Magical Thinking and the Power to Change

Although I forgot to ask the purpose of the coyote tail in the plastic bag pinned to the wall, and I didn’t purchase a single thing, my visit to a herberia in south Austin delivered some answers I was seeking. The señora who owned the shop filled with charms, talismans, candles, and healing herbs approached me with a big smile that sent her wrinkles crackling from eye to eye and ear to ear.

I had stopped by more out of curiosity than anything, but you know, life is funny, and when serendipity kicks in, you’re sure the universe provides exactly what you need when you need it. For instance, on my walks and runs around Austin, actual signs appear in front of me that seem to address issues I’m trying to resolve. That’s magic, eh?

What is it about certain people that instantly inspires you to trust them? This short round proprietor asked if she could help me find something when I entered. Only the first three words were out of my mouth, when she responded, “ Oh, that’s a difficult one…” There were no products in the shop to cure my “difficult one.” She told me to rub an egg in my hair each day for a week. She was suggesting I take action against my problem. She seemed to know a lot, perhaps I’ll give it a try.

Magical thinking refers to the belief that one action or event causes another although there is no apparent connection between the two. Like the signs that appear on my runs, it may be the belief that when a black cat crosses in front of you, you will have bad luck, that one’s own thoughts caused a disaster, or that sincere wishes will bring a miracle.

Here’s where the serendipity kicked in. I had just finished reading The Body Keeps the Score: Mind, Brain, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. This superb, well-researched book is about PTSD and alternative therapies that are proving to not only mitigate symptoms, but fundamentally alter the underlying circuitry that causes so much misery.

The minds of trauma survivors create a connection between the trauma itself and their own responses to triggers in the current lives. The author shows that brains can also work in tandem with the body to unhook the vicelike grip the trauma holds in every muscle and cell. In his treatments of PTSD, the author validates the emotions as a necessary defense mechanism, and works with his patients to put those feelings to work with thoughts and the body, to provide relief to suffering. From yoga, to neurofeedback, EMDR, theater and other physical approaches, his patients have experienced remarkable results that allow them to manage their lives in satisfying ways.

Whether washing one’s head with eggs, or calming reflexive behaviors through neurofeedback, it is the sense of agency, or a measure of control over one’s life that we all seek. Both the visit to the herberia and reading The Body Keeps the Score reinforced my experience that the emotional, rational, and physical aspects of this human life function as a system to keep us alive and well.

The power to not only survive, but to change, is there, in every single cell of the body.