Harnessing the Power of Thought for Healing

Are your thoughts hurting you or healing you? Often, people underestimate the inner workings of their minds and the influence that this endless mental chatter has over their bodies and spirits.

According to the Baha’i writings, thought is one of the five inner spiritual powers that humans have. It’s a divine gift that should be used for our healing, growth, and happiness and not for our harm, degradation, and dismay. This power of thought has been emphasized in many of the world religions.

Quotes From World Religions About the Power of Your Thoughts

Hinduism

“That which a man pursueth in word, deed, and thought, winneth him for its own; therefore, one should always seek that which is for his good.” – The Mahabharata

“So have they happiness and peace, with pious thought and speech…” – The Bhagavad-Gita

Buddhism

“All that we are is the result of what we have thought: it is founded on our thoughts, it is made up of our thoughts. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him, as the wheel follows the foot of the ox that draws the carriage. …If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him.” – The Dhammapada

Jainism

“Guarding his thoughts, guarding his words, guarding his acts, guarding his senses, guarding his chastity; without wrath, without pride, without deceit, without greed; calm, tranquil, composed, liberated, free from temptations without egoism, without property; he had cut off all earthly ties, and was not stained by any worldliness…” – Kalpa Sūtra

Christianity

“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…” – The Bible

The Baha’i Faith

“THE reality of man is his thought, not his material body. The thought force and the animal force are partners. Although man is part of the animal creation, he possesses a power of thought superior to all other created beings.” – The Baha’i Writings

Understanding the Power of Healing Thoughts

This incredible power of thought that distinguishes us from animals can have miraculous effects on our health and well-being when it’s combined with tremendous faith and persistent effort. The Baha’i writings say:

And now I give you a commandment that shall be for a covenant between you and me – that ye have faith; that your faith be steadfast as a rock that no earthly storms can move, that nothing can disturb, and that it endure through all things even to the end … As ye have faith so shall your powers and blessings be.

Author and international speaker Morris Goodman witnessed these remarkable powers and blessings when his steadfast faith and healing thoughts guided him through a life-altering event. On March 10, 1981, Morris crashed an airplane, leaving him hospitalized and completely paralyzed. 

As recorded in the self-help book and documentary “The Secret,” Morris shared, “My spinal cord was crushed, I broke the first and second cervical vertebrae, my swallowing reflex was destroyed, I couldn’t eat or drink, my diaphragm was destroyed, I couldn’t breathe. All I could do was blink my eyes.”

The doctors told him that he would be a vegetable for the rest of his life and that blinking his eyes was all that he would ever be able to do. 

He said, “That’s the picture they saw of me, but it didn’t matter what they thought. The main thing was what I thought. I pictured myself being a normal person again, walking out of that hospital. The only thing I had to work with in the hospital was my mind, and once you have your mind, you can put things back together again.”

For example, Morris was hooked up to a respirator because his diaphragm was destroyed. However, “a little voice” kept telling him, “Breathe deeply, breathe deeply.” Morris listened to that inner voice and made a determined effort to keep trying to breathe. Eventually, he was weaned from the respirator, leaving the doctors in shock. Morris continued to visualize what he wanted, refusing to allow any negative thoughts to enter his mind that would derail his progress or distract him from his goal.

He set a goal to walk out of that hospital on Christmas, and eight months later, he did on his own two feet. 

“They said it couldn’t be done. That’s a day I will never forget,” Morris said. “For people who are sitting out there right now and are hurting, if I wanted to sum up my life and sum up for people what they can do in life, I would sum it up in six words: Man becomes what he thinks about.”

As Abdu’l-Baha, one of the central figures of the Baha’i Faith, said in 1911:

The illumination of the Holy Spirit gives to man the power of thought, and enables him to make discoveries by which he bends the laws of nature to his will.

If we can bend the laws of nature to our will, then isn’t anything possible? Let’s not let this spiritual power of thought go to waste. Let’s use it to heal ourselves and make the world a better place.

The information in this article is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.