The Healing Power of Thankfulness:

How a Thankful Mindset Transforms Your Body, Brain, and Spirit

by Dr. Kari Barron

If you’ve ever noticed how your entire body feels lighter after you pause to thank God for something—even something small—you’ve experienced the profound connection between mindset and physical health.

This isn’t just an emotional moment.
It’s biology.
It's the way God designed your brain.

Your Thoughts Physically Reshape Your Brain

Dr. Caroline Leaf, in her book Switch On Your Brain, writes something astonishing:

“Research shows that 75-98% of mental, physical, and behavioral illness comes from one's thought life.” (pp. 33–34)

That means:

• Only 2–25% of illness comes from genetics or environment.
• The remaining majority is connected to what we think, dwell on, and believe.

In other words:

Your mind literally changes the structure and chemistry of your brain and body.

When you choose thankfulness and hope, your brain begins creating new, healthy neural pathways. When you dwell on fear, resentment, or hopelessness, the pathways formed reinforce stress, tension, and physical breakdown.

Your mind influences your emotions
and your emotions influence your mind.
It's a two-way relationship that God designed to work in unity.

Thankfulness Is Not Just a Feeling —

It's a Choice

We often wait to feel thankful. But Scripture doesn’t teach us to wait for the feeling.

It teaches us to choose thanksgiving:

“This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
— Psalm 118:24

I start every morning with this verse. Not because every morning feels easy. But because my mind needs direction, not permission.

And I end each night the same way:

• Reviewing the day
• Thanking God for moments He provided
• Recognizing how He was present
• Even if the day was difficult

These small daily bookends reshape the mind over time.

Thankfulness During Hard Days

Thankfulness does not mean pretending things are easy.

It means:

• Acknowledging God’s presence in the middle of what is uncomfortable.
• Choosing hope when the outcome is still unknown.
• Trusting His character when the next step is unclear.

I was reminded of this recently when I was sitting in the ER waiting to have my ankle sewn up. I didn’t feel thankful. But the Holy Spirit reminded me to be thankful in all circumstances.

So I began thanking Him:

• For the ER nearby when all the walk-in options were closed
• For the emptiness of the ER rooms. I can't imagine how long it would have taken on a busy night.
• For availability of someone to take care of me when I couldn't - this was much beyond my ability to take care of due to the position of the wound and the severity. Sometimes allopathic (western medicine) is useful.
• For God's promise to walk through every valley with me.
• For my husband being home so I didn't have to go through this alone.

And peace settled in.

Not because the situation changed. But because my mind did.

The Bible Speaks of Thankfulness Often — And With Purpose

The NASB translation contains:

• 16 uses of “thank”
• 100 uses of “thanks”
• 2 uses of “thankful”
• 37 uses of “thanksgiving”

It's not a side note. It’s a spiritual discipline with physical impact.

A few verses you may want to reflect on:

“In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5:18

“I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart.”
Psalm 9:1

“You hem me in—behind and before… such knowledge is too wonderful for me.”
Psalm 139

This is the heart of thankfulness:
God is with you.
God goes before you.
God protects you from behind.
Nothing touches your life without passing through His love, when you are His kid.

We Don’t Always See Our Progress — But Others Often Do

When I work with clients, one of the hardest parts of healing is mindset transformation. You live inside your own body. You don’t get to step outside and see progress from a distance. But healing is happening — even when it feels slow.

And thankfulness has the power to:

• Calm the nervous system
• Reduce inflammation
• Improve digestion
• Support hormone balance
• Strengthen immune function
• Increase emotional resilience

Your body responds to your thoughts.

My Prayer of Thankfulness for You

I’m thankful for every person who reaches out — whether I work with you one-on-one or simply guide you to another practitioner.

I pray for those I speak to.
I pray for those who read these words.
And I thank the Lord for the opportunity to walk even a small piece of your healing journey with you.

Last year, I received The Gratitude Glow award through Health Expert Alliance, a large practitioner network — and it means a lot to me, because this is the atmosphere I want my life and work to carry:

Contagious thankfulness.
Hope that multiplies.
Peace that steadies.
Faith that supports healing.

A Simple Daily Practice to Begin Today

Morning:

Remind yourself at the start of the day, "This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

Throughout the day:
When stress rises → Thank Him in that exact moment. You don't have to see the outcome to know it will be good.

Evening:
List 3 things from the day you are thankful for. This is not just positive thinking. This is spiritual alignment with the truth:

Your body is designed to heal—when we remove the blocks and give it what it needs.

If you’re feeling exhausted, foggy, or emotionally overwhelmed and you know something deeper is going on, the first step is clarity.

The Root Cause Landscape blood test helps reveal:

• Hidden infection and emotional stress
• Toxin overload in your body
• How well your cells are making energy
• Whether your body is utilizing the nutrition you are providing

You don’t have to guess. You don’t have to push through. You don’t have to figure this out alone.

👉 Learn More or Order the Root Cause Landscape Test
https://go.drkaribarron.com/RCL-get-your-lab-now

Guided by faith. Grounded in wellness.
I’m here with you.

DISCLAIMER: This information is for educational purposes and not intended as medical advice.