CELLULAR MEMORY
by Jacquelyn Small, Eupsychia Institute
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The
mind isn't the only place where our memories are stored.
Besides the "thinking" kind of remembering,
Cellular Memory is also available to us. This means that
at the basic physical level of a single cell, our bodies
hold onto experiences that later affect us. Our bodies reflect our uncomfortable feelings by giving us spontaneous "startle" reactions, aches and pains, which will become disease if we ignore the earlier signals. And even when it doesn't come to physical impairment, cellular memory affects the way we perform routine tasks and react to times of stress and emotional trauma in our current situations. Perhaps the earliest instance of cellular memory is BIRTH EXPERIENCE IMPRINTING, in which the actual conditions surrounding the birth process leave a record on the infant's psyche. This sets up a pattern or style of reaction to major life changes in the future. We usually are not conscious of these reactivities; we are simply at their mercy. An example of birth experience imprinting is in Caesarian section deliveries. It is typical for people who were born this way to unconsciously feel they've missed something. Because they were simply lifted out, they tend to have an exceptionally strong need to do things for themselves, and to "make it through," thereby compensating for the early incomplete experience. Another type of birth experience imprinting is when the mother has been anesthetized. It's as if the baby is knocked unconscious, and is never aware of a "conclusion." Later in life, each new pivotal situation is likely to cause a similar reaction, with the person feeling "foggy" and helplessly confused. It may bring real grogginess in the face of choices, when appropriate action is called for. An entirely different way of understanding cellular memory relates to DIETING. Sometimes, after a certain amount of weight is lost, the loss suddenly stops. No matter how well the prescribed eating pattern is followed, no more weight comes off. This is called "plateauing." It happens when the dieter reaches a particular weight at which the body was comfortable at some point in the past. It remembers the weight level as a familiar condition, and chooses to stay at this plateau until jogged into action again by a new food pattern. Memories of repressed childhood traumas, physical and emotional, are stored in cellular memory. Nothing we ever experience escapes the notice of our basic organisms. The great benefit of cellular memory is that it comes to the fore to take care of us when activated. The pitfall, of course, is that these old wounds, if not healed, can limit our freedom, and can even cause physical disease. We can't rely on intellect alone to get us over a painful experience because the memories may be stuck–not in the mind, but–in the physical body. We heal by letting the body do its work in conjunction with Spirit, when the ego's intellect drops its tendency to be judgmental, and steps aside. The body knows how to heal itself when we get out of its way. [excerpts from RISING TO THE CALL, pg. 51-53] |
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