Mind and body

I ended my first blog entry discussing my current anxiety and IBS conditions. My mind can panic and induce IBS symptoms in my body and vice versa. They can also occur by themselves and not influence one another at all. From personal experience, I know that the mind and body are connected since both of these conditions can exacerbate the other. However, this does not fully support the idea that the mind and the body cannot be separate entities that influence each other. This is just my limited view based on my personal situation. But isn’t that the fault of how anyone can interpret this mind/body debate?

It is different to imagine oneself in another person’s shoes as it is for both individuals to be wearing the same shoes. Any scientist or spiritualist can debate ad nauseum how my IBS and anxiety influence each other and why they exist in the first place. Nonetheless, I am the only one who knows what it feels like to me.

If I fully support biology, then I should conclude that the mind is not separate from the body since biology produces the brain which produces feelings. My anxiety and IBS are fully biological and based on chemicals, neurotransmitters, digestive enzymes, etc. Any stressful situation is perceived as such based on how my brain functions. My brain would then send signals throughout the rest of my body which may or may not manifest in panic attacks, sweating, shaking, diarrhea, vomiting or an elevated heart rate.

But how can I be so sure? Could my mind be influencing how my brain functions? How can the same stressful situation induce either condition or no condition regardless of how many times I have experienced that situation? Also, how can these conditions occur without a perceived stressful situation? These questions lead to doubt. I cannot possibly rule out that the mind and body are separate but dependent. Take the example of Kye Allums.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/womensbasketball/atlantic10/2010-11-03-kye-allums-george-washington-transgender_N.htm

I was reading the comment sections of one website which covered the story of the first out transgendered college basketball player. Some users were supportive and understanding, but most felt it necessary to bash Kye’s decision to come out as transgendered. Common themes were that Kye is female and a lesbian; chromosomes determine gender; Kye obviously has some mental issues; she needs to be comfortable in her own skin. These positions are easy to take if someone has never felt the way Kye does. How can others determine how a person feels about themselves and how they understand themselves? If Kye says he is a transgendered man, then he is. His mind tells him he is male even though his body has female genitalia. Regardless of the opinions of others and the stance of the DSM, Kye believes he is male. Who cares? Why is being transgendered an issue? Let him define himself as male if that is how he feels. We cannot possibly know what this is like unless we are transgendered as well.

Kye’s situation is a perfect example of why the debate of the mind body split will never be solved. If the mind is a part of the body, then wouldn’t Kye’s DNA create his mind? If he feels male, then his DNA sequencing must determine how he feels in his mind and the genitalia of his body. If the mind and body are separate, then his mind is male and his body is female. His DNA tells his body to have female genitalia while his mind determines that he is male. Either way, he will feel conflict over his gender. It is impossible to know if the mind and body are separate.