So, just for fun, let’s talk about a little bit of brain science and how the Bible is correlated.
As I navigated the Christian church life, I have heard many well-meaning Christian leaders quote verses, like in Proverbs 23:7, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” And in essence, I have been told so many times that if you have anxiety, or bad images in your head, or struggle with depression, it is just a thought issue. And if you just think better thoughts, then you will have peace, joy, love – all the things. Yet, as much as I tried and believe me, I tried, I could not shake intrusive thoughts, images, panic attacks, anxiety, and depression.
Usually, when I would share a general view of my struggles, someone would so kindly slip me a list of scripture verses for me to quote.
And I sincerely appreciated those gestures, and so, I would memorize those scriptures backwards and forwards, and they would help somewhat for a time. Yet, in a short period, I would be having a panic attack all over again. I just couldn’t understand what was wrong with me.
What I’ve learned many years later in my healing journey is that our spirit, brain, soul, and body are extremely interconnected, and there are many things that play upon our imagination, that come from subconscious places stored “in our heart”.
I am no expert on brain science, but the little bit that I have come to understand is fascinating and has put pieces together for me, so that I can be at peace with how I am wired, and I can begin to work with my God-given system, as God brings healing in and through my whole being.
So, on the right side of our brain sits the right amygdala, and it is like our early warning signal about danger coming. It remembers those dangerous scenarios of life, so that we will be kept safe, like a safety net. God didn’t intend for us to live out of this place, but it is designed to keep us out of trouble.
Think of a child who touches a hot stove. The memory of the event is stored here, and it reminds us that it’s not wise to touch a hot stove again, lest we experience pain. In an effort to keep us safe, this part of our brain can actually hijack our imagination screen and put up images of future negative events that have not happened yet. A person who has experienced lots of traumatic experiences can automatically have more negative images come up, because their brain is trying to prevent them from getting hurt again.
One example of this is when I am driving a car. I have had vestibular damage in one of my ears, thus, the motion of driving can make me feel a little dizzy. Sometimes, though, that feeling triggers back to places in my subconscious, where I’ve been dizzy before and bad things have happened. So, for a long period of time, when I was driving, images of the car flipping over or me wrecking the car in some dramatic way flashed across my imagination screen. This isn’t a helpful use of my imagination, because a panic attack ensued directly after.
As I’ve continued to learn more about how I’m wired, I’ve learned how to nurture the other side of my brain, even when driving, which shifts the atmosphere in my brain. Here’s how.
The left side of our brain, where the left amygdala lies, is where we live out of the God-given design. It rewards us by remembering the things that are essential to our design. As God nurtures our design, we respond with love to God. This is where the love is stored in our memories, because it is where our design comes alive, and we find out how we are wired from this place. Love, empathy, compassion – these can be nurtured from this part of our brain, and also can project positive images of a hopeful future and good things happening in our lives.
We can intentionally refocus our brain onto the positive. Like when I’m driving and the negative images come, now I take a deep breath, and out loud say, “Wow, look at that blue sky and those beautiful, white fluffy clouds.” As I do that, I am literally refocusing my brain to operate out of the left amygdala, and as I do, the feelings of the car flipping over fade. My brain has now switched to engaging the left side, that all is safe, and there is something pretty to look at.
I, then, can take it a step further and intentionally remember other blue skies that I’ve experienced before, thus further engaging my amazing imagination.
Occasionally, though there can be some demonic interference, that is the moment to use my authority given to me by Jesus. If that is the case, then shortly after taking authority over those spirits, my mind returns to peace.
A little more science: the amygdala sits on top of the vagal nerve, which signals our body into either a state of peace, fight or flight, or into shut down mode. Interestingly, there are physical ways to actually stimulate the vagal nerve as well to bring us back into a state of calm.
A simple, low tone hum stimulates the vagal nerve and automatically begins to calm the nervous system down.
With the vagal nerve at the top of our spine, the parasympathetic nervous system runs downward to connect the brain to the heart. Let’s look back at the verse, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.”
Well, get this….
Some recent studies…
“The human heart comprises an intrinsic nervous system that has the capacity to modulate short-term and long-term memory functions (Aru et al., 2012). It contains approximately 40,000 neurons, specifically sensory neurites. Sensory neurites are basically specialized nerve fibers throughout the heart which regulate cardiac activity.” – National Library of Medicine
“Emerging studies now suggest that changes in the body can also manipulate our emotions. A sudden heart rate increase, for instance, may generate feelings of anxiety even if no external threat is present.” – Body to Brain Connection: How Our Hearts Influence Our Emotions by William A. Haseltine
“Other studies were suggesting that subconscious memories are stored in the heart. The heart is also directly connected to the vagal nerve, which controls our fight or flight responses.” – Google AI summary
Back to the Proverbs.
“For as he thinks within himself, so is he. He says to you, ‘Eat and drink! But his heart is not with you.” Prov. 23:7
In light of this, this verse, in context, is really talking about the hidden motives going on in a man’s heart. It’s way more than just thoughts going around in our heads.
Growing up in church, that verse had been twisted to mean, be careful what you think, because if you think the wrong thing, you will become evil. So, it had been taught from a place of fear, not love, and taken out of context.
Of course, it is important what we think. In Phil. 4, it talks about not worrying, and then, it goes on to talk about thoughts that are good for us to focus on. “Whatever is pure, lovely, of a good report…think on these things.”
There is just way more going on inside of us than just controlling our thoughts. Even in our own physical heart, subconscious memories reside. There are solid reasons behind why it is important what we nurture, especially in our God-given imagination.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Blossoming Hearts Studio
Featured Image by Jantine Doornbos on Unsplash
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