IHM Spring 2007 Newsletter

IHM NEWSLETTER

Spring 2007 Vol. 6 / No. 1

INSIDE

FEATURE STORY
Global Coherence
One Person at a Time ... 1

Classrooms Making
Notable Progress ........... 2

New Research:
The Effects of
Compassionate Presence
on People in Comatose
States Near Death ......... 3

CALENDAR OF
EVENTS ........................ 3

Is Stress Affecting
Your Sleep? ................. 4

GLOBAL OUTREACH
HeartMath in
Sweden ........................ 5

PROGRAMS FOR GIVING
Reasons for Giving
Online .......................... 5

HEARTMATH
ENERGY-SAVERS
Attitude Replacements . 6

Key Findings from the
TENDS Study ............... 6

IN THIS ISSUE .............. 7

Global Coherence—One Person at a Time

Our Mission at IHM is to help establish heart-based living and global coherence by inspiring people to connect with the intelligence and guidance of their own hearts.

Worldwide, people report they are living with increasing levels of stress. This is not surprising given the number of stressful events happening around the globe, including terrorist attacks, war, genocide, ethnic cleansing, extreme poverty, climate change, political unrest, etc. Anxiety and fear about the impact of such calamities on our personal lives are magnified by media coverage which politicizes and often sensationalizes them. Even if we keep ourselves insulated from the news, we cannot escape being affected by the emotional waves of stress that permeate the globe.

Research at IHM has shown stressful feelings not only create incoherence in our bodies, but like radio waves they also radiate outward and are detected by the nervous systems of others who are in our environment (*see The Energetic Heart). When our nervous system detects these subtle stress waves it can create a background feeling of incoherence or unease that often is hard to put into words. This emotional unease is similar to what we experience when we walk into a friend’s house and sense that something is amiss, and have it confirmed later, or when the positive feeling in a social gathering is shattered as one person interjects a negative tone. At present, global incoherence seems to overshadow coherence, which would account for the increasing intensity of the stress we all feel. We also see evidence, however, that this increased stress is causing people to take a deeper look at their own inner resources and find deeper connections with others. As a manifestation of natural human resiliency, these are signs of a coherence momentum beginning to take shape.

One of the ways this momentum is evidenced is the increasing number of people who are turning to their heart, listening to their heart, following their heart and connecting with other heart-based people. This is leading to increased appreciation, gratitude, compassion, caring and personal and social balance. A telling example of this occurred when AARP recently asked its members to list their New Year’s resolutions. At the top of the list was "losing weight" – not surprising given our national obsession with weight loss – and the No. 2 resolution was "becoming more spiritual." A large national study** involving in-depth interviews with over 1,600 American households found a surprisingly high percent, 16.4% of U.S. families reporting they are working toward new lives of wholeness. The study also found 93% of Americans believe it was important to teach our children to feel connected to the earth, people and all life, and that 57% of Americans agreed a "global awakening to higher consciousness" was taking place. All of this is evidence that people are looking for a deeper spiritual connection.

Doc Childre founded HeartMath to help people find their way through these times of increased planetary stress by facilitating a shift to heart-based living, one of the necessary steps to achieving global coherence. At HeartMath we are teaching people to connect with their "spirit" primarily through the heart. We call this "accessing heart intelligence." Realizing both the resistance that some have to pursuing a spiritual path and the importance of everyone being able to access their heart and spirit, we set about creating tools and practices for connecting with one’s heart. We and others around the globe have found that using these heart-centered tools increases both coherence and intuitive awareness, which helps us more effectively manage our emotions, relationships and general sense of well being. We have learned that following our heart’s intelligence and intuition and increasing care for ourselves and others are important qualities of heart-based living. Such principles add strength and power to the coherence momentum and facilitates global coherence.

To foster heart-based living and therefore increase global coherence, IHM is committed to continuing our research on intuition. This research includes mapping the psychophysiological pathways of intuition and refining the principles and strategies for helping more people access their innate heart intelligence.

Know that we sincerely appreciate all who support our research and program development, both financially and energetically. Together we can help create a more coherent global environment.

* www.heartmath.org/energeticheart

** "What Brings Us Together" 2000 Research Project

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1	Spring 2007

Page 2: Classrooms Making Notable Progress

A Newsletter from the Institute of HeartMath^®

MEMBERSHIP:
$25/yr (US $)

FOR MEMBERSHIP AND CUSTOMER SERVICE WRITE OR CALL:
The Institute of HeartMath
14700 West Park Ave.
Boulder Creek,
California 95006
1 (831) 338-8500
Toll-Free in US:
(800) 711-6221

E-MAIL:
info@heartmath.org

WEB SITE:
www.heartmath.org

Classrooms Making Notable Progress

HeartMath educational programs and products are used in thousands of classrooms every day. How these programs are presented to students varies greatly depending on the culture and needs of each organization.

Six years ago, math Professor Michael Vislocky and psychology Professor Ron Leslie began using HeartMath tools and strategies at The University of Cincinnati Clermont College to help struggling algebra students perform better. The improved test results confirmed that helping students reduce stress and get into a better learning state were important ingredients in a students’ academic life. In the following years, they expanded their program interventions to local high schools, each time tracking student progress on standardized test scores. In 2007, the two professors are implementing HeartMath strategies and technology in two college math courses, algebra classes at nearby Bethel-Tate Middle and Bethel-Tate High Schools, and for the first time, in a college course that trains future surgical technology staff in the skills required to work in hospital operating rooms.

Farther west, Brent Khan, director of special projects at Clarkson College, is directing a grant-funded mental health initiative at four urban elementary schools and one parochial school in Omaha, Neb. His goal is to train school staff on how to implement The Resilient Educator^®, Test Edge^®, and the Freeze-Framer^® programs in their classrooms to help improve students’ mental health and performance in schools. As a HeartMath 1:1 Provider, Khan gives extended training to each school’s principal and assistant principal.

"I have found that those schools where the leaders regularly practice HeartMath tools have been making phenomenal progress," Khan said.

Linda Gancitano, a health teacher with Driftwood Middle Academy of Health and Wellness in Hollywood, Fla., has five classrooms of 15 to 20 kids that take cooperative learning and leadership programs every nine weeks. About 320 students participate every year. Linda introduces them to the Freeze-Frame^® tool and the Freeze-Framer technology in the first two weeks before they get on the physical challenge course. They explore together what emotions are and how emotions can help us or hinder us in what we do. "We have a choice at any time," Gancitano tells her students. "Freeze-Frame is a tool that enables us to choose more positive behaviors."

Barbara Hinojosa, a district school psychologist with Lake Worth Independent School District outside Dallas, Texas, has spearheaded a large HeartMath initiative within her district. To begin with, all the district counselors, behavior specialists and social workers have been trained on how to use the Freeze-Framer technology with the K-12 students they serve. "The response has been extremely positive," Hinojosa reports. "It is a concrete way to teach a child self-regulation and internal locus of control." In addition, the TestEdge^® program has been rolled out to all the third-, fourth- and fifth-grade classrooms, along with regular use of the Freeze-Framer.

For information: www.heartmath.org/classroom

Gancitano comments: Because Driftwood Middle Academy of Health and Wellness has a rolling laptop lab of around 18 laptops, most students are able to use the Freeze-Framer, according to health teacher Linda Gancitano. They are first taught how to breathe properly and experience positive emotions. These two steps allow the students to succeed on the Freeze-Framer."We get into what is coherence and how that helps the mind and body perform better, like with test taking," Gancitano said. They all get that. They will even say to one another when someone is upset, ‘You need to Freeze-Frame. They even tell me to Freeze-Frame when I get mad.’"

This newsletter is published quarterly by the Institute of HeartMath, 14700 West Park Avenue, Boulder Creek, California 95006; (831) 338-8500.

Postmaster: Send address changes to Institute of HeartMath, 14700 West Park Ave., Boulder Creek, California 95006.

© Copyright 2006 Institute of HeartMath. All rights reserved. Express written permission is required from the publisher to reproduce, in any manner, the contents of this issue, either in full or in part. HeartMath, Freeze-Frame, Heart Lock-In, Cut-Thru, HeartSmarts, and Heart Mapping are registered trademarks of the Institute of HeartMath. The Resilient Educator is a trademark of the Institute of HeartMath. Attitude Breathing and Quick Coherence are registered trademarks of Doc Childre. Freeze-Framer and emWave Personal Stress Reliever are registered trademarks of Quantum Intech. TestEdge is a registered trademark of HeartMath LLC.

This newsletter is not intended to provide advice on personal health matters, which should be provided by a qualified health care provider. We regret that we cannot respond to individual inquiries about personal health matters. PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.


2	Spring 2007

Page 3: The Effects of Compassionate Presence on People

A Newsletter from the Institute of HeartMath^®

New Research: The Effects of Compassionate Presence on People in Comatose States Near Death

Clues to the mystery of the transition out of life are offered by accounts from individuals who have survived coma and unconscious states and by the experiences of people who care for the dying. Numerous reports from both practitioners and patients suggest that the presence of others who are loving and caring is helpful and meaningful for those who lapse into unconscious or noncommunicative states near death. There has been little research, however, on the noncommunicative dying to determine whether there is in fact any communication or exchange with those in their presence.

Motivated to understand more about the process of dying and ways to help people going through this process, Jeanne Denney of the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, Palo Alto, Calif., initiated a study. Her investigation explored the effects of "compassionate presence" on the mental, emotional and physical states of people near death in comatose or noncommunicative states, as well as the effects on their caregivers and others who were with them.

Drawing on the Institute of HeartMath’s research on the heart’s role in "energetic communication," Denney postulated that in these noncommunicative states much of the nonverbal exchange—emotional information such as feelings of love and compassion—between patients and caregivers and their loved ones could be communicated on some level via the heart’s energetic field. To provide a physical measurement of this communication, Denney used HeartMath’s Freeze-Framer^® heart rhythm monitor to record the heart patterns of hospice patients and volunteers–"sitters"–who were holding a state of loving compassion in their presence.

Denney found that the patients appeared to be very sensitive to people in their environment: They exhibited discernible patterns or changes in their heart rhythms that coincided with the sitter’s heart patterns, changes or actions. In 23 of 24 sittings analyzed, there was evidence of simultaneous changes occurring in sitter and patient heart rhythms. Even in profoundly brain-injured patients, there was evidence that a close, loving relationship had a strong effect on a patient’s heart patterns. This was most evident for one patient whose heart rhythm level, or what we at IHM and others call "heart coherence" level was more than nine times greater when her husband was present than when other sitters were present.

A particularly close connection between another patient and one of the hospice volunteer was also reflected in a notable increase in the patient’s heart coherence when that particular volunteer was in close proximity. Significantly, this caregiver had only known this patient while she was in a comatose state. Patients also exhibited clear heart rhythm responses to touch, prayer and meditation.

The findings of this study provide evidence that when verbal exchange is no longer possible an energetic communication occurs between patients and their caregivers and others, even at the final stages of life.

Denney concludes: "Understanding more about how people in these states perceive and respond could greatly enrich the sense of meaning and depth of exchange at this point of life."

"The Effects of States of Compassionate Presence on People in Comatose States Near Death," by Jeanne M. Denney. Masters Thesis, Transpersonal Psychology, Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, 2006.

For the full story, go to: www.heartmath.org/caregiver

Calendar of Events:

talks/workshops/exhibits/conferences

March 23-26, May 18-21, July 16-19, October 19-22, 2007
Qualified Instructor Licensing Program—The Resilient Educator^® Course at IHM Conference Center, Boulder Creek, California. For more information go to: www.heartmath.org/educator or call Christiana Bishop 831-338-8706.

March 27-31, 2007
National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) 2007 Annual Convention, at the Hilton and Sheraton New York Hotels. Dr. Robert Rees presents "Effective Tools for Reducing Test Anxiety and Improving Test Performance," a summary of the TestEdge^® National Demonstration Study. Call 301-657-0270 for more information.

March 29-30, 2007
Association of Mormon Counselors and Psychotherapists (AMCAP) 2007 Spring Convention, Salt Lake City, Utah. Dr. Rollin McCraty will be presenting "Heart Brain Dynamics: Understanding the Heart’s Role in Establishing Emotional Stability." Dr. Robert Rees will be presenting "Practical Heart-Based Tools for Therapists" and "The Spiritual Basis of Heart-Based Therapy." Call B.J. Fullmer to register at 801-583-6227 or for more information go to www.amcap.net.

March 29-31, 2007
Anxiety Disorders Association of America (ADAA) 27th Annual Conference, at the Hyatt Regency in St Louis, Mo., HeartMath LLC exhibiting. Call 240-485-1032 for more information.

April 12-14, 2007
5th Annual Integrative Medicine for Healthcare Organizations Conference at the Rancho Bernardo Inn in San Diego, CA, HeartMath LLC exhibiting. Call 707-644-1181 for information.

May 4-7, 2007
The HeartMath 1:1 Provider Program, at the IHM Conference Center, Boulder Creek, California—This is a unique training and licensing program for coaches, consultants and healthcare professionals on how to teach the tools of the HeartMath System. To register, call 800-450-9111 or go to: www.heartmath.com/health/professional/1_on_1_licensing.html.

May 16-18, 2007
Ways of Knowing: Exploring Intuition’s Role in Health and Healing, interactive symposium, at the Oakridge Conference Center in Chaska, Minn. Dr. Rollin McCraty will be speaking. For more information, go to: www.oakridge.dolce.com.


3	Spring 2007

Page 4: Is Stress Affecting Your Sleep?

A Newsletter from the Institute of HeartMath^®

Is Stress Affecting Your Sleep?

Whether you struggle falling asleep at bedtime or wake up in the middle of the night and can’t get back to sleep, lack of sleep – known as sleeplessness or insomnia – whether it lasts a few days or persists for a few weeks or longer, is a serious disorder. Sleeplessness robs your body of the rest it needs to reenergize you physically, mentally and emotionally.

Sleeplessness affects all age groups. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, about 60 million Americans suffer from insomnia each year. The National Sleep Foundation reports that sleeplessness affects nearly two-thirds of American adults at some point and stems most commonly from stress. Research shows stress is a common trigger for both short-term and acute insomnia. A wide array of stressors contribute to sleeplessness: the stress of day-to-day living, health concerns, depression, anxiety and more. One typical form of insomnia occurs when people wake up during the night, realize they are wide awake when they should be sleeping, and then become anxious. Anxiety causes adrenaline to flood the system and adrenaline prompts the body into action—the opposite of what’s needed for effective sleep.

The occurrence of insomnia is believed to increase with age. More than half of older Americans have trouble sleeping and accept it as a normal part of aging. "Sleep problems in the elderly are not a normal part of aging," says Dr. Julie Gammack, assistant professor of geriatrics at Saint Louis University. "It contributes to an increased risk of accidents, falls and chronic fatigue."

Our children and teens are having many sleepless nights, too. Trouble falling asleep is their most common complaint. In a national survey on the sleep patterns of U.S. adolescents ages 11-17, the 2006 Sleep in America poll by the National Sleep Foundation found only 20% of adolescents were getting the recommended nine hours of sleep on school nights and 45% slept less than eight hours. Although most students in the survey knew they were not getting the sleep they needed, 90% of parents polled believed they were.

The inability to sleep at night is challenging enough, but then those who suffer from sleeplessness must grapple with the many resulting daytime symptoms of stress: not feeling refreshed or rested; poor concentration and focus; feeling tired, irritable, dull, apathetic and forgetful; a reduction in motor skills and coordination. Many of our nation’s adolescents are falling asleep in class or during homework and arriving late or missing school altogether because of oversleeping, which can result from irregular sleep patterns. When students don’t get sufficient rest they are unable to focus, their grades fall, they become moody and down. If insomnia becomes chronic, it can lead to mental health problems such as depression, or misuse of alcohol and medications as they search for things to help them sleep.

Stress accumulates during the day and often we take it to bed with us. The body’s systems just won’t shut down, leading to difficulty in sleeping or staying asleep. HeartMath can help: Try using the Heart Lock-In^® tool. Deep, restful sleep, which you enter from a coherent heart state, can help you stay balanced and energized, leaving you more able to be effective in your day-to-day life. There are various materials available from HeartMath on how to deal with stress. Also, check out the emTech Media e-booklet or audio file "Solving Sleeplessness."

To purchase a product, go to: www.heartmath.org/emtech


4	Spring 2007

Page 5: HeartMath in Sweden

A Newsletter from the Institute of HeartMath^®

Global Outreach

HeartMath in Sweden
—by Jenny Nilsson, HeartMath Sweden

HeartMath Sweden, a division of the prestigious coaching and training firm MG Management International, became part of the HeartMath family of international licensees in January 2006. We were initiated to the HeartMath system through Pia Nilsson, a Swedish golf coach who helped us train people in coaching back in 1999. Our interest grew stronger and stronger after meeting with Howard Martin in Bath, England 2005. We decided this was something we really wanted to do.

We look back at our first year with appreciation and great pride.

People are approaching us with enthusiasm from all over Scandinavia, wanting to find out about the HeartMath System! Besides corporate training, we have also trained a professional Hockey team in Sweden—coaches, trainers and the whole team. Our certified HeartMath trainer and professional coach Anders Nilsson, has led them from last place in the league to first place in the series.

We are entering 2007 with great excitement. A quite large HeartMath project in the Swedish school system, financed by the European Union, is taking place. It’s such a gift to be able to work with teachers. They work so hard and really depend on their coherence. We will also enter the world of e-learning this year, and with that comes a new partner, Per Brahm.

I just want to take the opportunity to express my gratitude to the people who really made our first year special, Kim Allen, Howard Martin, Bruce Cryer, and all the staff at HeartMath LLC. A special thanks goes to Chris Sawicki and Lynn Adamson, our fellow licensees at Hunter Kane Ltd. in England, for taking real good care of us in a heartfelt way.

To learn more about HeartMath Sweden, go to: www.heartmath.se

For more information about HeartMath Alliances, go to: www.heartmath.com/alliances

Programs for Giving

Reasons for Giving Online

Why do donors like to give online? There are several different reasons, but No. 1 is that giving online is convenient. Many say it is easier than writing a check. Giving online has been made simple, like online shopping. Making your donation is quick, easy and safe. Another motivation for giving online is the convenience of storing all your records in one place, so there is no accumulation of paper.

Too many solicitations can take the joy out of giving. A web code of conduct is not solicit people without their opting in. "This is the No. 1 complaint," says Trent Stamp, president of Charity Navigator, a website that rates charities, "People make a small gift, and that leads them to be harassed and pestered and deluged with mail from other organizations."

An additional rationale for giving online is privacy—being able to make donations anonymously. There are ways to give while maintaining a low profile. "From 35% to 40% of donations handled by Justgive.org are anonymous," according to Director of Operations Andrea Lloyd.

Internet giving sites comprise a big marketplace. They provide you one place to access many, diverse choices of nonprofit organizations and the opportunity for donors to give to many charities in a single transaction.

A further incentive for giving online is that you can check posted gift reports on the money you give and choose to opt in to be informed by e-mail and become more involved in the missions of your charities.

To donate on-line, go to www.heartmath.org/donate or www.heartmath.org/justgive


5	Spring 2007

Page 6: Attitude Replacements

A Newsletter from the Institute of HeartMath^®

HeartMath Energy-Savers

Attitude Replacements

Most people have attitudes they want to change. These include being judgmental, impatience, edginess with others and getting down on yourself. When you have an attitude habit that you want to change, learn to replace it with a new one. First, it takes heart integrity to find the deeper truth about what you are really feeling underneath the attitude and what your resistances are to changing the attitude. Go to your heart, be vulnerable and have a business talk with yourself. Once you find the underlying insecurity or motive for the resistant attitude, make a commitment to clear it with meaningful heart intent. Clearing resistance requires a shift to your deeper heart’s truth. Ask your intuitive heart intelligence for a replacement attitude. If your habit is being edgy with people, the replacement might be practicing kindness toward them with genuine intent. Instate the higher principle and integrity of your replacement attitude. Once you have committed to your replacement attitude, allow the feeling of the new attitude to come in until the resistance to losing the old one clears.

Here’s an example: Ted thought Joe wasn’t good enough to be engaged to his daughter Susie. Ted felt this the first time he met Joe and has harbored that judgmental attitude ever since. Whenever Joe went over to the house, a heavy gloom hung in the air. Susie truly loved Joe and they were very compatible. Ted realized he had to do something. He asked his heart why he was so obstinate and what was underneath his judgment of Joe.

His heart told him that no one would ever be good enough for Susie. Having a business talk with himself, Ted knew if he didn’t try to change his engrained attitude, he could push his daughter away. Sincerely wanting to change, Ted asked his heart for a replacement attitude. The replacement was to not to judge a book by its cover and give the boy a chance. Ted made a genuine effort to anchor in this new attitude during the week. The next time he was in the same room with Joe, he recalled his commitment and new replacement attitude. The air cleared and Susie was very moved and appreciative of her father’s efforts.

As you go about your day, breathe in the feeling of your replacement attitude to anchor it in your system. Do this out of intelligence, knowing that you will feel better, save energy and create better relationships. When old attitude perceptions, thoughts or feelings try to come back in say, "No!" and reanchor your commitment and attitude replacement. Tell yourself you’re in your new attitude and bring in the feeling of that new attitude. Welcome your new attitude.

Key Findings from the TENDS Study

The primary study component of TestEdge^® National Demonstration Project focused on an in-depth investigation of students at the 10^th grade level. The following are key findings of the primary research study. The TestEdge program was highly successful in significantly reducing test anxiety in the students who participated in the program. Sixty-one percent of all students studied were found to suffer test anxiety, and of those, 75% had reduced anxiety by the end of the program. The TestEdge program was effective in reducing test anxiety among a full range of high-performing to low-performing students. Also of interest was the finding that more girls than boys suffered from test anxiety, but showed a greater reduction in anxiety and increase in test scores after completing the TestEdge program.

For the TENDS report, go to www.heartmath.org/tends


6	Spring 2007

Page 7: In This Issue

A Newsletter from the Institute of HeartMath^®

The results were staggering...

"I am a psych major in my third year at the University of British Columbia. I took my first two exams in biopsychology of behaviour and adolescent development and was stressed about them to say the least. I got 72.22% on my biopsychology and 67.8 on my adolescent development midterms. I was very unhappy about these marks as I have been an A or B student since I started the university. I spoke with my mom about my concerns with test taking and how I always seem to freeze up when I’m nervous and rush through the exam just to get it over with. She told me to try the TestEdge^® program and monitor my stress level with a device the size of a cell phone (emWave^® PSR) that I brought into my next two exams on forensic psychology and statistics. I used this tool to calm myself down before my exams and felt the feeling of appreciation surge through me when I was writing my exam, as opposed to the shaking nervous feeling I had on my first two exams. The results were staggering; I received 84%, and 85% on my statistics and forensic exams respectively. I am positive the tool helped my exam-taking state and I will continue to use the tool...as now I know how to calm myself down before and while taking an exam. This is a tool I can use for the rest of my career, and not only with test taking, but general stressful situations as well.

PS: I wanted to add that since I’ve submitted my testimonial I’ve gone from a 72.22 in biopsych to a 91% on my second exam. I am so pleased with these results; this has really impacted me in a great way!"

Shannon Kimmitt, University of British Columbia Okanagan,
Undergraduate. 3rd year, Psychology Major


7	Spring 2007