Exploring Psychoneuroimmunology in the context of Business

My friend invited me to a psychoneuroimmunology seminar awhile ago and years on I am convinced the subject should be taught in schools.

I'm not qualified to give advise so I won't. But I will lace this article with reference material so you can explore for yourself. Its worth it!

" The main interests of psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) are the interactions between the nervous system, immune system, mental processes, and health. In simple terms, PNI is looking at why peoples immune systems go down when they are under stress." Association of PNI

 My husband has a dear friend, (hello  Matty), who, under stress gets the urge to poo. His thinking affects him so much that he has to poo! Not bad but interesting right? Our thoughts affect our body. 

"Thoughts and feelings are not simply our perception of self; they are the substance of self." Franciso Varela, Neuroscrientist

If we accept that what we think affects our body, then we have to accept that improving our overall wellbeing will take more than just eating well.

Research has shown that people who "potter" in the garden or attend to hobbies have better mental health than those who don't. Yoga, mindfulness are all tools to get into harmony with your body.

The main tenors of Permaculture - doing right by earth, its animals and us must have a positive affect on our wellbeing and therefore improve our immunity right?

#firstdefencefromCOVID....

NOTE: I am not saying improving your immunity will stop you from getting COVID, I am saying a healthy immune system will help combat COVID.

When I was thinking about leaving the Corporate world and all its trappings, I thought deeply about what I wanted instead. What was it that I wanted to create that was missing from what I had. ( Side note: I had a great time in the Corporate world so nothing was "wrong" but something was definitely missing ).

I explored as I was advised with an open heart and mind. Sounds awesome right? Not reality, but awesome. Research shows us that our "fundamental operating system", what we believe and why, is in place by the time we are 7 years old, so the "open mind and heart window" had closed a long time ago.

To my mind, if 90% of our decision making is subconscious, meaning only 10% of our decisions are made with "open mind and heart" then I had better start exploring the lion's share of my decision making and take care of it, aka make sure it is as open... you get it.

I questioned and explored my decisions and those around me ( nature/ nurture theory ) until I got told to be quiet! I might have been a little annoying, sorry again Mum, but hey, you had a hand in creating me so - pay backs come in kilo sacks as they say!

Anywhooo, my exploration came to this - everything is connected. Your mind is not running the show, your interpretation of what is happen and how it makes you feel is, and your past experiences shape your future actions.. I could have just read my first year Uni text books right?! Well yes good point however now we have access to so much information, how do I/We make sense of it all and practically change our decision making to create something new and not perpetuate our past experiences? How do we grow? Great - now we are getting to the solution or at least the framework for the solution.

My answer, understanding and accepting the science of psychoneuroimmunology - Look after your body and it will look after your brain which will make better decisions that will look after you and those around you because by looking after your community you will be looking after you. You see the circular logic? We could draw it. It would look like the image of this post, swap out various systems with entities like Community, You and World and you have it. We are connected.

Thatcher with her notion that "there is no such thing as Society" is as intrinsically flawed as doctors espousing there is no connection between our brain and body.

How is PNI linked to Dark Forest Pty Ltd

I'm not one to elevate myself from sad stories. I find inspiration through joy and light. I know this after reading a collection of short stories which I am sure was bought to inspire me. It made me realise that sad stories make me sad and want to rescue the people knowing full well I can't. What I could do was create something that was self perpetuating and what I now understand to be fundamentally anchored in the science of PNI:

"Dark Forest Beverages create gut loving foods responsibly and sell them where people need them. We employ people on liveable wages so they thrive and We treat our communities with respect and love so as to improve overall wellbeing."

When I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis I was prescribed a drug that I didn't want to take but I took it because the pain was bad. I still take it. And I support my immune system by eating well which makes me feel and think better. 

In future blogs we will explore connectivity and deep dive into our relationship with ourselves and others. Until then,  #drinkferments