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Hi! I'm Dr. Dominika Zarzeczny, ND

Your Everyday Thinking Shapes the Way Your Body Heals

Published 4 months ago • 2 min read

The Anatomy of a Thought: What Really Occupies the Mind

It’s been estimated that the human mind generates about 6,200 thoughts per 16-hour waking period - roughly 400 an hour, or one every nine seconds. Most of these are not conscious, deliberate, or meaningful. They’re a kind of mental weather: patterns of attention shaped by conditioning, memory, emotion, and the nervous system’s state in the moment.

The Architecture of Thought

Here’s a rough breakdown of the types of thoughts we tend to generate:

  1. Predictive and Protective Thoughts (~40%)
    ​    The mind’s anticipatory loops, scanning for possible threats or discomforts:
    “What if I mess this up?”
    “Did I say the wrong thing?”
    These arise from your nervous system’s survival bias. The brain’s default mode is to prevent danger, not to create joy.
    ​
  2. Narrative and Identity-Based Thoughts (~25%)
    These stories hold our sense of self together:
    “I’m not the kind of person who…”
    “They never appreciate me.”
    Repetitive and emotion-laden, they reinforce both our limitations and self-concept.
    ​
  3. Memory and Reliving Thoughts (~15%) ​
    These pull us into the past:
    “I should’ve handled that differently.”
    Often linked to unresolved emotion - what Peter Levine calls “incomplete survival responses.”
    The mind replays them to integrate what wasn’t completed or understood.
    ​
  4. Creative and Insightful Thoughts (~10%)
    These emerge from openness, safety, and curiosity:
    “What if I tried it this way?”
    These arise when we’re relaxed - in nature, when walking, showering, or exhaling deeply.
    They’re the seeds of innovation and healing.
    ​
  5. Neutral or Functional Thoughts (~10%)
    These thoughts are simple, utilitarian ones:
    “I need to pick up groceries.”
    They keep life running but rarely touch the emotional field.

Up to 90 percent of our thoughts - roughly 5,500 a day - are not original or useful.

Why am I telling you this?

When Thoughts Become Biology: The Hidden Link Between Mind and Body

To fundamentally change our state of health, it may not be enough to manipulate external variables like diet, exercise, or supplementation. A deeper shift must occur within the mind. You’ve likely heard the phrase “Your thoughts shape your reality.” Well, they shape your physiology too. In essence, your biography shapes your biology.

Meditation practices such as Ānāpāna, or mindfulness of breathing, teach us to notice thoughts as they arise and, without judgment, return to the breath. Each time we do this, we strengthen our ability to remain present and steady amid the noise.

Over time, we begin to see that most of those 400 thoughts per hour are echoes of deeply held beliefs. A thought like “I forgot to pay the electricity bill” may stir anxiety, but beneath it lies a belief such as “mistakes cost me.” Repeated over time, that belief can elevate cortisol, trigger inflammation, and raise blood sugar and blood pressure. Year after year, such mental patterns can manifest as insomnia or hypertension that seemingly came "out of nowhere".

Beliefs are simply thoughts we’ve repeated and accepted as truth. They shape not only how we perceive reality but how our body functions within it. Core beliefs shape our reality and our physiology.

Meditation helps loosen the grip of these inherited beliefs, allowing the body to shift from defense to repair, from stress chemistry to self-healing.

If you don’t yet have a meditation practice, start today. Sit for five minutes. Better yet, start with two. Notice the mental chatter, come back to your breath. Rinse and repeat.

Dr. Dominika Zarzeczny

Naturopathic Doctor

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Hi! I'm Dr. Dominika Zarzeczny, ND

First inspired by the work of Dr. Gabor Mate, Dr. Dominika has focused much of her career on helping her patients connect the dots between early adversity and trauma and their impact on lifelong health and well-being. She knows that the reversal of chronic illness involves the nervous system, and so she has dedicated her practice to helping patients master their own nervous system to positively influence their mind and body, behaviours and ultimately health outcomes. Her explanation of disease doesn't pathologize or blame, but is nuanced, humanized and filled with hope. She trained with various psychologists and experts in the field of psychological trauma. She incorporates the principles of neuroscience, attachment theory, mindfulness, Polyvagal Theory and compassionate inquiry in her approach with patients. Combining these with her naturopathic training, she likes to say that she works at the intersection of science and human experience.

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