Stress, and the Physical and Metaphoric Heart

As I mentioned before, I’ve been teaching about various aspects of stress-management for decades and it has never seemed more applicable. In this section, I’ll be presenting some of my own ideas based on my experience with hypnosis, psychotherapy, biofeedback, and the science-based methods of the HeartMath Institute (www.heartmath.org).

Power of the Heart

Let’s begin with the millennia-old concept of “heart.” Since ancient times, the heart was seen as the seat of intelligence. The word “courage” even comes from a word that means heart. One way to access the wisdom of the heart is to consider the following questions. I suggest that you take the time to write down your responses to these questions, and to note how you feel as you think of them. Take your time.

• What means the most to me?
• What do I love?
• What makes life worth living?
• When do I feel my best?
• What do I enjoy doing for its own sake?
• What makes my heart come alive?
• What do I think the world needs more of right now?

You may have realized that these are the same sort of questions put in different ways. Our answers reflect our core values – values originating in our metaphorical heart. When I do workshops and ask these questions, there is invariably an experience of peace, well-being and joy, along with the realization that almost no one spends nearly enough time in that state, or doing those things that elicit that well-being. Blame for losing touch with these core values is most frequently put on distraction and stress.

The importance of the heart is not just metaphoric, however. The relatively new medical field of neurocardiology has recognized that the heart has its own intrinsic nervous system that both responds to changing conditions, as well as participates in perception and decision-making. In addition, researchers have discovered and measured the way heart rhythms can either coordinate or disorganize brain functions – including our ability to perceive our environment, remember facts and solve problems. And our emotions play a major role in the way the heart responds. Many of our responses to the environment and our own thoughts are an interaction among our perceptions, emotional memories, coordination of the thalamus, heart rhythms, heart-rate variability (a reflection of interaction of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems), hormonal secretions, focus of attention, and opportunities (or not) to respond in a way that metabolizes the stress hormones our body generates.

The most efficient and user-friendly methods of intervention I’ve seen are those taught by the HeartMath Institute. Derived from research-based exploration, these methods have been used by ordinary people, health-care workers, military and police personnel, educators, students and other groups to restore core values, reduce the wear and tear of stress on the body, improve cognitive functioning and enhance social relationships. With a little practice, we can become healthier, calmer and smarter within minutes – all by shifting our attention, regulating our breathing and generating a positive feeling. It seems too simple, but it works. The heart of the method, so to speak, is heart-focused breathing and the activation of a feeling of care or gratitude. Regularized breathing calms the nervous system, and the activation of a fun, positive feeling is hormonally restorative and makes the good state last longer. Furthermore, one can use the technique for a quick calming (in about 30 seconds) or as a sort of meditation over five to fifteen minutes.

One of these tools, “Inner Ease,” can be found on the HeartMath website at https://www.heartmath.org/articles-of-the-heart/heartmath-tools-techniques/inner-peace-inner-ease/.  My favorite technique, called “Quick Coherence,” can be found at https://www.heartmath.org/resources/heartmath-tools/quick-coherence-technique-for-adults/.  The institute’s research is also available on line.

When I worked in the schools, I watched these methods restore people to their core values, re-discover the things that made life worth living, and improve test-taking skills. When I practiced regularly, my immune system was stronger. For more detailed information, I suggest accessing the HeartMath website, attending a seminar where the methods are explained in detail, or you can engage a HeartMath coach for individual instruction and goal-setting.

You can also purchase biofeedback-like devices to monitor and practice regulating your heart-rate variability. These devices are either computer connected (called “emWave”) or powered by a smart phone (called “Inner Balance”).

The biggest stumbling block, however, is developing the discipline to care for oneself. To take a minute several times a day to apply the above techniques, or to take 15 minutes once a day to lock in a state of well-being can seem insurmountable – especially for people who are caring for others. Researchers have found, however, that such self-care is not just a benefit for the persons practicing it, but also for those around them. That is, well-being (like emotional viruses) can be contagious, which takes us to the topic of connectivity of living systems.

The Connectivity of Living Systems

A fascinating area of research is the way living systems connect with and influence one another. I already mentioned the effect of geomagnetic storms on human behavior and well-being, but we ourselves are also generators of electromagnetic influence. It turns out that every beat of the heart broadcasts your emotional condition through the measurable electromagnetic field generated by the electrical pulse that activates the heart muscle. This is one of the invisible influences among people – for good or ill. This heart-based influence has also been seen between people and horses and other animals. What’s more, trees’ responsiveness to earth events and human emotion is also being explored. You can find more information about this research at https://www.heartmath.org/gci/.

These new research projects support my earlier point that we are not alone, separate and individual. Certainly, we have our individual characteristics, but we are also connected to nature and to each other. Taking care of ourselves is also caring for the earth and our fellow citizens.

We have choice

I hope this all-too-brief foray into the science of stress-management makes clear that our efforts at staying balanced and heart-focused are not selfish acts of personal contentment but, rather, a decision to not contribute to stress waves and, instead, broadcast a field of care and rejuvenation that may make a measurable difference in the world – and certainly for ourselves. Furthermore, it’s my hope that, through these efforts, we not only increase our well-being, but also experience the empowerment that heart-centered living can provide.

In part III, we’ll move on to the applications of what we know so we can bring benefit to ourselves and to the people around us, even while we tackle the stresses of our time.