All language subtitles for S01E11 - Awakening the Heart-Brain Union.en

[THEME MUSIC]

My name is Gregg Braden.

I'd like to welcome you to
this very special presentation

of "Missing Links", the deep
truth of our origin, history,

destiny, and fate.

In our last episode
we discovered

how the mysterious
genetic fusion of DNA

endows us with this
extraordinary potential.

And we also
discovered that we can

awaken this potential when
we choose, when we want,

on demand.

Well, in this episode
I'd like to explore

two of those abilities, two
of those potentials-- super

learning and deep intuition,
as well as the technique

that we use to awaken
these things in our lives.

So we're talking about
this union, this marriage

between our heart and our
brains-- a very, very different

way to think about
things in the West,

very different from what
we are traditionally

invited to consider.

When I was in school, I was
taught that the brain is

the master organ in the body.

And when I am working
with indigenous people,

often I'm taught
that the heart is

the master organ in the body.

And I want to just say
to you that both of those

are valid in some circumstances.

But the truth is, they're both
incomplete, because what we now

know is that while the brain--

our brain-- releases
the chemistry

into our bodies for
rejuvenation, and healing,

and hormonal balance, and
all these other things,

our brain receives many of
the instructions that tell it

what to do from the heart.

And we are the ones that
create the instructions

through our thoughts,
feelings, emotions, and beliefs

that we are creating
in our hearts,

because now, as you remember,
the studies are showing

our heart has the ability
to think on its own,

to remember, and
to feel on its own.

So we're having a
new sense of what

this heart-brain
connection is all about.

And as I mentioned
before, we've been

conditioned to use
them independently,

one or the other.

So I'm acknowledging that I know
this is a very different way

to think about our
heart and our brain,

to think about them
as two organs that

support a single,
common neural network.

And just in case
there's any question

in your mind, that network--
it is about the nerves.

It's about the spinal
cord between the heart

and the brain, and the vagus
nerve between the heart

and the brain.

And this conversation between
the heart and the brain, it

fascinates me.

It's a big conversation
that's happening

in every moment of every day.

But the thing is, most
of the conversation

is, in fact, coming from
our heart to our brain.

That's where the
thickest nerve bundle is,

to support that conversation.

There is a lesser
conversation from the brain,

through the spinal cord,
back into the heart.

So while it's
possible, the brain

doesn't say too
much to the heart.

The heart has a lot
to say to the brain.

All of this connection
leads to the capabilities

that we began speaking
about in the last episode.

And I'm going to talk about
them a little bit more

now in more detail.

This whole idea of intuition--

it's a very powerful sense.

It is a knowing,
a direct knowing,

our hearts knowing of when
something is true for us

and when it's not.

And we have to be very, very
clear about when we're actually

hearing information
from our heart,

or whether the information
is coming from there.

Or maybe it's coming
from the subconscious,

or maybe it's
coming from a fear.

It's just good to be very clear
about where this information is

coming from.

And people ask me
all the time, when

I speak at live
events-- they ask

me to make decisions for
them and to interpret

their experiences for them.

But I could never
decide, and I could never

interpret because
the experiences have

happened to them.

Let me just give you an example.

It's very common for people to
ask me, Gregg, I had a dream

last night.

And in the dream--
and very detailed--

I saw this.

I saw that.

Gregg, what does
this dream mean?

And what I have to say
to them, very honestly

and very factually, is I
couldn't begin to tell you

what that dream means.

I have no idea, I
didn't have the dream.

You had the dream.

And I'm saying this
to you right now.

If you are powerful enough to
have the kinds of dreams that

are so vivid and so lucid
that you remember them

even in your waking hours,
then you are powerful enough

to ask your own body,
to ask your intuition,

to ask your heart, what
does this dream mean for me?

What am I being
shown in this dream?

Why am I being shown
what I'm showing?

What does it mean in my life?

Ask those kinds of questions.

When you ask them,
if you will ask them

from your heart, rather
than your brain-- and

we're going to share the
techniques, in this episode,

about precisely how to do it.

It's another form of intuition.

And I'm saying this
now to acknowledge

that I know intuition has
a lot of different forms.

Sometimes our intuition,
it is spontaneous,

like the phone calls
between my mother and I

that I spoke of in
the last episode.

I pick up the phone,
she's already there.

Other kinds of intuition,
we just call a gut instinct.

That's a form of
intuition as well.

Scientists tell us, for
example, that we know--

when we meet another
person, we will

know within three seconds--

now think about this.

You will know
within three seconds

if you like someone or
not, when you meet them.

Your intuition, your
heart will know.

Now, in our culture,
we are taught

to discount that,
because we say,

oh, you're being judgmental.

You don't even know the person.

You haven't given them a chance.

And that's all true, but your
heart has picked up something.

It's picked up something in
a vibratory, energetic field,

about another person.

I'm not saying it's right,
wrong, good, or bad.

It's something that just
may not be a good fit.

And it's telling you that.

And there's a reason
why we have this.

Our ancestors had this long
ago, because 10,000 years ago we

didn't have the opportunity
to invite someone

to have coffee in a coffee
shop and get to know them,

to know if they were
a threat to us or not.

We had to know immediately.

When we met someone
out on the open plains,

or if you walked into a
cave to make it your home

and found that it was
already someone else's home,

is that a threat?

Is that a personal threat?

And we need to know
really, really fast.

But it goes even
deeper than that.

One of the really
fascinating pieces

of research that
we're beginning to see

is that men and women
think differently.

We know that.

That's not the research.

But women and men do
think very differently.

And this is one of the places
where our intuitive instincts

become very, very different.

Studies have shown
that a woman, a woman

will know, in her heart, within
180 seconds-- that's 3 minutes.

A woman will know
within 180 seconds

if the person standing
before her, in her field,

is a potential compatible
life mate or not--

successful life mate.

A woman's heart will know.

Her intuition will know within
180 seconds, on the one hand.

But in our culture,
we are so often

conditioned to discount that.

So a woman will feel that.

She'll discount that.

And she will give that person
that she has encountered

3, 5, 10, maybe 20
years of her life

to experience and
demonstrate in real life

what her heart knew
in only 3 minutes.

And we see this
happen all the time.

I actually have friends,
multiple friends,

that this has happened to, where
partners agreed to be married.

And on the day of the
wedding, the woman

says, I can't go
through with this,

because this is not the
right person for me.

She has known all along.

She always had this suspicion.

But she says, I can't
go through with it.

However, the peer
pressure of all the family

coming from all over the
world, all of the energy,

all of the money, all the
preparations, all the friends--

in the case that I'm thinking of
right now, this friend of mine

actually went through
with the wedding,

knowing that it would
not last and that she

would have to end the wedding
at another time, which

she did about a year later.

So it happens that
way, sometimes.

And I have a male friend
that had the same experience.

I was going to be the
best man in his wedding.

I went to pick him up
in northern Missouri.

And he was sitting on the front
porch in a pair of blue jeans

and flip-flops.

And I was in a tux
for his wedding.

And he said, where
are you going?

And I said, I'm going
to your wedding.

And he said, I can't.

I can't go through with this.

He says, I'm going to go
fishing today, and he did.

He left and went fishing.

And we had to tell his fiance
what it was that was happening.

And I'm sharing
this story with you

because it was a doubt
that he had in his mind.

But when they
reconciled that doubt,

they ended up getting married.

They did get married.

And they have been married
now for over 30 years.

So it's all about
realizing and recognizing,

what is our intuition
saying to us?

And one of the ways
to do that, rather

than through the fear and
the peer pressure, is we've

got to go into our heart to
understand exactly what it

is that it's saying.

Let me just give you another
example of how this plays out,

and it's a personal
example for me.

I was in Australia
over September 11.

I couldn't even get back
into my own country.

The air traffic was closed.

And when they opened
the air traffic again,

I was on the first flight
from Sydney, Australia

back into Los Angeles,
California, here in the States.

There weren't many
people on that flight.

It was a huge plane, and there
were fewer than 20 people

on the entire flight.

So when the flight
was ready to board,

the gate attendant came out
and made an announcement.

And here's what she said.

She said, there are so
few people on this flight,

we're not going
to board in zones.

You can board whenever
you'd like to.

She said, you can board
this plane for the States,

and it will get you there, if
that's where you want to go.

And I looked at her,
and I said, well,

that's a powerful vote of
confidence for this flight.

And she says, hey, if you
want to take this plane

and go to America, this plane
is going to take you there.

She goes, we don't know
what just happened.

And it looks really,
really scary from where

we are right now-- never
seen this happen before.

And it set up a little
fear in my mind.

So I asked her, I said,
please wait right here.

I stepped around the corner.

And I used a technique
that I'm going

to share with you
in just a moment,

because my brain was
spinning with all kinds

of possibilities.

Did she know something I didn't?

Did TSA say something,
or air traffic control,

or was something else going on?

And I know you all have
had these experiences,

where something happens in your
life and there's no one to ask,

because no one knows the answer.

And everyone that
you do ask is going

to give you a different answer.

You see this happen all
the time with people

that have a health crisis.

And the doctor wants
them to do one thing,

and they've got
a million friends

giving them a million
alternative ways

to heal naturally or herbally.

And their head is spinning.

And they say, I don't
know what to do,

because there is
no right and wrong.

And there's no one to ask.

All we have is
ourselves and our heart.

So what I did, stepped
around the corner.

I began communicating
with my heart in the way

that I've learned through
heart-brain harmony

that we're going to do
here, in just a moment.

And I got a very clear
sense-- and it's amazing

how crystal-clear the
information from our heart

becomes when we do this.

Let me just give you a
couple of indications.

When your heart is
speaking to you,

your heart speaks briefly,
concisely, usually in a phrase

or in a single sentence.

Rarely-- I'm not
going to say never,

because everyone's different--
rarely will your heart begin

to tell you a story
and a big preamble

to justify the answer that
it's about to give to you.

So if you ask a
question from within--

what does this dream mean,
or should I get onto this

airplane, or should I follow
this medical procedure--

and you start to hear a
story-- well, you know,

when I was five years old,
I had this experience, and--

probably, probably
that's not your heart.

It's probably
something in your mind,

your logic, or
your ego that feels

it needs to justify the answer.

Heart would never do that.

So I went through a process.

I felt it was OK to
get on that plane.

I got on the plane,
I had a great flight

back to Los Angeles.

I came back to a very
different country

from the one I had
left 10 days earlier.

But the point is, it
was a safe flight.

It was good.

And if I'd listened
to my fears, I

may have delayed coming
back days or maybe weeks,

because there was so
much fear around this.

Only by listening
to our hearts--

now, this is one
facet of intuition.

And I've just shared
a couple of these,

knowing about
partnerships, knowing

when something is right for us.

There's another kind
of intuition, very fast

information processing.

And I alluded to it
in a previous episode,

in the last episode.

And I'd like to just share a
little bit more about this,

just to clarify what I'm saying.

Interestingly, it took the
most sophisticated research

of the most modern equipment,
and using that equipment

on some of the most ancient and
primitive practices of Tibetan

monks, for scientists to
begin to understand how

this form of intuition works.

And it works by using
a brain state that

used to not even show up
in the pages of a textbook.

I'm going to invite you to
look at your screen right now.

And I'm going to talk about
brain states just for a moment.

What you're seeing
on your screen

are the traditional
brain states,

at the very bottom of the
screen-- the delta waves, long,

slow waves.

And these are when
we're deeply asleep.

And then the theta
waves, when we

become drowsy; the
alpha waves, where

we're more relaxed and
maybe in meditation;

the beta waves-- this is where,
maybe, you are right now,

when we're busily engaged
in daily activities.

This used to be the end
of the brain states.

But there is another brain
state that scientists

are working with now, and
it is above the beta wave.

It is called gamma.

This is the gamma state.

And look at how much faster
and how much more compressed

these brain waves are.

Well, interestingly,
these are the brainwaves

that the Tibetan monks were
creating in their bodies

intentionally, on
demand, to accomplish

the amazing feats of healing,
of awareness, of intuition.

They're able to regulate their
body functions, their body

temperatures, their
immune response,

their anti-aging hormones, all
on demand, when they choose.

And this is where
they find their power,

by realizing this potential.

So I'm sharing this with you
now because, interestingly

and perhaps not
surprisingly, it is

by harmonizing the
heart and the brain

that we achieve
this gamma state--

one of the ways that
we can achieve it--

that we achieve this
gamma state intentionally.

And when we create
the gamma state,

one of the first things
that scientists say to us

is it opens the door
to precisely what we've

been talking about--

to states of deep intuition.

It opens the door
to increased focus,

where we can recall everything
about any memorable event.

This sounds like some of
the very popular television

programs, where individuals are
trained to become superhumans.

And they walk into
a room and boom,

they know everything
about everyone

in that room, total recall.

The gamma state
is what allows us

very fast processing of storage,
and information, and retrieval.

And it actually
makes a lot of sense

that we would be
able to do that.

When you think about fast
information retrieval

and involving the heart, if
you really think about it,

this makes tremendous
sense for this reason.

When we process information
solely in the brain, when

you ask your brain a
question, the answers

generally are a little slower.

And as I mentioned
before, in the heart

they're, boom, almost
instantaneously.

Often, when we ask
our heart a question,

it answers before we
finish asking the question.

And the reason makes
a lot of sense.

It's because the brain,
before it gives us the answer,

goes through all of the loops
of the logic, the fears,

the issues that have
come up in the past,

the issues of self-doubt,
the issues of self-esteem.

All of those things,
those are the logic loops

that the brain goes
through, the filters,

before it gives us an answer.

Heart doesn't do that.

Heart, you ask your
heart a question, boom,

it gives you the answer.

Part of my heritage is
Native American, is Cherokee.

And in the Cherokee tradition,
as well as in some others

in the Midwest of
the United States,

our indigenous ancestors knew
of this power of the heart.

And they actually
gave it a name.

And this is one of the things--
there is no English translation

specifically for this name.

There is no single
English word that

means precisely what
the Native words mean.

So we have to create English
words around it, like prana.

When we say the word prana,
that is a Sanskrit word.

There is no English
word that means prana.

So we have to create
some other words.

We say energy body or life force
to approximate what it means.

Well, same things happen
with the wisdom of the heart.

And the word that's used is
called [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH],

[NON-ENGLISH SPEECH].

And it means the single
eye of the heart,

the heart that doesn't judge
right, wrong, good, bad.

The heart can discern what's
true for us and what's not,

yet it does not
assign a judgment.

That's a powerful distinction,
and that will empower you

in situations, whether
you're in the boardroom,

or the classroom, or
you're with your friends,

or in the most intimate
relationships with those that

are closest to
you, where you tap

and they know you
well enough to tap

the buttons and the triggers
that elicit responses

that sometimes you wish
you hadn't have said.

If you can get out of your
brain and go into your heart,

[NON-ENGLISH SPEECH], the
single eye of the heart--

it'll tell you what's true
for you, and you only.

It can't tell you what's
true for someone else.

And it will do it
with discernment.

So it makes a lot of sense
that the gamma state actually

allows us this very,
very fast processing.

The gamma state, also,
when we achieve that,

it's a natural antidepressant.

People are happier, and
they're much calmer,

when they're in
this gamma state.

And it also awakens.

It breathes life into
our sensory perception.

When we're in the gamma state,
we can pick up scents that we

cannot pick up, typically,
in the beta state.

You smell things.

It becomes alive.

Your sensations of sound--
music feels differently.

It doesn't just sound.

It feels differently to you.

These are all the benefits
of being in the gamma state.

So I'm saying this to
you now because we're

about to move into
the gamma state,

and I want you to know
all the benefits that

come from doing precisely this.

So we've explored many
of the potentials that

come from awakening this
marriage, this union

between the heart and the brain.

And there are others.

We're just barely
scratching the surface.

But what I'd like
to do now is share

with you a technique,
a technique so

that you can tap these
potentials in your life

when you choose to do so.

What scientists know is that
every moment of every day,

as I mentioned, there's
this conversation.

It's a conversation between
the heart and the brain.

The heart is speaking
to the brain.

And the quality of
the conversation

that comes from the
heart and the brain

tells the brain what chemistry
to release into the body.

So for example, when we're
feeling emotions that we would

typically consider negative--

and I don't like to
characterize emotions

as negative or positive.

But I'm doing this so that
you get a sense for what

we're doing here.

When we have emotions such
as anger, hate, jealousy,

rage, what you're
seeing on your screen

is an actual printout of
the quality of the signal

from the heart to the brain.

And you can see,
it's very chaotic.

It's a very jagged signal.

It's a rough signal.

And it's that chaotic,
jagged, rough signal

that signals chaotic
chemistry in your brain.

This is the kind of
chemistry that tells us

that we need high amounts
of adrenaline, high amounts

of cortisol, the stress
hormones to respond to something

quickly in life.

That's a good thing
for a few moments.

You don't want to live your
life, day in and day out,

like this.

The next image
that you're seeing

is what happens
when we can shift

our heart-based experiences from
things like frustration, anger,

hate, jealousy, and rage
to things like compassion,

care for anything,
gratitude for anything,

appreciation for anything.

And when we can do that,
very, very quickly,

this signal from the
heart to the brain shifts.

And you're seeing that it
becomes a very rhythmic, very

even, very coherent signal.

This is what it's called.

And it sends a different
signal to our brain,

and our brain begins to
release a different chemistry

into our bodies.

Now, I'm saying this to you now
because I want you to know that

your brain cannot do both
things at the same time.

It can only do one or the other.

So when you are in
coherent feeling

and that even rhythm, that's
what awakens your brain

to send powerful
healing chemistry,

powerful immune response,
powerful anti-aging hormones,

awakens your senses,
turns on that gamma, OK?

And when you are in the
rough, jagged signal,

that's fight or flight.

Your body and your brain are
saying something important

is happening.

We've got to run or fight, so
we don't have time for healing.

We don't have time for
an immune response.

We don't have time for
anti-aging hormones.

They're not important.

So it shuts off those functions
in preferential treatment

of this fight or flight.

So for this reason, you can
see why fight or flight's good

momentarily.

You don't want it long term.

We can shift these brain
states very, very quickly.

And what I'd like
to do now is, I'm

going to share a technique
with you to help to do this.

We can measure this conversation
between the heart and the brain

electrically.

And it is a very low
frequency, so this

isn't an esoteric essence
of a prana or aura.

This is an electrical
and a magnetic frequency.

And the electrical part is
a very, very low frequency.

It is 0.1 hertz.

It's not even 1--

0.1 hertz.

This is such a low frequency,
you can't even hear this.

It is right on the threshold
between feeling and hearing.

It's a frequency that whales use
to communicate in the oceans,

so it's a very
universal frequency.

It's also a frequency
that military submarines

use to communicate
in the oceans, which

is why it's a problem for
the whales when they use it.

And it is the optimal
signal to harmonize

your heart and your brain.

So what this means is if
you can create a feeling

in your heart of 0.1
hertz, then that feeling

is going to harmonize
your heart and your brain.

Now, in indigenous traditions
that I've been with,

they have techniques to do this.

The Institute of
HeartMath that I mentioned

in the last episode, they
have refined these techniques

in the laboratory into
very, very simple steps that

make them accessible in
our everyday environment,

whether we're in an
urban environment,

whether we're in a
military environment,

a first-responder environment.

This technique has been used
in all these environments

that I'm mentioning now--

in family, in marriage and
family counseling environments,

in cardiac environments
to help deal

with blood pressure
and cardiac events

that are happening
within our bodies.

So there are a vast
and myriad number

of applications for
the one technique

that we're going
to do right now.

And this technique is the
doorway for all the potentials

that we have just listed.

By achieving heart-brain
coherence, it opens the door,

and we get to choose.

It's like once we're
in this place, now

we can do this,
this, this, or this.

We can do subconscious.

We can go into intuition.

We can simply use this technique
before we go to bed at night,

to begin to sleep and trigger
a healing within our bodies.

We can do it first
thing in the morning.

We can do it before our yoga.

We can do it before
our martial arts.

We can do it before our qi
gong, our healing practice,

any of these things, because
everything goes better

with heart-brain coherence.

And that's all we're
doing, is we're

optimizing the conversation
between the heart

and the brain, between
your heart and your brain.

So how do we do this?

Three steps-- the first step is
to simply shift your awareness

from your mind into your heart.

And what I've found is,
in the Western traditions,

for many people that's
easier said than done.

I'll ask people, are
you in your heart?

And they'll say, yep.

I'm in my heart.

But what they are
really doing is,

they're still in
their brain thinking

about what it would be like
if they were in their heart.

This is where the indigenous
traditions come in.

Our ancestors told us--

and when I spend time with
my indigenous friends,

I say, how do you guys do this?

And they say, it helps if you
can gently touch your heart

center, physically, in a way
that's comfortable for you.

In the Mayan traditions
you see an open palm right

on the heart.

In many of the Middle
Eastern traditions,

you see the same thing.

In the Buddhist traditions
you see a prayer mudra

that physically
touches the sternum.

The key is any of
those things creates

a gentle touch, a
physical sensation,

right over the heart center.

And your awareness will
always go to the place

where you feel the sensation.

That's the key.

So if you can create a
touch over your heart,

your awareness will
go there-- first step.

Second step, very simple--

slow your breathing a little
bit slower than typical,

maybe five seconds inhale,
five seconds exhale.

And here's why that's powerful--
because the only time you would

ever slow your breathing
and breathe in that way

is when you feel safe,
when you feel that you're

in a place that's safe,
and you're not threatened,

and you're not vigilant
of your surroundings.

So you're telling your body
you're in a place that's safe.

Slow your breathing.

Third step, and
this is the key, is

to begin to feel the feeling
that creates 0.1 hertz.

Feel the feeling that
sets up the coherence

between your heart
and your brain.

How do we do that?

I gave it away earlier.

I've already mentioned it.

Scientists have found-- at
the Institute of HeartMath,

their researchers have found
that there are four key words

that work almost 100% of
the time for everyone--

appreciation for
anything or anyone,

gratitude for anything or
anyone, care, and compassion.

If you can feel one or some
combination of those feelings

in your heart, while you're
breathing as if your breath is

coming from your heart,
touching your heart center,

now you're setting up this
communication between the heart

and the brain.

Now you are triggering
those neurons

to begin to reach out and find
other neurons to strengthen

this connection.

And that's why-- I
mentioned before--

it takes about 72 hours, 3
days to build these networks.

So that means the
more you do what

we're about to do right now,
the stronger this connection

becomes in your life.

Let's try this.

Let's go through this together.

And this is the way we're going
to close out our segment today.

I'm going to invite you
first to shift your awareness

from your mind into your heart
by gently touching your heart

center.

OK, now once you're
there, breathe

a little slower
than you typically

would, maybe five seconds
inhale, five seconds exhale.

And as you breathe, feel your
breath coming from your heart.

And begin to feel
those feelings--

compassion, gratitude,
care, appreciation

to the best of your ability,
to the best of your ability.

And I'm going to do the same.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

OK, and what
researchers have found

is that typically three
minutes, only three minutes,

of doing what we have just done
will set into motion a cascade

of events within your
body-- biochemical events

that will last as
long as six hours.

The immune response--
the SIgA response,

first line immune in the white
blood cells of your mouth--

they are reflecting this
effect for up to six hours

after you actually
create the experience.

So I mentioned that we can
do this any time of day.

You can do it before you sleep
at night, first thing when

you wake up in the morning.

This technique, as
simple as it seems,

is the powerful key
to awaken the greatest

potential in your life.

The simple technique that
we have just experienced,

it is the key to
our personal power

and to the doorway of all
the abilities considered

rare and mystical in the past.

We don't have to
go to a monastery

halfway around the
world to learn them.

In our next episode,
we're going to discover

how this very technique
is also the key

to trigger the self-healing
within your body that

leads to an extended
lifespan, well beyond what's

traditionally accepted today.

So I want to thank
you for joining me

for this very powerful episode.

And be sure to tune in
for our next all-new

episode of "Missing Links",
the deep truth of our origin,

history, destiny, and fate.

[THEME MUSIC]