In the late 1980s psycologist James W Pennebaker was invited to teach the psycophysiology to to technicians who administered polygraph tests ( lie dectector ) They wanted to know what was happening in the body and the mind when a person was being questioned about a crime. Typically during the test a person telling a lie reacts with a measureable stress response. Modern polygraph measurements can include heart rate, muscle tension, voice changes and other links to emotional discomfort. Pennebroke could explain the physiologic mechanism underlying each of these changes - yet he was to learn something that would transform his life's work and our knowledge about our cellular selves.
The revelation came when those experts administering the tests asked Pennebroke to explain this surprising observation: when a person actually confessed to a crime they exhibited relaxation response, not stress. As a result of their admission they faced a future of upheaval and turmoil, possibly even incarceration. How could they possibly respond by relaxing ?
Pennebaker had no response at the time but he would later make a startling discovery which now informs what we know of personal well being and telling the truth. Following up at the University of Texas with his psychology students, he began exploring confession itself. He asked his students to "confess" in writing to a secret or trauma that they had never told anyone. He discovered that following this disclosure, his students' immune health improved and their levels of stress hormones decreased.
When theperson's story comes out there is a wave of relief and Release. Revealing their well guarded secrets enables them to Let Go of the associated upsetting thoughts and allows them to return to a state of well being Now their cells have the opportunity to initiate the chemistry of Peace and they do.
Here is an exercise on this way of Releasing for you to explore.
You and Your Cells Telling the Truth.
Take fifteen to twenty minutes today to write your thought and feelings about what is presently bothering you.: your biggest stressor or hidden shame. Commit to writing for four consecutive days no more no less. Don't write the facts about the story; rather express your emotions about them. It is not necessary to reread what you have written or show it to anybody. You can tear it up or burn it if you like. This is an exercise for you and your cells, an invitation to Release and Let Go.
- From Sondra Barrett's book Secrets of Your Cells
Read more about James W.Pennebaker
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