At times it seems that we can only sit back helplessly while the world floods us with daily dramatic events and circumstances. We now enjoy free access and increased awareness to global and local issues but not without a price. It seems that the very essence of living in an out-of-control world promotes our experience of stress and anxiety.
Stress is endemic in our society and for millions; words such as “anxiety” and “panic attacks” describe an unbearable daily struggle with stress. More than two-thirds of visits to physicians are for stress-related illnesses, such as heart disease, anxiety disorders, high blood pressure, respiratory disorders and accidental injuries.
Whereas, in the past, health professionals debated about which disease or condition can be associated with stress, now the debate revolves around how much of each disease or condition is stress-related. This is a significant shift in thought as stress is finally recognized as a fundamental factor of health issues, rather than a possible contributor.
Yet, we still focus on the medical symptoms with medications, with blood pressure medications, sleeping pills and diet pills to name a few, rather than shifting the spotlight on the treatment of the underpinning stress.
But what is this thing we call “stress”?Stress is the sum of our physiological or psychological response to a stressor, beyond what is needed to accomplish a task.
Stress affects different people in different ways, but there are some similarities such as irritability, inability to concentrate, feeling excessively tired and having trouble sleeping. The effect of stress on the body may include a pounding heart, stomach upset, sweaty palms and muscle aches.
Realistically, stress is a normal aspect of life and can be helpful in many ways. When managed correctly, stress can be a motivator, a reason to take actions, to pursue and even to dream. The trick is to find appropriate ways to release stress before it builds up and changes into something unhealthy.
When does stress become a problem?
Stress becomes a problem when we find that we are in a persistent state of agitation, when it turns into feelings of anger or rage, when our ability to function in our daily lives is threatened. A stressful lifestyle is found to be linked to many addictions such as smoking, drinking, overeating and drug abuse. However, addictions do not address the underlying problem; they provide a temporary escape which only deepens the negative affect of stress.
The good news is that real progress has been made in our ability to understand how the mind works. We know that the mind decides behavior based on one’s perception, and perception stems from one’s belief system. Our belief system is based on our collective past experiences which are stored in the subconscious mind. Therefore, by working directly with the subconscious mind to change our belief system, we will change our experience.
Several therapeutic models such as Hypnosis, Neuro-Linguistic-Programming (NLP) and Emotional-Freedom-Technique (EFT) have gained recognition in recent years. These models are drug free, painless and highly effective, offering in most cases, fast and lasting results.
Hypnosis or Hypnotherapy and Freedom from Debilitating Fear:
Hypnosis, or hypnotherapy, is a highly effective transformational process during which positive, desired changes and goals are established while the client is in a deep state of relaxation. While in hypnosis, the client is able to change their perception of a singular negative event or even a whole period of time by accessing their “operating program” (the subconscious mind). Doing so releases the negative emotional-hold which will free the client from replicating negative behavioral patterns.
Recently, I worked with Leslie, who was extremely anxious about flying. She had a business meeting to attend on the West Coast and could not bear the thought of her colleagues seeing her as feeble or incompetent. Her worry about being mocked, as well as being stuck on a plane, turned into debilitating fear. The very thought of getting on that plane was enough to send her into a panic attack, and yet she felt ashamed, inadequate afraid to be judged.
While in hypnosis, she was able to trace her fear back to the first time she ever felt this way and describe it in great details. By reviewing a particular childhood event through her adult eyes, Leslie was able to make a connection to her fear of flying and insecurities. Once this connection was made, she was able to switch her perception of that event from scary and unsafe, to rational and safe. In turn, the root cause of her fear was no longer affecting her.
Neuro-linguistic programming or NLP and Weight Loss:
Another successful modality to overcome stress and anxiety is Neuro-Linguistic Programming or NLP. NLP is based on the idea that mind, body and language interact to create an individual's perception of the world and that perception, and hence behaviors, can be changed.
A client by the name of Mary was overweight and has been desperately trying to lose the access weight. She wasn’t able to do so even though she signed up with a well-known weight loss program. Repeating a cycle of yo-yo dieting caused her to feel angry and frustrated with herself. It seems that every time she would get closer to reaching her goal weight, she would fall back into old habits and gain it back, and more!
Through our work, Mary realized that she became emotional every time she was in certain family situations, which happened few times a year. In her mind, food was comforting, nourishing and available, a way to escape the angst of the moment. With NLP, Mary was able to free herself from this negative pattern; she stopped feeding her emotions and began to lose weight. She did so by establishing a positive and healthy association with the cause of her stress which replaced the old and harmful association that caused her to overeat. For Mary, NLP provided a solution for weight loss by addressing the underlying stress which perpetuated excessive eating.
Emotional Freedom Technique or EFT and Physical Pain:
Lastly, Emotional Freedom Technique or EFT is a practical and effective way to overcome emotional difficulties, the building blocks of stress. EFT provides relief from a great variety of negative emotions, feelings and sensations. It does so by the tapping of the fingers along specific body pressure points which positively stimulate or “rewire” our mind. Many of my clients are using EFT to overcome not only stress and anxiety but to lose weight, overcome fears and addictions, treat headaches, migraines with great success.
John suffered with an upset stomach that his medical doctor could not explain. Every test he did came back negative, and still, he was in pain. During our work, it became clear that John is struggling with poor self-image and low self-esteem which permeated to every aspect of his life. John recently started a new job and was assigned to give a presentation for the first time on a product his company was marketing. His poor self-image got in the way because he believed he would do poorly and it would cost him his job. The thought of being unemployed with no means to support himself caused great pain.
With EFT, John connected the dots and was able to see that his stomach acted out every time he thought about failure and disappointment. John was his own worst critic. EFT gave John a practical way to address and release his anxious thoughts any time they came up. Furthermore, with EFT, John felt empowered and in control, for he was able to change his inner dialog from negative to positive and overcome emotional difficulty.
As kids, when we fell off our bicycles, the bruises or cuts to the skin were evident and visible. The scars we carry on our body serve as a reminder, a silent testimony to those physical events. However, there are no visible “scars” for times where we have suffered emotionally; these scars are literally “under our skin.” It may be helpful to remember that emotions, feelings and thoughts are forms of energy, or electric pulses, firing in the brain. Hypnosis, NLP and EFT work to reset our brain’s electrical impulses so they will fire in response to the right stimuli.
General Home-Care Tips:
A healthy lifestyle, regular exercise and proper nutrition will help maintain a balanced mind as well as a balanced physical experience. Consider healing therapies as ways to relax, and read inspiring literature to help you release or draw on your inner strengths.
- Learn to recognize familiar body symptoms, see them as a message from the body that something is bothering you.
- Allow and accept that you are feeling stressed and anxious about your experience.
- Pay attention to your breath, place one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen, as you breathe from your abdomen feel it rise and fall.
- Give yourself a positive and comforting self-talk, you are your own best friend.
- Listen to relaxation CD’s and learn to focus and center yourself.
- Engage in a meaningful activity that is uplifting.
- Work to maintain a positive outlook by joining a support group.
*** Names of clients have been changed for the purpose of this article.
