The Cover-Up: How Was Movement from Phase I to Phase II Justified?

[Adele Edisen]

Adele writ:
"The point of all this is that words and phrases can have, and do have, physiological consequences. Stay healthy."

Amen
Ma'am

And psychological consequences inform actual behavior... which is what makes the world go round.

And that, too, Jeff. It reminds me of a statement made by another, but earlier Russian physiologist, Ivan Sechenov* (around 1865), "The external expression of brain activity is in the form of muscular movement." Some might call that 'body language' these days, a way of analyzing and understanding emotional states. The psychiatrist and clinical hypnotist, Milton Erickson**, who had suffered from infantile paralysis as an adolescent, was a master in understanding his patients' moods and feelings by keenly observng their physical reactions to his questions and statements. As he had recovered the use of his body musculature little by little he had became aware of the tiniest and weakest muscle action which he could later observe in his patients' faces and bodies. These subtle actions might match the verbal remarks of the patients, or they might not, but in either case Erickson was able to surmise what the patients real feelings actually were, and thereby make progress in his therapeutic work.

*Ivan Sechenov biography: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_Sechenov

**http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milton_H._Erickson

Adele