How Gratitude Changes Your DNA & The Cosmos

And in the midst of everything be always giving thanks,
for this is God’s perfect plan for you in Christ Jesus.
-I Thessalonians 5:18, TPT

Since it’s Thanksgiving, I thought I’d take a break from the “Living Out Of Heaven” series and, of course, talk about gratitude. I mean, that’s what we do this time of year, right?

Let’s admit it. We all know that we are “supposed” to be thankful. It’s the right thing to do. And God even tells us to. In the Bible. But let’s be honest. Sometimes we hear the truth and, by neglecting to do it, become desensitized. Our hearts become hardened to the point we no longer think about the fact that we’re actually being disobedient. It’s the little things. We’re not being disobedient on purpose… just forgetting. Maybe we get caught up in the cares of life and forget that we’re supposed to be proactively governing our lives from heaven to earth. And that means being grateful… always… no matter what… on purpose.

So, to help break through the over-familiarity, I thought I’d show you, from a scientific perspective, how gratitude literally changes your DNA, as well as the world around you. I love when science confirms what we already know from the word of God!

The HeartMath Institute did a fascinating experiment, which was documented in a paper entitled, “Local and Non-Local Effects of Coherent Heart Frequencies on Conformational Changes of DNA.” In this experiment, some human placenta DNA (the most pristine form of DNA) was placed in a container where scientists could measure changes in the DNA. Twenty-eight researchers were each given a vial of the DNA. When the researchers felt gratitude, love and appreciation, the DNA responded by relaxing. The strands unwound and the lengths of the DNA became longer. When the researchers felt anger, fear, frustration, or stress, the DNA responded by tightening up and becoming shorter and actually switched off some of its coding! The good news is that the damage of the shutdown DNA codes was reversed when the researchers again began feeling positive emotions of love, joy and gratitude.  

“The DNA Phantom Effect,” was an experiment conducted by Dr. Vladimir Poponin, a quantum biologist. In this experiment, scientists created a vacuum within a container and observed light photons (particles of light) inside. As was expected, their natural distribution within the container was completely random. Then, human DNA was placed in the container with the photons, and the photons immediately left their random pattern and began precisely aligning with the geometry of the DNA. The physical DNA aligned the non-physical photons! Even after the DNA was removed from the container, the photons remained where the DNA had been, raising the question, “What are the light particles connected to?” The scientists concluded that human DNA literally shapes the behavior of light photons, which make up the world around us!

Another key experiment was performed by the U.S. military. In this experiment, white blood cells were collected from donors and placed into chambers where researchers could measure their electrical changes. The donor and the DNA were placed in different rooms within the same building, then the donor was subjected to emotional stimulation in the form of video clips. When the equipment showed that the donor was experiencing emotional peaks and valleys, the DNA exhibited exactly the same responses at exactly the same time. There was no lag time, nor was there any transmission time. The scientists wanted to see how far away they could separate the test subject from his DNA and still see the same results. They stopped testing after separating them by 50 miles, still with the same result! The fact that there was no lag time revealed that the donor and the DNA were able to communicate in a way that is not affected by time or distance. 

When we put the results of all three experiments together, we see that if our emotions effect our DNA and our DNA influences the material world around us, then our emotions literally, physically shape our world. And not just that… we are connected to our DNA beyond the confines of space and time! We create tangible, physical reality by choosing it with our feelings!

Now, are you inspired and motivated to make a conscious effort to offer Him that precious gift of gratitude, not just today but everyday? Get creative with ways to incorporate tiny moments of gratitude into your daily life on a consistent basis. You could set an alarm to go off each morning or leave a note by your bed that you will see each night, reminding yourself to say “thank You” to the One who has given us all things and sustains us with His Ruach – His breath of life.

And speaking of gratitude… Thank you for being part of my crazy, wonderful God- journey. I am thankful for each one of you.

-Virginia

*DNA experiment report by Greg Braden