HeartMath researchers demonstrated that different heart rhythm patterns accompany different emotional states and have distinct effects on cognitive function. During depleting emotions (i.e. stress and anxiety), when the heart rhythm pattern is erratic and disordered, the corresponding pattern of neural signals traveling from the heart to the brain inhibits higher cognitive functions.

 

This limits our ability to think clearly, remember, learn, reason, and make effective decisions. This helps explain why we may often act impulsively and unwisely when we’re under stress. The heart sends incoherent rhythmic patterns to the brain during stress and anxiety that can have a profound effect on the brain’s emotional processes, actually serving to reinforce the emotional experience of stress and anxiety.

 

In contrast, the more ordered and stable pattern of the heart’s coherent rhythmic input to the brain during positive emotional states, like love, appreciation, care, compassion, calm and ease, has the opposite effect: It facilitates cognitive functions and reinforces positive attitudes, emotional stability, and perceptual clarity.

 

This means that generating increased heart rhythm coherence and learning how to shift into and sustain positive emotional states not only benefits the entire body, but also profoundly affects how we perceive, think, feel, and perform.

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Times have changed with the stepped-up stress going on. There is a global epidemic of adult, teen, and child anxiety during these times of increasing uncertainty. HeartMath tools, techniques, and technology are designed for stress and anxiety relief and can be used alone or as an adjunct to other approaches. They engage the heart’s intelligence system to help you transform stress and anxiety into inner balance and self-security.

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More people are sensing that the heart has to be involved for positive change personally, socially, and globally. Learning to connect with the heart can be added to any self-help or therapeutic system to increase its effectiveness. The heart can be added to cognitive behavioral therapy, taking medication, meditation, mindfulness, and other practices for managing stress and anxiety. It’s not competitive. It’s complementary.