Hypnotherapy And Stress

You can hardly pick up a newspaper or magazine or watch TV without seeing or hearing some reference to Stress.

Why all the sudden fuss and fascination? After all, stress has been around since the beginning of time.

Is it because there is so much stress today? Is it because the nature of contemporary stress is somehow different ad more dangerous?

The answer to these questions is a very resounding

"YES"

The stress response of the body is somewhat like an airplane readying for take-off. Virtually all systems (eg, the heart and blood vessels, immune system, lungs, the digestive system, the sensory organs and brain) are modified to manage perceived danger. Yes, the fight or flight reflex is still very much alive in our DNA.

With regular practice of self-hypnosis meditation you condition yourself so that stressful events just don't bother you. You actually become immune to stress. Just ask the person who scans your groceries the next time you are in the check out line if he or she is under stress and their answer will probably be "Yes!" Stress doesn't come from your occupation (or lack of occupation) it comes from changes occurring in your life and your response to them. We are all under a lot of stress...but healthy people learn techniques to help themselves manage stress.

A few minutes of relaxation with self-hypnosis meditation can make you a winner over stress. America, like many western civilizations, is feeling the impact of global change. The effects of change reach into every crevice of life putting people more and more under pressure. Think about the changes that have taken place in your neighborhood over the past few yearsespecially since September 11, 2001. Many people try but find that the avoidance strategies frequently generate more stress rather than reducing it. If you drink alcohol or take drugs to avoid stress you'll end up worse off in the long run.

The perfect antidote to stress is relaxation and meditation...and the perfect form of meditation is hypnosis. Stress causes the brain waves to increase, which causes a chain reaction of events to cascade in the body. A few of the changes that take place in the body when we experience stress are higher blood pressure, rapid heart beat, tense muscles, rapid and shallow respiration, cold hands and feet and decreased immune function.

When you are stressed it's as though your brain is preparing your body to fight or run awayand it is! The stressors faced by humans conditioned to a nomadic hunter-gather lifestyle are obviously different to the high-tech lifestyle of today. Our distant ancestors needed responses to stress that would enable them to trigger physical flight or fight responses to the perils and pleasures of hunting. These types of responses are inappropriate today. If you physically ran away from your workplace whenever things got on top of you then this would not enhance your standing in the organization. Conversely if you punch the boss on the nose when he/she gives you a tough time then the resulting dismissal and assault charges will generate considerably greater levels of stress.

Stress causes strain on the bodyand the strain can lead to illnessunless we do something about it...like practice relaxation and meditation with hypnosis. Stress causes strain on your immune system and that can lead to illness and disease. Many doctors report that up to 90% of people in hospitals are there because of stressincluding many types of cancer and heart disease. The perfect antidote to stress is relaxationnot relaxing with a brew at the pub or relaxing in front of the televisionbut relaxing the body and slowing the brain waves into the Alpha state with hypnosis.

When we are in the Alpha State the brain waves slow down to 6 to 8 cycles per second. When that happens we are perfectly relaxed! Everything that happens to the body is the opposite of what happens when we are stressed. In the Alpha State the blood vessels dilate, so the blood pressure goes down. The breathing is slow and deep. The heart rate slows down. The muscles completely relax. In the Alpha State the immune system speeds upso Alpha is a healing state. There are only four brain wave states. Betawhen we are awake21 to 35 cycles per second. Alphawhen we are perfectly relaxed and hypnotized6 to 8 cycles per second. Thetawhen we are asleep3 to 5 cycles per second. Deltawhen we are unconscious or in a coma1 to 3 cycles per second. Alpha, or hypnosisthe words are interchangeableis a natural state. It is a fact that we pass from Beta through Alpha every night before we fall asleep. And we pass from Theta-sleep-through Alpha when we awaken in the morning.

The total relaxation that accompanies hypnosis is a buffer that dissipates the harmful effects of stressso that you can thrive in spite of the problems and changes life throws at you. Karoshi is a Japanese word which literally means death by overwork. Unfortunately many organizations measure the value of their employees in terms of hours worked rather than work quality.

The tragedy of this stupidity was powerfully reinforced by the story of a brilliant young doctor, about to become a specialist, who regularly worked 35 hour shifts in her hospital. After one such shift she fell asleep at the wheel while driving home and was brought back "Dead on Arrival" to her colleagues at the same hospital.

Harvard professor Juliet Schor has coined the term "DOWNSHIFTERS" to describe a new breed of professionals who are prepared to trade income and long hours for more leisure and better quality of life.

Should we all be joining them?

How do you handle those "too much to do" and "not enough time" feelings?

This much I know for sure: we can all "get away." Anyone with 20 minutes of self-hypnosis will find a calm oasis to restore a sense of peace and balance in their life.