BIOLOGY TO SOCIETY: UNEARTHING THE HUMAN BODY’S STORY THROUGH EPIGENETICS

Our bodies tell our stories. The human body encapsulates all our experiences, thoughts, and memories and stores them in the deepest recesses of our minds, seeping all the way to our genes. These genetic expressions, then, get inherited by our descendants, the body echoing its own story all the way to the future generation.

Epigenetics, by definition, is “the study of changes in organisms caused by modification of gene expression” gained through personal experiences, environmental circumstance, and even internal dialogue. This form of inheritance is not embedded in the DNA but are instead determined by processes prompted by the conditions from which the organism resides — basically altered to adapt to various environmental contexts.

A research conducted by Prof. Dr. Isabelle Mansuy — Professor in Neuroepigenetics at the Medical Faculty of the University Zürich (UZH), and the Department of Health Science and Technology of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zürich (ETHZ) — explored the transgenerational effects of trauma. According to the study, exposure to traumatic and stressful events early in life can lead to dire psychological and behavioral consequences that can span across multiple generations. Low self-esteem, anger, self-destructive behaviors, and anxiety are some of the ways these traumas manifest. The results can be much more complex, but their transmission can be counteracted by Environmental Enrichment.

It is admittedly difficult to change the semi-permanent stressors that we experience every day from wherever we are, but we can try to take control of our own internal environment. A critical feature of epigenetic information is that is can be reversed by improving quality of life through exercise, eating healthy, getting more sleep, spending time with nature; and taking care of our mental health through meditation and mindfulness.

People who have experienced cultural or collective trauma are much more difficult to be disentangled from the effects of depressing, troubling events. Fortunately, it is not impossible.

The noises we experience in our daily life can sometimes be triggering, and one way we can combat this is by practicing inner silence. Being in a state of meditation brings equanimity, leads to increased concentration, and brings relaxation and tranquility — all of which are necessary to achieve environmental enrichment.

Our bodies carry the narratives we go by. We cannot take care of our community and our society if we can barely take care of ourselves. Furthermore, every time we actively alter our inherited collective trauma, we are honoring the experiences of our ancestors while at the same time acknowledging that this generational distress ends with us. Conscientiously practicing various methods of meditation connects us with ourselves, gives us the inner peace we desire, and aids our healing from the inside out.

Transcendental Meditation (TM), Zen meditation, Vipassana, Buddhist meditation, Sudarshan Kriya (SK), Kirtan Kriya (KK) and Pranayama are some of the widely recognized meditation practices that share a common goal of achieving inner silence and non-judgmental awareness. These types of mindfulness practices have been widely studied on a molecular angle as they are seen to influence hormones and neurotransmitters. One report showed that Transcendental Meditation and Zen Meditation decreased cortisol levels and increased the levels of melatonin and serotonin, which are the hormones responsible for rest and relaxation.

Environmental Enhancement, which is necessary to counter the effects of transgenerational trauma, can be achieved when we all have access to education and healthcare. What we can all do now is to take back our narrative and start our journey to recovery.

Athena Wisdom Institute adheres to the call for a consciousness revolution and actively promotes Mindfulness. We offer meditation courses that will help you elevate your consciousness and become more mindful and appreciative of our shared humanity. Sign up now to our courses at athena-center.com to start you journey.

Resources:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01767/fullhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6049026/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7431950/

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