For those of us who tend to be left brain oriented, myself for one, the HeartMath science can be the evidence we need to more fully acknowledge and trust the wisdom of our hearts in the pursuit of healing.
This post about the heart is the first in a series addressing the common therapeutic elements required for healing a vast array of conditions. In this series, we’ll cover the roles of:
- Heart Intelligence for neutralizing the Stress Response
- Thyroid and Adrenal Repair (Even when your blood work for thyroid function is normal)
- Digestive System Repair
- Estrogen Dominance
- Diet & Essential Nutrients
- Detoxification & Lymph Drainage
- Dehydration (How to recover from years of dehydration that’s damaged the body at the cellular level)
HeartMath Science
The Cliff’s notes version of the HeartMath research is that our hearts are so much more than a muscular pump. Our hearts are comprised of 65% neurological tissue, our hearts have a functional brain, electrically they’re 50 times stronger than the brain in our head, and activating the heart brain enhances creativity, cognition, intuition, hormone repair, and physical healing.
Heart wisdom isn’t just for writing sonnets, it’s for the pragmatic purpose of healing – ourselves, our culture, and our planet.
Heart wisdom or heart intelligence is an avenue out of our programmed for survival, ego-driven mind.
We Identify with Our Thoughts
You may have noticed that a mind can be a terrible thing. It can keep us hung up on the past and fearful of the future. And, the discomfort or anxiety associated with the distraction of not simply being here now, of not being present in the moment, is the foundation for much of our psycho-emotional, as well as, physical illness.
Another way to frame this process is to call it the stress response. The stress of living in the reactive mind, as opposed to a direct connection with the trusting heart, makes us ill. The NIH sponsored a 2004 meta-study by Segerstrom and Miller showing that 85% of all doctor and hospital visits was the result of chronic stress.
The good news is that the stress response is an inside job and so is its heart-based solution that leads us to greater mental clarity, emotional balance, and physical health.
Not only do negative thoughts fuel unpleasant stressful emotions, they also trigger changes in gene expression (epigenetics) that lead to illness. Learning to choose and manage our thoughts consciously can also trigger the epigenetic changes necessary for healing.
Thoughts influence over 90% of your genes according to cellular biologist Bruce Lipton, Ph.D.
Your Body and the ‘Felt Sense’
The path out of your mind … your tormenting ego-driven mind … the stress producing mind … is signaled by your body. When you connect with bodily felt experience patiently and without judgment … with heart … you begin to heal. That’s said easily enough, but it’s counter-intuitive and the last thing anyone tends to do … until they’re given permission.
For example, when I get out of my head by noticing the anxious knot in my belly and attend to it kindly, the way that I’d patiently attend to an anxious child, the innate wisdom in my body is activated to guide me. At that moment my autonomic nervous system becomes more orderly, my brain becomes functionally larger, my hormones and neurotransmitters begin to repair, and I become more resilient, creative and resourceful.
True and lasting biological healing is triggered. It’s an inside job that’s based on how we use our consciousness. No drug or super nutrient can do this for us. However, natural complements to healing, like diet, exercise, and nutrition, become significantly more effective when added to a consciousness-based approach.
The key to this more resourceful state is being able to feel and connect with a ‘felt sense’. A felt sense can be an anxious knot in one’s belly, a sad lump in one’s throat, or a heartfelt longing. Most often a felt sense is an uncomfortable feeling – if we’re even aware of it – that triggers mental activity. And, it’s the mental activity that distances us from the healing capacity of our heart. We tend to live in our heads.
There are a number of mind-body approaches to healing that employ this reconnection with our bodies, with the felt sense, to trigger healing in ways that are otherwise impossible. The work of John Sarno, M.D. and Geerd Hamer, M.D. are prime examples of this drugless approach to healing that you can read more about on my website.
The self-regulation practices that I teach – like Heart Breathing and Focusing – are both supportive of our ability to reconnect with the healing power of our hearts and the felt sense.
In a culture where the thinking mind dominates, it’s very easy to miss the guiding hand of our body’s wisdom.
Steven Templin, D.O.M., Dipl. Ac. specializes in Acupuncture and Bio-Energetic Medicine to address the roots of chronic pain and illness. He offers a comprehensive mind-body program for addressing the underlying inflammation, toxicities, and stress-induced causes of most pain and illness.
He places special emphasis on resolving the stress response and repairing adrenal gland and digestive system function to address the root causes of many common and often difficult to treat illnesses.
He translates emerging research in the fields of Epigenetics, Energy Psychology (EFT and much more), and Functional Nutrition into effective practices that you can perform at home.
You can work with Dr. Templin in his Lakeland office, or online. You can visit his website at www.stevetemplin.com and contact him via email at drtemplin@gmail.com.
You can schedule an office visit with Dr. Templin by calling 863-838-2779.
Steve is a retired Doctor of Oriental Medicine, Acupuncture Physician, and HeartMath Trauma-Sensitive Certified Practitioner with over 35 years of clinical experience in Energy Medicine, Energy Psychology, and Biofeedback.