We express appreciation everyday: a quick thank you to the gentleman holding the door, a nod to the bus driver making the commute to work a little easier, or a handshake with a new associate at the start of a fresh connection. It's polite to acknowledge when others help us, and that positivity makes them feel good about themselves. As it turns out, researchers are discovering that regularly practicing gratitude is also beneficial to your health.

 

Those who exercise gratitude on a daily basis are typically happier, more optimistic, more compassionate toward others, feel less isolated from their peers and less lonely. They are also reported to have the benefit of lower blood pressure, stronger immune systems and are less likely to become ill. The reason why those with more gratitude have such an advantage has to do with the power our intentions—specifically our emotions—have over our DNA.

 

In order to study the biological effect of intentions, Dr. Glen Rein carried out a phenomenological experiment involving DNA cultures and two different intentional approaches to altering them. He measured the DNA synthesis of cultured tumor cells and split the sample into six different Petri dishes.

 

In the first room, Rein asked Leonard Laskow, a known spiritual healer, to treat three of the six tumor cell samples using his method of intentional feeling using a constant state of transpersonal unconditional love that he maintained throughout all of the experiments. In a copy of the published work revealing this experiment and others on the same subject, it is stated that the technique Laskow used for reaching the necessary state of consciousness required for healing is, "...a form of meditation which allows intentional focusing and cohering energy. Laskow refers to these intentions as different contents of consciousness."

 

In the control room, the three remaining samples of tumor cells were presented to an average "non-healer" person. This individual had no intentional interaction with the samples, and in order to minimize the chances of consciousness having contact with the presented cells he read a book for the allotted period of time.

 

Afterward, all six samples were labeled blindly, left for 24 hours of additional growth, and then processed and measured. The samples from the control room had no change in their growth processes, meaning that non-focused thought had no effect. However, in the first room with Laskow there were some measured changes. Three of the five intentions used hindered the tumor cells' growth at various efficiencies, with the most successful being the intent to return the cells to their natural state (before they were made into tumor cells) resulting in 39% inhibition. "The results are remarkable since... an actual reversal of the biological process of cell growth was achieved."

 

Rein then performed another experiment involving the affects of human intentions on the DNA double helix structure. Human placenta DNA (perfect DNA) was placed in a container that could be used to measure changes. Twenty-eight vials of the sample DNA were individually given to twenty-eight researchers, each of whom had been trained to generate feelings and were asked to intentionally focus strong emotions on their bit of sample. The results supported the hypothesis that intentions could affect the DNA and changes were measured after each intention was applied.

 

When researchers felt positive emotions such as love, appreciation and gratitude, the DNA helix would respond by relaxing, causing the strands to unwind and become longer. In contrast, when the researchers negative emotions such as fear, anger and frustration, the DNA helix would respond by contracting, causing the strands to wind and become shorter. Even more relevant, when the strands tightened due to the negative feelings, many of the DNA codes previously available switched off. Once the strands were sent positive intentions of gratitude, the affects of the negative feelings were reversed and the "shut down" DNA codes were switched on again.

 

What's interesting is the fact that positive feelings have a much greater affect on DNA than negative feelings. The reason why has to do with the vibration frequencies of these emotions. Negative emotions such as fear, hate, or anger have lower frequencies, and can be depicted as a loose, wide sine wave that connects to few parts of the DNA strand. Meanwhile positive emotions such as love, happiness, and gratitude have higher frequencies, and can be depicted as a much tighter, narrow sine wave capable of connecting to more parts of the strand.

 

This means that if you want to affect a greater amount of change, it would be more easily accomplished with positive intentions than negative. The more you nurture positive consciousness in your life, the quicker you will become a healthier you, both mentally and physically. The key is gratitude. The Science of Gratitude is the easiest way to foster helpful states of consciousness is to amplify what we already practice, and gratitude is a habit we exercise on a regular basis. At the beginning or end of each day think of three things you are grateful for. Having a loved one in your life, or having a comforting cup of tea on a chilly morning, for example. By using this simple technique, you will be well on your way to improving your body, your mind, and your life.

 

References

 

"Effect of Conscious Intention on Human DNA, Glen Rein Ph.D.." Activate My DNA's DNA Activation Blog. Activate My DNA, 11 2011. Web. Web. 3 Dec. 2012. 

<http://www.activatemydna.us/dnablog/2011/10/09/effect-of-consciousintention-on-human-dna-glen-rein-ph-d/>.

 

Rein, Glen. Local and Non-local Effects of Coherent Heart Frequencies on Conformational Changes of DNA. Diss. Institute of HeartMath, privately published, 2001. Print.

<http://appreciativeinquiry.case.edu/uploads/HeartMath article.pdf>.

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Rein, Glen. Effect of conscious intention on human DNA. Proceeds of the International Forum on New Science. 1996 http://www.itembioenergy.com/infocenter/ConsciousIntentiononDNA.pdf>

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