WHAT IS BODY STRESS RELEASE?
BSR assist the body in its in-built ability to maintain and heal itself by releasing stored tensions. In our daily lives we are constantly subjected to various forms of stress on physical, energetic, emotional and mental level. These stored tensions affect our nervous-system and our body functions. Some examples:
- Body stress in the lower back may cause stiffness, pain, aching between the shoulder blades, leg and foot cramps and indigestion.
- Body stress in the neck may result in headaches, dizziness, vision impairment, shoulder pain and ‘pins and needles’ or numbness in arms and hands.
- Babies with body stress may cry constantly for no apparent reason.
- Youngsters may complain of ‘growing pains’ in the legs.
- Children may lack the ability to concentrate.
Body Stress Release activates the self-healing ability of the body. The body has mechanisms that constantly monitor every function that is taking place, and is continuously adapting to both external influences and stresses, and to internal changes and stresses. It is capable of healing wound and fractures, counteracting harmful chemicals, adapting to sudden changes in temperature, etc.
STRESS OVERLOAD
Stress becomes a negative, destructive factor in life when it goes beyond the individual’s ability to adapt to it. When the point of stress overload is reached, instead of the stress being released from the body, it becomes stored within the body, as ‘body stress’. As we differ in our emotional and physical makeup, we have varying degrees of susceptibility to stress overload.
THE CAUSES OF BODY STRESS
Emotional/mental stress factors
These include fear of the future, financial worries, competition in the work-place, disintegrating family relationships. At times we experience sudden violent emotions, such as anger or shock, or we undergo milder but ongoing forms of mental strain, eg. anxiety, depression, resentment.
We may become aware of the physical effect of emotional pressures, as the diaphragm, jaw, neck and shoulders tighten in a defensive posture, to armour us against the onslaught of life’s stresses.
Mechanical stress factors
The body is designed to withstand a certain amount of physical force-bumps, jerks and falls, but if the mechanical stress goes beyond the body’s limit of the adaptability, the effects may become stored as body stress.
The causes may be sudden and violent, such as a car accident, a severe fall, or lifting a heavy object incorrectly. Or, there may be a gradual accumulation of milder mechanical stress, eg. habitually sitting incorrectly, or doing inappropriate exercises.
Chemical stress factors
The sources of chemical stress include pollutants in the air, insecticides and certain food additives and preservatives. Harmful chemicals may be consumed, inhaled, or even absorbed when contacting the skin.
THE EFFECTS OF BODY STRESS
When the point of stress overload is reached, the stress becomes ‘locked’ into the body and manifests as lines of tension.
The body adopts a protective mode of action by means of automatic reflexes, causing adjacent and overlying muscles to splint the area.
It appears that this action has a dampening effect on the nervous system, thereby causing the brain’s filtering mechanism to ignore the areas of body stress.
In time as the body is required to take greater defensive action, stiffness may become noticeable, ultimately leading to postural distortions. It may also lead to loss of flexibility, pain, or numbness.
A person with body stress may also feel tense, tired, and lacking in energy and enthusiasm for life. Headaches, backache and indigestion may follow.
It is also possible for the body stress to be present without the individual feeling any pain or stiffness – he or she will simply come to accept as normal their sense of having less than 100 per cent well-being.
While the stress or tension remains stored in the body, the normal tone of the body is disturbed, causing a reduction in its general efficiency, as its defence mechanisms become weakened, the body becomes less and less able to deal with further stresses to which it is subjected daily. In this way the individual moves increasingly further away from the optimum .state of health.
THE BODY STRESS RELEASE TECHNIQUE
This technique is designed to help the body release its stored tensions.
With the person fully clothed and lying down, the practitioner carries out a series of tests to locate the exact sites of the body stress, and determine the precise directions in which the lines of tension exist. This is done by applying light pressure to various points on the body, and observing the response. In this way, the body acts as a biofeedback mechanism, supplying the information required.
The practitioner then applies stimuli, by means of light but definite pressure, in the exact directions necessary to encourage the body to release the stored tension.
If the body stress has occurred recently, the process of releasing it is usually very rapid. However, if the stress has been stored for a long time, the stress releases may have to be carried out a number of times, over a period. This is because the tight, protective layers of the muscles tend to relax by degrees back to their normal tone.
Because Body Stress Release works with the body’s natural striving to be stress free, it is a gentle procedure that does not require force.
NOTE: Body Stress Release is not a diagnosis or treatment of any condition or disease. It is concerned only with locating and releasing stored tension, so that the body is assisted in its in-built ability to maintain and heal itself.
WHO NEEDS BODY STRESS RELEASE?
Body Stress Release is for everyone, from infants to the elderly, whether sick of healthy.
As we ate all subjected to the stresses of living, we all tend to accumulate stored tension, with the resultant decline in the body’s efficiency. Even babies may have body stress after a difficult birth. Therefore, everyone’s quality of life may be enhanced, by being assessed for body stress and having it released from time to time.
REDUCING THE NEGATIVE STRESS IN OUR LIVES
We all need to take responsibility for our own health, by striving to reduce the negative stresses to which we are subjected.
To minimise chemical stress, it makes sense to follow a balanced and varied diet, eating foods in forms as close as possible to their original state, and choose those containing the fewest additives. We should avoid contact with harmful substances, being careful not to inhale sprays, or allow them to contact our skin.
We can reduce mechanical stress by improving our posture, by sitting, bending and lifting correctly, and avoiding potentially harmful exercises. Obviously it is helpful to pursue moderate and sensible forms of exercise to strengthen muscles.
As for the emotional/mental stress in our lives, we need to learn to consciously relax when we feel ourselves becoming tense. It is also advisable to seek out whatever activities and techniques help us, as individuals, to approach emotional balance and inner peace.
By minimising stress overload, together with undergoing Body Stress Release, we allow ourselves the opportunity of expressing our highest life potential.