The neural network of the heart and its ability to make decisions for you.

From Positive Islamic Psychology:

Neuroscientists in recent years have also made startling discoveries. In many research centres, neuroscientists have discovered that the heart has its own independent nervous system; a complex system which is simply referred to as the brain in the heart. Neuroscientists have discovered that there are more than 40,000 neuron cells in the heart, which is about the same amount found in the sub-cortical centre of the brain. They found that there is constant communication between the neurons in the heart and the brain functional area, i.e. the amygdale, the thalamus and the cortex. We know that the amygdale, an almond-shaped structure deep inside the brain emotional processing centre, is the key to all emotions. The amygdale will assess any new information for its emotional significance. It then communicates with the brain cortex to assess this new information and take appropriate actions.

Dr. Rollin McCraty from the Institute of Heart Math has discovered that the heart can act on its own. He said:

We observed the heart was acting as though it had a mind of its own and was profoundly affecting perception, intelligence, and awareness. Over the past twenty years, scientists have discovered new information about the heart that makes us realize that it is far more complex than what we had ever imagined. We now have scientific evidence that the heart sends us emotional and intuitive signals to help govern our lives. Instead of simply pumping blood, it directs and aligns many systems in the body so that they can function in harmony with one another. And although the heart is in a constant communication with the brain, we now know that it makes many of its own decisions.

Physiologists John and Beatrice Lacey of the Fels Research Institute have discovered that the heart has its own brain-like nervous system that can affect our physical brain through the signals sent to the amygdale, the thalamus and the cortex. The Laceys found that when the brain sent “orders” to the heart through the nervous system, the heart did not automatically obey. Instead, the heart responded as if it had its own distinctive logic. Sometimes when the brain sent an arousal signal to the body in response to stimuli, the heartbeat sped up accordingly, but frequently, it actually slowed down while the other organs responded with arousal.

The selectivity of the heart’s response indicated that it was not merely mechanically responding to a signal from the brain. Rather, the heart’s response appeared to depend on the nature of the particular task at hand and the type of mental processing it required. Even more intriguing, the Laceys found that the heart appeared to be sending messages back to the brain that the brain did not only understand the signal but also obeyed it. This proves that the messages from the heart can actually influence a person’s behaviours and future outcomes. It also shows that our intuition play a role beyond just our normal senses. This intuitive nature is built in within our hearts. Modern human beings somehow are beginning to lose the capabilities of our intuitive hearts.

In a previous post I linked to an article describing how people who received heart transplants took on the characteristics and memories of the person they received the heart from.

Subhan Allah.

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