Monday, October 10, 2011

Learn To Think With Your Heart

You may have heard by now that neuroscientists have been discovering exciting new information about the heart that shows it is way more complex than we'd ever imagined. Yep... "neurocardiology" is an actual field! The “heart-brain” concept was introduced by Dr. J. Andrew Amour in the early 1990s, and out of his work has come some amazing, cutting edge research and data.

Scientists have found that, as opposed to simply pumping blood through your body, the heart actually directs and helps balance other systems in the body so that they can function harmoniously. The heart actually has its own nervous system built in, which is how it has come to be referred to as the "heart brain". Studies show at least 40,000 neurons in the heart, which is roughly how many are found in various subcortical centers of the brain.

As strange as it may sound, it seems that the heart can actually learn and remember information, and even has the ability to respond intuitively--before our brain does. Heart "coherence" (the heart's rhythm varying steadily over a 10 second cycle) has been linked to function in other systems, including the immune system.

So, a healthy, coherent heart-brain connection can help us be more emotionally healthy, but also leads to balanced thinking and increased physical health. The HeartMath Institute in Boulder, Colorado is on the front lines of this research. They are one organization who have come up with easy and innovative ways to harness your heart's inherent intelligence to live a more balanced life. What they describe are basically evidence-based mindfulness practices that look a lot like scientific sounding meditation practices. If you have ever wondered whether meditation is actually useful for anything other than spiritual enlightenment...well, here you go!

I don't think it matters what you call it, or what psychological perspective you come from. Just sit still, focus your breath in your heart area, and visualize a peaceful memory you have...or imagine breathing loving energy out to someone or something you love...and it is guaranteed to eventually calm you down. HeartMath suggests inbreaths and outbreaths of 5 seconds, while you imagine your breath going in and out through your heart. This can be really helpful.

The main thing about this is that the science shows the longer you're able to keep yourself in that calm state, the more coherent your heart and brain are able to stay in the long term. It means practicing "coherence" (or, in other words, meditation) actually trains your heart-brain (and brain brain) to change from less functionl habits of stress and reactivity to resilient, functional habits of calm and balance. It means that we are able to physically change our own brain structure, and thereby, our ways of thinking and feeling...all by ourselves! How cool is that? I realize that someday this knowledge could put me and other counseling professionals out of business... but really, it's amazing how we can heal ourselves if we want to, and I'm willing to put myself out of business in the interest of healthier communities made by balanced people.

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