The Healing Brain. Robert Evan Ornstein

It has long been known that the body may respond positively when an individual believes that he or she has been given medication. For years the placebo effect remained an isolated and unexplained phenomenon. Recent research has shown, however, that psychological states and life traumas, including divorce and loss of employment, can adversely affect immune system responses. This volume, composed of contributions by noted researchers in psychiatry, psychology, and neuroscience, explain the fascinating investigations of brain-mind-body relationships that are changing the way we think about health and illness. The book´s first three chapters demonstrate how the brain operates as a health maintenance organization and describe the brain´s growth in response to experience. Psychosocial factors in healing are explored in chapters that examine the social environment´s effect on susceptibility to illness, the mechanisms and implications of the placebo effect, and the ways in which social suppor