Stress

To understand what stress is and how stress develops it is first necessary to understand how the mind functions.

The human mind consists of two equally important parts, namely the 'conscious' and the 'subconscious' and

although these two parts complement each other completely they have quite different functions. The 'conscious'

mind deals with reason, logic, understanding, comprehension, calculus, language etc., basically , this is the

'thinking' part of your mind and this part is directly under your control. The 'subconscious' part of your mind deals

with imagination, recognition, creativity, intuition, rhythm, dreams etc. and where the 'conscious' part deals with

reason and logic, the 'subconscious' part is known as the 'irrational' mind and deals only with emotion and emotive

forces and this part of your mind you 'do not' control.

All activity in the subconscious mind is 'emotional' and if there is an internal conflict between reason and logic

and emotive force, 'emotion' will always win, this is because, within the structure of the mind, 'emotion' is a

much stronger force than reason and logic. A very good analogy to illustrate the comparison between the

conscious and subconscious minds is the 'Iceberg'. If you can imagine an iceberg, where only the tip is visible

above the surface of the water, with the much greater part beneath the surface, the tip represents the

conscious part of the mind and the much greater part submerged, the subconscious mind. The subconscious

mind is the seat of all instincts, emotions and desires and actually drives the personality. This part of the mind

is also in direct control of a regulatory mechanism known as the Autonomic Nervous System.

The Autonomic Nervous System has within its structure two counterbalancing mechanism's, namely, the

'Sympathetic' and 'Parasympathetic' nervous systems.The Sympathetic nervous system has the function of

putting the body into 'fight or flight' mode, this is a completely automatic response that is triggered by the

subconscious mind when exposed to danger or 'perceived' danger. It is a built in survival response that enables

you to defend yourself or escape from threat or danger. When this response is triggered, the endocrine system

is immediately activated, stimulating the Adrenal glands to secrete a number of chemical messengers collectively

known as hormones, directly into the bloodstream, these particular hormones which are in fact, Adrenaline,
Noradrenaline and Cortisol, put the body almost immediately into a state of 'readiness', ready to fight for your

life or run for your life.

Your heart starts to beat almost like a drum as it oxygenates all the major organs, your breathing becomes heavy,

your body trembles, your mouth becomes dry, your skin drains of colour as the blood is diverted to major organs,

your palms start to perspire, you get butterflies in your stomach, the whole of your body tenses up, you may

get a lump in your throat or you may even start to feel dizzy or sick.

This survival mechanism throughout the ages has served the human race very well, being exposed constantly

as they were to the threat of either wild animals, war, or natural disaster. But modern man is very rarely

exposed to this type of danger anymore, we live in much more sophisticated societies, so our exposure to

perceived danger is much more indirect, the 'fight or flight' response is more likely to be triggered for instance

by the perceived threat of being under pressure to meet targets or deadlines in the job that you do, or being in

financial difficulties, or finding yourself in a difficult situation or with relationship problems.

The intensity of the symptoms associated with this response can range from low level background anxiety to

a full blown panic attack and if the stress is not addressed and managed properly it can be quite debilitating.

Chronic prolonged periods of stress can cause quite a number of physical problems to develop, such as Heart

disease, High blood pressure, Gastro-intestinal disturbance, Migraine, Skin problems etc., and because the

fight or flight mechanism draws Adrenaline and Cortisol away from their primary function as part of the immune

system the body is left vulnerable to infection and disease.

The most effective way by far to manage and alleviate stress is through the deep physical and mental relaxation

that Hypnotherapy brings. Stress levels can be reduced quite significantly very quickly and efficiently and

managed quite successfully thereafter, allowing emotional equilibrium and well-being to develop and become

firmly established once again. If you would like some Professional help or advice with this particular problem

please e-mail from the contact page or Telephone 0151 510 4285, or if you prefer you can order our very popular

"Stress Relief" hypnotic CD (listen to a sample first by going to the "Therapy CD's" page).

~ Friendly Confidential Service ~

Please remember to Bookmark / Favourites List this Hypnotherapy site for future reference.The contents of this

website are protected by copyright and therefore may not be reproduced, copied, distributed or duplicated by any
individual or organisation without the express permission of Hypnotherapist Alan A. McCool