Emotions are subjectively experienced states of feeling and our conscious mental reactions towards the world around us which affect what we experience as reality. For a very long time the limbic system of the brain has been recognised as the seat of human emotions. The classical neuroscientists agreed that emotions were controlled by the core emotional brain structures such as amygdala, hippocampus and the limbic cortex. However, the new notion which started to emerge in the last decades of the twentieth century and eventually crystallised into a revolutionary neuropeptide theory revealed a different story. The scientists identified and described the emotion carrying peptides and by doing so highlighted the inseparable mind-body connection.
One of the leading scientists who made a significant contribution towards laying foundations for the new theory was Candance Pert. She gave an overview of her research and key findings in her book Molecules of Emotion. During her investigation it has become apparent that experiencing an emotion is not as local as it has previously been thought i.e. the brain is not the only organ engaged in the emotional activity. Her extensive research confirmed what some other researchers also suspected that we experience emotions with the whole organism, not just in the head. In fact, each emotion starts an avalanche of bodily changes observed in the neurological, endocrine and immune systems. It turned out that these three systems treated by conventional medicine as separate are in reality well integrated with each other at the molecular level and create “a multidirectional network of communication, linked by information carriers known as neuropeptides”.
The neuropeptides and their receptors were subsequently called the molecules of emotion and the networking between the body systems is often referred to as “mobile brain” which exchanges masses of information every second at a rapid pace. Scientists were well aware of the fact that the pituitary gland sends out peptides throughout the body in large quantities but new research indicates that the peptide producing cells have also been found in the bone marrow. Candance Pert uses a music analogy and emphasizes that “peptides are the sheet music containing the notes, phrases, and rhythms that allow the orchestra-your body- to play as an integrated entity. And the music that results is the tone or feeling that you experience subjectively as your emotions”.
According to the new theory, there is a continuous and intense conversation going between the mind and the body which creates a dynamic and intelligent psychosomatic network across the organism. This has far-fetched consequences for us humans and it highlights the relationship between the mind, body and our overall health. Since the neuropeptides and the receptors communicate with the immune system all the time, our emotions will certainly have an influence on our health. If the flow of emotions is uninterrupted, the neuropeptides linked with these particular emotions also flow freely and support our immune system cells in keeping diseases at bay.
Many scientists throughout decades have examined he link between emotions and disease and how the immune system can be stimulated to do its job and keep us healthy. Early experiments carried out on guinea pigs and rabbits demonstrated that the immune system could be conditioned and trained to achieve certain responses i.e it was possible to activate or hinder natural killer cells’ activity at the subconscious level.
Further research carried out by Howard Hall at a later date revealed that the immune system could also be conditioned and stimulated at the cellular level by conscious efforts and interventions such as relaxation, visualisation, self-hypnosis, biofeedback and autogenic training. Many psychologists working with cancer patient also pointed out that unexpressed emotions such as anger or grief adversely affected the patient’s recovery from the illness. It also refers to clients who appear to be out of touch with their emotional self, ignoring their emotions, living in self-denial or just being blissfully unaware of their basic emotional needs. The research emphasized that cancer patient who allow their emotional expression and process their emotions tend to have stronger immune system and recover from the illness more quickly.
We now know that at a cellular lever emotional expression is directly linked with a flow of neuropeptides in the body. Emotions are often labelled as positive and negative which can be misleading and may make us think that positive feelings such as joy or happiness are good and negative emotions such as sadness or anger are bad and should be avoided. All our emotions result from our unique life experiences. Even the negative emotions are healthy as they are part of our life as long as they are not repressed. The problem arises when we suppress expression of emotions. Repressed emotions such as anger or grief intervene with the mind-body network, prevent the normal information exchange and create a great deal of stress at a cellular level. This blocks the flow of peptides across the organism, weakens the immune system and eventually can lead to disease development. Hence, addressing our emotional needs is also a way of staying healthy.
Pert stresses in her book that “health is not just a matter of thinking happy thoughts” but most of all is about allowing our emotions to flow freely, express them in a constructive manner and let go of them so the psychosomatic body network can work efficiently. She also emphasizes that “all honest emotions are positive emotions”. Releasing long-suppressed emotions is very often a path to self-healing and self-discovery.
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References: Candance Pert The molecules of emotions.