the body toward optimal function, rejuvenation and repair.
It’s easy to understand the benefit of the response to physical threats. After all, you need to quickly respond when a tiger attacks. Yet thoughts that challenge our idea of who we are or our social standing trigger the same protection response. The only difference is it’s the thought, or expectation of what might happen that creates the threat.