The Heart (& Brain) of Science and Energy Healing
This blog post contains an article I'd written that was published on the Adventures In Manifesting website October of 2012. I'm feeling the need to revisit it from the archives in hopes it'll set up a bit of understanding for my next blog post to come! Hope you enjoy it!
The Heart (& Brain) of Science and Energy Healing
There has been ongoing debate and even controversy around the topic of energy healing and its validity. In the past, much of this skepticism could certainly be thought to have been grounded in truth. However, these truths have been challenged by the invention of scientific equipment and the rise of scientific research validating what were, in the past, mere claims with only circumstantial backing. In this article, I am presenting information to ponder to those still rooted in skepticism based on “if it can’t be seen or proven, it isn’t truth”. I’m also asking that the reader be open to considering scientific findings that present evidence to the contrary of what may alter what’s being perceived as truth.
It has become highly accepted knowledge that the brain and the heart emit electrical activity and that activity of cells and tissues within the body generate electrical fields that can be detected on the skin’s surface. Such activity can be measured and reported with medical equipment such as electrocardiograms (EKG’s) and electroencephalograms (EEG’s).
Also proven by the scientific realm is the law of physics which states that any electrical current generates a corresponding magnetic field in the surrounding space. It was in 1963 that this biomagnetic field of the human heart was evidenced through research by Gerhard Baule and Richard McFee, both of the Department of Electrical Engineering at Syracuse University (NY). In 1970, David Cohen of MIT used the SQUID (Superconducting Quantum Interference Device) magnetometer to confirm these heart measurements and in 1972, more highly sensitized instruments enabled measurements of the magnetic fields around the head produced by the brain’s activity.
Today, the medical field is now able to complement the electrical measurements of EEG’s and EKG’s with biomagnetic recordings from magnetoencephalograms and magnetocardiograms. It is even believed that mapping the magnetic field around the body can provide more accurate indications on physiology and pathology than the traditional electrical measurements. Though in the 1920’s and 1930’s Harold Saxon Burr, a researcher at Yale, suggested disease could be detected in the energy field of the body before any physical symptoms occurred, only recently have his claims been validated with the use of medical technology. Now, other research is being conducted which consists of applying pulsating magnetic fields to stimulate healing (based on the belief that all tissues and organs of the body produce specific magnetic pulsations resulting in biomagnetic fields).
Taken a step further (and validating through scientific measures the realm of energy healing techniques and their roles in supporting the body’s innate healing mechanisms), John Zimmerman used the SQUID magnetometer in the early 1980’s while working at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Denver to measure the biomagnetic field created by the hands of practitioners trained in Therapeutic Touch (TT). The results were amazing in that the measured field of the practitioners’ hands not only matched the frequencies of the biomagnetic field produced by the human brain but also revealed magnetic “sweeping” pulsations similar to those of brain waves which allow for stimulating healing in any and all parts of the body.
In more recent years, Gregg Braden (an author/speaker and scientist whose research is driven by his interest in the role of science and its impact on energy healing techniques) has spoken passionately about how science is backing the thought that through our hearts and the knowledge we have about its ability to create electrical and magnetic fields around the human body (the two primary fields that make up our physical world), “we have the power to influence the very fields of this planet to sustain life in the world and sustain the health, healing and well being in our bodies”.
Through the use of the United States GOSE satellites, devices that are used to measure the northern and southern hemispheres’ magnetic fields and send back readings every 30 minutes, it was determined that, as humans, our thoughts, feelings and emotions have an impact beyond our own selves.
The events of September 11th, 2001 supported Braden’s scientific reasoning around the idea that the magnetic field produced by the human heart during certain emotions reaches far beyond our own bodies into the physical world. When investigated, it was found that an unusual spike in GOSE satellite readings of the earth’s magnetic field took place 15 minutes after the first plane had hit one of the twin towers. The outpouring of heartfelt emotions by such a mass of people simultaneously was not only able to influence the satellites’ measurements but also be picked up by those satellites’ readings.
In getting back to the idea that science is supporting the validity of energy healing techniques, we revisit the knowledge that there are two fields that make up our world ~ magnetic and electric fields. It has also been found that our hearts are the strongest generators of the electrical and magnetic fields in our bodies (up to 100 times more electrically and 5000 times more magnetically than our brains). Braden goes on to state that our own physics says that if we can change just ONE field (electric or magnetic) of an atom in our bodies, we can literally change the stuff of which our bodies and this world are made. Remember, the human heart has the capacity to change BOTH. Think about how that speaks to the ability to heal not only ourselves but others also when coming from a compassion and love based and heart centered intention.
In closing, anyone who has any knowledge about various forms to energy healing techniques is aware that at the core is heart based emotion (such as love and compassion) with a strong intention (utilizing the electromagnetic field of the brain) resulting in an avenue for noninvasive measures for healing regardless of its reason for use (preventative measures or complementary to medical care).
**Notable Sources
Science Measures The Human Energy Field Oschman, Jim & Nora JOschman@aol.com
YouTube Gregg Braden Gregg Braden on Consciousness (2009)