It's the Thought That Counts
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it’s the thought that counts Hay House Titles of Related Interest THE DIVINE MATRIX: Bridging Time, Space, Miracles, and Belief, by Gregg Braden THE HEALING POWER OF WATER, by Masaru Emoto MYSTICAL TRAVELER: How to Advance to a Higher Level of Spirituality, by Sylvia Browne THE POWER OF INTENTION: How to Co-create Your World Your Way, by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer POWER vs. FORCE: The Hidden Determinants of Human Behavior, by David Hawkins, M.D., Ph.D. THE 7 SECRETS OF SOUND HEALING (book-with-CD), by Jonathan Goldman TRANSFORMING FATE INTO DESTINY: A New Dialogue with Your Soul, by Robert Ohotto YOU CAN HEAL YOUR LIFE, by Louise L. Hay All of the above are available at your local bookstore, or may be ordered by visiting: Hay House USA: www.hayhouse.com® Hay House Australia: www.hayhouse.com.au Hay House UK: www.hayhouse.co.uk Hay House South Africa: www.hayhouse.co.za Hay House India: www.hayhouse.co.in it’s the thought that counts Why Mind Over Matter Really Works David R. Hamilton, Ph.D. Copyright © 2005, 2006, 2008 by David R. Hamilton Published and distributed in the United States by: Hay House, Inc.: www.hayhouse.com • Published and distributed in Australia by: Hay House Australia Pty. Ltd.: www.hayhouse.com.au • Published and distributed in the United Kingdom by: Hay House UK, Ltd.: www.hayhouse.co.uk Published and distributed in the Republic of South Africa by: Hay House SA (Pty), Ltd.: www.hayhouse.co.za • Distributed in Canada by: Raincoast: www.raincoast.com • Published in India by: Hay House Publishers India: www.hayhouse.co.in All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic, or electronic process, or in the form of a phonographic recording; nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise be copied for public or private use—other than for “fair use” as brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews—without prior written permission of the publisher. The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions. Library of Congress Control Number: 2007939548 ISBN: 978-1-4019-2147-7 11 10 09 08 4 3 2 1 1st edition, February 2009 Printed in the United States of America For Elizabeth… CONTENTS Foreword by Louise L. Hay Acknowledgments Introduction 1 Body and Mind 2 The Power of Faith 3 DNA 4 The Power of Intention 5 Good Vibrations 6 Distant Healing and Prayer 7 The Nature of Reality 8 Experiments in Connectedness 9 Who Am I? 10 Love, Fear, and Biology 11 Mass Reality 12 DNA II 13 Personal Responsibility 14 Three Simple Rules In Closing References Further Reading About the Author FOREWORD I’m grateful to David Hamilton for writing this inspiring book. As a scientist who has embraced new consciousness, he has made a bridge that will be helpful to many people who are seeking to understand the connection between our body, our mind, and our spiritual self. David has lovingly collected together research from scientists, healers, and mystics to provide people with a rational and scientific explanation of the true nature of our universe. I am sure David’s insights will help to increase people’s understanding and conviction that we are composed of energy. Integrating this truth into our lives will empower people to live every day in the conscious understanding that every thought directly affects and shapes our world. David’s aim in writing this book is to inspire people to live a love- filled life. It would be hard to read his ideas and not become a more consciously loving human. — Louise L. Hay ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I consider myself to be blessed in being surrounded by so many kind, patient, understanding, and generous people, and would like to thank a few of them here. I would like to thank my life partner, Elizabeth Caproni. Her never-ending love and support have been an inspiration to me and have often lifted me and guided me along my current path. Without her, this book would never have gained its present form. I would also like to thank my parents, Janette and Robert Hamilton, who brought me into this world, loved me, and supported me throughout every endeavor of my life, and who taught me from an early age that “it’s the thought that counts.” I would also like to thank Elma and Peter Caproni, who made me a part of their family and loved me and supported me through numerous challenging times. I am also grateful for the many friends, past and present, who helped guide me on my spiritual path. In particular I will always remember the journey of Spirit Aid and all who participated in it. For doing an excellent job of editing this book, I would like to thank Lizzie Hutchins. I am also very grateful to Michelle Pilley at Hay House UK for making me feel so welcome in the Hay House family. A great big thank-you to all who patiently read this book and offered me feedback: Margaret McCathie, Kenny McCathie, June Moore, Siobhan Moore, Ann Brocklebank, Stan Giles, Liz Ivory, Bryce Redford, Joyce Bunton, Dave Clarkson, Olivia Barham, Kenny McDougall, Seth Gardiner, and Andrea Lomas. I would also like to thank Thom Hartmann and Louise Hay for endorsing the book. For helpful answers to some of my questions regarding Chapter 3, I would like to thank Professor Eric Kandel, year 2000 Nobel Laureate in Medicine. I would also like to thank Dr. Ernest Rossi for helpful answers and for taking the time to send me some important scientific publications on psychosocial genomics that helped Chapter 3 develop into its present form. This help was given having never seen the book. I would also like to thank Glasgow University, the Homoeopathic Hospital in Glasgow, and Paul Stevens in the Koestler Parapsychology Unit of Edinburgh University for helping me to obtain valuable scientific information for the book. To all the scientists who have painstakingly carried out the research that I have reported in this book, you have helped many people to recognize that what they always thought might be true really is. INTRODUCTION This book describes how our thoughts and feelings, ideas and beliefs, and hopes and dreams alter the condition of our bodies, the circumstances of our lives, and even the state of the world. Every thought counts! The latest scientific discoveries are revealing that every thought and feeling we ever have is expressed throughout our bodies. For instance, the way we appreciate someone in our life or think about someone whose actions stress us causes changes in our bodies. Molecules known as neuropeptides link our thoughts and emotions to every part of our bodies. This is why placebos heal people in medical trials. If a person believes they are receiving real medicine, or even if they simply believe in the doctor who administers it, they will usually get better. Our thoughts and feelings even switch genes on and off. Scientific studies have recently shown that they can cause new areas of growth in our brains, which eventually leads to changes in our bodies. In a very real sense, you are what you think! The mind-body link even opens up the opportunity for us to heal ourselves of illnesses through the power of our intentions. Stress, for instance, slows down the rate of repair from illness. But if you choose to focus on something that pleases you or think kind thoughts about a person you care about, your body will produce many fewer stress hormones and so the healing process will speed up. Scientific studies have even indicated that placing your hands upon a person can affect the conditions in their body. Studies on rat pups, for instance, have shown that a mother’s touch increases levels of growth hormones and reduces stress hormones. Even visualizing people in good health helps. You don’t need to be near them for this to work either. Quantum scientists have shown that everything in existence is connected. A thought about anything, wherever it is, changes it in some way. A thought about a person, then, is registered at some level in the body. Scientists have studied this and found nervous-system changes in test subjects as a result of the thoughts that other people are holding about them. But a thought about anything has the same type of effect, even though we don’t always notice it. Researchers have studied this and noticed particularly large effects when many people are focusing on the same thing at the same time. Such group intentions have been shown to reduce crime rates and even instances of terrorism. Such is our connection to everything that it is impossible for us not to affect the state of the world by what we choose to focus on. An attitude of kindness or forgiveness, for instance, will lead to different conditions — in your body, your life, and in the world — than an attitude of selfishness or vengeance. It sounds like common sense — but this book explains how it works and, more important, what you can do to change things for the better.