Stress

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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 experience 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.

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