Morphology sounds like a vast and esoteric topic to be discussed at a medical or possibly philosophical seminar. Morphology sounds important, but what does it mean? The long answer is that it can mean multiple things, dependent upon the field of study in which it is being considered. It can have different meanings in linguistics, biology and medicine, among perhaps many others. Most generally, however, morphology refers to the overall shape of something. Every single "thing" has a specific "morphology.
Although all living things change through growth and development, generally speaking, most of us would likely assume that basic physiological structure or morphology changes very little (excepting of course metamorphic processes such as seen in caterpillars changing to butterflies). I would like to suggest that assumption may be at least somewhat inaccurate. I believe that the physiology of our physical being (our bodies) may be continually changing in response to many factors including environmental, behavioral and even the cognitive/emotional. If this were true, it would have great implications for all of us, almost all of the time.
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.
Eyesight is but one of the manifestations of the effects of strain upon the body. Clearly it has the potential to affect every bodily system to one degree or another. It has long been understood that stress and strain are implicated in maladies as diverse as asthma, obesity, depression, anxiety, heart disease, diabetes, gastrointestinal problems, Alzheimer's disease, chronic inflammation,premature aging and even premature death. It is clear that stress, and the strain-effect upon the body can be linked to changes in the way our bodies function and even in our basic structure (morphology).
How many times do we hear or see something and think to ourselves "wow, I should really look into that," and then do nothing, or allow that thing to simply fade from our consciousness? While this could be "one of those things," it shouldn't. Attending to and mitigating the effects of stress will have real and immediate benefits in our lives.
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.
Although all living things change through growth and development, generally speaking, most of us would likely assume that basic physiological structure or morphology changes very little (excepting of course metamorphic processes such as seen in caterpillars changing to butterflies). I would like to suggest that assumption may be at least somewhat inaccurate. I believe that the physiology of our physical being (our bodies) may be continually changing in response to many factors including environmental, behavioral and even the cognitive/emotional. If this were true, it would have great implications for all of us, almost all of the time.
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.
Eyesight is but one of the manifestations of the effects of strain upon the body. Clearly it has the potential to affect every bodily system to one degree or another. It has long been understood that stress and strain are implicated in maladies as diverse as asthma, obesity, depression, anxiety, heart disease, diabetes, gastrointestinal problems, Alzheimer's disease, chronic inflammation,premature aging and even premature death. It is clear that stress, and the strain-effect upon the body can be linked to changes in the way our bodies function and even in our basic structure (morphology).
How many times do we hear or see something and think to ourselves "wow, I should really look into that," and then do nothing, or allow that thing to simply fade from our consciousness? While this could be "one of those things," it shouldn't. Attending to and mitigating the effects of stress will have real and immediate benefits in our lives.
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.
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For more information about the process of achieving that healing, peaceful state of relaxation please read the article Strain Relief. For those who already find tropical themes relaxing, be sure to check out Tiki Tranquility.
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