We can be aware of the mind-body connection but we don’t always know how to get it to work for us. How can we get to a place of harmony between body and spirit?
Holistic systems like Logotherapy and Macrobiotics can help because they are based on understanding of both mind and body and therefore can serve to integrate between them.
What is holistic about Logotherapy and Macrobiotics?
Macrobiotics is made up of two Greek words, large and life, and means a long life or a large view of life. Founded by George Ohsawa and promoted in America by Michio Kushi, Macrobiotics is based on principles of balance and harmony. The earth and all thereon is a constantly changing holistic system that is ever striving for balance. In order to nurture ourselves, we must maintain a harmonious relationship with nature and we have to balance complementary forces in the body.
Logotherapy comes from the Greek word logos which means, among other things, ‘meaning.’ Hence, it is healing through meaning. Viktor Frankl, the founder of logotherapy, documented in his book Man’s Search for Meaning a higher survival rate among fellow concentration camp inmates who had a future orientation and a sense that they had something to live for in contrast to those who had no such orientation.
The principles of logotherapy are ‘freedom of will,’ ‘will to meaning’ and ‘meaning of life.’ One may object and insist that not everyone is looking for meaning or that a life filled with suffering is meaningless and that we are not free but stuck in our situations. But in principle, something meaningful is always there in potential, although you may not easily or immediately see it. Secondly, you always have some measure of freedom, even if it’s very limited. Thirdly, you want your existence here to have some point to it, even if that’s not the only thing you spend your time thinking about.
The holistic element of logotherapy can be seen through its inclusion of the spirit. Historically, each psychological theory that came on the scene emphasized a different part of the person – psyche, behavior, cognitions, and so forth. Each theory contributed to our understanding of how people function.
In contrast to other psychological approaches, Frankl emphasized the importance in seeing a person as more than a composite of emotions or behaviors or psyche. We have to see the person in his or her wholeness. To see the person as a whole we have to include the spiritual dimension. This is not just one more missing piece with equal weight to other pieces, but that aspect that “makes us human.”
Which qualities mark our human-ness and set us apart from the rest of the animal kingdom?
a) Self-reflecting: We don’t only have emotions but also think about our emotional states. For example we’re capable of getting depressed over the fact that we’re depressed.
b) Self-evaluating: We take a stand towards external and internal events and think about how we want to relate to them.
c) Self-determining: We decide from moment to moment who we want to be and how we want to shape ourselves.
The spirit, which allows us to do these things, sees with a different kind of perception than the body. Our spirit (or human advantage) allows us to be detached and look at ourselves from an outside perspective. We can laugh at ourselves. We can imagine how we will feel in the future about something we’re doing now.
Furthermore the spirit acts independently and autonomously. We don’t have to listen to the dictates of our instincts.
If the spirit perceives differently and functions independently of the body, how does this create harmony? Maybe the spirit will go off and do its own thing and the body will go off and do its own thing!
First of all, it cannot be that the spirit’s separateness creates a split personality. If it did, this would negate any concept of responsibility. As Flip Wilson used to say in a popular comedy routine in the 70’s, “the devil made me do it.” But we can’t blame our upbringing or mitigating circumstances as a way to shirk accountability for our actions. There has to be one address to turn to. The spirit and body act together as a team. Maimonides posits the direct culpability as the direct result of free choice and the fact of our being one cohesive entity, despite divergent parts and functions.
Let’s consider the question of separateness in light of a children’s story by Arnold Lobel called “Cookies.” Frog and Toad have baked a nice batch of cookies and they go outside to enjoy them. After awhile, Frog says, “I think we better stop eating these cookies before we get a tummy ache.” Accomplishing this turns out to not be so simple. They close the box but they can open it again. They tie it with a ribbon but they can undo the ribbon. They put it in a high place but they can take a ladder to get it down again. Finally Frog opens the box and invites the birds to eat all the cookies, which they do. Frog proclaims, “We have no more cookies but we have lots of willpower.” Toad retorts that Frog can have his willpower, but he is going home to bake a cake.
Toad is the more immature one. He doesn’t “get it” that it’s not in his best interest to stuff himself with the cookies. But does Frog “get it?” He cannot win the battle against his cravings except by force. To western thinking with its dichotomy between body and spirit, the human condition is locked into an adversarial relationship. The choice is between forcefully imposing your will or weakly giving in to temptation. For one side to win, the other has to lose. In contrast, a harmonious relationship begets a “win-win” situation.
The beginning of an answer to how we create harmony lies in Frankl’s definition of freedom. Frankl posited that there is “freedom from” and “freedom to.” We are free from what determines us (being an “only child,” ingrained habits, food cravings, etc) and free to choose what matters to us.
One of Frankl’s better-known quotes is in reference to his experience in the concentration camps during the Holocaust: “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
This attitude is maybe not surprising but what is unusual about it is the context in which it’s said.
Let us look at it again in context. “We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.
“And there were always choices to make. Every day, every hour, offered the opportunity to make a decision, a decision which determined whether you would or would not submit to those powers which threatened to rob you of your very self, your inner freedom; which determined whether or not you would become the plaything of circumstance, renouncing freedom and dignity to become molded into the form of the typical inmate.” (Man’s Search for Meaning, p. 86-7).
Frankl speaks about people who went around comforting others or gave away their last piece of bread when they themselves were struggling for survival. – And particularly through these examples he wants to illustrate the concept of freedom!
Since human beings have been endowed with the basic freedom to choose their attitude, holocaust victims were able to rise above their situation; instead of looking out only for their survival, which would certainly be understandable, they could think about someone outside themselves.
It is part of the human condition to detach ourselves from forces that threaten to deprive us of our freedom and to attach ourselves to what is important to us. We are pushed by our drives but pulled by our values.
Choosing your attitude makes you into a subject, not an object. The meaning of freedom is freedom to be self-determining, not determined.
And because a person is one cohesive entity, this self-determining element must necessarily include leadership. The body speaks only a language of needs. It has no clarity of vision. It is pushed onto objects rather than pulled by seeing value in those objects that make them worth choosing. So the body needs the spirit’s guidance, and there can only be a harmonious relationship when the spirit takes leadership and the body recognizes and accepts this leadership.
We can sum up now that human freedom entails being:
a) Free to see from a distance (i.e. a detached perspective)
b) Free to act independently not coerced by whims of body with its drives that push you but values that pull you.
c) Free to lead based on those values, harnessing other powers in its ‘charge’ in service of a higher purpose.
When we reach for our values (and they can be universal values or simply values that stem from our intrinsic individual specialness and what we have to contribute to the world) something amazing happens. Our spirit is not just “going its own way” in conflict with our body. Our spirit is taking a leadership role, working cooperatively with the body.
Therefore, we have to add one more condition. Why is it so hard for us to take care of ourselves? We try to impose our will, like Frog and Toad. And then it backfires on us.
For this teamwork to be effective, there has to be true leadership, and true leadership is not taken by force but by the strength of your convictions.
When your paradigm is that body and spirit have conflicting interests, that when the spirit wins the body loses and when the body wins the spirit loses, then you will try to force your will on your body and you will experience strong resistance.
It is only when the spirit (your autonomous self) takes charge in making the decisions, and both spirit and body recognize and accept each other’s roles, that you will have true leadership, and only through this kind of leadership will you be able to achieve harmony.
Harmony is when the spirit takes delight in this precious body and the body takes delight in this wise mentor. That’s when you choose growth and life. And that’s what makes every physical experience actually a spiritual experience, in which the body participates.
A “need-focus” ends up making you self-absorbed. A “values-focus” pulls you to choose what’s meaningful.
When you evoke what’s valuable and meaningful to you, you’re not ignoring your needs. You’re listening to the needs of your body without being dictated by them, and you’re energized by what inspires you.
If we take the example of healthy food choices, the spirit is choosing to nurture your precious body. The value that you’re choosing is you!
To do this we need only relate to our body as we would relate to a precious child. It’s in need of boundaries. We lovingly take care of it. We listen to it and try to meet its needs – with the added advantage of our higher perspective.
It’s easier to endure frustration and to sacrifice when we choose to work within systems that help us make growth-inducing decisions. It’s not about being deprived. It’s about choosing life. That’s why we choose holistic systems like logotherapy or Macrobiotics.
However even holistic systems cannot tell you what to do. You can’t get answers from a book. Maybe you will decide to give your body a special treat one time. What’s important is that you don’t just eat it because it’s there but choose from a place of leadership. Then you will achieve harmony between body and spirit.
I called the title of this presentation “Thriving on Values” because when we are focused on our needs we tend to get self-absorbed but when we focus on what is important to us it not only helps dissipate the preoccupation with self but it actually energizes us and empowers us to be our true self. We are most ourselves when we are engaged in what we care about.
Medical advances contribute greatly to our health and psychological tools contribute to our emotional health, but the medical and psychological models are problematic when they become fixated on an isolated issue and ignore the whole person.
We are not only in need of healing when we are ill. Life flows on a continuum with thriving on one end and deteriorating on the other. There is no such thing as standing still. Life is about movement. So while everyone has different needs, the same foods that prevent illness promote well-being.
You are energized by what inspires you. When you’re focused on the preciousness of your body and the value of taking care of it, then your attention is not dominated by drives, the drives lose their potency. Drives push you towards an object but values pull you with intentionality to choose something. When something is meaningful to you then it becomes easy to sacrifice, to undergo frustration and to endure. You’re energized by the value of it.
We choose a system that helps us make decisions we can grow with. Macrobiotics is a structure for expressing values around food. The structure is not in charge either. Ultimately it’s about the spirit making choices informed by our values, whether it’s the values of macrobiotics or Jewish values or whatever values you want to name.
The late senior macrobiotic teacher, Herman Aihara, used to give wonderful lectures on the meaning of life. Some of his inspiration was based on the writings of Frankl. Aihara said we need to live our lives with purpose, what is called in macrobiotics to dream.
Whatever we seek that feels significant offers meaning. This is the same thing Frankl meant by the ‘will to meaning.’ Something we value, we’re willing to sacrifice for. We’re willing to endure frustration and challenges because it’s worth it. What it comes down to is the value of the meaning of our existence. Each of us is a precious soul and if we truly believe that, then nurturing ourselves, taking care of our physical and spiritual needs is worth it because we are worth it!