I just have to send you this! A portion of each of our lives is inevitably filled with upheaval, heartbreak, and fear. No life is exempt. Whether you lost your car keys, crashed your car, or rode in your car to hospice where you will die in a few weeks, lots of stuff is not the way we hope and causes some kind of pain. We can’t avoid it so we might as well take a little time to find constructive ways to cope. This exercise was a godsend to over 10,000 dying veterans. It taught them a way to hold the fear of death in a place of inner peace. This exercise shows you how to find that brave place inside yourself. And the more you do it, the deeper the relief. You too can find that place inside, that peace inside, no matter what is happening outside of you.

“To allow peace and pain to sit side by side, I practice this Anchoring Heart Technique by Deborah Grassman. A Nurse Practitioner, Deborah worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs Bay Pines VA Healthcare System for 30 years, directing the Hospice & Palliative Care program and caring for 10,000 dying veterans. Her books, Peace at Last: Stories of Hope and Healing for Veterans and The Hero Within: Redeeming the Destiny We were Born to Fulfill, reveal the lessons learned about attaining inner peace, and ironically, these lessons have come from people trained for war.

The technique described below was initially created to help military veterans in hospice care, but is universally effective for anyone wishing to embrace conflicting feelings. How it works: 

1. Place one hand or both hands firmly and tenderly over your heart. Breathe deeply.

2. Feel whatever you are experiencing, even if it’s just for a few seconds. 

3. Be curious about the place inside you that is strong enough to hold your pain without fear. Get to know your BRAVE SPACE.

There is something very powerful and effective about being able to name your tension and embrace it at the same. It really is a very simple and beautiful act of self-compassion. Here’s a link to a 10-minute video that expands on how and why it works. — CD

THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE TECHNIQUE

The Anchoring Heart Technique, popularized by Deborah Grassman, is a mindfulness-based practice designed to help individuals, particularly those dealing with grief, trauma, or stress, center their emotions and regulate their nervous system. Grassman, known for her work in hospice care and veterans' end-of-life experiences, incorporates this method to foster emotional healing.

Here's the science behind it:

1. Heart-Brain Connection: The heart and brain communicate bi-directionally through the vagus nerve, part of the parasympathetic nervous system. When we experience stress, our heart rate increases, and the sympathetic nervous system (responsible for the fight-or-flight response) becomes dominant. The Anchoring Heart Technique aims to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, leading to a state of calm. By focusing on the heart and evoking positive emotions, individuals can influence their heart rate variability (HRV), an indicator of nervous system balance. Higher HRV is associated with improved emotional regulation and resilience to stress.

2. Coherence and Resilience: When practicing the Anchoring Heart Technique, individuals often focus on breathing deeply and bringing their attention to feelings of gratitude, love, or peace. This process helps generate coherence, a harmonious state between the heart, brain, and respiratory system. Coherence improves cognitive function, emotional balance, and physiological resilience, enabling the person to handle challenges more effectively.

3. Neuroplasticity: The brain's ability to rewire itself based on repeated experiences and practices is called neuroplasticity. The Anchoring Heart Technique leverages this principle by training the brain to associate calm, positive emotions with heart-focused attention. Over time, this creates new neural pathways that facilitate a faster return to emotional equilibrium when facing stress or grief.

4. Mindfulness and Emotional Regulation: Similar to other mindfulness practices, this technique encourages non-judgmental awareness of the present moment. By anchoring attention in the heart and fostering positive emotions, the brain shifts from a reactive state to a more reflective, regulated state. This helps reduce the influence of the amygdala (the brain’s fear center) and enhances the prefrontal cortex’s control over emotions, fostering better emotional regulation.

In short, the Anchoring Heart Technique helps balance the nervous system, promote coherence between the heart and brain, and foster emotional resilience through mindfulness and positive emotional focus. 

Source: Dawson, Claudia (2024, September 8). Anchoring Heart Technique