For many years science believed that genes are immutable and unchanging. It was presumed that we are either saved or condemned by our genetic make-up. We now know that biology’s most sacred tenet, genetic determination (life is controlled by genes), is a flawed belief.
Genes provide broad parameters for human dispositions, not the dispositions themselves. A cell’s function is determined by its physical and energetic environment, not by its genes. Genes are basically molecular blueprints used in the formation of cells, tissues, and organs. Genes cannot turn themselves on and off; they require environmental signals to trigger activity. It is the environment that reads and engages these genetic blueprints which dictates the character of our lives.
During the past 20 years, a new science of epigenetics has emerged. Epigenetics is the study of changes in gene activity that is not accounted for by alterations in the genetic code, but is still passed on to the next generation. It is through epigenetic “marks” that environmental factors such as diet, stress, emotions, exposure to toxins, prenatal nutrition, and parental influences can modify and regulate genes that are passed on to future generations. Epigenetic research has established that DNA blueprints passed down through genes are not set in concrete at birth and can be modified.
The science of signal transduction studies the biochemical pathways by which cells respond to cues from the environment. Environmental signals activate cytoplasmic processes which have the ability to alter gene expressions. Signal transduction demonstrates that an organism’s experiences and behaviors are directly impacted by its perception of the environment. Our genes are continually being modified in response to our life experiences and how we perceive them. Our cells respond to our thoughts and perceptions, and our perceptions shape our biology. Each of the 75 trillion cells in the human body has a digestive, respiratory, excretory, endocrine, nervous, reproductive, and immune system. Individual cells have intelligence and memory.
Present in every cell of the human body is a universal pattern of intelligence called DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid.) There is a mind-body connection present in DNA; our mind sends out impulses of intelligence and our DNA receives it. We are continually conversing with our DNA. Our emotions influence which genes are expressed and which ones are not.
Researchers at Duke University recently concluded a long-term study on the effects of violence on children’s DNA. The study, reported in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, found that children who had experienced violence had shorter genetic structures, called telomeres, than children who did not experience violence. These children experienced physical abuse by an adult, were bullied frequently, or had witnessed domestic violence between the ages of 5 and 10. The children who were exposed to violence had wear-and-tear to their DNA similar to that seen in aging. This might explain why they face an increased risk of mental and physical disorders in adulthood. It is estimated that children who had experienced multiple types of violence had their lives reduced by 7 to 10 years.
Every thought and emotion we experience sends a message which impacts each cell in our bodies and is registered in the memory of each cell. This cell memory imprints automatically and unconsciously and is later referred back to. Our beliefs alter our biology at every moment. When we are feeling angry, isolated and tense our DNA retracts into tight coils. When we feel uplifted and open our DNA expands into graceful spirals. Our perceptions of the environment and resulting beliefs actually determine the expression of our genes and behavior. By adjusting our perceptions we can adjust our behavior.
