PHILOSOPHY JOURNAL

by Valerie Pennacchio, D.C., '90

Article 5 "The feeling of awe and sense of wonder arise from the recognition of the deep mystery that surrounds us everywhere, and this feeling deepens as our knowledge grows."      - Anagarika Govinda

To gain a more concrete understanding of the process of human form and function, the philosophy of chiropractic offers a philosophical model to explain our physiology in the form of the simple cycle, traditionally called the simple safety pin cycle. In a previous Philosophy Journal we explored the first three of the six steps of the simple cycle -- the efferent side. This time we'll focus on the afferent side.

To briefly recap, there are two sides to the simple cycle -- the efferent side, which is considered the side of control, and the afferent side, which is considered the side of awareness. There are three steps on each side: the efferent side has creation, transmission and expression, and the afferent side has impression, transmission and interpretation. There are two realms: the mental realm and the physical realm.

The afferent side of the safety pin cycle begins with the impression of the expression of the mental impulse and the environment (step 4). Webster defines impression as "an effect of alteration." As we noted previously, the informational component of the mental impulse affects the vibration/tone of the target tissue cell resulting in coordinated function (step 3). That alteration in the vibration/tone of the tissue cell leaves an impression and also affects the environment surrounding the target tissue cell.

An example of this is when someone slaps a tabletop during a presentation and you, the listener, receive an impression of that action. The molecular vibration of the table is affected when slapped. In fact, the movement of the molecules of the table is increased and the movements of the air molecules around the table increase as well.

That increase affects your tympanic membrane in such a way that is translated as sound. Thus you receive an impression of the smacked table, and your focus on the message being presented might even be increased, which may have been the intent of the speaker.

Using an example in the body, when the heart muscle contracts, the heart's environment receives an impression of that contraction or vibrational shift. Nothing in the body happens independently; all the tissue cells are "aware" of any change in movement of any cell. Once the intended message gets to its intended destination (tissue cell) and the intended function takes place (step 3), there's an impression of that expression as well as its effect on the area (step 4). Then all the vibrational shifts of all the cells are transmitted from the physical realm to the mental realm.

Remember, the mental realm is the term used for the spirit/immaterial realm, the realm of organizing intelligence. This transmission (step 5) is not over a physical nerve, but rather is a reflection, if you will, of that alteration in the movement of the tissue cells. Once this transmission "reaches" the mental realm, an interpretation takes place (step 6). The interpretation of the complete collection of all the movement changes that have just taken place (and continue to take place) results in the awareness of the new situation at the tissue cell that has a new set of needs.

At this time the cycle starts over again with a creation of a mental impulse (step 1). This mental impulse is created out of the need that has been determined from the tissue cells' state/situation at that moment. Thus the mental impulse is carrying adaptive information pertinent to the current situation.

Let's go back to my example of the heart. If I decided to sprint from a stationary position, the need for more oxygen gets to the mental realm where a mental impulse is created, carrying the perfect adaptive information to my heart. The result is that my heart beats a bit faster during the sprint and then slows down when the sprinting episode is over.

Once again I am in awe at the magnificence of the process. I never doubt that there is an immaterial force coordinating, integrating and expressing through living matter ... through all matter.

The German philosopher and mathematician G.W. Von Leibnitz says it this way: "The world is NOT a machine. Everything in it is force, life, thought."

Read Article 6  in this series

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