The Body Has a Mind of Its Own

The Body Has a Mind of Its Own


I have been reading this book with great interest. The subtitle is interesting: How Body Maps in Your Brain Help You Do Almost Anything Better.

It is a self help book but I really like the discussion of the maps are brains contain that relate to our bodies. There is one body map called the "body schema". this map is "a felt sense based on the physical properties of your body." Another map "stems from learned attitudes about your body."

We know that there are maps of our body's schema. There are several schematics in several parts of the brain. Each and every body part is reflected in these blueprint like structures. These maps are both conscious and subconscious representations of our felt and perceived body. This book explains proprioception meaning "perception of one's own." It is how we sense where we are and how our bodies are configured. "These maps guide your body movements and expectations about those movements."

The authors blew my mind when they went on to talk about the important receptors on the bottom of the feet. They write about the decay to these receptors that occur over time and the impact on the aging process. They talk about some high tech solutions with faint vibrations to the bottom of the feet as was done by Dr. Collins at Boston University or more recently with the IShoe.

But according to the authors you don't need high tech to achieve the same results. You can simply walk on cobblestones like the Chinese have done for centuries. "The science of body maps explains how it works." And then they go on to explain it.

I have to say this book talks about what we have talked about for years. The reflexology charts are not without precedent. There are maps throughout the brain and yes, there are schemata throughout the body as well. This exists because we must map our existence from moment to moment just to survive. Every part of the body is a part of these maps.

This book makes me feel very positive about what we have said about the workings of reflexology.

Kevin Kunz

http://www.reflexology-research.com

http://www.dk.com/reflexology