My predecessor, Karianne, wrote some interesting posts on the mind/body connection as it relates to fertility. That got me thinking about the mind/body connection and how big a role that the mind plays in being able to conceive.
Generally speaking, I see a big connection between the mind and the body. For example, when I was repressing my emotions from a traumatic childhood, I had a very poor immune system. Now that I have dealt with my past, my immune system has become much stronger. Sports fans have known for decades that a team can be less talented but “want the win” more, propelling the underdog to win the championship. People used to believe that it was not physically possible to run a mile in under four minutes, but after one person broke through the barrier, several others followed.
I do believe that we can mentally limit our bodies through our thoughts. My former boss has a poster hanging in her office showing a person climbing a mountain. The caption said, “Whether you believe you can or you can’t, you will be right.” If we tell ourselves that we cannot do something, then we make it significantly harder for our bodies to succeed.
All that being said, I do not believe my thought process is what has prevented me from conceiving. I have been very positive, very negative, and everything in between at different times over the past eleven years, and yet I have never conceived a baby. My infertility has a physical cause, and all the positive thinking in the world has not been able to overcome that physical limitation.
Also, many unplanned pregnancies happen to women who are not thinking about conceiving. Some are actually trying not to conceive, while others are simply not thinking at all. Despite there being no mental energy directed toward conceiving, these women conceive anyhow.
So, what is my bottom line? I think it is good to be channeling positive mental energy toward your goal of conceiving a baby. However, positive energy might not be enough. If your fertility challenges have a physical cause, you need to approach your issues from a physical standpoint as well.
Photo credit: Lynda Bernhardt
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