Coherence: Where Calm Meets Clarity

Jae Silver
Jun 13
4 min read

The Science of Intuition: What Heart Coherence Taught Me

One of the themes I write about in the Weight of Light series is the concept of coherence. In this fictional novel series, the main character learns how to calm his body and mind through focusing on his heart, using intentional breathing and eliciting a positive emotional state. His character is generally relaxed and intuitive, despite the challenges he faces in the story. But this post isn’t fiction.

Coherence is real. Very real. I’ve experienced it for myself.

My Journey with HeartMath

I’ve always considered myself a rather creative, intuitive person. Even as a child (and perhaps, more naturally as a child) I felt guided by a strong inner voice. An inner sense. One that I could never really put into words.

But I also have a very analytical side. A curious, science-loving side. The older I got, the more this side of me dominated my thinking and actions. I’d been successful, launching myself into a career as a “creative technologist.” I’d found success in balancing my love of research and technology with my creative skills, and eventually I found myself in a senior leadership role at a very large global company.

On paper, I had every reason to be happy. But it didn’t sit right with me—with that inner voice that was barely audible to me in my busy professional life. I had a cognitive dissonance that started out small and nagging, but over the years gradually grew into a crescendo. Before long, I had full-blown anxiety. At first, only at work. Then, before and after work. Then on weekends. Then it was just a part of me.

So, I set out on a quest to “resolve” my ridiculous and unexplainable anxiety. (Since then, I’ve realized my anxiety was neither ridiculous nor unexplainable.) I scoured the internet for articles, I read self-help books, I took personal-growth courses, I tried to meditate (“tried” being the key word there—more on that in another post.) But nothing worked. And by this time, I was beginning to experience full-blown panic attacks at work.

Then, by some divine guidance, I stumbled upon a video online by an organization called HeartMath. The video was about how to manage stress through personal coherence. The message was presented by Rollin McCraty, Ph.D. A scientist and Research Director at HeartMath Institute.

You can watch the video here: https://www.heartmath.org/resources/videos/personal-coherence/

The information was scientific. Tangible. Rooted in hard research. This was something I could get behind. It had piqued my curiosity.

And better yet…as I went down the rabbit hole, learning about heart coherence, I realized that the benefits of achieving this state not only might help me manage my stress levels, but it also put into articulate words, an explanation for why I felt so much inner turmoil in the first place. It explained intuition.

And hey… I remembered intuition! That inner voice I used to have. The one I learned to block out. The one I clearly needed to learn how to tune into once again.

But how? I wasn’t good at meditating. Physically, my nervous system was far too dysregulated, and mentally, I was too consumed by my fast-paced schedule to bother with anything “woo-woo.”

That was another thing that drew me to the HeartMath practices. They offered simple techniques that I could do. Anyone can do. In the moment. Right when you need it.

I didn’t have to meditate. With intentional breathing and focus on feelings of appreciation, I learned how to achieve a state of coherence—a state of calm—that was rooted in physiology. And it worked.

I began to practice HeartMath techniques daily. On the way to work, at work, at home…I even completed a course and obtained one of their certifications. One thing is for sure—it helped me curb my anxiety. I can recall at least a handful of times when I actively brought myself out of a simmering panic attack at the office by remembering and applying what I learned about coherence.

But there was something else, too. As I got better at achieving my own personal heart coherence, I discovered that my intuition was clearer. That internal sense of guidance I’d been missing…was louder. And it was becoming obvious to me that I was misaligned in my career. This is not to say my job was bad. It was actually quite a good job. But my internal voice pushed me in a different direction. If you’d like to read more about that, check out my companion post in the Spirit of Light about Intuition.

The Science Behind Coherence

The point is, there is a real physiological state of heart coherence that also impacts our psychological state. And we can learn to master it. It won’t eliminate life’s challenges. It’s not going to cure all of our woes. But what it can do is increase our personal resilience so that we are better equipped to handle these times in our life.

When we practice creating positive emotions, and learn how to remain in that state, paired with intentional breathing, we can actually shift our body into a measurable state. In this coherent state, our heart rhythm displays a smooth pattern, and our automatic nervous system shifts towards parasympathetic activity. (This is commonly referred to as the “rest and digest” state.) Our blood pressure, our brain…and consequentially our emotional state all balance in accordance to these shifts in heart rhythm. This provides us with more mental clarity, deeper access to intuition, and an ability to experience the source of guidance within.

Mind, body and spirit are connected in many ways—some which we can prove.

Coherence is one. If you like to learn more about the science of HeartMath, this is a great place to start!

Take care,

Jae

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