Stress Resources- Mental Stress
Introduction, Dr. Pert describes her efforts over the past two decades to actually decode the "information molecules," such as peptides and their receptors, that regulate every aspect of human physiology. Her model of how these biochemicals flow and resonate, distributing information to every cell in the body simultaneously, has unlocked the secret of how emotions literally transform our bodies – and create our health.
Molecules of Emotion
The opiate receptor is a molecule on the surface of our cells. When morphine or opium enters our bodies, its molecules travel in the fluid surrounding the cells and are attracted to the opiate receptors. The opiate and receptor molecules bind together, transferring information into the cell through the receptor's 'roots'. The cell responds by experiencing bliss.
Dr. Pert found that the opiate receptors, while densely concentrated in the limbic brain, also occur in every other part of the body. The implication is that the emotion - in this case, bliss - is not generated by the brain, but by the cells themselves. Since these receptor-bearing cells reside all over our bodies, the blissful experience occurs in the blood, organs, muscles, tissue and bones at the same time as it is registered in the brain. The limbic brain transfers the information to the frontal cortex, where we become conscious of it. It is only at this point that we begin to form ideas about what we are feeling. The experience itself occurs at a preconscious, physiological level.
Every cell in our bodies is studded with hundreds of thousands of receptor molecules, each one programmed to attract and bind with a particular peptide. Because of their crucial role in guiding our bodies' responses to inner and outer cues, these peptides have been called 'informational substances.
Your Subconscious Mind
The cellular level, where emotions are instigated, is also where unexpressed emotions are stored. The catharsis of illness expresses the sudden, overwhelming release of information that has been trapped in our bodies. What Freud termed the 'subconscious' mind is actually a measurable physical process. In other words, there is no 'mind-body problem'. Your body is your subconscious mind.
The Chakra System
Dr. Pert's work is beginning to reveal the scientific underpinnings of the chakra system. From this point of view, the chakras are 'minibrains': nodal points of electrical and chemical activity that receive, process, and distribute information from and to the rest of the body mind. Physiologically, each chakra is the site of a neuronal plexus--a network of cells dense with neuropeptide transmitters. All are interdependently connected to each other, such that nourishing any one plexus enhances the effectiveness of the entire system. By the same token,trauma or neglect can manifest as a block at one or more nodal points, degrading the performance of all.
How the Chakras Interact
The activities of the physiological chakra centers constantly wax and wane in relationship to one another. In each plexus, vacant neuropeptide receptors stand ready to receive informational substances from other nodal points. When the bodymind requires any one chakra's special genius, the plexus in that location can release neuropeptides to the other chakras, driving the activities of the entire organism. In some stressful situations, for example, digestion stops while the heart rate increases, muscles tense, perception shifts, and breathing speeds up. These changes could result from the first chakra--associated with survival--temporarily taking the lead and directing functions typically associated with the other chakra nodes. In such instances, the first chakra would act as a 'brain', governing certain key subconscious decisions."
Pert writes in Chapter 13, "Truth":
" The tendency to ignore our emotions is "oldthink", a remnant of the still-reigning paradigm that keeps us focused on the material level of health, the physicality of it. But the emotions are a key element in self-care because they allow us to enter into the bodymind's conversation. By getting in touch with our emotions, both by listening to them and by directing them through the psychosomatic network, we gain access to the healing wisdom that is everyone's natural biological right."
"And how do we do this? First by acknowledging and claiming all our feelings, not just the so-called positive ones. Anger, grief, fear--these emotional experiences are not negative in themselves; in fact, they are vital for our survival. We need anger to define boundaries, grief to deal with our losses, and fear to protect ourselves from danger. It's only when these feelings are denied, so that they cannot be easily and rapidly processed through the system and released, that the situation becomes toxic…And the more we deny them, the greater the ultimate toxicity, which often takes the form of an explosive release of pent-up emotion. That's when emotion can be damaging to both oneself and others, because its expression becomes overwhelming, sometimes violent."
"So my advice is to express all of your feelings, regardless of whether you think they are acceptable, and then let them go…When your emotions are moving and your chemicals flowing, you will experience feelings of freedom, hopefulness, joy, because you are in a healthy, "whole" state."
"The goal is to keep information flowing, feedback systems working, and natural balance maintained, all of which we can help to achieve by a conscious decision to enter into the bodymind's conversation."
Pert goes on to explain the eight ways to use awareness and intention to tap into the psychosomatic network, in order to prevent disease and maximize health:
Awareness- Without judgment, becoming conscious of what is in the body, heart and mind.
Psychosomatic- Accessing the Psychosomatic Network (psychological counseling, hypnotherapy, touch therapy, personal-growth seminars, meditation and prayer)
Draems- Tapping into your dreams.
Body- Getting in touch with your body (she offers an appendix on alternative manipulative and energetic therapies)
Stress- Reducing stress (meditation, relaxation music, play and self-honesty)
Exercise- Walking, gentle movements and strething
Food- Eating wisely (including environment, consciousness, gratitude)
Abuse- Avoiding physical substance abuse, emotional and mental .
Review and Excerpt,Your Body Is Your Subconscious Mind, (2 cassettes and study guide from Sounds True)
by Candace Pert, Ph.D.