Heart Coherence
Is it possible to extend the limits of the human potential—of what we think and believe is normal, natural, and achievable? Can we have robust physical health and longevity, heightened performance and creativity, and deeper states of happiness and bliss? Sporadic incidents we hear about, such as cases of spontaneous healing and a display of extreme physical strength in life-and-death situations, allow us to take a peak into the tremendous pool of forces which lay dormant in each of us. The key to the realization of this “superhuman potential” lies in changing how we think about the world and ourselves. By changing our thoughts and elevating our emotions, we can rewire our brains and condition our bodies for a positive change. A shift in one’s worldview can lead to a dramatic transformation of one’s life circumstances and holistic well-being.
There exist many tools and techniques for going beyond what we believe is “natural.” It is possible to activate this unlimited potential, without waiting for some extreme life event to disturb our balance and force us to test our limits. Neuroscience, epigenetics, and quantum physics explain the electrochemical, biological, and quantum processes which “translate” our thoughts into a new manifest reality. The core (or the “secret”) of this transformation is the heart-brain coherence—harmonizing how the brain neurons and the heart neurites signal each other and, in turn, affect the body’s chemistry. By changing our thoughts (which carry an electrical charge) and our feelings or emotions (which carry a magnetic charge), we change our biological energy, and through that change in energy, we can then change our lives.
Understanding heart coherence
Of all the organs in the human body, the heart is the only one that has intelligence. As the body’s fourth energy center, it is a bridge between the lower (serval-based) and the higher energy centers. We are capable of creating heart coherence independent of the external conditions present in our environment. This is a skill that can be learned, practiced, and mastered like any other. Intentional regulation and sustaining of the state of heart coherence yields astonishing results. On the level of physical health, for example, heart coherence lowers blood pressure, improves brain function, improves hormonal balance, and promotes healthier gene expression. On a mental level, heart coherence increases clarity and intuition, and leads to better decision-making.
Dr. Joe Dispenza describes heart coherence in the following manner:
“Like the regular beating of a drum, heart coherence refers to the physiological function of the heart that causes it to beat in a consistent, rhythmic, orderly manner (the opposite, when it is not operating in an orderly manner, is heart incoherence). When we are in heart coherence, we can access the “heart’s intelligence,” which HMI defines as:
The flow of awareness and insight that we experience once the mind and emotions are brought into balance and coherence through a self-initiated process. This form of intelligence is experienced as direct, intuitive knowing that manifests in thought and emotions that are beneficial for ourselves and others.”
Understanding heart rate variability (HRV)
The heart is autorhythmic—our heartbeat is self-initiated from within the heart, not from the brain. It is capable of initiating communication with the central nervous system. Neuroscientists have shown that the heart has a nervous system of 40,000 neurons which functions independently of the brain. This neural system became known as the “heart-brain-heart brain.” Our heart independently processes emotions, directly responds to the environment, and regulates its rhythm. 90 percent of the pathways between the heart and the brain ascend from the heart to the brain. This is how the heart signals the brain and modifies the activity in the cognitive and emotional centers of the brain. The heart contains nerves from both the branches of ANS and thus any change in the sympathetic or parasympathetic nervous systems affects how it works. Through the central nervous system, every feeling or emotion that we experience is communicated to the heart, influencing its rhythm.
Heart rate variability (HRV) is a message of the variation in time between two consecutive heartbeats (the beat-to-beat intervals). Moderate HRV is a sign of better adaptability to stressors or challenges. Low HRV is an indicator and predictor of various health problems, medical conditions, and all causes of mortality. HRV decreases as we age. When heart coherence is achieved, the two branches of the ANS are in harmony.
The power of elevated emotions
The key to unlocking the “heart intelligence” lies in our feelings and emotions. Through the power of a coherent heart, we become capable of changing our biology and creating a new, desirable future for ourselves. It is therefore crucial to learn to cultivate and sustain elevated emotions. When the heart beats in a coherent rhythm, the nervous center increases the brain’s energy, intuition, and creativity. The heart and mind begin to work together, and we achieve a state of integration and oneness. We begin to feel more at peace with ourselves and with the world.
Extraordinary changes in heart rate variability (HRV) occur when a person has an open heart and elevated emotions (positive emotions such as love, gratitude, and joy). Measuring the HRV shows that these emotions lead to a coherent heartbeat pattern—a heart rhythm that is orderly and balanced.
Elevated emotions signal the brain, and a cascade of 1,400 biochemical changes occurs in the body. These changes promote growth, repair, and healing. Sustaining elevated emotions every day establishes a new emotional baseline, where you are no longer trapped in the thinking-feeling loop of your past negative experiences. This, in turn, elevates your energy and results in peak mental and physical performance.
Understanding the science behind it—homeostasis, stress, and resilience
The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is the involuntary division of the nervous system. It comprises two subsystems—the sympathetic and the parasympathetic systems. These two subsystems relay communication between the heart and the brain, and work on maintaining homeostasis (equilibrium between all the systems in the body). The sympathetic system stimulates our fight-or-flight response in a situation of real or perceived threat. When turned on, it is a regulator of the body’s unconscious actions including breathing, elevated heart rate, excess perspiration, etc. On the other hand, the parasympathetic nervous system does the opposite—it relaxes the body and conserves energy, thus protecting our inner environment. The state of homeostasis is desirable because in this state everything within our body is in harmony, there is no energy dissipation, and we feel safe and relaxed.
Homeostasis corresponds to a state of physiological coherence. In a state of coherence, the neural links between the heart and the brain function optimally. Coherent heart rhythm creates coherence of the ANS, and ANS coherence improves brain functions, boosting our focus, creativity, and capacity for rational thinking and learning. The greatest enemy of coherence and homeostasis is stress. Stress causes our heart to beat in a fragmented, disorderly rhythm, and the sympathetic nervous system is activated. Prolonged, chronic stress strains our body’s ability to remain in homeostasis, and this negatively affects our health and well-being. Resilience is our ability to manage stress, i.e., our “capacity to prepare for, recover from, and adapt in the face of stress, adversity, trauma, or challenge.” Stress wears down our body, depletes us of vitality, diminishes our ability to repair and recover, and weakens our resilience.
The heart is a source of an electromagnetic field
The human heart is a source that generates an electromagnetic field. The magnetic field produced by the heart is 5,000 times stronger than the electric field produced by the brain. In a state of heart coherence, the heart creates a strong and expanded electromagnetic field that can be measured in terms of energy or frequency. This field projects beyond the body and can even affect the hearts of other people at distinct locations. This information exchange is non-physical but energetic (also called nonlocal). There is a significant amount of scientific evidence published in peer-reviewed journals which shows that, when thousands of people jointly meditate at the same time, the incidence of crime, conflict, and violence decrease, literally making the world a better place.
On the contrary, chronic stress depletes our energy field of vital life force. Base (survival) emotions bring us to a state of incoherence and draw energy from the field of vital energy that surrounds us. The body no longer has sufficient time or energy to repair and heal. Various medical studies have found that prolonged stress is the strongest predictor of cardiovascular disease and death. Our immunity weakens, due to an affected thymus gland. The thymus gland is one of the main organs of the immune system; it promotes T cells which defend the body from various pathogens. As we age, the thymus gland begins to shrink; furthermore, when suffering from chronic stress, the thymus gland does not receive enough energy. This suppresses our body’s defense mechanism.
How heart coherence creates brain coherence
Researchers have found that when a state of heart coherence is achieved, there is increased synchronization between the heart and the brain. An important energetic interaction occurs through the electromagnetic fields of the heart and the brain. The brain waves entertain with the heart’s rhythm at a frequency of 0.10 Hz; a frequency associated with intuition and inner guidance. A shift toward theta and delta brain waves occurs. At the same time, the energy in the brain increases—in meditators, this increase can be 50 to 300 times higher than the normal level. This heart-brain coherence also creates coherence in the electromagnetic field surrounding the body.
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~This article is based on the book “Becoming Supernatural—How Common People Are Doing the Uncommon” by Dr. Joe Dispenza. Hay House, Inc., Carlsbad, California, 2017~