A Journey Into How Mind, Body & Spirit are Inseparable
Her scientific work in the 1980′s while a Section Chief at the National Institutes of Health, led to her theory of how the “bodymind” functions as a single psychosomatic network of information molecules which control our health and physiology. She and close colleague Dr. Michael Ruff were among the earliest contributors to “psychoneuroimmunology.”
Her original contemporary theories of the unconscious mind and its influence on psychosomatic illness, happiness, and wellness, led to her 2008 award of the Theophrastus Paracelsus Prize for Holistic Medicine at a recent ceremony in St. Gallen Switzerland.
The movie What the Bleep Do We Know!? features Candace Pert expounding on how the molecules of emotion color our perception and hence our creation of reality, ideas more thoroughly developed in her first book Molecules of Emotion: the Science Behind Mindbody Medicine (Simon and Schuster, 1998). Her new book Everything You Need to Know to Feel Go(o)d (Hayhouse, 2007) is a journey into how mind, body, and spirit are inseparable; we are hard-wired for bliss, which is both physical and divine. Candace has recorded the popular CD Psychosomatic Wellness with guided imagery, affirmations and music designed to efficiently reduce stress, promote relaxation and resolve interrupted healing. She was featured in the Bill Moyer’s PBS series Healing and the Mind, and is a former Research Professor at Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, DC. Dr. Pert is currently Chief Scientific Officer of RAPID Laboratories in Rockville, Maryland which is developing a drug treatment and vaccine against HIV, the virus which causes AIDS.
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dear Candace,
your book and interviews have given me the comfirmation that its through a new way of thinking our beings that we will find the way to fight illnesses.
Your findings and point of views are the philosophy of the future.What a wonderful leader you are for all of us!
I am a great fan and do spread the word of your work.
Thank you
jb
Hello Candace,
I have been a ‘fan ‘ of yours since reading “Molecules of Emotion” about 10 years ago. It was such an ah-ha feeling for me as I have always considered the mind to be very powerful and to have a direct on our physical condition.
So I practice mindfullness and stilling the mind as this for me brings me back to myself, not sure that makes sense but it does feel like taking a holiday.
I am a clinical aromatherapist and have studied a course called Holistic Counselling,Mind-Body Medicine from the LIFE Academy in Perth, Western Australia. T
I was trawling the web to look for more info about you as I am lecturing in Taiwan in a few weeks and one of the topics I have chose to present is on the Mind-Body Connection and how Essential oil therapy can be utilised to relax the mind and reduce stress. I always urge my students to read your book not just for the wonderful info on neuro- peptides but also to understand your relentlessness efforts to accomplish this research.
I will have to get your CD now
My best regards,
Karen MacKenzie
Brisbane,
Australia
Hi Candace, I just finally read Molecules of Emotion after planning to read it for the past decade. What a great story! I was especially fascinated to learn that viruses use the neurotransmitter receptor sites to enter cells, as with the HIV virus. I’m curious to learn more about this. Is there a current book that you recommend, or a website perhaps?
Thanks!
Karin
PS. Thanks for including Rolfing in your list of resources in the back of your book. Certainly I think that Rolfing is one of the most optimistic and forward-thinking modalities, and it’s my great honor to get to explore how to help “the evolution of the individual,” as Ida Rolf put it.
If you’re reading this, you’re all set, pardner!
Dear Candace,
Thank you for all your hard work, your patience to research and bring to light
what you have learned.
I am simply one of the denizens out there and I just want to tell you how much you are appreciated. I am grateful there are people such as yourself in the world who are making a difference.
I am endlessly fascinated by hidden patterns and invisible connections that I have discovered, and which I privately catalog… and they tie into my belief that all of life is one giant, cosmic hologram in which everything is woven together.
I more or less see the brain in similar fashion.
I am waiting to read “Molecules of Emotion” from our library, but I am wondering if you can tell me if there have been any studies, that you are aware of, that denote the number of harmful chemicals sent into the bloodstream by way of negative thinking as compared to the number of healthy ones as related to maintaining positive thoughts?
Best Regards,
William
Thanks for your interesting comment. You pose a question that nobody really can answer. While “staying positive” is certainly an incredibly powerful way to manifest your dreams, I always like to point out that sometimes occasional bursts of honest negative emotions such as anger are healthfully cleansing and lead to self awareness, personal growth and deeper joy.
Dr. Pert, you are my hero. Your book, Molecules of Emotion, is my Bible, and I read it, again, and again. I am lawyer, and now moving toward being a social worker, looking to find meaning in my chosen field. Thank you for your books, and I will look into your color theory as well. You are compassionate, wise, and brilliant, and your work has made a wonderful contribution to this suffering, but hopeful world—Richard Nager
Frankly I think that’s absolutely good stuff.
That’s the best answer of all time! JMHO
Hi. I came across an old interview of yours while searching for something else on the Internet…and I am fascinated by your theories. I suffered from ill health for many years, but as I became more spiritually “well”, many of the physical symptoms I had subsided. I find that I am far healthier than most of my same-age peers. I believe the mind is VERY powerful in the healing process, and am now intrigued. I hope to locate your book and additional materials to learn more about your research!
I’ve found your work and your approach totally inspiring. After reading Molecules of Emotion I signed up for a four year course in naturopathy. I’m now starting the third year and I have to think of a title for my thesis. I would love to tie up my favourite subject, iridology, with psychoneuroimmunology. Do you know if any research has ever been done into this connection? Thanks for any help.
Dear Claire,
I have asked a young friend, Steven Galloway, a recent graduate of the Institute of Holistic Nutrition Toronto. I am not familiar with any specific studies regarding iridology and PNI, as scientific studies on iridology are quite scarce as it is. Steven says that this connection can be seen when one studies the development as a fetus in regard to the eyes, bran, spine and organs. During the beginning stages of fetal development, around two weeks the baby’s brain, gut and heart are the first things to grow. As the brain is growing, two pockets are formed which are the spots for the eyes. As three weeks approaches, the baby begins to develop optic nerves in these pockets. During the next few weeks, the gut and eyes forming in accordance to the gut and other major organs will begin to fully develop. It is through this process of the optic nerves and eyes forming in accordance to the gut and organs which makes the vital connection between nerves and tissue of the other parts of the body to be directly connected and linked in with the other body systems and organs. The tissue state of a specific body part is then recorded into the iris of the eye throughout the life of the being. In addition, the iris can show signs of stress and toxic accumulation from inherited weaknesses through the parents as well. The iris connection allows the tisue state to be accurately recorded in almost every region of the body, which can be very important especially when trying to examine things such as the thyroid, in which the iris could tell if it is either the right or left side which needs to be examined.
Source: Iridology Vol 2 by Bernard Jenson
Regards,
Candace
I’m not easily irmpesesd. . . but that’s impressing me!
Enjoyed your book about feeling good except for one thing. I am a native Californian and I didn’t think the comments about Californians were very funny. The rest of the book was very beneficial.
Hi melinda~
Your comment re California has an interesting synchronicity..I LOVE CA, have wanted to move there practically my whole life, managed to get my youngest kid there and am still working on a job transfer to the LA region as we speak! I am wondering where I said bad things about CA? which book? Californoid thinking? My point is Californians are avante gard the rest of the country is old fashioned!
regards
Candace
Your article perfectly shows what I needed to know, thnaks!
Shoot, who would have thought that it was that easy?
Woot, I will cretainly put this to good use!
Regards relating to the beautiful guidance right here portion webpage, here is the bit test for that web log market. What person quoted this process use a quote from? . . . .Devotion is also mindful, take pleasure in is considered . This doesn’t covet, will not possess, prideful. It’s impolite, it is far from self-seeking, it’s not very angered, this can drives zero doc pointing to errors. Find it irresistible is unable to take pleasure in malignant then again rejoices employing the honest truth. It all certainly defends, make sure to trusts, commonly wishes, consistently perseveres.
Hi Candace,
I thought you might personally like this youtube. It is a very quick effective method to raise consciousness. If you ask almost anyone “Do you love yourself?” The answer is “yes” but for almost everyone they don’t know what it really is or ever experenced it. This youtube is a game changer….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mngictpeYA
Please feel free to share it with the world
The Only Lesson Method 1
Bill McKenna
Thank you for your book Molecules of Emotion. I’m not all of the way through it yet, in fact not past chapter 3 but getting there. Already I can see how amazingly brilliant and generous you are. I am hooked on finding out more about brain and body connection or in other words how the brain is absolute with body, they are one and the same. Life is truly a miracle.
Are there any studies about childhood trauma and brain/body function for the lay person? I can see how the freeway of the mind is supposed to work but what happens when long term detrimental external circumstances interrupt what should be lovingly built circuitry?
Warm wishes to you.
Hey Candace I read your book “Molecules of Emotion” and was inspired by your open mindedness and ambition. I know that in 1973 you discovered the opiate receptor and periodically come back to thinking about the way you view the world. I do feel it is a bit of a jump to Eastern Thinking but I look forward to labs showing the real science of complementary medicine and procedures like you have started to find. But of course the science of nutrition and certain herbs are so complicating due to the complexity of holistic effects.
In the future it would be nice if the science fully spread separating the placebo effect from the physical effect and at the same time uniting the biological and the mental into one unified holistic science. I think the different scientific methods will have to be formulated to understand multi-variable synergistic dynamics.
That is the future that I think about while reading your book and I hope to read your new book and see you on the TV production you were on. I do hope that you remain skeptical but open minded so that you don’t fall for any illusions while at the same time remaining open minded and optimistic. There is a fine line between open mindedness and blind faith of course.
Awesome blog over here! Thanks for sharing this very usefull information. I will visit your blog again into a couple off days to check if you have some new articles.
I really like it when men and women arrive with each other and share opinions, excellent web site, hold it up.
Hi Candace,
I too loved reading your book Molecules of Emotion!
It gives me fantastic support (as I refer to info in it often) when I explain my interpretation of meta-physical healing to my peers, especially those peers who are entrenched in tradition.
Funny enough I noticed the older we get the more entrenched people seem to become, hence illness becomes more common as most people age?
I wonder why mental flexibility slowly seeps away? Our bodies become less flexible too, reflecting the mind.
Well I will definitely keep flexing my mind and stay informed with up to date information that feels right to me, such as yours
Thank you so very much for holding the balance and staying true to yourself, you are a great example of a FFW (Fearless Female Warrior!), an inspiration to us all!
Regards Karrina
Dear Candence,
Could you please write down name of book or books about the role of neuropeptides and amino acids for brain metabolism and for immune system, and using them for therapy? You have a huge knowledge and experience in it. So your answer is very important for me.
Thank you.
Awesome blog, it’s just like a game for me! It’s so infomative and usefull, thanks a lot! If you post more of this great stuff, I’ll visit your blog again!
Hi Candace,
You came to mind and I thought I’d say hello. I don’t know if you remember me; we shared a sweat lodge ceremony on Gold Mountain in Boulder during the ISSEEM conference with Joan Borysenko, your son and a few others back in ’97. I remember it being a powerful experience. I hope you’ve been well!
All the best!
warm regards,
Michelle Handwerker Ph.D. LMT CAAT
The International Association for The Advancement of Peace
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