Being coherent and incoherent can be thought of as the two opposing forces within us. When we are coherent we are optimizing our prefrontal cortex, which is the brain’s decision-making mechanism. This allows us to see things from a bird’s eye view, seeing all the angles and perspectives. When we are incoherent, these executive functions shut down and we get swept up in our emotions. Falling back into our animalistic instincts – reacting, rather than responding.
Given how fast-paced the world is, we have a tendency to move through life trying to match this pace, many times defaulting to autopilot. By living life on autopilot, we often don’t make the best decisions, and by the time we realize it, it’s too late. However, being in a coherent state allows us to take a second and to think carefully about our decisions and if they are appropriate for the situation – not just an emotional reaction. As a result, we can move through life with more composure and grace as our actions reflect our internal state. In this article you’ll learn what personal coherence is, the mechanics behind coherent and incoherent states, and the benefits of coherence.
What is Personal Coherence?
Coherence implies a sort of harmony, connectedness and efficient use of energy. Think about nature’s ecosystem and how it works together in balance and harmony. Or how a cohesive soccer team works together to score a goal. This is what personal coherence aims to achieve via our internal systems. It is when our actions are in harmony with our values, where our emotions do not contradict our thoughts, and where our decisions are rooted in a deep self-awareness of what is right for us and what is not. Essentially an optimal state where our heart, mind and emotions are in sync. By aligning these internal systems, we can be more authentic in our external world. Leading a life where we not only show up better for ourselves but for others too.
What happens when we are Incoherent?
Have you ever walked into a room after people have been arguing? The tension so thick you could cut it with a knife? Studies have shown that the electromagnetic signals our heart produces can be felt up to 4 feet from our bodies. When we are in an incoherent state, what messages are we sending out into that field? How are we impacting our environments? Incoherence doesn’t only affect us, but others as well.
On a mechanical level, when we are incoherent our heart rate becomes more erratic which sends signals to our thalamus gland; located at the core of our brain. The thalamus has multiple functions, one being synchronizing our electrical wires in the entire brain.
An incoherent state inhibits and interferes with the thalamus’s ability to synchronize the electrical activity in the brain. This is called cortical inhibition. Basically, we can’t think as clearly and our reaction times are slower. Our brain’s prefrontal cortex (the part that gives us executive function and foresight) goes offline. Ever gotten into an argument and said something you shouldn’t have? You can blame your prefrontal cortex for this. One of the biggest stressors we can have in life is when our internal thoughts do not align with our external actions. This inner conflict causes us to be incoherent.
What happens when we are in Coherence?
When we are in a coherent state it helps our thalamus gland and global receptors to work at optimal levels. All of our internal functions are enhanced. We are able to make better decisions because our prefrontal cortex is affected in a positive way, even our hand-eye coordination becomes enhanced. The key to all of this lies in our hearts.
By now I bet you’re wondering how do I get into a coherent state and how hard is it. Luckily it’s not as hard as you might think. The basics of it is, just by breathing from the heart and eliciting heartfelt emotions such as care or appreciation, we can get into a coherent state. By continually accessing this coherent state it becomes easier to self-regulate stressful moments and over time even rewire the brain. When we are in a coherent state not only do our heart rhythms shift, but our brain patterns also work more cohesively together.
Interestingly enough, studies have shown that when you’re in a coherent state, you are more sensitive to receiving information contained in the magnetic fields generated by others. Trippy right? As we practice being more coherent in our lives, we can live from a greater place of awareness, accessing our optimal selves and living from a place of harmony. How would our lives look differently if we were all making decisions from a place of internal harmony? Imagine how we would resolve our conflicts from a state of coherence.
The Benefits of Coherence
HeartMath is a leading institution that has been studying personal coherence for over 25 years. You can learn more about HeartMath here. The following benefits have been identified from over 400 different studies involving PTSD patients, children in school and heart failure patients to name a few:
- Enhanced ability to maintain composure during challenges
- Improves family and social harmony
- Reduces fatigue and exhaustion
- Promotes the body’s natural regenerative processes
- Improves coordination and reaction times
- Enhances the ability to think clearly and find better solutions
- Improves ability to learn and achieve higher test scores
- Increases access to intuitive intelligence
It’s crazy to think that we can access these abilities without external help, unlocking parts of ourselves simply by dropping into coherence.
Moving Forward
As you can see, personal coherence doesn’t just benefit you, but those around you. It gives you permission to own all your decisions knowing that they are in alignment with your values. Not to mention avoiding those regrettable reactionary moments. Living from a place of acceptance that life is not happening to you, it’s happening for you as a result of the choices you make. Living in alignment both internally and externally. Similarly to Newton’s First Law of Motion, that which is in motion stays in motion. Once coherence becomes a habit and second nature, it’s hard to imagine living any other way.