Pathlight: Mind, Heart and Soul by Columnist Annie Wenger-Nabigon
Author of Pathlight; Annie Wenger-Nabigon, MSW, RSW
Author of Pathlight; Annie Wenger-Nabigon, MSW, RSW is originally from the U.S., earning her Canadian Citizenship in 2013. Annie & her Husband live in Pic River First Nation. Annie Wenger-Nabigon, MSW, RSW has been a cinical social worker since 1979 working in mental health, family therapy, and addictions services. She is a doctoral candidate at Laurentian University in Sudbury, ON. She works full-time as an Adult Mental Health and Addictions Therapist at the Marathon office of North of Superior Counseling Programs. Annie also works part-time as a consultant for LYNX, owned by her husband Herb Nabigon, MSW. Herb provides traditional Anishnabek teachings and healing workshops for both Native and non-Native organizations. Together he and Annie provide training and education to professionals on a wide range of topics blending mainstream and traditional approaches in healing. They also provide cultural safety and anti-racism training.
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The Mind, Heart and Soul
When people talk of thoughts, feelings, and soul, we are not always sure what they are talking about. Is our mind the same thing as our brain? Is the heart just a muscle in the body or is it the place of our emotions? Do we have a soul and how do we know? What do these things really mean?
Some of the latest neurological research has shown that our physical hearts are made up partly of cells that are identical to neurological cells (cells of brain and nervous system function). We’ve heard of the phrase, “Died of a broken heart”, and science shows that this does happen. The old wisdom about needing to be careful with our hearts applies to more than just watching out for cardiac problems like high cholesterol and heart attacks. Betrayal traumas do indeed hurt the heart both physically and emotionally.
The brain is the part of our body that is responsible for processing our neurological functioning. It is the center of our sensory processing and takes everything we hear, see, smell, taste and feel and processes it, stores it, moves it around in different ways to different parts of our brain, and assigns it meaning. The brain has different parts that must work in just the right way in order for us to know if something is hot or cold, light or dark, dangerous or not dangerous, desirable or not, and so on. If something is not working correctly in our brain we can get the information and meanings mixed up – and end up pretty messed up.
So then – what is the soul? Some people say there is no such thing as a soul. Other people say our soul is in our heart, but mean that it is the same as our feelings. Talk of the soul is not as common as it once was, and is often put into a religious category. Another way to think of the soul is to consider it that aspect of our self which expresses our will, or our identity.
In reality, there is a lot of disagreement about a lot of these terms, or concepts. Old ideas and new ideas swirl around and get mixed up with information that is accurate or inaccurate. Belief systems change as cultures change. Education opens up new information and our ideas start to change. What was once thought of as a “truth” is now thought of as a “metaphor” by most people.
So people are challenged to think beyond the box – to try on ideas that are new and unfamiliar. For example, think about your heart. As a physical aspect of your body, it is important to take care of your heart. Eat a heart healthy diet, get exercise, keep your stress in check, avoid things and activities that could harm your heart. As a metaphor, think in terms of protecting your heart by being careful about the way you deal with your feelings and relationships. Don’t think poorly of yourself, or criticize yourself – don’t hurt your heart. Words can hurt the tender hearts of people as easily as sticks and stones can hurt our bones.
Yet at the same time, words have only the meanings our brain assigns to them. The person who says something hurtful to us will have a different impact on our emotions if this person is someone emotionally important to us, than if it is a stranger. If people we don’t know say negative things to us, we are less likely to feel the same pain about the damaging words than if it is someone we love and value a great deal. Does that mean our “heart” is in our “brain”?
If we use the term “heart” to refer to feelings, and the term “mind” to refer to thoughts and beliefs, and the term “soul” to refer to ideals and aspirations, we can see that it is possible to get confused about what exactly is being talked about if we are not specific about our meanings. To say, “Take care of your heart” could mean several different things. We have to be clear about our meanings, and our use of metaphors.
I’d be interested to hear from readers what you think it means to “Take care of your heart”, and what are some of the best ways to do that. Write and let me know what are some of your favorite ideas about the best way to have a healthy heart – either physically or emotionally or both. I’d love to hear from you.
Have a heart healthy day in every way!!
Annie Wenger-Nabigon, MSW, RSW
Pathlight@OntarioNewsNorth.com
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ANNIE RECOMMENDS:
- The Hollow Tree by Herb Nabigon
- EldersTeachings.blogspot.com
- Pathlight: Journey to a Good Life archives
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*Health themed columns on OntarioNewsNorth.com are not intended to replace medical advice from your doctor or other professional health care provider the general information provided is intended to encourage discussion. The information is not advice, and should not be treated as such. If you have specific questions about any health issues, please consult your family physician, primary health care team or other professional healthcare provider. If you feel you are suffering from a mental or physical health issue, you should seek medical attention immediately. The information shared on OntarioNewsNorth.com does not constitute medical advice nor should any person delay seeking, disregard or discontinue medical treatment because of information found anywhere on OntarioNewsNorth.com. The opinions provided by contributors on OntarioNewsNorth.com are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of OntarioNewsNorth.com its advertisers or other contributors on the site.
