Hardwired science and the heart
There is a new alley around in the fight for the recognition of the heart: its science!
Science gives today on many levels proof of the preeminent influence of the heart to health, healing but also consciousness, clearity of thinking, effectiveness etc, with all it’s implied personal and collective possibilities. The heart helps a single person to align body, mind and spirit but also a whole groups of people.
As I said before, scientific research today makes the heart credible, since measurable and gives it a place in western society, helping to bring the conditioned, emotional language concerning the heart and love to a more neutral and ‘acceptable’ level.
Science gives also a backup to much of the experiences and wisdom people have and had throughout the ages. Buddhism, native teachings all over the world, Taoism, Tantra, Chinese medicine understood already long time ago the role of the heart as the ruler of the psychic domain.
They taught the science of the heart and the interconnectedness between man and environment -far beyond our capacities of measurement and imagination. (F.Ex. tantra speaks of 8 different consciousnesses, see Odier)
Will we discuss in the following some of the research of Dean Ornish. Md.*1 world known cardiologist and his findings on the relation between health and love; Larry Dossey Md*2, Candace B. Pert, Ph.D.*3 and the Heart Math Institute*4 regarding the influence of our hearts on our bodies, our mind and psychological wellbeing and our relations to others.
Here in summary some of the most important findings from the Heart Math Institute as well as other scientists.
The heart is transmitting and influencing information to the brain and the rest of the body in four ways:
1. The heart creates the strongest bioelectricity in the body which penetrates every cell. The electromagnetic field of the heart is detectable even a few meters away from the person and is about 100 times stronger than the electromagnetic field of the brain.* The amplitude of the hearts electromagnetic field is about 60 times bigger than this of the brain.
2. Very important: the electromagnetic field of the heart changes with emotions. The spectroanalysis of the electrocardiogram shows very clearly that positive emotions like appreciation create a coherent, aligned and therefore much stronger electromagnetic field, while negative emotions have the opposite effect.( Here will come some more scientific facts, see also the very scientific article with lots of research and info from Thomasio I added about Intuition and business (can be also applied to schools and all other organization)
3. The heart has its own neurological brain. These are the same type of cells than the brain and have their own memory. *(See also Syvlia Claire, Mon coeur est une autre, 2002, Poche, Jai lue, p. 25)
It is next to the brain the most complex nervous system. The neurological communications of the heart send more informations to the brain than the brain to the heart. The heart influences the autonomous nervous system, which regulates all the organs.
Trough the superior nervous system the heart influences the brain functions, emotions and thought processes. It enhances cognitive functions, governs the state, quality and effectiveness of the mind. These findings created in medicine the new field of Neurocardiology.
4. Well documented is the hearts influence on the biochemical level already since a while:
- The heart produces Acetocin, the ‘love hormon’, which supports the feeling of trust and empathy,
- it produces another hormone that has regularizing functions on the heart pressure and volume of the flow of blood.
- the heart produces Aminopetitdes, which reduce the release of the stress hormone Cortisol .
When the heart is in a state of coherence it helps the body to produce other life affirming chemicals, like the antiaging hormone DHEA ,
In one study , (where I lost unfortunately the data mb find back) one group of people gained over a period of 3 month 100% of DHEA output by doing Heartcoherence exercises. (See grad Bradden)
5. And for sure, beside the just described electromagnetic, neurological and chemical communications the heart influences all bodyfuncions via the biophysical communication of the heartbeat.
The concept of cardio-electromagnitc communication is maybe the most important aspect of the work of the Heart Math Institute. They could prove very clearly -and it shows on the electromagnetic diagrams of the people involved- that when people with an incoherent energy field entering the energy field created by people with a coherent field, automatically their energy field became also coherent. Therefore also the communication between people and the content* changes.
Now these informations are of crucial importance with potentially immense implications for communication, health, well-being, leadership, innovative changes on all levels of our societies. Imagine..-and I think of the song of John Lennon-…if people use this now scientifically proved concept for real -and some people doing it already- ….
We are all connected: the energetic field
We are all connected through an energetic field which goes far beyond the measurable electromagnetic field (and Quantum science can explain.) We all ‘feed in’ and receive from this field. It includes all living beings and ‘mother earth’ with its energy field, *1 see also the documentary: Beings of resonance
The heart and education –outcome studies
Heart coherence is the single most important component for health, intelligence, leadership and social relations.
In her article ‘The Psychophysiological Basis of Creativity and Intuition: Accessing “The Zone” of Entrepreneurship’ the research scientist Thomasino wrote:
‘Individuals in a positive emotional state display patterns of thought and action that are notably creative, flexible, integrative and open to information.
They perform better on tasks requiring innovative problem-solving and make more accurate intuitive judgments.
In short, positive emotions appear to broaden the scope of perception, cognition, behavior and to enhance creative and intuitive capacities.’
In ‘The Psychophysiological Basis of Creativity and Intuition Page3
Now these statements are not only true for entrepreneurs but also for schoolchildren and young adults of all ages!
There exist now large number of scientific research including thousands of children and students at colleges, pre- and postgrade schools – many conducted by the Heartmath Institute – which show the resounding results that heart coherence exercises and meditations applied in the educational system can have for children, adolescence and young adults.
All the scientific projects and studies regarding heart coherence excercises realized in the last few years in schools and colleges involving thousands of students show a resounding success
- a significant drop in anxiety rates,
- better learning capacities,- up to 73% in general in math class for example, (that is super learning!)
- a lowering of dropout rates of 35% for native American students at a nursing college,
- 50% better relating to peers,
- 40% less hyperactivity,
- 41% less conduct problems etc. (see.the science of the Heart 2, page…)
One could go on and on with a long list of positive effects and the impact the heart can have in education, including the overall wellbeing of the students, their interactions with peers and much more happier teachers!
In a preschool study for example involving nineteen classes in of 19 different schools in the Salt Lake city shool district in the US ‘the intervention group demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in all 10 constructs, eight of which showed differences that were large in terms of effect size’ (compare:.The science of the Heart, page.. …)*
That is impressive and possible for children everywhere! Since preschool children where involved in this study Doc Childre from the Heartmath Institut comes to the conclusion that ‘the learning and sustained use of these skills and practices during this important developmental period will readily instantiate a new set point in a young child’s nervous system for an optimal pattern of emotion self-regulation and healthy social function, thereby significantly boosting the development trajectory of future prosocial behaviors and academic achievement.’ See page The science of the Heart, page.. …)
These results of the impact of the heart in school and college students are even more important when we know that the leading death cause for young people today in the United States is suicide. In itself this is a scream for help but it speaks also of the underlying stress and despair many young people experience today and shows that something is ‘deadly’ wrong in our educational systems and societies as a whole.
Résumé and outlook
The pressure, bullying, injustice, outdated curriculum in many schools and colleges poisons the life of so many young and capable children and young people.
It has to change, and it’s possible. There is enough scientific data, outcome studies and already implemented projects out there which show overwhelmingly what can and needs to be done.
The examples described and the outcome studies already realized show the possibilities.
If we add to heart coherence exercises and meditations the teaching for example bodymind intelligence competences and exercises, the positive outcomes could be immense.
Sometimes a mother’s keen eye and perception of her children can say as much as scientific studies. So before talking about some of outcomes of these researches I would like to share with you the experience and testimony of one mother who learnt and then taught the heart meditation to her children.
See the article : a child, the heartmeditation and a happy mother
Social coherence
Job stress is estimated to cost American companies more than $300 billion a year in health costs, absenteeism and poor performance. In other countries these numbers might differ slightl. In addition, consider these statistics:
• 40% of job turnover results from stress.[318]
• Healthcare expenditures are nearly 50% greater for workers who report high levels of stress.[319]
• Replacing an employee costs an average of 120% to 200% of the affected position’s salary.[320]
• An estimated 60% of all job absenteeism is caused by stress.[321]
• Depression and unmanaged stress are the top two most costly risk factors in terms of medical
expenditures. They increase health-care costs two to seven times more than physical risk
factors such as smoking, obesity and poor exercise habits.
‘There are obvious benefits to interacting and working with individuals who have a high level of personal coherence. When members of any work group, sports team, family or social organization get along well there is a natural tendency toward good communication, cooperation and efficiency.
Social and group coherence involves the same principles as global coherence, but in this context it refers to the alignment and harmonious order in a network of relationships among individuals who share common interests and objectives, rather than the systems within the body.
The principles, however, remain the same: in a coherent team, there is freedom for the individual members to do their part and thrive while maintaining cohesion and resonance within the larger group’s intent and goals. Social coherence is therefore reflected as a stable, harmonious alignment of relationships that allows for the efficient flow and utilization of energy and communication required for optimal collective cohesion and action.[170]’
See here for the impact of heart coherence in the world of work and business ‘ Science of the Heart vol 2
Leadership, the heart and Intuition
The heart and heart coherence is the single most important component for health, intelligence, leadership and social relation… law of entrainement
In her article ‘The Psychophysiological Basis of Creativity and Intuition: Accessing “The Zone” of Entrepreneurship’ the research scientist Thomasino wrote:
‘Individuals in a positive emotional state display patterns of thought and action that are notably creative, flexible, integrative and open to information.
They perform better on tasks requiring innovative problem-solving and make more accurate intuitive judgments.
In short, positive emotions appear to broaden the scope of perception, cognition, behavior and to enhance creative and intuitive capacities.’
In ‘The Psychophysiological Basis of Creativity and Intuition Page3
Successful entrepreneurs are passionate innovators and risk-assessors who are distinguished both by their extraordinarily accurate foresight regarding the locus of future business opportunities and their exceptional ability to bring these opportunities to fruition. The patterns of thought and action displayed by entrepreneurs are thus informed by an unusually high degree of both creativity and intuition. However, as yet there is little scientific information to explain the internal processes by which and conditions under which entrepreneurial intuition and creativity occur. Understanding the psychophysiological processes that underlie these capacities is an important step towards learning how creativity and intuition are activated; how these capacities can be consciously developed and enhanced; and, ultimately, how they can be accessed by the individual at will.
Heart coherence exercises should therefore be taught as a basic competence everywhere in schools, colleges, business and all kind of organizations, to politicians specially and in all levels of government.
A child, the heart meditation and a happy mother
‘I took my time to watch my youngest daughter (3 years old) and really, it was not my wishful thinking. She requires the heart meditation every evening before going to sleep.
It has been over a month now since I have learned the Heart meditation and offered it to my family. After I introduced the heart meditation to my 3 children, they immediately knew the formula -I am connecting with my heart…-by heart and wanted to use it every evening. Of course I have no scientific proof for it, but it seems to me that they have been healthier – stronger and quicker in fighting the usual autumn colds – and even more relaxed and joyful in their every day lives.
It is SO beautiful, touching and cute to hear even the little one describing the place, where she feels good and safe and then, after a while, telling me,” I think I a going to put my hands down now and I am going to sleep.” And almost every night she sleeps like a log.
I cannot even begin to tell you how wonderful it is for me as a devoted mum to be able to share something as precious as your teaching – the heart meditations- with my beloved children.
Every evening I have the priceless chance to whisper to them about the Calm, Quiet, Love, Light, Eternity….
Magda –a happy mother and school director
A personal experience of ‘becoming intelligent’
I would like to tell at this point a personal experience of my own school days showing the power of love can have on ones learning capacities and even the psychological environment,- and this is also the outcome of several studies, so my testimony is just highlighting the positive effects what can happen to thousands of children. The experience I had was for a long time an enigma for me but on the here described background of scientific data and projects with school and college students fully understandable.
I was kind of an average student at a gymnasium for natural science in Germany, I was one of the 12 elite ‘survivors’, from 45 students who started in Sexta -the 5th class-, who did not had to repeat a class… It was a constant 9 years of struggle, anxieties, judgments by teachers and students to become part of the ‘elite’ afterwards.
(That tells a lot about the school system such and makes me understand the high dropout rates and anxiety and low self-esteem feelings of many students.)
We had in the subject German and upcoming test of declination and conjugation of the whole sentence. The teacher predicted me in front of everybody a five- a nice gesture in itself- which was basically saying you’re low end, not intelligent enough, stupid. If you had a five in two subjects at the end of the year one had to repeat the whole school year again.
Now the teacher made the prediction without knowing that I was in love… and I really was love ‘over both ears’ as we say in the German language, one of the first times at the tender age of 16.
The test included of one phrase with 25 words, and we had to write all the declination and conjugations of each word, sometimes up to five different classifications for each word. There was no way to cheat; it would have been obvious immediately.
To make the story short: I passed the test and I had a ‘one’, the best note. Only one other in our class, our genius had also one. For once I had the genius status. Now that changed the whole perception others had of me, teacher and fellow students. The teacher praised me highly, we had them also another subject. I know that he also talked to other teachers about it. I had his compassionate regards even two years later at the final exams in geography with him. My classmates also saw me different now. I was more accepted being part now of ‘the genius club’… not maybe always good, but having the capacity. Part of the psychological bullying, which I experienced before regularly stopped greatly. It helped me immensely to go through the last two years of gymnasium and all the nearly never ending exams.
Actually I guess the most surprised was maybe myself. The whole test was at that time like a kids puzzle game, – without the normal kind of anxiety since I was in love… and my true intelligence could come out.
It also is showing me that there was something more inside of me as in many other young souls, something about the power of love.
Years later I read about Larry Dossey’s research in which was scientifically proven that the positive views others have on you has even a the positive influence on your IQ.
I would like to add that while writing this positive personal anecdote about love and intelligence I shed tears, -tears of the psychological hardship- ‘surviving’ psychologically a in German gymnasium for nine years which were never expressed, -knowing that similar and worse happenes daily to many, many young children and students.
Résumé and outlook
The pressure, bullying, injustice, outdated curriculum in many schools and colleges poisons the life of so many young and capable children and young people.
It has to change, and it’s possible. There is enough scientific data, outcome studies and already implemented projects out there which show overwhelmingly what can and needs to be done.
The examples described and the outcome studies already realized show the possibilities.
If we add to heart coherence exercises and meditations the teaching for example bodymind intelligence competences and exercises, the positive outcomes could be immense.
The heart meditation and the heart coherence exercise
From exogene to indogene.
What we described before was the analphabetism in our societies when it comes to the heart and that we are depended on more or less variable outside events, not on inner resources which allow us to recreate the space of inner alignment or coherence.
But heart coherence exercises and heart meditations which we describe in the following can do exactly this on a voluntary level and that is the so important difference. By sitting in a dark room we can produce exactly this space of inner contentment and bliss!
Meditation is a de – concentration we cannot force love, the divine since it is beyond the mind. Though we can create a right atmosphere so it can happen.
It took me a couple of years to bring together a heart coherence and heart meditation, which seems to me complete, since it includes all our senses,: the kinestetic, visual, auditive: the ; it can even include the sense of taste, smell and the 3rd eye.
I will describe it in the following also inner signs, doors which show us that we are on the right path.
Passing through different doors, -main techniques-addressing the 3 main senses until we come to a space of inner peace and contentment, total non doing..and out of this non doing ..
This is also the starting point to create synchronicity and use the higher intuitive intelligence with another person
How can we know that we are on the right path going the right direction towards the heart?
Here are some clear indications of what is happening inside when the inner the doors towards the heart are opening and one gets in a state of more and more heart coherence. To recognize these inner doors was a great help for me, since somehow my mind could relax, knowing that I’m on the right path.
They can be for example a few naturally occurring deeper breath, a starting to feel more at ease in the body and mind, feeling more at peace, releasing of tensions in the neck, shoulder and back, an overall relaxation, an inner calming down or the feeling of contentment, being more connected with the senses, feeling to be less in the mind, and still a thoughts are there, we might even have insights.
Again, all these perceptions give you an indication that you are on the right path, so you simply can relax be there and watch, because exactly this is what is needed.
From this moment on you can’t do the way to the heart, there needs to be a let go of the mind so the heart can do the job that a shift in consciousness can happen.
It is a like the host who invites his guest: once the work is done,-and you opened the three the main doors by technique you just need to relax and watch.
The different steps of heart meditation and heart coherence
Take a few deep breaths -at least 10- and stretch your body; if necessary, do some shaking to release tensions, so you can sit relaxed for a while. Very important: relax the jaws, move them make faces…
Then really take the time to feel your body, make a scan, connect with each part, breath in feel in…
The magic phrase: I am connecting with my heart, even if I don’t know exactly how and I take two or three deep breath in the chest, into your heart. This helps to open up the auditive and kinesthetic channel at the same time.
The first door: kinesthetic contact. I’m taking a few more breath in my chest, focusing on the heart area, and if appropriate for the situation hold my hands on my heart. Take time to feel your hands, the warmth of your hands on your heart. Breathe into them. Take 2 minutes to feel and to connect.
The second visual door: take any picture or past experience, you feel can be helpful for this. For example, think of your secret garden way you feel so good that your heart opens just by being there. Maybe, at this point you given a smile or a breath comes by itself. You might think at this special situation in your life where you were really happy, maybe in the arms of your beloved a sunset or an exam you passed in full confidence. Stay with it as a multilevel sensory experience. Stay with it for 3 to 5 min.
The third: the auditory door: you might just think the word happiness or peace, and the smile might come to your face; there might be a beautiful music you can think of and hear inside; it might be listening to the sounds and the silence around, sometimes it’s even just the humming of the fridge; you might perceive at that point that you hear more clearer, and not feeling this though by certain sounds, staying centered inside.
You might feel at this point already some of the other signs we talked about, some doors and opened already naturally. After opening these three doors by visualizing, listening and feeling there’s nothing more you can do then being watchful, just allowing the doors to open. Sometimes, with an image or memory comes also the sense of smell or taste, which might help tool for the doorway to the heart… The mind is calming even more down, you breath deepening moral and a relaxed, refreshing presence a and being alert at the same time. It’s like being the hosts which awaits his guest. The heart comes in on its own accord.
You feel more and more a calm, yet joyful presence…. nothing to do and nowhere to go …enjoying this moment, feeling the perfection of it. Realizing at the same moment.
How close we are to this moment and yet how we are often so far away from it..
* Concrete it means: that for the children involved they had a significant amelioration in the following scores and capacities. I wrote here the whole list to really show the impact of the heart in the lives of these children: Social/Emotional Development Score; Physical Development Score, Cognitive Development Score, Language Development Score, Sense of Self, Responsibility for Self and Others, Prosocial Behavior, Gross Motor and Fine Motor Learning and Problem Solving, Logical Thinking, Representation and Symbolic Thinking, Listening and Speaking, Reading and Writing.
