“[O]ur attitudes, emotions and intentions matter and can affect all life on Earth and . . . coherent, cooperative intent could impact global events and improve the quality of life on Earth” said Doc Childre, co-author of Heart Intelligence, founder of HeartMath, and global authority on optimizing human performance (Heart Intelligence,136).
That is the basis of the book Heart Intelligence: Connecting with the Intuitive Guidance of the Heart. This book shares the scientific discoveries of the heart and its communications and guidance throughout our bodies, as well as its access to knowledge higher than and beyond what our brain receives. As co-author Howard Martin puts it, this book is a “bridge to take the philosophical and spiritual understanding of heart into practical day-to-day applications” using science as one of the “building blocks of that bridge” (p. 6).
Heart Intelligence is a compilation of writings, each chapter written by a separate author. The first half of the book is written by Howard Martin, Deborah Rosman, and Rollin McCraty. This portion of the book reports scientific findings that the heart has an intelligence apart from the brain’s intelligence.
The authors refer to this heart intelligence as our “heart brain” that sends important information throughout the body and can have profound influences on our brain. It does this through “at least four different pathways: a neurological communication system (through ascending pathways in the autonomic nervous system); bio-physical communication (the pulse wave); biochemical messaging (the heart secretes a number of hormones); and, through the electromagnetic field created by the heart” (25). Because of this, our heart has a great influence over our bodies and mind.
But what is even more amazing is that the heart has access to “nonlocal intuition,” the term they use to describe those gut feelings or hunches we can occasionally get, or the intuition we can sometimes receive. We are able to have greater access to this information that is separate from our bodies and minds by increasing our awareness of our hearts and by practicing creating heart coherence.
Heart coherence describes the synchronicity that happens within our bodies when our heart system and at least one other rhythmic system are working at the same frequency: for example, our heart rhythms and our breathing rhythms existing and working together in harmony. Because our bodies are so complex and we undergo so much stress, we can often get out of coherence, or out of balance. So as we practice Heart Intelligence’s Heart Lockin exercise (described in the book step-by-step and similar to the process described in this post about how to more clearly discern your emotion’s messages), we provide that coherence in our body, creating greater health and more clear access to the nonlocal information available to us.
The book then addresses what heart coherence looks like on a larger scale—how when one person is existing in a coherent state, they can lift others to that state as well. The authors quote studies conducted across the globe that indicate this phenomenon. They also discuss heart coherence on a global level, and encourage the readers to get involved and contribute to raising the world’s frequency by raising their own.
The second half of the book is written by Doc Childre. This portion of the book contains Doc’s musings and contemplations on compassion, self-care, finding our purpose, raising our vibrations, and other such things. Doc uses many cliches in his writing—ones that I am unfamiliar with, so rather than illuminating his points, I am actually left confused. Honestly, I only made it through a portion of his writings.
My purpose in reading Heart Intelligence was to learn about the research behind the heart brain, its knowledge, and its power. The first half of this book met my expectations. I’ve actually read the first six chapters three times now because I love them so much, and I want to internalize the findings and retain with me the scientific studies that talk about abstract, mystical things like intuition, gut feelings, and our energy fields.
If you’re looking for a book that covers scientific proof of the power and knowledge your heart holds, this book is great.
I highly recommend it.
[…] Your heart plays a vital role in discerning the messages from your emotions! You see, for a long time, the world of science thought the brain controlled everything—including the beating of the heart. But now, they say that the heart actually has its own brain. (Which is why heart transplants work!) The brain does not tell the heart to beat. The heart knows to do it on its own. And actually, as well as the brain sending messages to the body, the heart also sends information to the brain and then the brain sends out those signals to the rest of the body telling it how to act. […]