EdgeWork
Exploring the Psychology of Disease
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Edgework provides a concise overview of the research on the mindbody, summarizing the essence of healing at the level of consciousness and guiding readers through the process with detailed exercises that make the concepts a personal reality.
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Dr. Ronald Peters has 30 years of research and experience in holistic medicine. He has studied with enlightened spiritual teachers, leading to a detailed understanding of the formative power of the conscious and unconscious mind, which he summarized in his ground-breaking book, Edgework, Exploring the Psychology of Disease. He empowers people to restore the wisdom of the body using nutritional therapies and then helps them understand the governing influence of consciousness. In this manner, disease becomes a messenger offering greater levels of health both physically and psychologically.

Since the publication of Edgework, several popular books have restated this paradigm shifting truth: consciousness creates reality. These include The Secret, by Rhonda Byrne, Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle, and Ask and It is Given, by Esther Hicks, to mention a few. Edgework applies this timeless truth to the world of medicine and healing.

Since 2003, many patients have appreciated the life changing guidance that comes from the concepts and exercises in Edgework, thereby heeding the message of disease and creating greater health in their lives.

From the Introduction to Edgework:

The mind controls the body. We have heard about this paradigm-shifting notion time and time again in the last half of the twentieth century. Research in immunology has contributed to dozens of books telling us about improved immunity based on positive states of mind and, conversely, reduced immune function due to negative states of consciousness. Physicians and psychologists have told us about the hostile aspects of Type A behavior and the epidemic of heart disease that plagues our society. Many other researchers have spoken, a bit more cautiously, about features of the cancer prone personality. Anxiety and depression contribute to numerous other illnesses, and continue to afflict up to one quarter of the American population. Books have been written on the psychosomatic aspects of common diseases like asthma, hypertension, ulcerative colitis, peptic ulcers, and diabetes, just to mention a few. Yet none have stated the essence of the mind/body issue as succinctly as the great psychoanalyst Dr. Franz Alexander, when he wrote: "The fact that the mind rules the body is, in spite of its neglect by biology and medicine, the most fundamental fact which we know about the process of life..."
But in spite of this outpouring of information on the mind/body relationship, little has changed in the doctor's office to reflect this new understanding. Doctors still devote most of their time trying to find out what is wrong with the body, and patients still try to get rid of their symptoms with the latest offerings from the drug industry. Many of us take vitamins and minerals, try to exercise and relax more, perhaps meditate occasionally, but really little has changed, and the problems in health care continue on. Indeed, paradigms shift slowly as they bear the weight of institutional, social and personal belief systems.

Based on my twenty years of holistic family practice, I too have learned that the origins of most physical disease are within consciousness - the body is the messenger of the conflicts, sustained fears, suppressed emotional traumas, disturbed patterns of thinking, and other imbalances that lie within the conscious and unconscious mind. I have learned this by listening to thousands of patients tell the stories that preceded the onset of their illness. I have heard again and again of childhood patterns of neglect, smothering control, abandonment, and emotional, physical and sexual abuse. I have heard of the failed relationships, years of marital conflict, and the pain of loneliness. I have heard about decades of unfulfilling employment, foiled personal creativity and the quiet desperation of a slowly dying spirit. I have heard about relentless anxiety, depression, denied emotions, destructive beliefs, hopelessness, helplessness, "giving up", and an endless variety of recurrent stresses.

Most importantly, I have seen patient after patient backtrack into consciousness and find the dis-ease within the mind that precipitated the dis-ease in the body. The answers may not come quickly as many issues are hidden in the shadow, or unconscious mind, but they do come and the results of such personal in-depth healing are transformational. I have seen cancer, multiple sclerosis, colitis, hepatitis, high blood pressure, heart disease, depression, and all types of chronic and often "incurable" diseases go into remission or quiescence. These are the reasons I have written Edgework.

Edgework refers to the edge between what you know about yourself and what you do not know. Dis-ease of any kind is the body's way of getting your attention and inviting this self-exploration, thereby offering true healing. The path maybe scary, as change itself is scary for most of us. It is easy to understand what the noted English poet W. H. Auden meant when he wrote: "We would rather be ruined than changed; we would rather die in our dread than climb the cross of the moment and let our illusions die."

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is mindbody medicine? [+]
    Will my insurance pay for my care?
  • Will mindbody healing help me? [+]
    What kind of lab tests will I need?
  • What kinds of diseases respond best to mindbody healing? [+]
    What is Heart Rate Variability testing (HRV)?
  • Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) refers to the scientific research revealing the influence of the mind (thoughts and emotions, conscious and unconscious) on the immune system. The following states of consciousness have been shown to weaken the immune system:

    • Chronic stress
    • Bereavement
    • Divorce or separation
    • Loneliness and social isolation
    • Marital conflict
    • Depression
    • Anxiety
    • Pessimism
    • Lack of control
    • Low self-esteem
    • Feelings of hopelessness and helplessness

    But don’t worry; the power of your mind can also strengthen your immune system. Medical research has shown that the following states of mind are associated with strong immunity:

    • Relaxation
    • Meditation
    • Humor and laughter
    • Social support and relationships
    • Optimism
    • Expressing emotions
    • Increase your self-esteem
    • Gain control in your life
    • Commit to a challenging goal
    • Belief, faith, and spirituality

    Immunity was the initial focus of mindbody research, but then medical scientists realized that all aspects of body function are influenced by the mind. Digestion, hormone production, blood clotting, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, reproduction, metabolism, libido, weight control, muscle tension, and more are also controlled to some degree by the mind and behavior.

    Mindbody medicine shows you the impact of your mind on your body, helping you to learn from your disease and then to change and help the healing process. The tools of mindbody healing are diverse and often simple. Sometimes awareness is enough. Other tools include behavior change, reading, counseling, communication, emotional release, insight training, psychotherapy, biofeedback, hypnosis, inner child writing, journaling, meditation, relaxation, prayer, spiritual practices, to mention a few.

    The wisdom of your mindbody is enormous and you can use this inner guidance in your life for health and healing. When you combine the tools of mindbody medicine with restoration of the body wisdom using nutritional therapies, proper diet, and exercise then you will certainly feel better and mostly likely heal your illness.
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  • Mindbody healing will help everyone who experiences any form of dis-ease, whether it is physical, psychological or social. For physical illness you also need to restore the natural wisdom of the body using nutritional biochemistry, right diet and often exercise of one kind of another.
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  • The following diseases respond well to mindbody healing, often eliminating the need for medications:

    • Heartburn, gastroesophageal reflux (GERD), indigestion
    • Irritable bowel syndrome
    • Sleep disturbance
    • Anxiety
    • Depression
    • Fatigue
    • Arthritis
    • Allergic rhinitis
    • Asthma
    • Rashes
    • High blood pressure
    • Headaches
    • Diabetes
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  • What about cancer? [+]
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  • Do you treat chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia? [+]
    Cancer is the ultimate message to embark on mindbody healing. There are two tasks that need to be done when a person develops cancer. First, get rid of the cancer using conventional treatments, alternative therapies or some combination of the two. Second, evaluate and change the conditions in the mind and body that allowed the cancer to grow in the first place. Oncologists focus on the first task and neglect the second one, thus increasing the risk of recurrence.

    Complementary treatments for cancer focus on the whole person and not just on the disease. For example, when oncologists treat cancer using chemotherapy and/or radiation, they are focusing these powerful treatments on the cancerous tumor, which they consider to be the disease. The pioneering work of the German physician Josef Issels recognized that cancer is a symptom of many other chronically disturbed body systems. Dr. Issels referred to the "internal milieu" of the body with low oxygen levels, poor cellular nutrient intake, impaired repair and regulatory systems, toxin buildup, and gradual immune deterioration as some of the problems that allowed the renegade cancer cell to grow into a lethal tumor. If a treatment reduces the size of a tumor but does not address the many factors that allowed it to grow in the first place, then treatment has been incomplete and recurrence is likely. Dr. Issels' success with cancer patients was far greater than conventional German doctors.

    Research has shown that chronic stress and toxins in the body are major factors in the modern epidemic of cancer. Stress not only weakens the immune system but disturbs DNA repair mechanisms. Chemical and heavy metal toxins such as mercury and lead create a daily barrage of mutating damage to our DNA. Mindbody medicine provides the tools to address both of these important issues by:

    • Helping people discover the conscious and unconscious factors that contributed to the development of cancer and then change them. Do not expect to be the same person before and after successful cancer therapy. The purpose of cancer is healing, especially at the level of the mind.
    • Evaluating the body burden of chemical toxins and heavy metals and then reducing that burden through a variety of detoxification procedures.

    In addition, cancer patients need a diet and supplement plan that provides the following:

    • optimal nutrition,
    • immune support,
    • reduced inflammation,
    • reduced blood viscosity,
    • tissue oxygenation,
    • antioxidant protection,
    • enhanced detoxification
    • and more.

  • What is the first consultation like [+]
    Both CFS and FMS are complex, multi-factorial diseases. In other words, each is a puzzle with many pieces. Some pieces are bigger than others and some pieces are smaller, but all the pieces need to be put together to see the big picture and resolve the problem. Only mindbody healing can put together all the issues involved in these common medical problems.

    For details, click here:
    Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
    Fibromyalgia

Your Mindbody Wisdom

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Your mindbody is a symphony of biological intelligence of unfathomable complexity and wonder, all designed for you to live your life. Regardless of your personal health issues, it is important to regain confidence in the healing power that lives naturally within you.

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