A HeartMath video discussing the intelligence of the heart has been circulating recently on Facebook, perhaps you’ve seen it.
I’ve included a longer video from the Institute of HeartMath below for those who are interested, but first I would like to share some thoughts about my experience over the years working with heart intelligence.
The emerging science is revealing that the brain in our head is only one part of a larger brain and nervous system complex that governs our health and well-being. That larger brain complex consists of the head brain, the heart brain, and the gut brain (the enteric nervous system).
The science, along with my own personal and clinical experience, is showing that if we live in our heads, divorced from the felt wisdom of our body, we suffer.
We suffer in terms of our personal health and well-being and we suffer in terms of the health of our relationships.
It turns out that to be a whole and healthy person you need access to your whole brain(s) and this is accomplished by reconnecting with the felt wisdom of our body.
You cannot ‘think’ you yourself into whole brain integration.
Connecting with the Truth of Direct Bodily Experience
The heart and gut brains communicate via the sensations and feelings that we experience in our bodies. This felt experience is actually an invitation to connect to our bodily wisdom.
For example, if you’re feeling a tension in your gut, a sadness in your chest, or an anxious buzz in your heart, our instincts are to move away from, to distance ourselves from these unpleasant felt signals.
However, when we connect with bodily felt experience nonjudgmentally, curiously, and patiently the brain and nervous system shift towards balance and healing. This brain balancing connection is triggered by ‘feeling’, rather than ‘thinking’.
It might seem counter-intuitive to willingly connect with bodily felt discomfort, yet this is the subtle inner act that triggers brain integration and self-healing.
It turns out that the magical healing breakthrough we’ve been hoping for has been within us all along and is being validated by emerging sciences like epigenetics, neuro-cardiology, and Interpersonal Neurobiology.
The HeartMath Science
The HeartMath science validates that our hearts are so much more than a pump. The heart has its own neural network and is a source of intelligence that complements and balances the brain in our cranium, supporting healing and wholeness physically, emotionally, cognitively, and spiritually.
What’s really powerful about the HeartMath software, called the EmWave, is that in real time I can show anyone how they can positively influence their own healing simply by connecting consciously and patiently with their own bodily experience.
The software shows the balance of the autonomic nervous system, the system responsible for guiding your moods, organ function, and overall well-being.
Unfortunately, the autonomic nervous system (ANS) is vulnerable to becoming imbalanced by the stresses and traumas we’ve experienced over the course of our lives.
These imbalances become the new default setting for the ANS and are experienced as symptoms, like headaches, digestive complaints, anxiety, hypertension, you name it.
The HeartMath science shows us that by activating the heart’s intelligence (by connecting gently and patiently with bodily felt experience) we can reset ANS function towards balance (coherence), where symptoms begin to resolve spontaneously.
This is real and measurable healing and best of all it’s triggered from within.
The challenge is in learning, through the consistent, daily practice of our self-regulation tools, to move the center of our being from our heads to our heart.
Enjoy the video!
Steve is a retired Doctor of Oriental Medicine, Acupuncture Physician, and HeartMath Trauma-Sensitive Certified Practitioner with over 35 years of clinical experience in the fields of Energy Medicine, Energy Psychology, and Biofeedback. 