Heart
Coherence and emWave Desktop Hints
From my personal
experience and my work
with consulting and coaching clients, here are a few -- just a few for
now
-- quick hints on how to increase access to heart space, to increase
amount
and depth of heart coherence, or to increase coherence scores on the
emWave Desktop (previously known as emWave PC or the Freeze
Farmer) (the emWave is also available in a
compact portable version called emWave PSR [Personal Stress Reliever]
which doesn't have as many features as the emWave Desktop);
most are in addition to methods
already taught by HeartMath or
in the emWave
Desktop
tutorials:
- straighten
upper back area
- open chest area
- allow shoulders to
roll back in a relaxed way
- loosen jaw and
throat
- take three deep
breaths (into heart and belly)
at start
- no effort... let go
of all trying or strain
or vigilance
- "get out of the
way" -- another slant on trying
to convey the sense of no effort, not trying
- a more advanced
method of no effort and of
"getting out of the way", not for all, is complete surrender to Supreme
Heart, a la Ramana Maharshi, aka "Thine Will be done"....
- if you are feeling
really lousy (anxious or
tired, or ill) in the moment, can you smile at it a bit and just let it
be? (This allows emergence of what I call "grace".)
- if you are having a
really bad day or "bad
hair" day, can you just be at peace with it all and allow it to be just
as it is? (again, this allows emergence of what I call
"grace")
- if you cannot
summon feelings of love or appreciation,
can you just accept what is and accept yourself exactly as is? (this is
actually a form of love often called grace...)
A bit more on the
whole concept of "getting
out of the way"... A friend reminded me recently that Carl Jung was
always
reported -- by clients, observers and himself alike -- to have "gotten
out
of the way" at those moments which were the most magical moments in
one-on-one
therapy with his clients. Jung always reported later that he could not
remember anything that he or the client had said during the
session.
Much the same has been reported about legendary psychotherapist Carl
Rogers;
I witnessed him disclose this in several films/videotapes while
training
in clinical psychology in graduate school. Rogers was also
obviously
in a heart-centered state at the time; he mentioned in more than one
interview
and article that his heart felt very open and that there were tears in
his eyes
during these sessions.
And,
some
physiological or practical
tips:
- Have
you been drinking enough
water?
Lack of water can drastically affect HRV "height" (variance) as well as
coherence.
- Are you tired or
exhausted, or just
completed
a long flight cross-country? These can all be very disorienting on a
physical
level and markedly depress HRV score "height" (variance) as well as
coherence. A nap or a good night's sleep can work wonders.
- Some folks seem to
have their HRV and coherence
measures affected adversely by consuming onions or garlic, and indeed,
a few healthcare practitioners who use heart coherence and HRV feedback
as part of therapy prohibit their clients and students from eating any
garlic or onions within 36 hours of a scheduled session or class.
- Many folks show
incoherence or flattening
of HRV scores if they have recently drunk more than the equivalent of
1.5
to 2 drinks of alcohol. This is due simply to mild depression
of
various biological oscillators in the body... it will pass...
- If you feel really
stuck, get up and take
a 15-minute walk outdoors. Your body may need to move....
- If you consistently
feel really stuck or "flat",
consider going outside and standing barefoot on the earth (soils, sand,
grass, moss, etc.) for about 10 or 15 minutes. Many modern folks in
"civilized"
countries get far too little barefoot contact with bare earth, and this
seems to adversely affect all rhythms in the body.
- As noted above, a
nap can sometimes work wonders.
- Smoking marijuana
is a big no-no in terms
of both short-term and long-term effects of deadening the CNS and
reducing
coherence across bodily systems. Interestingly, almost all spiritual
systems,
healers and teachers also strongly recommend against the use of
marijuana
and related substances for much the same reasons.
- Some healthcare
practitioners have
reported to me that clients who had exhibited markedly incoherent or
flat HRV scores often showed marked improvement within 3 to 20 minutes
of ingesting certain fermented antioxidant nutritional
supplements brewed with syntropic antioxidative
microbes (SAM). This is fascinating, because the beneficial microbes
used to
make these fermented beverages have accrued a long history of tales of
exhibiting all kinds of "coherent" effects, such as anti-entropic, or
syntropic effects and bringing increased order, syntropy and harmony to
various systems.
Some
Observations on Variables:
HRV Variance, Heart Coherence
I had
listed above some quick
hints
on how to increase access to heart space, to increase amount and depth
of heart coherence, or to increase coherence score on the emWave Desktop.
Let's move on now to look at some factors which seem correlated to
increased
(or decreased, as the case may be) variance in HRV score over
time.
As you may be aware if you have gotten this far in exploring the
concepts
of coherence and heart coherence, higher variability in HRV score over
time (one hour to 24 hours) is inextricably linked in the scientific
literature
with high vitality, greater health, and reduced morbidity and mortality
from all causes. Conversely, low indexes of HRV over a period
of
time are linked with reduced health and vitality, and with
increased morbidity and mortality from all causes.
As has
been noted before,
people generally show a slow decrease in indexes of HRV as they
age.
Indeed, some researchers have gone so far as to proclaim various
indexes
of HRV over time to be the single most powerful non-invasive method of
predicting morbidity and mortality from all causes. Here now is a
look at some of the factors which -- at least in my observations --
seem
to be related to both good variance, aka "high variance", in HRV
(approximately,
this is the height of the HRV trace in the FF top screen) and also to
the ability
to enter states of high coherence. I will offer two lists:
- one
listing the apparent
positive correlates,
e.g., those which seem to be associated with both high HRV variance and
ability to attain states of high coherence,
- one listing the
apparent negative correlates,
e.g., those which seem to be associated with both low HRV variance and
poor ability to attain states of high coherence.
Introduction
and CAVEAT!
However, first, a
BIG word of caution.
These are observed correlates only. A correlation does not prove
causation.
For example, the sale of umbrellas reaches a massive peak in New York
City
only when it rains and just before a rainstorm, and slows down markedly
when it is not raining. Does this mean that sales of umbrellas cause
rain, and that low sales of umbrellas cause droughts? No!
To
assert such would be to confuse correlation with causation.
Likewise,
in the apparent positive correlations and negative correlations which
follow,
it is important not to confuse correlation with causation.
For example,
it has been observed in general that folks who take lots of
pharmaceutical
drugs seem to often show low HRV variance (rather flat HRV trace) and
poor
ability to achieve heart coherence. Does this mean that
taking lots
of pharmaceutical drugs produces this effect? No! A far more
likely
explanation is that folks who take lots of pharmaceutical drugs have
lots
of health problems (whether physical or behavioral/affective, or
both).
These underlying health problems not only led a physician to prescribe
lots of drugs, but these same underlying health problems contribute to
overall low vitality, and will usually contribute to low HRV variance
and
to relatively low HRV coherence. Yes, it is true that some
pharmaceutical
drugs will also depress both factors as well, but in the aforementioned
example, the greater depressive effect on HRV variance and coherence is
likely due to the underling illnesses.
Now,
the Lists
Apparent
positive correlates, e.g.,
those which seem to be associated with both high HRV variance and
ability
to attain states of high coherence:
- Youthfulness,
esp. thru
mid-twenties.
In other words, scores seem to slowly decrease with age, due to the
slow
shifts in vitality and health which occur with aging. In
general, younger
people exhibit higher HRV variance and higher ability to access heart
coherence,
and this seems to gradually decrease with age. This effect
has been
noted for years (especially for the HRV variance) by many researchers,
including
HeartMath researchers and top cardiologists, some of whom have worked
with
IHM researchers.
- Getting regular
exercise, including walking,
although harsh or severe exercise does not seem at all necessary.
- Eating diets which
are at least partly-raw
and/or partly-Paleolithic (ancestral or caveman).
- People who seem to
exhibit a wide range, over
time, of emotional states, including the so-called "negative" states,
such
as anger, crankiness, irritability or sadness. The key here does not
seem
to be the negative emotions in particular, but rather the ability to
allow
and accept a wide range of feelings, versus suppression or repression.
- Drinking sufficient
water, at least 1/2 gallon
to 3/4 gallon per day.
- Being well-rested.
- Recent history of
eating foods in the diet
which are high in antioxidants, such as dark green or orange
vegetables,
dark berries, cherries, etc.
- Recent history of
taking antioxidant nutritional
supplements (e.g. in no particular order, vitamin E, C, alpha lipoic
acid,
grape seed extract, ginko biloba, selenium, COQ10, zeaxanthin,
astaxanthin,
MegaH-, fermented syntropic antioxidant microbial supplement products
such as EM-X, AEM,
Fervita, Sootheox, Fermalive, BEM Supplement, etc.)
- On an inner level,
being able to "let go"
or surrender, to Supreme Heart / Being / God / Spirit (whatever term
works for you.)
- Being able to be at
peace with what is.
Apparent
negative correlates, e.g.,
those which seem to be associated with both low HRV variance and poor
ability
to attain states of high coherence:
- Chronic
use of pharmaceutical
drugs, esp.
intake of lots of pharmaceutical drugs. See warning vis-a-vis
interpretation
in the Introduction above.
- Recent ingestion of
more than the equivalent
of 2 drinks of alcohol per day.
- Folks who never
seem to show a wide range
of emotions and affect, including at least minor irritability, anger,
crankiness,
sadness, etc. Likely emotional suppression or repression.
- Recent (past 5
hours) of more than 1 to 1.5
drinks of alcohol.
- History of recent
use of marijuana and related
substances.
- Lack of exercise,
of even gentle slow walking
outdoors.
- Chronic or frequent
use of so-called "magnet
therapy" products. Again, see warning vis-a-vis interpretation or
mis-interpretation
in the Introduction above. It may well be that folks who use lots of
magnet
therapy products are people who have lots of health problems (whether
physical
or behavioral/affective, or both).
- Recent history of
frequent or chronic
consumption
of large amounts of coffee or other caffeine-containing
products. Again, see warning vis-a-vis interpretation or
mis-interpretation in the
Introduction above. It may well be that folks who ingest lots of coffee
and other caffeine-containing products may be people who have lots of
health
problems (whether physical or behavioral/affective, or both) and who
are
simply trying to self-medicate.
- Being tired.
- Having completed an
airline flight, or a drive
of over 2-3 hours duration, within the past 24 hours.
- Feeling ill.
- Some healthcare
practitioners who use heart
coherence and HRV feedback as part of therapy report that clients and
students
have their HRV and coherence measures affected adversely by consuming
onions
or garlic within 36 hours (esp. 5 hours) of a scheduled session or
class.
I have not noticed this myself, although I have not performed any
structured
organized studies.
- Adherence to a true
raw vegan or vegan diet
for 7-8 months or longer. (I say "true" because many self-claimed "raw
vegans" actually eat a much wider range of foods, including cooked
foods
and animal foods, but keep it hidden in order to gain community
acceptance.)
- Excessive
consumption of dairy products, including
gross overconsumption of raw dairy products. This effect may vary quite
a bit from person to person, due to genetics and their resultant
biochemistry.
- Recent history of
sungazing, esp. within past
8 to 10 hours. Now, this may seem counter-common-sense to some, since
sungazing has become extremely popular in certain alternative health
and
spiritual circles and New Age circles in the past year, often as a way
of becoming healthier. If you wish, please feel free to read a more
detailed
footnote1 below
on this topic.
- The above-noted
sungazing-related effect
seems to be even more severe in folks who sungaze without standing
barefoot
on bare earth (or sand, moss, or grass, or even rocks) at the time, in
other words, in folks who sungaze while wearing shoes or standing on a
patio or floor.
- General tendency or
traits of refusal to forgive
and/or let go.
- Harboring chronic
grudges or blames.
Footnotes
1. More on
sungazing
and HRV: Although sungazing is slightly controversial (but
less so
every day, it seems...), and was an extremely obscure health and
spiritual
practice in the Western world until early 2003, it has suddenly become
very popular and trendy among many spiritual seekers, health seekers
and
New Agers. However, my research seems to clearly show that HRV
for
folks who have sungazed in the past 8 to 10 hours is often extremely
flat
(low variance) or very incoherent, with very poor ability to enter or
maintain
states of high heart coherence. The effect seems to be far
stronger
with morning (near sunrise) sungazing and less with late day (near
sunset)
sungazing. Indeed, many sungazers report that their heart rate seems to
be very erratic or "jumpy" for many hours after
sungazing. And, in
general, it seems that a history of sungazing (within past 4 weeks)
also
seems to contribute to flat (low variance) or very incoherent HRV, with
very poor ability to enter or maintain states of high heart
coherence. This may seem surprising, given the fact that many
folks sungaze for the
express purpose of increased health or spiritual growth. And,
it
may be true that this "noise" and flatness which I have observed in
myself
and in other sungazers may be temporary and simply due to "healing" or
"cleansing" of old physical trauma or physical/emotional
"toxins".
However, I simply do not know yet. I do know that the effects
can
persist for many weeks after sungazing... I consider myself fortunate
to be in contact with a great many sungazers from across the world,
including (fortunately or unfortunately, however that may be!) several
of the self-styled sungazing gurus from India, who tend, for the large
part, to be fanatical and fundamentalist zealots. (Can you tell that I
am rather allergic to such things...?)
A
List Group Devoted to the
Topic of Coherence, Especially Heart Coherence
The
creator of this
site has recently started
a list group devoted to coherence, especially heart coherence,
incoherence,
and coherence effects in the world and on human life and health.
This list
group is devoted to the emerging
field of coherence of consciousness and particularly heart coherence,
especially
the type often described by researchers at HeartMath Institute (which
involves
coherence of heart rate variability, or HRV) and the
consciousness
coherence which the Global Consciousness Project, aka GCP, is
attempting
to assess via use of EGG sensors employing random number generators,
aka
RNG, aka random event generators, aka REG. Scope includes
discussion
of effects of coherence on our lives and physical reality.
Particular
attention may be paid to ways and means of attaining states of inner
heart
coherence, sometimes measured via the emWave Desktop (previously known as
emWave PC or the
Freeze Framer),
an
investigatory feedback device from Heart Math. The
discussion may at times
embrace
the concepts of recursiveness and nesting, e.g., of nested or packed
information
folded or embedded in certain waveforms or wave phenomena, although
there
has been a lot of hyperbole and half-fact extant in that area over the
past few years, and the discussion may also include the occurrence of
phi
ratios of frequencies in examined coherence waveforms. May also
include discussion of the HeartTuner, aka Heart Tuner heart feedback
device
and the HeartLink, aka Heart Link feedback device. Yes, discussion may
involve the new PC-based biofeedback adventure game, The
Wild Divine,
which incorporates heart coherence detection methods licensed by
HeartMath
Institute. In closing, yes, one of the fields of discussion
on this
Coherence
list group will be syntropic antioxidative microbes (SAM) and its
coherence effects.
The list
group is operated by Vinny Pinto,
a healer, mystic, and degreed scientist who has also trained at the
graduate
level in statistical methods, experimental methods, psychotherapy
(clinical
psychology) and acupuncture (Worsley's Five Elements system.)
To
subscribe to the list group, please
send an e-mail to:
coherence-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
or, go to the list group home
page at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/coherence
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