Thoughts are Things

“The physical body is nothing more than the physical expression of thoughts and feelings.” – Candice Pert, PhD

Information molecules known as ligands are the basic language of the body, communicating across the endocrine, neurological, gastrointestinal, and immune systems. These ligands, once thought of as created only in the brain (as in neurotransmitters) are in fact created all throughout the body orchestrating changes in mood, behavior, and overall health.

95% of all ligands are known as the peptides. When we have a thought, our brain produces amino acids that are strung together to create a peptide. This peptide then travels throughout the body (both via brain synapses but more often extracellular space meaning the blood and cerebrospinal fluid) vibrating in a certain way until it finds a specific receptor site on a cell that is vibrating in the same way. The peptide then binds to the cell receptor and deposits its information, causing chemical changes in the cell. Binding is sex on a molecular level!

If we look at this from a wider view, our thoughts literally orchestrate changes in our body. This is why we can say that “thoughts are things”. The thoughts you are thinking create peptides and receptor sites for their specific energy or chemical communicator. So for example, by thinking positive and happy thoughts you can create positive and happy receptors and ligands throughout your body, and the same thing goes for negative thoughts and emotions. However, it is ill advised to think negative thoughts as the ligands released from them actually lower the activity of the immune system. For example, during high levels of stress cortisol and epinephrine are released, both of which depress the T cell activity in our immune system. Also, repressed emotions are actually stored in the body and unconscious mind and memories are held in their receptors. By repressing emotions we can literally create an ongoing illness and/or negative view of life.

The good news on a biochemical level is that receptors are not stagnant! They can change vibration according to the peptides released, meaning there is always a biochemical potential for change and growth, even if we are feeling “stuck” emotionally!

Emotional catharsis, or the releasing of emotions, can be an extremely powerful healing technique. By letting old negative emotions out, we unite our systems, release toxic energy, can stop producing the ligands attached to the old emotion. This will literally change cell receptors, which in turn will also change our reality, our health, and our view of life. Deep breathing techniques coupled with releasing of sound are an amazing way to release stagnant emotional energy. Other therapies that include screaming, bioenergetics, movement, and hugging also have profound effects on individuals who have bottled up emotions just waiting to be released. If this emotional energy is replaced with something positive, something connected to a higher purpose for example, we can literally add years to our life.

Almost everything we do and every emotion that we have is influenced by the basic human needs of safety, security and survival. When we recognize that we are all connected and that each of us sees things from our own point of view with our own safety, security and survival mechanisms from past experiences orchestrating our emotions and behaviors, we can learn to be more kind to others and follow the golden rule. Scientific research shows us that the stimulation to goodness, to compassion, even just being exposed to others doing good deeds signals the brain to tell the body that it is in a safe environment, which actually increases the activity of our immune system! So, random acts of kindness really do make a difference in healing the world!!

In her book Molecules of Emotion, Candice Pert quotes Elmer Green from the Mayo Clinic: “Every change in the physiological state is accompanied by an appropriate change in the mental emotional state, conscious or unconscious, and conversely, every change in the mental emotional state is accompanied by an appropriate change in the physiological state” (p137). The more we know about the bodymind system the more we can scientifically prove that our thoughts, emotions, actions, spirituality, and health are all interrelated. Everything is really connected to everything else.

Happy thoughts, everyone!