Stress Can Change Your Body Morphology

What is morphology, and why is it worthy of our consideration? Morphology, according the dictionary (that old book, gathering dust on the shelf that we never seem to use anymore) can have different meanings depending upon its use in linguistics, biology or other scientific endeavors. Generally, however, morphology refers "form" and "structure." It relates to the shape of things, considered as a whole. When superheroes or characters from animated productions (cartoons) talk about "morphing" they are talking about changing shape. I, for one, would like to improve my morphology.

So if morphology refers to form and structure, and, given that most likely "it is what it is," what difference does it make to any of us, and more specifically to our physiology? I would like to submit to you that I believe morphology is not simply "what it is" (fixed), but rather a characteristic that is ever evolving, positively or negatively. I am not talking about cartoons, but something affecting all of us, all the time, in real life, in deep and meaningful ways.

If, indeed, it were true that morphology is changing all the time, why wouldn't it be obvious? Why does it not become plain that things are always changing, at least to some degree? We may gain some insight through consideration of those things which for centuries have been considered "the windows to the Soul," -the eyes. The eyes of an individual can tell us many things, not the least of which has to do with his physical health. Ophthalmologists are able to detect high blood pressure and other conditions through eye examination. The eyes, it seems, may show first signs of morphological changes.

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.

Perhaps with time and repetition the effects of emotional negativity become ingrained physiological responses, affecting not only musculature but the way the physical structure operates (physiology). That would explain why Dr. Bates noted that treatment and remediation of eyesight in older patients invariably takes longer than it does for younger ones. Response patterns in younger individuals have not become so established and therefore resistant to change.

Since we were considering eyesight merely as an example to aid our understanding, it is likely that these same processes are affecting each and every one of us, every day, all the time throughout our entire physical being. To be sure, the notion that stress can affect us physically is anything but new. An enormous list of problems can be associated with stress, including heart disease, diabetes, asthma, obesity, depression, anxiety, gastrointestinal problems, Alzheimer's disease, chronic inflammation, premature aging and even premature death. Many of these would seem to be manifestations of pathological changes in structure of morphology.

This adds import, and even a sense of urgency, to the notion of managing our stress. It is not in the category of "things we all know we should do, but never get around to." It is (or should be) in the category of things to deal with and resolve very, very soon.

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.

While the point was just made that this process is not difficult, I will admit it is something which many have found far from easy. It may be because of our past associations, our training or our value systems, but for many it seems just out of reach. The concept of "letting go" may seem like "doing nothing," to some, and is therefore useless, selfish and unproductive. In a sense, we must change our way of thinking to accept that accessing this state of relaxation is perhaps one of the best things we can do for ourselves.

There are a multitude of sources for information about accessing this level of peace and quietude, in print, over the internet and likely even in our own communities. Please avail yourself of those resources and get started. It doesn't matter how "well" you do at them, just start to use them and make them habitual. They will improve your life.