Science behind the mind-body connection

The mind-body connection is sometimes presented as though it were a philosophical idea rather than a biological reality.

In clinical medicine, however, the distinction between mind and body is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain.

Your thoughts, emotions, attention and expectations can influence how your nervous system processes physical sensations. At the same time, signals arising from your body continually influence your emotional and cognitive state. Pain is one of the clearest examples of this two-way relationship.