COHERENCE

THE BASIS OF HEALTH, WELLNESS AND CLEAR COMMUNICATION

My first article introduced the concept of stress as having a profound effect on our health and on the relationship with our dogs.  Last article talked about the energies that we share and touched upon the mechanisms of how our emotions and thoughts play an integral part of the energetic communication between us and our dogs.  This article will give a deeper understanding into the stress mechanism, the biological effects of thoughts and emotions and the physiology of Coherence.

We know that our dogs pick up on our energetic frequencies and are profoundly affected by them in deeper ways than we realize. When we are in a state of coherence the signal that we are sending is essentially loving, smooth and organized and it is received and integrated with your dog’s own physiology. Studies have shown that when we are in a state of coherence and with intention radiate our energy out to our dogs; they go into a state of heart coherence too. Remember in the realm of energy and quantum healing; the healthier we are the healthier our dogs are.

 WHAT EXACTLY IS COHERENCE?

Sometimes to comprehend one thing we need to first understand it from its opposite perspective.

Most of us have heard the word associated with being in an incoherent state.   This is often associated with the consumption of too much alcohol, or other biological altering substances that eludes to some mixture of table dancing, lampshade hats and a variety of other uninhibited comedic moves.  This state is usually accompanied by speech or thoughts that are muddled, confused, unclear, or incomprehensible.  We say that this person is incoherent.

Coherence is essentially the opposite. It is when we are in a physiological state of being where our mind, body, thoughts, emotions, immune, hormonal and nervous systems are in synchronicity and alignment with each other.   In other words-  All systems  a go! Like a fine tuned Ferrari.

Now I’m not much of a car buff but after watching all of the Fast and Furious movies, (I’ll admit more than once); I have gained a deep appreciation for high performance vehicles.

Take the 488 GTB Ferrari.  A beautiful sleek, curvy, sharp and fast looking car.  According to automotive experts this car with its 3902cc  bi-turbo V8 engine is “the prancing horse and has the most high-performance engine ever; with zero turbo lag and a unique  design to achieve maximum performance efficiency across the board.”

They go on to say that  the hallmarks of a high performance sports car is ;  A turbocharged engine with naturally aspirated manners; having a combination of explosive power, ultra-direct throttle response, dazzling performance and low fuel consumption ”.  That means that this car can go 0-60mph in 3 seconds flat, and sustain a high output without going into engine fatigue or malfunction.

That is an amazing design; and so are we!  So, how does this Ferrari relate to our bodies in a state of coherence?

IMAGINE YOU ARE A FERRARI

Your Explosive Power is the collective fully functional, synchronization of  your  heart, brain, immune, endocrine, hormonal , central and autonomic nervous system.

Your Ultra-direct throttle response   is the moment by moment situational awareness and how you respond to a variety of challenges and adverse circumstances.

Your Dazzling performance is displayed as the unseen high amplitude, smooth rhythmic energized electromagnetic field that you are radiating out to others and your dog.

And the Low Fuel Consumption is the quintessential definition to having resilience, keeping your inner “battery” charged with  very few energy leaks.

So at our best, we can be defined as a brilliant, dazzling, highly coordinated, precise and efficient biological system; like a 488 GTB Ferrari.

So now that you know how amazing you are, the question arises as to what can go wrong?  What leads to systems failure? There is a multitude of things that can impact the system, like poor diet, toxins- external and internal, lifestyle choices and the always mentioned but least talked about …Stress.

THE PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF STRESS

Stress is at the foundation of what leads to system fatigue, malfunction and eventually failure.  When we are in a continual state of fight or flight, or in constant state of depletion filled with thoughts of worry, frustration, impatience,  fear, anxiety, anger, resentment and judgement  our body is listening and it responds.  For every emotion there is a group of biochemical neuropeptides associated with that emotion. The  main players in  the stress response; the hypothalamus, pituitary gland  and the  adrenal glands,  are  in a constant  dialogue  that is continually  flooding the body with stress hormones.   The number one stress hormone is cortisol.

THE EFFECTS OF CORTISOL

Some of cortisol’s long term effects are reduced muscle mass, brain cell death, impaired memory, accelerated aging, impaired mental function and ultimately diminished performance.   Cortisol also taxes the immune system in a number of ways.  One of the more prevalent ways is by decreasing the amount of immunoglobulin A, or IgA antibody.  This antibody is the one that is highly present in the mucous membranes like those of your nose, eyes, mouth, and respiratory tract. It is prided as the body’s best and first line of defense against invaders like viruses, bacteria and other pathogens.

This is specifically relevant pertaining to  the recent Corona virus outbreak and how our innate immune systems are our best defense.  As an airborn virus, Covid 19 is presented to the body through the mucus membranes of the nose, eyes, and mouth. A strong, resilient populous army of Ig A antibodies waiting to fight is the best weapon we have to prevent entrance of these types of pathogens into our bodies.

Without a highly functioning and efficient immune system; starting with the IgA antibodies, our defenses are down and we are susceptible to disease.

The simple solution to boosting your immune system, increasing IgA antibodies and maintaining a state of wellness is…. you guessed it; being in a state of coherence.   The basis of coherence is clear communication between the heart and the brain mixed with elevated and renewing emotions like care, appreciation, gratitude and love.  Hugging your dog can be the best immune system builder!

HEART-BRAIN COMMUNICATION

In the past, the brain has always been thought of as the   initiator and controller of all information to the body;  and the heart was considered  an organ made of muscle cells that pumps blood;  however since the 1960’s  it has been shown that there is an extensive dynamic ongoing two way dialogue   between the heart and the brain.

The heart communicates with the brain in four basic ways: Through the transmission of nerve impulses, through hormones and neurotransmitters, through sound and pressure waves   and through electromagnetic field interactions.

HORMONES OF THE HEART

In 1983 the heart was reclassified as a part of the hormonal system with the discovery of  a new hormone  that is produced and secreted by the heart. This hormone is called atrial peptide – nicknamed the balance hormone for its ability to inhibit the release of stress hormones, decrease sympathetic outflow (associated with stress), and even have influence on motivation and behavior.

Since then, other heart secreted hormones were discovered including  the neurotransmitters norepinephrine, epinephrine and dopamine  which were only thought to be produced by neurons in the brain.  And more recently discovered is one of my favorite hormones that the heart makes and secretes called oxytocin, more commonly known as the love or the bonding hormone.  This is a good time to hug more dogs!

Not only does the heart secrete hormones, but in recent exciting groundbreaking research in the emerging field of neurocardiology  in 1991 ( just 30 years ago),  Dr. Andrew Armour from the University of Montreal has shown that within the heart is an extensive and  specialized group of neurons that are so sophisticated and organized that it is qualifies as being called  the “little brain” in the heart. The heart actually contains   40,000 neurons!   Extensive research since then, conducted by the HeartMath Institute shows that the “neural networks” in the heart- brain enables the heart to act independently of the cranial brain to learn, remember, make decisions, and even feel and sense.

This research correlates with and mostly validates the interesting phenomenon seen in some heart transplant patients called The Cell Memory phenomenon; where the recipients acquire behaviors, emotions and memories from the original donor.

The heart is at the heart of it all;  pun intended.

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM

There is a nervous system that completes the communication between the heart and the brain and that is the autonomic nervous system or ANS. I can’t talk about coherence unless we talk about the ANS. In the first article I talked about the two branches of the autonomic nervous system.   The sympathetic and parasympathetic, these are known as the fight or flight and the rest and digest systems respectively.

At this point I am sure you are asking the same question I did in my college physiology class and again in veterinary school… “Why do I need to know about the autonomic nervous system?”  As an involuntary, automatic system it knows what to do anyway….right?

The question and answer is, as simply put as I can make it, going back to the Ferrari;  If the sympathetic branch is the  gas pedal and the  parasympathetic  branch is the  break  then who’s driving the car?

The answer is you!

This means that although this system is on autopilot from an innate, possibly divine intuitive intelligence that tries to keep all the systems working in a harmonious way, we can influence and control it with our thoughts and emotions.

The problem is that most drivers today are heavy footed on the gas, pedal to the metal, go more often than stop or spend too much time in the stop and go mode. Riding both gas and brake at the same time creates a rough and jerky ride, not to mention a lot of nausea.

Feelings such as frustration or impatience create a physiological jerky ride and an incoherent electromagnetic signal to the body and others, especially our dogs.

This erratic pattern of activity denotes an incoherent system that reflects stress and inefficient utilization of energy in all life processes. This is called Sympathetic Over drive, some of you may be familiar with that term.

Studies have shown that renewing feelings such as care, gratitude, compassion, love, and appreciation increase the parasympathetic tone and creates a coherent landscape that supports the order, harmony and stability throughout various physiological systems. This reflects efficient and optimal function related to ease and flow of all life processes.

In essence, when a person is in a more coherent state there is a shift in the relative autonomic balance towards increased parasympathetic activity, increased clear and synchronized heart-brain communication, and the alignment between all the different biological systems. It is in this mode, we function with a high degree of efficiency, harmony and sustainability.  In other words operating like a fine tuned 488 GTB Ferrari with a dog and his face in the wind with his ears flapping.

To find out more about  Coherence techniques for you and your pets go to Workshops