Review of the Netflix Documentary "'Heal"
I haven’t been feeling my upbeat positive self this week. I don’t know if it’s winter coming at me full force, wine withdrawals from Napa, this week’s supermoon, or just the general life transition that I’m currently going through. It’s probably a combination of all of the above. So when Friday came rolling around I was on the fence whether to be social or take a night to rest. I ended up choosing the latter and having a random soul-filling weekend night, which has lead to a great reset. It all started with watching the new Netflix documentary, “Heal.”
I’m into woo woo shit. I’m going to lay that out right now. I combat my anxiety with both Western & Eastern medicine techniques and have good results using both medication and alternative medicine. I am on board with the idea that what we put out into the Universe is what we receive. Sign me up for psychics, energy healing, all the books (some of my favorites found here), releasing emotional blocks, and frankly anything else you can throw at me. So, I went into this documentary with a pretty open mind - but that being said, even the biggest of skeptics may be convinced that there is a connection between the human body and mind with all the scientific data that this well intentioned film throws at you.
Review of the Netflix Documentary "Heal"
Though initially, some of the real-life stories they feature even had me, a woo woo connoisseur, feeling like this was starting as more of an infomercial than a legitimate documentary. While I absolutely celebrate these people that had these health and life experiences: curing stage 4 cancer with changing her thoughts around chemo being medicine and not poison, recovering from a paralyzing spinal injury by reconstructing his spine in his mind for 3 hours every day for 6 weeks, for example. I may be more skeptical because I lost my mother at a young age to a sudden and progressive cancer. But the whole point of the documentary is that if these people had these experiences, is there more to the mind body connection than we know?
I like that “Heal” does note the power of Western medicine with infection and trauma. While also focusing on chronic illness and finding the root cause of it. The human body is made up entirely of atoms, and when you break down an atom what’s inside? Energy. So, if our body is essentially made of energy then, according Michael Beckwith founder of Agape International Spiritual Center, “tonic thoughts can product tonic chemicals, and toxic thoughts can produce toxic chemicals.” I mean, we’ve all heard of the Placebo Effect. Which by definition is, “a beneficial effect produced by a placebo drug or treatment. Which cannot be attributed to the properties of the placebo itself. And must therefore be due to the patient's belief in that treatment.”
The documentary recommends viewers think back to when you’re a kid. And you get a scrape or the flu, you don’t think twice about it, and it heals.
As an adult, your mind can go to really bad places (do not, I repeat, do not WebMD your symptoms!). As someone that is anxious, I am great at this. I can worry about getting sick before a trip enough that I can actually get sick. I can think a panic attack into existence, which is my personal favorite talent. Even my therapist, Dr. G., tells me that if I worry about the Xanax not working for a panic attack (which, by the way, I do worry about), it won’t be as effective. This man is as Western medicine as it gets, so that’s saying a lot.
Two pieces of data from “Heal” stood out to me the most.
The first is from Kelly Turner PH.D, the NYT best selling author, who wrote a book about the research she conducted from 1500 radical remission cancer patients aka those who beat severe and progressive cancer without heavily relying on Western medication. There were over 75 things that these people did to get well. But out of those 75 things, there were 9 things in common among all these people:
Relieve emotional blockages, radically changing your diet, taking control of your health, following your intuition, using herbs and supplements, releasing suppressed emotions, increasing positive emotions, and embracing social support. She notes that only two items listed here are physical. The rest are mental and emotional ways to activate the immune system. Ok girl, I see you.
The second was from Bruce Lipton, a stem cell biologist (I’m already sold).
He ran an experiment with cloning three of the exact same cells. Although they were genetically the same in makeup, he placed them all in three slightly separate environments. Each cell, with the exact same makeup, formed differently in each environment. So, according to Bruce Lipton, if your environment can literally change the makeup of your cells, then your mind and perception of the environment can change the cells as well.
The last part of the documentary focuses on how you can shift your perception of your environment and use positive thinking to heal the root of what is perhaps causing your chronic illness. Surprise, surprise, the first thing discussed how people live healthier lives when they meditate. You guys know I’m a big fan of this. So I was pumped when this was discussed. According to Joan Borysenko, psychoneuroimmunologist (whatever that is, but sounds legit), meditation is helpful because the mind is yapping all the time.
It’s good when you are using the mind as a tool, not as great when it’s calling the shots.
The very first research on meditation says that it shuts down the fight or flight response. And it stimulates the parasympathetic, or relaxing nervous system of the body. So meditation even at the basic level releases stress. Dr. Joe Dispenza, researcher and NYT best selling author, conducted similar research on meditation. And found the levels of IGA - or Immunoglobulin A - to skyrocket. IGA is the body’s primary defense against bacteria and viruses.
There’s also EFT - or emotional freedom tapping - which I’ve personally have been guided through many times in my life.
Tapping combines Chinese acupressure and modern psychology. And by tapping on specific points while focusing on emotions help calm the nervous system and rewire the brain. Lastly, they mentioned the power of sending good vibes to other people. According to Gregg Braden, geologist, there’s this theory of “entanglement” meaning that we are energetically connected. So, essentially prayers and sending good vibes towards people actually works and we can participate in other’s healings. As the receiver, there is an Oxytocin response when you surround yourself with good people and you know they are thinking of you. And perhaps it’s the placebo effect, but whatever it is, it’s meaningful.
Aside from the couple bizarre cameos from the narrator/write/producer Kelly Noonan Gores, this is a legitimate documentary and I was quickly proven otherwise on my initial hesitancy that I was watching feature length infomercial. Whether you are really into the woo woo shit or not, I do think there are some interesting takeaways that can be applied into everyday life. And there is no doubting how extraordinary the human body is. And on that note, I am sending YOU positive vibes.