Heart intelligence has been debated for centuries. For what exactly is heart intelligence, and does it exist at all? In almost every language on earth, some expressions and sayings presuppose some intelligence of the heart. Consider phrases like “follow your heart,” “that comes straight from the heart,” or “speak from your heart.” We have known all along that there is something “more” than we could perceive, but that it was there, that was for sure!
For several decades, science has endorsed the existence of heart intelligence. Relatively recently, scientists found out that the heart has about 40 thousand neurons similar to our brain cells. This means that besides the brain in our heads, we also have a heart-brain at our disposal.
History of heart intelligence
In ancient Greece, Aristotle, a student of the great philosopher Plato, spoke of a “cardio-centric model” from a health perspective. The idea behind this was that the heart would play a central role in human health and not exclusively the brain, as was always assumed.
The heart and the competent neural cells connection has primarily been researched by the HeartMath Institute in the United States. Numerous scientific studies have been done on heart intelligence and how it plays a role in our health and our intuition. This new field of research is also known as neurocardiology.
With sensitive equipment, scientists have also been able to observe an electromagnetic field emitted by our hearts. This field can be marked around our body and explain why we sense when someone around us is not on the same frequency.
What is heart intelligence?
Heart intelligence is the heart’s ability to give us access to our most profound intuition, integrating physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual intelligence. When you are aware of this, you can take advantage of it and tap into your heart intelligence for many different areas of your life, such as your creativity, intuition, spiritual and cognitive abilities.
Spiritual intelligence is also called the wisdom of the soul, but it goes much further than that. The latest insights indicate that through our heart intelligence, we can draw on the wisdom of the universe, i.e., the collective intelligence surrounding us. Although it still sounds very intangible to some people, experts investigating quantum theory point to the existence of “the field,” or the “nothing” that surrounds us, but which is in fact energetically charged and connects everything in our universe.
When you tap into your heart intelligence and experience a state of heart coherence, the heart can unite all the central systems in the body and bring them into a state of coherence. This coherence is psychophysiological in nature, so not only physical but also mental.
In a state of coherence, we feel peaceful and have a more remarkable ability to accept everything as it comes to us. We are better able to deal with negativity or less pleasant things that happen to us. This brings us into a relaxed state, which increases our resilience in life. This resilience manifests itself in a more coherent heart rhythm variability (HRV).
Interaction heart brain and brain
Our heart-brain maintains a constant interaction with the brain in our head. You can imagine it as follows: with our heart, we ‘feel’ that there is danger, so intuitively. This signal is sent to the brain, which then triggers the body to take action, causing breathing to speed up, our blood pressure increases, the heart to beat faster, and we are suddenly very alert. The heart again senses that the situation is safe, and this signal prompts the brain to return to homeostasis.
Heart intelligence turns out to be extremely powerful, but remarkably, it has become entirely secondary to our brains, which are mainly used rationally in our Western society. Sensory development does not seem to be as important as rational development for functioning in our community.
Yet nothing could be further from the truth. The scientists at HeartMath Institute have discovered that we can effectively use our heart intelligence with the right skills. To this end, over the years, they have developed several techniques with which we can make optimal use of our heart brain and thus make optimal use of it to improve both our physical and mental health.
Heart coherence and heart intelligence
Heart coherence is a term from neurocardiology that stands for a pattern in the heart rhythm – not the heart rate – that indicates an ordered and harmonious synchronization between various body systems, including breathing, blood pressure, and, of course, the heart itself. In a state of heart coherence, we experience a kind of flow, where everything works together smoothly and where we can make the best use of both our heart intelligence and our brain, which then work together optimally.
From a biophysical perspective, each heartbeat causes an increase in pressure in our bloodstream. The heart pushes blood through our arteries into the smaller veins, and this produces an energetic signal. This signal travels throughout the body, synchronizing all of the body’s cells, including our brain.
In a state of heart coherence, our body functions in an optimal state: not only does heart coherence ensure a good balance of signaling substances – i.e., hormones and neurotransmitters – it also provides better concentration and clarity of mind.
Electromagnetic field
The heart’s powerful energetic signal is many times more potent than our brain’s. The electromagnetic field of the heart is about 60 times greater in amplitude than that of the brain. This radiation is measured on the body’s surface with super-sensitive equipment: SQUID-based magnetometers. SQUID stands for superconducting quantum interference device.
Furthermore, the magnetic field produced by the heart is more than 100 times greater in strength than the field generated by the brain and can be detected up to three feet around the body.
Positive emotions
By living from a sense of love, compassion, and gratitude, we can allow our heart intelligence to function optimally for us. These emotions promote heart coherence and provide better access to our heart intelligence.
Of course, there will be those who say, “Yes, but what if I feel unpleasant?” A feeling is always a consequence of thought. You can always decide to feel good about yourself and replace the unpleasant thought with a positive one with your head. This is because the body does not know the difference between an imagined state and reality. If you have difficulty with this, NLP techniques can be beneficial.
Conclusion
As you can see, our heart is more than just an organ that just pumps your blood around. Our heart has its own brain, the heart-brain, and has many more abilities than we can even imagine. It is no longer a question of if but of when science can give us more explanations about why we function the way we do. The fact is that the HeartMath Institute is playing a leading role in neurocardiology research. With simple yet highly effective techniques, you can tap into your own heart intelligence, maximizing benefits such as:
- The ability to make better decisions in your daily life based on your intuitive abilities.
- More peace in your system, so you don’t unnecessarily waste energy on frustration, anger, and negativity.
- Better and harmonious relationships.
- More stable emotions than you were used to before.
- Less stress and instead more peace, life happiness, and appreciation.
- Improved mental focus and clarity.
