3 Misconceptions About Illness and Disease

We are all conditioned from a very young age that illness and dis-ease are random occurrences that are out of our ability to control. From birth we are exposed to thoughts and beliefs such as how frail our bodies are, how susceptible we are to illness, and how we have no cures for many of the so called ‘major illnesses’ prevalent in the world. We are programmed to believe that we are victims to the outside world and that we are powerless little ants walking around not knowing which illness will squash us next.

This article is written for all those who are seeking to break free from the old beliefs about illness and dis-ease. It is for those who are ready to embrace new ideas that promote empowerment and liberation. What follows is a brief list of 3 misconceptions about illness and dis-ease and how we can begin to break free of these old conditioned ways of thinking.

Misconception #1: Illness and Dis-ease Have Physical Causes

Traditional views teach us that these are caused by physical means. For example, if you get a cold, it is because you “caught a cold” from being out in the cold or because someone sneezed on you etc. Another example is in regards to being overweight, as it is commonly thought that people become overweight because they either eat too much or do not exercise enough, or a combination of both. It is based on the belief that there is something external to you, that there is an “out there” separate from you.

To break free of this misconception, we understand that nothing physical can cause anything else that is physical. The physical level is the level of effect, and the level of effect has no power to create anything in and of itself. One of the great universal laws is the law of cause and effect. Very simply, this law states that for every effect there is a cause and to every cause there is an effect. Illness and dis-ease operate on the level of effect, meaning they are only effects and not the cause. The causal levels are the mental, emotional and spiritual levels, these levels are often referred to as “within” a person.

Misconception #2: Illness and Dis-ease is an Enemy

Most of us are taught as children that sickness is bad and that we need to “fight” against or it will destroy us. All forms of sickness are considered as being caused by some type of foreign body that is invading our body in an attempt to harm or hurt us. Resultantly, all attempts are made by current medicine to destroy the physical illness or dis-ease by medication or other such physical treatments. From this point of view, we are not cured until the physical 'invader' is no longer visible or traceable in our bodies, and thus, the so called enemy has been overcome.

This misconception is broken down when we understand and perceive correctly that illness and dis-ease is our friend, rather than our foe. In this way, it is merely seen as a physical effect, i.e. a message from the body, that what is happening within us, on the level of cause, is not in balance with our greatest good or our own best interests. Whenever we are acting out of harmony with love, we receive feedback in our bodies in the form of illness and dis-ease to help us become aware that we are out of balance within ourselves.

Misconception #3: Illness and Dis-ease is Separate from You

This was briefly mentioned in #1, in that we have been conditioned to believe that these are things which are external to us. Because we can see a virus, a bacteria etc., in our bodies, it appears that these foreign bodies are external to us, that they have nothing to do with us. For example, we believe we get the flu as the result of contracting the influenza virus, because it can be seen through a microscope; therefore, it is deemed as being separate or external from us. In the traditional way of thinking, we have contracted this “external” virus via some type of physical contact, either through another person, animal etc.

Consequently, this is one of the hardest misconceptions to let go of, as it is the one that seems the most accurate based on our senses and what we perceive with them. Nonetheless, if we are to fully understand the role of illness & dis-ease in our lives, it is one we must change. Even though it is hard to understand at first, all illness is the result of non-physical causes. In other words, they are simply outward manifestations of thoughts and emotions that are taking place within us. When we experience a physical illness or dis-ease, we have not contracted anything physical, but in reality have contracted the thinking or belief system that causes the physical effect in the form of a specific illness or dis-ease.

In the cases of epidemics, the duration and extent of an epidemic is directly proportional to the particular belief system that maintains it. The people affected by such widespread dis-ease are allowing themselves to be overrun by the way of thinking prevalent at the time.

Conclusion

From this perspective, we begin to understand that all forms of illness, injury and dis-ease are there to help us; not to hinder, hurt or destroy us. This article is merely an introduction to a different way of approaching health & wellbeing. There are many who have been advocating this approach for many years, including Louise Hay, Lise Bourbeau and Deepak Chopra to name a few. You have nothing to lose in considering this approach, although our natural tendency is to resist, as our ego (beliefs) doesn’t like to be challenged and asked to change from the status quo.