Science and Belief

Bruce Lipton

In Biology of Belief, Bruce H. Lipton, Ph.D., a stem cell biologist who taught at Wisconsin’s School of Medicine, shares his journey of awareness; scientific and personal.  He wants to empower non-scientific folk and make complicated stuff accessible.  He teaches how “each cell is an intelligent being that can survive on its own” – and “actively seeks environments that support their survival… simultaneously avoiding toxic or hostile ones.”

“The fate and behavior of an organism is directly linked to its perception of the environment . . . the character of our life is based upon how we perceive it.”  . . .  “Many of us are leading limited lives not because we have to but because we think we have to.” 

We are miracles.  All our trillions of intelligent cells come together to create our experience on earth.  Day-in, day-out, who thinks about how our cells work?  How cell membranes regulate proteins; polar or non-polar; which cells get nutrients – or not?  Who knew we had phospholipids that keep nutrients from getting where they need to go when the right receptors are missing?  I guess a Biologist would – but me?  Not so much.

Schrodingers CatAccording to Dr. Lipton, most Biologists “rely on the outmoded . . Newtonian version of how the world works.”   They didn’t join the  Physicists who threw out the Newtonian universe and “realize that the concept of matter is an illusion.”  Lipton sees that:

“..matter is made of energy and there are no absolutes.  At the atomic level, matter does not even exist with certainty; it only exists as a tendency to exist.”

When we talk disease, it shows up at the macro level; but it started at the molecular level.  Taking a prescription “to silence a body’s symptoms, enables us to ignore personal involvement with the onset of those symptoms . . . drugs suppress the symptoms but most never address the cause of the problem.” 

“Energy medicine” is not new.  Chiropractic, acupuncture, homeopathic and other non-drug practitioners’ fight to be recognized as legitimate.  Lipton believes that “the medical establishment will eventually be dragged, half kicking and screaming, full force into the quantum revolution.”

Quantum science includes biology – “matter and energy are entangled.” 

“Thoughts, the minds energy, directly influence how the physical brain controls the body’s physiology.” – “The fact is that harnessing the power of your mind can be more effective than the drugs you have been programmed to believe you need.”  – who hasn’t heard of the placebo effect?

Our “greatest problem” according to Dr. Lipton is that “we think we are running our lives with the wishes, desires, and aspirations created by our conscious mind.” 

We aren’t.  According to a 2005 neuroscience study, our conscious mind is active about 5% of the time.  The other 95% we’re operating on autopilot – aka our subconscious.  How else do we drive a car, have a conversation, eat an apple – and wind up where we’re going?

As children we pick up “the fundamental behaviors, beliefs and attitudes we observe in our parents.”  They “become ‘hard-wired’ as synaptic pathways in our subconscious minds.  Once programmed into the subconscious mind they control our biology for the rest of our lives … or at least until we make the effort to reprogram them.” 

The good news is that we have a choice.

“We can actively choose how to respond to most environmental signals” . . . “The conscious mind’s capacity to override the subconscious mind’s pre-programmed behaviors is the foundation of free will.” 

What we choose to believe is up to us.  How we change our beliefs depends – hysterically enough on our beliefs; no one way works for everyone!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Me NYC Metro

Gandhi Quote

 

Snoopy

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Responsibility – Awareness and Commitment

NuggetBruce H. Lipton, Ph.D. provided many nuggets of wisdom in his book Biology of Belief.  One nugget had me in the bulls-eye:

“.. you are personally responsible for everything in your life, once you become aware that you are personally responsible for everything in your life.”

He added the “once you become aware” part when people attending his lectures freaked out.  His science is compelling, but he didn’t want to throw “guilt” “shame” or “blame.”

Quite the conundrum.  Making people feel bad about creating a big ole stinky life doesn’t help one bit; could make things worse.  But if the science is there . . . it’s complicated.

Becoming aware isn’t a magic bullet though.  I can know I’m responsible, believe it to my core – and carry on ignoring and deflecting; because it’s easier.  Who enjoys being the salmon swimming up the cultural stream?  Or giving up cozy habits – especially the ones that give comfort on dark days?

Still everything starts with awareness.  Becoming aware I can see the impact of my thoughts, actions, habits and beliefs.  When I see, I can choose to change – or not.  Awareness, commitment – action; the basics for a better future.

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“If you shut up the truth and bury it under the ground, it will but grow, and gather to itself such explosive power that the day it bursts through it will blow up everything in its way.”        ― Emile Zola

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Do Emotions Create Reality?

“There is no objective reality!  In order for the brain not to be overwhelmed by the constant deluge of sensory input, some sort of filtering system must enable us to pay attention to what our bodymind deems the most important pieces of information and to ignore the others. . . Our emotions . . decide what is worth paying attention to.”

minds under constructionCandace Pert spent much of her scientific career making a case that “Emotions are constantly regulating what we experience as ‘reality’.”

In her book Molecules of Emotion she chronicles her findings. Enjoying the cutting edge of research she took an unconventional approach to her Ph.D. dissertation and is credited with finding the opiate receptor in the brain.  Her earliest work laid the foundation for the discovery of endorphins.

Dr. Pert pushed the boundaries of the scientific community, as well as resolutely calling out the patriarchy in the field.  Both made her unpopular, occasionally blacklisting her.  Still she relentlessly pursued her science.

Pert explained how our emotions are the sensory information travelling to our brains – filtering the “signals the receptors are receiving from the peptides.”  Through her persistence, the scientific community even acknowledged “the presence of brain peptides in the immune system.”

Our emotions influence brain activity and our immune system.  Knowing this we can reframe our expectations and beliefs.  Using biofeedback and breathing techniques peptides can be released to manage things like stress and pain.  When these peptides travel from the brainstem, they diffuse “throughout the cerebrospinal fluid” in an attempt “to restore homeostasis.”

 “Mind doesn’t dominate body, it becomes body—body and mind are one.”

The more I learn the more convinced I am that allowing my emotions to be hijacked doesn’t just make for a crappy day; I’m doing myself a real physical disservice!

Rome, Italy

“The truth is on the march and nothing will stop it.” – Emile Zola

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Feelings as Choice

Italy Venice 2014-06-18 - CopySo strange that lure to allow the feeling of melancholy to settle in.  It’s like a drug.  Nostalgia, remembrance, longing; that exquisite yearning to fill the mysterious void – why is it so seductive to lean into?  Is that what makes people want to sing The Blues?

That mood, that wallowing, self-indulgent feeling can be replaced with joy – replaced with gratitude. I could maybe rationalize the remembrance longing when I’m missing mom; but feeling the LOVE, unconditional acceptance, giddy silly happiness would be a better emotional memory to have when thinking of her.

This is a choice – to shift from something unproductive to uplifting.  It’s a decision; but one that is made from conscious awareness the moment the indolent sentiment creeps in.  The ego isn’t going to readily relinquish control to the spirit.  The choice must come from a place of intention and strength.

Dr. Joe Dispenza (Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself) says to “catch yourself before going unconscious” – call out that unwelcome feeling to be erased.  Say out loud: “Change! This is not loving to me!”

No matter how alluring, it is time to leave behind what will only bring a sad and lonely future.  Awareness, choice and decision.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥Christmas wMom 2007

“… the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” ― Galatians 5:22, 23)

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Meditate and Become New

SONY DSC“The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it.” ― Thích Nhất Hạnh, Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life

The Universe is knocking on my door with a message – MEDITATE.  Meditation appeals to me; has for a long time.  Back in my teens my mom and I took a meditation class at church.  Since then I tried on many variations; transcendental, new age, simple mindfulness.  The free 21 day meditation series offered by Deepak Chopra and Oprah Winfrey are wonderful.  I know the benefits.  So why does something so marvelous get thrown out the window when life gets busy?  That’s when it would benefit me the most.  OK!  Today I will listen to the Universe.

In his book Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself, Dr. Joe Dispenza outlines why meditation is beneficial physiologically.  There are reams of evidence on how it helps the brain – takes the chaos out those brain waves.  Meditation gets me off the whack-a-doodle treadmill (aka manic beta waves) to a peaceful chill of acceptance (coherent alpha, theta energy).  It helps align thoughts and feelings – my husband said I seem to be much happier these days (woot-woot)!

One of Dispenza’s definitions of meditation is “Becoming Familiar with Self.” 

“…if you want to become happy, the first step is to stop being unhappy—that is, stop thinking the thoughts that make you unhappy; and stop feeling the emotions of pain, sorrow, and bitterness.” 

The same goes for the desire to be wealthy – “decide to stop doing the things that make you poor.”  Want to be healthy? “..stop living an unhealthy lifestyle.”  — You’d think it was a no brainer – the want to; not so much.  And the HOW?  Oh boy.  Step one:  “You have to make the decision to stop being the old you, to such a degree that you make room for a new personality—thinking, acting and doing.” 

I know this … I read Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now four times straight for 7 months (no obsessive compulsive here!); read Practicing the Power of Now “daily reader” and when A New Earth came out – read it too; yep twice.  “Watch the thinker.”  I know this – I know I’m not the crazy woman who can’t/ won’t let a thought go, that has the same imaginary conversation for three days!  No!  I’m the consciousness watching all that foolishness.  When I pull myself up to the consciousness level I find that my whirly-gig brain calms down, quiets – goes peaceful.  I must decide – and watch.

“To ‘know thyself’ is to meditate.”crystal

Dispenza encourages us to take this idea a step further and “become familiar with a new self.”  We just need to ask: “What is a greater expression of myself that I would like to be?” 

“If you can maintain that modified state of mind and body, independent of the external environment and the body’s emotional needs and greater than time, something should show up differently in your world.  That’s quantum law.”

Maintaining a “modified state of mind and body” –- much easier to do when the mind is allowed to quiet even for 15 minutes a day.  Meditation takes practice – and I’m nowhere near ready to go whole hog.  Baby steps.  I can do 15 minutes, 20 minutes.  It’s a place to start.

Honestly, everything starts with a decision.  Gotta want to first – no change possible without it!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥notorious

 

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