Morphological Changes From Stress
One might wonder why the concept of morphology is a worthy topic of discussion. It sounds ambiguous, and doubtless few understand it well. It can have different meanings dependent upon the field in which it is considered. In linguistics, a "morpheme" is the smallest unit of meaning within a word. In biology, morphology refers to anatomical structure. Generally speaking morphology, has to do with the "shape" of things. If something changes shape, it has changed it's morphology. It has "morphed" in modern parlance.
So if morphology refers to form and structure, and, given that most likely "it is what it is," what difference does it make to any of us, and more specifically to our physiology? I would like to submit to you that I believe morphology is not simply "what it is" (fixed), but rather a characteristic that is ever evolving, positively or negatively. I am not talking about cartoons, but something affecting all of us, all the time, in real life, in deep and meaningful ways.
One might ask, "If morphology is constantly changing, why don't I notice it?" For the answer, we might look to something that, for centuries, has been considered a valuable source of understanding, -the eyes. The eyes, it is said, are the "Windows to the Soul." Through the eyes we might see the nature of an individual. We might see what he truly is. Through the eyes we might also be able get some idea of the relative health of an individual. Certainly it is possible for optometrists and ophthalmologists to identify high blood pressure and other physical maladies simply through examination of the eyes. The eyes might be considered early warning indicators of a variety of physical problems.
It was Ophthalmologist William H. Bates, M.D. in his highly acclaimed book Better Eyesight Without Glasses (1971, Pyramid Books, New York, NY) who noted "Under conditions of mental or physical discomfort, such as pain, cough, fever, discomfort from heat or cold, depression, anger, or anxiety, errors of refraction are always produced in the normal eye or increased in the eye in which they already exist (p.29)." Further, he stated that "It has been demonstrated in thousands of cases that all abnormal action of the external muscles of the eyeball is accompanied by a strain or effort to see, and that with the relief of this strain the action of the muscles becomes normal and all errors of refraction disappear (p. 37)." To paraphrase, it would appear that stress, and the resultant strain that it produces causes, in and of itself, defective eyesight. It changes the morphology of the eye itself and therefore causes errors of refraction.
Further clarifying, Dr. Bates stated that "during sleep the refractive condition of the eye is rarely, if ever, normal(p.28)," and also that if one has eyestrain when awake, "that strain will certainly be continued during sleep(pp.41,42)." So the condition of sleep is not sufficient to restore normal vision. Likewise, many of us may know individuals who claim to be relaxed yet have faulty vision. These appear inconsistent, yet the answer may be very simple. Likely, for most of us, our normal state of rest or relaxation is not the deep and profound state that is necessary.
It would seem that the very structure and operation of the muscles surrounding the eye are changed by negative emotions. Perhaps that is why improvement of eyesight, even with the remarkable methods of Dr. Bates, takes a much longer time for older individuals than it does for younger ones. Maybe as patterns of behavior continue, their effects become more and more rigid. The morphological changes occurring as a result (including faulty vision) may become relatively fixed.
Since we were considering eyesight merely as an example to aid our understanding, it is likely that these same processes are affecting each and every one of us, every day, all the time throughout our entire physical being. To be sure, the notion that stress can affect us physically is anything but new. An enormous list of problems can be associated with stress, including heart disease, diabetes, asthma, obesity, depression, anxiety, gastrointestinal problems, Alzheimer's disease, chronic inflammation, premature aging and even premature death. Many of these would seem to be manifestations of pathological changes in structure of morphology.
This adds import, and even a sense of urgency, to the notion of managing our stress. It is not in the category of "things we all know we should do, but never get around to." It is (or should be) in the category of things to deal with and resolve very, very soon.
Thankfully, achieving a deep and profoundly relaxed state is not an unattainable goal. It is not hard to "do." Ironically, it is actually about the absence of "doing," mentally speaking. While this is antithetical to our typical way of thinking (charging forward, multitasking and "getting things done"), it is essential for restoring us and counteracting the effects that stress would inflict upon us daily.
Having just made the statement that this is not hard to do, I will admit that it is something that many find elusive. Perhaps it is in the way in which we've been programmed over time. Perhaps it relates to the values we hold. Perhaps over time, we have been gradually "rewired" to stay busy and shun inactivity as useless, slothful and morally inferior. Whatever the reason, it will require that many of us change our thinking.
As most people know, our society is "information rich," and finding sources for information on relaxation and meditation should be quite easy. You will find that as you use these techniques (even if you start out believing you are doing them wrong) you will improve and find even greater levels of relaxation and peace.
So if morphology refers to form and structure, and, given that most likely "it is what it is," what difference does it make to any of us, and more specifically to our physiology? I would like to submit to you that I believe morphology is not simply "what it is" (fixed), but rather a characteristic that is ever evolving, positively or negatively. I am not talking about cartoons, but something affecting all of us, all the time, in real life, in deep and meaningful ways.
One might ask, "If morphology is constantly changing, why don't I notice it?" For the answer, we might look to something that, for centuries, has been considered a valuable source of understanding, -the eyes. The eyes, it is said, are the "Windows to the Soul." Through the eyes we might see the nature of an individual. We might see what he truly is. Through the eyes we might also be able get some idea of the relative health of an individual. Certainly it is possible for optometrists and ophthalmologists to identify high blood pressure and other physical maladies simply through examination of the eyes. The eyes might be considered early warning indicators of a variety of physical problems.
It was Ophthalmologist William H. Bates, M.D. in his highly acclaimed book Better Eyesight Without Glasses (1971, Pyramid Books, New York, NY) who noted "Under conditions of mental or physical discomfort, such as pain, cough, fever, discomfort from heat or cold, depression, anger, or anxiety, errors of refraction are always produced in the normal eye or increased in the eye in which they already exist (p.29)." Further, he stated that "It has been demonstrated in thousands of cases that all abnormal action of the external muscles of the eyeball is accompanied by a strain or effort to see, and that with the relief of this strain the action of the muscles becomes normal and all errors of refraction disappear (p. 37)." To paraphrase, it would appear that stress, and the resultant strain that it produces causes, in and of itself, defective eyesight. It changes the morphology of the eye itself and therefore causes errors of refraction.
Further clarifying, Dr. Bates stated that "during sleep the refractive condition of the eye is rarely, if ever, normal(p.28)," and also that if one has eyestrain when awake, "that strain will certainly be continued during sleep(pp.41,42)." So the condition of sleep is not sufficient to restore normal vision. Likewise, many of us may know individuals who claim to be relaxed yet have faulty vision. These appear inconsistent, yet the answer may be very simple. Likely, for most of us, our normal state of rest or relaxation is not the deep and profound state that is necessary.
It would seem that the very structure and operation of the muscles surrounding the eye are changed by negative emotions. Perhaps that is why improvement of eyesight, even with the remarkable methods of Dr. Bates, takes a much longer time for older individuals than it does for younger ones. Maybe as patterns of behavior continue, their effects become more and more rigid. The morphological changes occurring as a result (including faulty vision) may become relatively fixed.
Since we were considering eyesight merely as an example to aid our understanding, it is likely that these same processes are affecting each and every one of us, every day, all the time throughout our entire physical being. To be sure, the notion that stress can affect us physically is anything but new. An enormous list of problems can be associated with stress, including heart disease, diabetes, asthma, obesity, depression, anxiety, gastrointestinal problems, Alzheimer's disease, chronic inflammation, premature aging and even premature death. Many of these would seem to be manifestations of pathological changes in structure of morphology.
This adds import, and even a sense of urgency, to the notion of managing our stress. It is not in the category of "things we all know we should do, but never get around to." It is (or should be) in the category of things to deal with and resolve very, very soon.
Thankfully, achieving a deep and profoundly relaxed state is not an unattainable goal. It is not hard to "do." Ironically, it is actually about the absence of "doing," mentally speaking. While this is antithetical to our typical way of thinking (charging forward, multitasking and "getting things done"), it is essential for restoring us and counteracting the effects that stress would inflict upon us daily.
Having just made the statement that this is not hard to do, I will admit that it is something that many find elusive. Perhaps it is in the way in which we've been programmed over time. Perhaps it relates to the values we hold. Perhaps over time, we have been gradually "rewired" to stay busy and shun inactivity as useless, slothful and morally inferior. Whatever the reason, it will require that many of us change our thinking.
As most people know, our society is "information rich," and finding sources for information on relaxation and meditation should be quite easy. You will find that as you use these techniques (even if you start out believing you are doing them wrong) you will improve and find even greater levels of relaxation and peace.
About the Author:
For more information about the process of achieving that healing, peaceful state of relaxation please read the article Strain Relief. To enhance the process with an air of the South Seas, be sure to check out Tiki Tranquility.
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