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Inherited Memories In Organ Transplant Recipients
What is "Cellular Memory"?
"Cellular memory" is a theory that states the brain is not the only organ that stores memories or personality traits, that memory as a process can form in other systems in the body and can be stored in organs such as the heart. This theory is not new. Imaginative fiction writers probably were writing about the concept as early as the 1800's, long before transplants of anything were even considered plausible. Perhaps it was Maurice Renard's Les Mains d'Orlac that popularized the idea for the first time. In the story a pianist looses his hands and a killer's hands are transplanted in their place. Of course the story has been spoofed and remade so many times in our own culture there's scarcely anyone that doesn't know how the story ends, with the killer's hands possessing the main character to kill. This is an extreme and over simplified version of what cellular memory could be. In our modern culture where organ transplants are being done daily we have yet to come up with a case such as the abovementioned but we have stumbled onto some pretty strange coincidences. First studied in heart transplant recipients Cellular Memory was noted when upon waking up from surgery patients would display a strange change in tastes, opinions, cravings, and other mild personality changes. Could it be the organs given to them had some part of the donor's memory left within it?
Do different organs have their own souls?
Modern Examples
Most examples of cellular memory in transplant patients are recorded by scientists doing studies, with the aid of a hospital system that forbids the transplantee to know or speak to the donor's family. Because of this most of the cases are written of without the use of names, leaving these patients stories at large but still in obscurity.
One of the few cases we know the patient's name was a woman called Claire Sylvia who received a heart and lung transplant in the 1970's from an eighteen year old male donor who had been in a motorcycle accident. None of this information was known to Sylvia, who upon waking up claimed she had a new and intense craving for beer, chicken nuggets, and green peppers, all food she didn't enjoy prior to the surgery. A change in food preferences is probably the most noted in heart transplant patients. Sylvia wrote a book about her experiences after learning the identity of her donor called A Change of Heart.
Other documented cases have ben perplexing and sometimes extreme. A 47 year old man receiving a heart from a 17 year old black boy suddenly picked up an intense fondness for classical music. The boy whose heart had been donated was killed in a drive-by shooting, still clutching his violin case in his hands. A 47 year old transplant patient claimed that his new heart was responsible for a sudden onset of eating disorders, heralded from the heart's previous owner, a 14 year old girl. Once a change in sexual orientation was even documented in a twenty seven year old lesbian who soon after getting a new heart settled down and married a man.
The most stunning example of cellular memory was found in an eight year old girl who received the heart of a ten year old girl. The recipient was plagued after surgery with vivid nightmares about an attacker and a girl being murdered. After being brought to a psychiatrist her nightmares proved to be so vivid and real that the psychiatrist believed them to be genuine memories. As it turns out the ten year old whose heart she had just received was murdered and due to the recipients violent reoccurring dreams she was able to describe the events of that horrible encounter and the murderer so well that police soon apprehended, arrested, and convicted the killer.
Other common quirks recorded have been changes in attitude, temperament, vocabulary, patience levels, philosophies, and tastes in food and music. The phenomena has just recently been put into studies. The most notable of which was Dr Paul Peasall's questioning of 150 heart transplant patients which was published in Near-Death Studies magazine in 2002 entitled "Changes in Heart Transplant Recipients That Parallel the Personalities of Their Donors" from which the aforementioned cases are mostly from.
Dr Gary E. R. Schwartz, Dr Paul Pearsall and Dr Linda Russek, some of the researchers about the phenomena
How "Cellular Memory" Might Work
It is thought that cellular memory might be possible since the discovery that neuropeptides exist not only in the brain as once thought but in all the tissues of the body. These neuropeptides are a way for the brain to "speak" to other bodily organs and for the organs to rely information back. However it is unknown if these newly found circuits could indeed store memories as the brain does in different organs. Due to the amount of peptides in the heart this organ is seen to have special potential in the study of this phenomena. However many answers still remain. Why don't all transplant recipients have these experiences? It's been theorized this may be due to the fact not all of them are in tune with their body as some other individuals may be. Perhaps the explanation lies with the sensitivity of the individual.
Alternate Theories
- The Hospital Grapevine Theory: The hospital grapevine theory is the simplest alternate explanation, stating that patients may be influenced due to information they hear from nurses talking to each other or their surgeons while they are under anesthesia. Although it's forbidden to tell a transplant recipients the identity of the donor or any personal information there's no such rule that prevents hospital staff from talking amongst themselves. Could all these coincidences be a placebo effect given to the highly suggestible?
- The Quantum Theory: this theory claims that the answers may lie in a world we are as of yet are very ill-equipped to prove, in the wonderfully strange world of quantum mechanics. Quantum mechanics tries to explain mathematically events that occur with atoms and the particles which may make up atoms. This is world where regular physics comes to die and can be used loosely to explain virtually anything that can't be explained otherwise. It's tempting but I'll leave this one up to the mathematicians to toy with. As of yet I haven't heard of any of them proposing this theory, it seems to be something thrown out there by laymen.
- The Drug Theory: It is the body's duty to protect itself from foreign objects and that is generally what it does when it receives organs that weren't grown in it from conception. This is why patients have to receive immunosuppressant drugs to stop their own bodies from attacking the new organ. There have only been a small handful of cases of people who have lived without these drugs, and they have done so on their own against the advice of doctors. this theory states that these drugs can be the cause of the changes in personality. Perhaps in some strange way these drugs can be psychoactive as well as immunosuppressive. This theory probably chalks up the specific nature of the said changes in personality to coincidence.
Below are the ideas and opinions of organ donors, receivers, or relatives of them, about strange things happened in their life after the operations:
From http://theophanes.hubpages.com
My daughter has had two kidney transplants one which was mine. She has taken on a snarly, aggresive personality which has broken the hearts of all of her family and friends. The good trait is her incredible drive in college and her personal life. I really hope I didnt do this to my once precious, sweet, spiritual daughter??????
I had 2 kidney transplants. First was from a biker who died in a motorcycle accident but I grew up around bikes so it never occurred to me. This 2nd one however I am starting to wonder because my body is acting like I am the age of my donor (61). I have slowed down a lot, and hate pop and only drink warm drinks like hot tea. I hate ice cream and am no longer a huge chocolate fan like I used to be. I also am gaining a lot of weight not related to the medication like the first one as this is more like my body is slowing down on burning calories. No matter how well I eat I still am steadily gaining even with stopping Prednisone.. In one year I have went up 4 sizes..
I recieved a kidney transplant 3 years ago. Immediately after surgery I noticed changes. The music I listened to prior to my surgery was R&B and light jazz. Afterwards country music that I knew all the words to? My breast had always been very small and after the transplant they have grown 2 sizes larger even though I was small in size. I was a supervisor in the computer field for over 30 years before the surgery and afterwards I know very little about what I used to do, but I know other things such as building things and hard labor kind of work! This has really bothered me and it. I am lucky that I have a great family unit consisting of a great husband for over 30 years and 3 grown sons. They all love me no matter whos memories I have, but sometimes they do ask me if I feel like the same person, because I sometimes act like someone else.
Although I am truely grateful that someone died and left me this perfect kidney that I have had very little medical problem with, I am also very concerned about who this person was. It helps to know that I am not the only one noticing changes!
Claire Sylvia and Jane Seymour
I had a kidney transplant 1 year ago and i certainly experience cellular memories….i used to love roller coasters and riding on airplanes but i discovered recently that im afraid of heights now and i was never one to get scared of heights. Also food has changed for me too….i dont like ice anymore but i used to love ice…i find it weird but i defiantly aint complaining my life is so much better
i am a liver transplant recipient as of 15 months ago. my food and appetite has changed enormously. i was always afraid of heights…now i m getting ready to do some strange height challenges and looking forward to it. i know nothing of my donor but even my temperment is softer mostly in areas that were definately difficult for me prior. i m sure some has to do with feeling healthy, which has been quite some time…but other emmotions are just different. any others feeling like this?
Yes, I am a liver transplant recipient of almost three years. The first year of my new liver I craved blueberries and ice cream. I was eating them like crazy. My donor was a sixteen year old boy who died in an auto accident.
Hello everyone. I had a liver transplant almost one year ago. When I was told the donor was a 20 year old girl….I cried. I felt so much grief for her loved ones. Since the transplant, I cry very easily for the plight of others. I also have become sooooo sentimental. I think of all of this as a good thing. I was a good person before…now I'm a better person thanks to my donor
I recieved a liver in 2007 and had always wondered were my new liver came from. Nights after the transplant, I had dreams of a farm house with a young girl with her father pushing her on a swing and both being very happy!! The dreams was very realistic and returned many times there after. I never drank and hated beer. My liver problems were non-acohlic. I now love beer. And other little changes in my life and personality. Last month i found my trasplant family and all my dreams and thoughts of my change were true.I can not believe that organ memory can be so strong ! My entire experiance with this has brought back faith in people. People that have come into my entire life that i never ever knew that played a major role in my new life and horrible recovery. But my new life is much better than my old one !!!! It was ment to be !!!!
I had a liver transplant in 1998 at age 45, then needed a second liver transplant and kidney transplant in 2003. After the first transplant I felt like I had been reborn, was so excited about life, wanted to try new things, had new tastes in food, and acquired a sudden love for smooth jazz. I just chalked it up to having gone through a very intense emotional and physical experience. However, after the second transplant my personality changed again and I became critical of others, very outspoken and highly emotional, whether it be happy, sad, or mad. I am very aware that this is just not "me" and over the years I have become very depressed.
The theory of cell memory makes alot of sense to me, as I found out that my first transplant donor was a 17 year old boy who died in an accident. I surprisingly received a response letter from my second donor's family, and it was more what they DIDN'T say that made me wonder if their 19 year old son had learning disabilities and was perhaps troubled.
I wish that there was more information on this subject because I think it could definitely be beneficial to me.
i had 2 blood transfusion at 16 when they removed an ovary ,up untill then i was a quite girl, agter the transfusion i became trasgressive ,aggressive and got myself in some trouble but always wandered why was I doing this does any one can say that blood brings a memory as well …on top of it this transfusion brought me hepatites c
Two years ago I had major surgery and needed a blood transfusion a couple days afterwards. Once I regained my appetite and was able to eat, I craved junk food and fast food. I was a very healthy person before that. I was not a red meat eater but now, I can't get enough BBQ ribs and bacon. I thought I was losing my mind! I have also lost my drive to do my daily jog like I used to and the really crazy thing is that I am now a "football wife". I never really liked sports before.
My brother passed away 2 weeks ago. We were so shocked when we found out he was a registered donor and all of us broke out in tears when we found out that not only his liver, kidneys, and lungs were being transplanted…but that his heart would also give hope to another person too. For what it's worth, if someone is a donor then they were a giver and a loving person. We pray every day for the people and families who received this gift and hope to meet them some day.
…………..oOo…………
What is your own theory for the phenomenon?
Paramahansa Yogananda has said that memory is astrally based, meaning it is situated in our subtle bodies of spiritual energy. That is why memory can last from lifetime to lifetime, it does not die with the flesh.
Is memory also materially/biologically based? Probably to some extent. But a living heart will still contain the astral vibration of the original owner. That is where the memory exists that is passed on to a recipient.
Astral energy is probably way too fine to be scientifically proven at this point. The spiritually developed human mind is the instrument that can measure astral qualities way better than any lab equipment.
Yogananda said most and first of all not to quote or cite anyone, including himself.
Dont monotonously repeat what you read in books because any moron can do that.
Never say Yogananda said this or Yogananda said that.
The whole Kriya Yoga Science is based on developing your own intuition and by that then knowing what to do by direct perception. If its not your own realization better be silent. But never ever quote or refer to Yoganandajis words or actions because thats the very antithesis to his lifes work. If you are a kriya bond you should already know that.
The heart and liver both contain small amounts of neurons, so it’s not suprising that some people after having a transplant obtain memories from their donars.
http://www.heartmath.org
There is nothing new under the sun. If heart, kidney, bone marrow, or eye transplants can confer memories from the donors to recipients, what if multiple grafts are implanted to the latter from several donors? I say it would be chaotic. Abel cried out to his brother from his grave, and the Lord heard his plaint. At the unsealing of the fifth seal, the dead saints will groan for vengeance upon those who killed them. God will then give them succor, give them new white robes, and told them to wait for a little while longer[Revelation 6:9]. Shortly after the sixth seal is opened, a massive earthquake will ensue. I call that shaker as the ‘panquake’ [Revelation 6:12]. The world events are ramping up for a seismic chain reaction. It will be so huge, mountains and islands will move from their previous sites.
Albert, PILMOC