One might wonder why the concept of morphology is a worthy topic of discussion. It sounds ambiguous, and doubtless few understand it well. It can have different meanings dependent upon the field in which it is considered. In linguistics, a "morpheme" is the smallest unit of meaning within a word. In biology, morphology refers to anatomical structure. Generally speaking morphology, has to do with the "shape" of things. If something changes shape, it has changed it's morphology. It has "morphed" in modern parlance.
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.
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 has been suggested that mental struggles, among many other things, can actually have a deleterious effect upon the musculature surrounding the eye, and therefore eyesight. William H. Bates, M.D., in a book entitled "Better Eyesight Without Glasses" (1971, Pyramid Books, New York, NY) stated "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)." He went on to state "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)." This suggests that the way in which strain negatively impacts the eye is through a change in the form and function of the eye muscles; it changes their morphology.
Yet, one might ask, why is it that all of us, when we return to a normal restful state, do not have perfectly normal vision? Why is it that after a full night's sleep everyone's vision is not returned to normal? Dr. Bates informs us that "During sleep the refractive condition of the eye is rarely, if ever, normal (p. 28)," and that if our eyes are under a strain when we are awake, "that strain will certainly be continued during sleep, (pp. 41, 42)." Further, most of us would agree that we all know individuals who, even though ostensibly relaxed, have vision problems.
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.
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.
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.
It is a very good thing that counteracting the strain inflicted upon us all is not an impossible task. It is not out of reach or impossible to do. It simply requires the intention to do it, and allowing it to happen. In fact, the more effort we put into it, and the more we attempt to "force" ourselves to do it, the less attainable it will be. While this is a little backward in our society today, simply letting go and allowing ourselves the opportunity to experience peace, with no overtones of "should" or "must" or "have-to" will begin the process easily.
When advocating the important benefits of this relaxed and peaceful state, I have noticed that many (having been once informed) will state that they "just didn't get around to it," or "didn't have time." More than likely, I'm guessing that these are simply statements of avoidance. There can be many factors fueling avoidance such as "am I doing it right," "is it working the way it is supposed to," "will this really work for me?" While those may be legitimate concerns, focusing upon them actually works counter to the process. They short circuit it!
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.
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.
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 has been suggested that mental struggles, among many other things, can actually have a deleterious effect upon the musculature surrounding the eye, and therefore eyesight. William H. Bates, M.D., in a book entitled "Better Eyesight Without Glasses" (1971, Pyramid Books, New York, NY) stated "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)." He went on to state "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)." This suggests that the way in which strain negatively impacts the eye is through a change in the form and function of the eye muscles; it changes their morphology.
Yet, one might ask, why is it that all of us, when we return to a normal restful state, do not have perfectly normal vision? Why is it that after a full night's sleep everyone's vision is not returned to normal? Dr. Bates informs us that "During sleep the refractive condition of the eye is rarely, if ever, normal (p. 28)," and that if our eyes are under a strain when we are awake, "that strain will certainly be continued during sleep, (pp. 41, 42)." Further, most of us would agree that we all know individuals who, even though ostensibly relaxed, have vision problems.
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.
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.
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.
It is a very good thing that counteracting the strain inflicted upon us all is not an impossible task. It is not out of reach or impossible to do. It simply requires the intention to do it, and allowing it to happen. In fact, the more effort we put into it, and the more we attempt to "force" ourselves to do it, the less attainable it will be. While this is a little backward in our society today, simply letting go and allowing ourselves the opportunity to experience peace, with no overtones of "should" or "must" or "have-to" will begin the process easily.
When advocating the important benefits of this relaxed and peaceful state, I have noticed that many (having been once informed) will state that they "just didn't get around to it," or "didn't have time." More than likely, I'm guessing that these are simply statements of avoidance. There can be many factors fueling avoidance such as "am I doing it right," "is it working the way it is supposed to," "will this really work for me?" While those may be legitimate concerns, focusing upon them actually works counter to the process. They short circuit it!
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.
About the Author:
For more information about the process of establishing a new, more healthy baseline of relaxation please read the article Strain Relief. To give the process a tropical twist, be sure to check out Tiki Tranquility.
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