We have often heard the phrase, "Well you can't change your genes"

Or, "That's just the way I was born, nothing I can do about it."

It seems like common knowledge to think that there are some diseases that are caused by "genetic factors"; as if to imply that those who become sick are just "really unlucky."

Many research studies and reports claim that a great majority of our behavior, health, and even our personality, is pre-determined by the genes we received at birth from our parents.

The whole notion of us "being powerless to change our genes" leads many people to hold resentment towards their parents (and possibly God too).

They may ask "Why me?" or say "Life isn't fair."

The entire reality is one of disempowerment…one of being a victim who is subject to what happens to them.

Every once in a while, though, someone comes along and challenges these long-standing paradigms of reality.

Someone who asks questions like, "What if everything we thought we knew was wrong?"  "What if our genetic makeup is not set in stone?"  Better yet, "What if there is actually something higher than our genes, something that has the power to change them?"

In the early 1980's, a cellular biologist named Bruce Lipton was doing research on human tissue cells at the University of Wisconsin.  

He would take cells out of people and put them into culture dishes to study them.

During his work, he came upon some startling realizations that shook his entire scientific reality when it came how a cell functioned and the role of the environment in determining that cell's behavior.

For one thing, he discovered that it was the cell's perception of its environment (not the genes), that ultimately controlled a cell.  

So for example, when a cell perceived danger in its environment, it would alter its genes in a certain way to get away from that danger.  

Although the genes controlled behavior, the cell's perception of its environment controlled the genes.

Bruce Lipton calls this "Epi-Genetic Control" which means "Control above the gene."

To see a full lecture, see the video below:

Bruce Lipton The New Biology

Basically, a cell will monitor its environment for changes and, based on it's perception of the environment (it's beliefs), the cell will modify it's genetics to have the best chance at surviving.

It makes sense.  The cell receives information about the environment and then changes its genes so that it is capable of thriving in that environment.  

So we see that evolution is taking place in every moment. 

The old scientific belief implied that evolution happened primarily through the process of reproduction (in which an organism passed on its genes to its offspring ) in concepts such as Natural Selection and Survival of the Fittest.

This "New Biology" shows us that at any moment in time, we actually have the capability of changing our genes to meet our environment.  

In fact, not only do we have the capability, we are already doing it.

We have all heard about the process of cancer and how cells have "mutated" to become harmful and destructive to the body.

Could this have something to do with our perception of our environment (ie, our beliefs)?

If our cells are changing in response to the world we see out there, then what happens when we only see a bad world? 

What happens when we watch the bad news all day, or are engrossed in reality-show bickering, or hang around negative people?

Remember, our genes change, not in response to the world, but to our perception of it.

If we see a world that is dangerous and threatening, then our genes will change to meet that world: 

Our body will focus all its energy on short-term survival; blood will be directed to our muscles, our adrenal glands will be burning our energy reserves, our immune system will shut down, and we will have less rational thinking capability and more emotional-instinctual brain function.

If we see a world that is safe and peaceful, then our genes will change to meet that world: 

Our body will focus all its energy on long-term survival; blood will be directed to our organs, our brain will release endorphins, our immune system will be ramped up, and we will have more rational thinking capability and less emotional-instinctual brain function.

I don't know about you, but I like that second option.

When we realize that our perception actually change us on a physical level, wouldn't it make to sense to consciously choose who and what we give our attention to?

Also, it's not just the world that we see in front of us, this includes the world that we see when we look at our past.

Do you know the role of emotions in keeping us alive?  

Emotions evolved as a way to help us survive.  During an experience in which we perceive danger, our emotions imprint a memory in our mind.  

This means that if we were eating berries by the river and a giant lion came to attack us, we would emotionally remember everything that was happening at the moment; what we were eating, what we were touching, what time of day it was, and so on.  

That way, the next time we were in that situation, our emotion would alert us of a possible reoccurrence of that danger.  

In this way, traumatic events imprint memories and emotions into our mind in an effort to help us survive.

The problem with emotions, is that they can be triggered at random times and throw our system into survival mode even if we aren't really in danger.

So if we have many traumatic emotional experiences from our past, then we may be triggered by these memories and react as if they are still happening to us.  

We see a dangerous world because we have emotional experiences that alter our perception.

We can see how important it is to both, consciously monitor what we are giving our attention to, and let go of old painful emotional experiences.

How do we do that?

It's actually not that hard to do.  Within the last decade or so, many new breakthrough "emotional technologies" have come out that allow us to rapidly process and release traumatic experiences and reprogram our mind and emotions.  

Two very powerful emotional technologies are the Emotional Freedom Technique and the Tapas Acupressure Technique. 

There are even programs like Holosync that help you to enhance your brain so that it becomes wired for peace and relaxation (rather than fear and stress).

I know these processes work because I've used them for the past several years and have witnessed dramatic changes in my quality of life and my relationships.  

When we really get it that we have the power to change our world, it actually becomes fun…who would have thought?

So reflect, for a moment, on yourself.  

What would you like to change in your life?  

What part of your body would you like to heal?

What kind of world would you like to live in?

You can apply these ideas and techniques to literally create anything you want.  

So what are you waiting for?  Give it a shot!

For me, I often learn things best when I have a very thorough understanding of the science behind a new breakthrough.

So if you'd a more in depth recap of exactly how Bruce Lipton came to these discovers, check out his audio program The Wisdom of Your Cells.

This program covers concepts such as:

•Why cells respond to energetic signals over a 100 times faster than chemical signals (and why this understanding shows, scientifically, why prayers and energy healing can create "sudden and profound" healing).

•Why the Nucleus of a cell is NOT the brain of a cell (and why this understanding totally changes everything we know about keeping our body healthy).

• How the Placebo Effect works (and how you can use it to your advantage in creating optimum health)

• How the Nocebo Effect works (and why not knowing about it can lead to disastrous health results).

This is definitely one of the foundational programs to learn and apply in your own life.  Check it out here.