Dr. Rollin McCraty: The Science of the Heart (And What It Means for Leaders)

Rollin McCraty, Ph.D., is director of research at the HeartMath Institute and a professor at Florida Atlantic University. A psychophysiologist, he studies how emotions affect cognition, behavior, health, and global interconnectivity. Since HeartMath's founding in 1991, McCraty has advanced its research goals and developed the HeartMath System. He collaborates with institutions like Stanford and Claremont Graduate University and has appeared in major media outlets and documentaries. His work on heart rate variability and coherence has garnered international recognition. McCraty co-created the Global Coherence Initiative and researches human-geomagnetic field interactions, contributing to numerous scientific journals.
Quotes:
[24:56] “The heart has a causal role in modulating perception…how we think, how we feel.” After Dr. Rollin McCraty walks us through his background and what brought him to HeartMath, we dive into the science of the heart. We all know the popular phrase I love you with all of my heart… It’s not I love you with all of my brain. In fact, there is a natural, scientific reason behind this simple expression of love. We have this sense that there is more to the heart, and science supports that.
[29:53] “What we feel, whether we’re frustrated, angry or impatient OR we’re more calm, compassionate, or appreciative, these emotions are directly reflected in the rhythmic pattern that the heart is beating.” Dr. McCraty gets into the science of how the heart transports information through the thalamus to the brain, and what it means for this rhythm to be incoherent disruption is transmission through the thalamus.
[42:57] “The heart is carrying emotional state information…so what I’m saying, quite literally, is that we are broadcasting; we are radiating our emotions into the field. It doesn’t stop at the skin.” You can feel the tension in the room. This is a familiar phrase that has more truth than we might realize. The truth is, we are emanating our feelings, and others can feel them too. The power this has over the energy of a room is palpable.
[55:09] “You can learn a heart math technique on how to shift into coherence in minutes when you practice it, but how do you bring that in and sustain it within an organization?" McCraty comments that it is not usually a culture shift that's needed, it's a climate shift. After today’s discussion about the way our emotions emanate around us, this makes perfect sense.
[58:45] “This is a technique called Shift and Lift; it’s something you can do with your eyes open ( no one needs to know you’re doing it), right when you’re in a meeting or dealing with a difficult client to create a more coherent environment. This is where we are taking responsibility for what we are putting into that energetic field.” McCraty walks Marcel through this exercise from a Heart Math program that involves breathing and shifting your thoughts to kindness, love, and appreciation. Marcel shares how he visualized his way through this exercise.
[1:10:33] “If enough of us as individuals start taking that responsibility and adding that love, care, compassion, and kindness into the field, that makes it easier for others around us and globally to wake up their next level.” As we close out our conversation, Dr. McCraty urges us to pause throughout the day and examine the feelings and emotions we’re holding onto. Are we putting out anger and frustration? Focus on how you can make that shift to love and care. The impact is one that will radiate around the world.
Links to the episode:
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-Apple podcast: podcasts.apple...
-iHeart Radio: www.iheart.com...
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The Love in Action Podcast is part of a global movement that inspires leaders to reimagine the conditions necessary for creating human-centered and humane workplaces where people and businesses flourish. The show is now heard in 160 countries and is ranked in the top 2% of all podcasts. Episodes are published every Thursday and can be heard on your favorite podcast platform. If you like what you hear, be sure to leave us a review on iTunes!
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