As I was preparing for my Accessing Intuition class today I came across this article about how a mother’s love affects a child’s brain development. We hear a lot about the transformative power of love. Not often do we see it documented so clearly. In this study in the proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers observed mothers helping their children deal with moderately stressful tasks intended to mimic the stresses of parenting in daily life.
When tested several years later, the children of mothers who displayed more nurturing behavior ultimately had larger hippocampi. The hippocampus is the part of the brain responsible for memory and spatial function among other things. Having a smaller hippocampus can put one at risk for Alzheimers, some mental disorders, and creates a higher vulnerability to stress.
It’s common sense that a loving parent can help a child feel safe and healthy in the world. Studies have shown that the experience of romantic love and long term partnerships have a variety of health benefits, such as decreased blood pressure, stress, and a longer life span. I hope a precedent has been set and we’ll see more studies that explore the effects of different kinds of love on health and healing. In the meanwhile, we can experiment ourselves!
We can show more nurturing and love to ourselves, to our family and friends, to our clients and coworkers, our gardens, our waters, our Earth and see what happens. It’s not just the hippocampus that’s affected by love. Each time we choose to be loving (kind, compassionate, patient and other variants of the vibration of love) we affect our own bodies (both physical and energetic), those around us, and the space we are in.
Wishing you a peaceful heart and some extra love today,
Mara