Spirituality and Epigenetics: Changing gene expression through focus and healing
At Sacred Key Coaching, we explore how our spiritual practices can reach deep into our biology. One of the most powerful frameworks for this is epigenetics or how our life experience, thoughts, emotions, and environment can turn genes “on” or “off.”
Epigenetics Explained:
Imagine your genes like a huge library of books in your body. Each book is a gene that contains information. Some books tell your body how tall you might grow, others how your immune system responds. Now, you don’t constantly read every book. Instead, your body uses bookmarks and sticky notes to say: “Read this book more often,” or “Skip this one for now.”
Those “bookmarks” are epigenetic changes. They don’t rewrite the books (the DNA stays the same) but change which books your body reads, or how loudly they’re read. That means even though you were born with certain books, how much they get read depends on your experiences, your environment, your thoughts, your habits.
Generational trauma, negative experiences, poor lifestyle choices all leave sticky notes. A person whose ancestors as well as themselves experienced trauma may carry “read this trauma-book often” tags. Negative experiences in childhood or chronic stress may tag certain genes to be over-active (for example genes involved in inflammation or anxiety). Lifestyle factors, such as lack of sleep, poor diet, absence of social connection, and chronic stress, can also add bookmarks that favor unhealthy gene expression.
What’s encouraging is this: these tags are not permanent. You may not be able to erase the library, but you can change the bookmarks. With focused behavior, cognition, and spiritual practice you can place new sticky notes: “Read the wellness book instead,” “Quiet this trauma book for now.”
The Good News: Reversibility
Research shows that epigenetic changes work both ways. Various behavioral, cognitive and spiritual practices can shift gene-expression patterns toward healthier outcomes. For example:
A review found that meditation and mindfulness practices modulate the epigenetic landscape, improving resilience. (PubMed)
A study of silent meditation retreat participants found changes in genes involved in immune regulation and inflammation. (ScienceDirect)
Mind-body interventions such as yoga, tai chi, and meditation showed reductions in the expression of genes in the NF-κB inflammatory pathway. (Mindful)
So the takeaway: you’re not stuck with your ancestral or early-life gene-bookmarks. Through spiritual practices, fostering grounding, regulation, resilient mindset - and yes, rituals and contemplative practices - you can shift the way your genes are read.
Common Issues & Conditions Related to Gene Expression That Mindfulness and Ritual May Address
There are key areas in gene-expression patterns where spirituality and mindfulness may offer support:
Chronic inflammation (linked to immune system dysregulation, autoimmune conditions, accelerated aging). Mindfulness is shown to down-regulate pro-inflammatory gene expression. (Mindful)
Stress responses / trauma-impacts: Early-life trauma and generational stress can leave epigenetic marks in stress-response genes (eg glucocorticoid receptor genes). (Frontiers)
Mental health conditions (anxiety, depression, PTSD) – while genes are not destiny, altered gene-expression (epigenetic changes) in pathways for neurotransmitters, inflammation, and stress may contribute. (Within Health)
Immune system regulation: How you connect socially, how isolated or engaged you are, affects immune-gene expression. For example, during the COVID‑19 pandemic in-person social connection was associated with healthier gene expression profiles, while online-only connection was not. (PubMed)
Effects of modern technology / social media / digital environment: Though direct epigenetic studies on social media are still emerging, the digital environment activates the brain’s reward systems, elevates stress/arousal, shapes attention and emotional regulation, all of which feed into gene-expression via stress pathways. Some reviews of social isolation and digital substitution point to epigenetic shifts. (Frontiers)
Aging / accelerated biological aging: Epigenetic clocks show that adverse experiences (trauma, lifestyle, infection) can accelerate aging at the molecular level. For example, infection with SARS-CoV-2 may accelerate epigenetic aging. (SpringerLink)
Immune System Regulation: In-Person vs Online Social Connection
A powerful illustration of spirituality’s connection to biology: a 2022 study looked at gene expression in immune cells (the “conserved transcriptional response to adversity” or CTRA profile) during COVID social-distancing. They found:
Greater in-person social connection (friends, meaningful in-person interaction, low loneliness) was associated with lower CTRA gene-expression (which signals healthier immune regulation). (PubMed)
Online social interaction (online loneliness, perceived online social value, internet use) showed no significant association with healthier gene expression. It did not offset the negative effects of physical distancing. (PubMed)
This supports a spiritual lens to changes in gene expressioin: embodied human connection matters. Rituals, shared presence, community, and sacred circles all contribute to biological regulation beyond what digital “connection” alone can offer.
Spirituality & Gene Expression: How It Probably Works
While the research is still emerging, the ways spirituality may influence gene expression include:
Meditation & contemplative practices: These calm the nervous system, reduce stress hormones, down-regulate inflammatory gene pathways. For example: a review states mindful practices modulate epigenetic marks (DNA methylation, histone modifications) and enhance resilience. (PubMed)
Spiritual support systems / community: Being part of a spiritual network increases in-person social interaction, meaning, belonging, which is linked to healthier gene expression (see immune/CTRA research above).
Resilience & coping: Spiritual worldview shifts the interpretation of stress (from victim/helplessness to purpose/growth). That reframing likely reduces activation of chronic stress-gene pathways and supports healthier brain function and gene regulation.
Ritual, symbolic action, somatic engagement: Spiritual practices often engage body + mind + meaning. The embodied, rhythmic, somatic dimension may stimulate gene-expression related to neuroplasticity, stress regulation, immune regulation. For example movement-meditation (yoga, tai chi) show epigenetic changes. (ResearchGate)
Also Consider…
Nutrition, sleep, movement: These are the foundation of epigenetic health. Good sleep, movement (exercise) and nutrient-rich food support healthy gene expression (exercise alters DNA methylation patterns in muscle and other tissues). (Wikipedia)
Lifestyle detox from digital overload: Since modern tech/social media activates reward circuits, stress responses, attention fragmentation and may contribute to negative gene-expression patterns, embracing ritual and intentional tech-boundary practices helps.
Intergenerational healing & trauma work: Spiritual work that honours ancestors, releases trauma, realigns family field may correlate with shifting generational epigenetic marks. While direct human evidence is early, animal models show trauma alters epigenetic marks. (Frontiers)
Epigenetic clocks & aging: Spiritual practices and lifestyle change may slow or reverse biological aging (via epigenetic clocks) though research is early.
Invitation to embodied practice: These interventions and practices are best used as daily habits and lifestyle changes.
Personalization: Everyone’s epigenetic story is unique; working together on personalized practices is more effective than a one-size-fits-all approach.
An Invitation
If you’re feeling ready to step into changing your story at the cellular level, I invite you to work with me. Together we’ll:
Uncover where your gene-expression patterns may be carrying trauma, stress, lifestyle overload
Craft a spiritual-somatic practice that includes meditation, ritual, movement, community, connection and meaning
Develop a support system anchored in your spiritual path and adaptive coping so your biological systems shift toward thriving
Track not just how you feel, but how you live, because your lifestyle is changing your gene expression
