New research findings in neuroscience!

The Celebrationists

Focusing

Much stress seems to originate from the way in which our minds perceive the world and the stories we tell ourselves about external realities. We can become caught up in the web of our painful memories and future fears in a very cerebral way. A consequence of this is that we may become disconnected from our bodily sensations and our 'felt sense' of ourselves and the world. When this happens we can get out of touch with the amazing resource that is our body. By focusing in on our sensations and thoughts in the moment we can reconnect with our stronger more solid selves and really listen to what is happening for us.

All the latest brain research seems to suggest that being attended to and attending to ourselves is healing and can aid neurogenesis.

Eugene Gendlin explored the concept of Focusing which is about focusing on what he called our 'felt sense'. You can find out more on the Focusing website

PS. But not while driving!

Blue Breath Spots

This may seem silly but it works. Stick some blue dots on objects that you encounter during your day. I have one on my office phone and another on my car dashboard. When you notice them STOP for a few moments and take a break. Breathe in slowly for a count of three and then exhale slowly on a count of three. You can close your eyes or not as you do this and imagine yourself recharging and releasing tension as you inhale and exhale. It works and it only takes a few moments.

By doing this you are producing your own relaxation response.

PS. But not while driving!

How stress works. Positive stress can stretch us - but we can all get overstretched

Not all stress is bad. We need positive stress to excite us so we take action and drive ourselves forward. In nature animals produce a stress response as a short term reaction to immediate threat - the body shuts down non-essential activities such as digestion and releases a surge of chemicals such as adrenalin to enable the "prey" to engage in "fight or flight". The problem with humans is that unlike other mammals we produce a stress response for both real and imagined threats. We can end up on permanent stress alert because of the perceived sense of threat we create in our brains. As a result of this many of us may be chronically stressed or suffering from continuous low levels of stress - a bit like living with the house alarm on all the time!

Many of us factor in this constant sense of stress or anxiety as something we can live with or something that just comes with the territory of 21st century living.

Research suggests that ongoing stress is harmful for our minds and bodies and links it to many modern diseases such as high blood pressure and heart disease. Stress doesn't cause disease but it weakens our defences and puts much of our energy into being on high alert. No wonder anxiety and depression seem to be increasing.

We don't have to tolerate living with chronic stress. We can choose to control and use our stress responses to our advantage.

Relaxation and stress management techniques can help us learn to regulate and switch off this alarm system. But it takes practice! Fifteen minutes a day could make a big difference to our mental and physical wellbeing.

Àutogenic Training - AT

NB. There are some contraindications for some relaxation techniques which I will list below.


You can teach your body to respond quickly and effectively to your verbal commands to relax.
If we don't have the chance to recuperate from emotionally and physically stressful experiences our body chemistry can become unbalanced and our mood can be disturbed. We may develop high blood pressure, hardening of the arteries, ulcers, migraines or rheumatoid arthritis or we may suffer from imbalance in the form of muscle tension and aches and digestive difficulties.

Autogenics has its origins in hypnosis research conducted by Oskar Vogt in Berlin in the 19th century. He discovered that we can create a state similar to a hypnotic trance just by thinking of heaviness and warmth in our extremities. In essence AT consists of relaxing, undisturbed in a comfortable position and concentrating on verbal messages suggesting warmth and heaviness in your limbs . In 1932 Schultz combined Vogt's autosuggestion with Yoga techniques and published his new system in his book "Autogenic Training"

Not suitable for children under 5 or individuals with severe mental or emotional disorders. It is recommended that you should check with your Doctor before beginning AT as in some cases it may be inadvisable or could lead to a fluctuation in blood pressure levels.