Stress Management historical posts February 1998

skilled relaxation: a gift to yourself!

Dr. Walt, et.al

I've been doing my skilled relaxation for a few days and I already am feeling the effects. I had stiffness in my neck & shoulders when I started and it is gone! I haven't done anything else except last night I got into the hot tub for 30 minutes, but the stiffness was already gone by then. I am really looking forward to the sessions twice a day.
Yesterday, my 12 year old son, who loves to be the center of my attention, came in on me while I was in the middle of a session. He said, "Oh, I see you're relaxing, I'll come back later.'' I didn't even have to miss a breath, other than to chuckle a little.
I've tried two kinds of breathing described in the workbook and I found an old progressive relaxation tape I had from way back. Both are nice. I kind of like the variety.
It's like giving myself a gift of time. 40 minutes a day isn't really that much to devote to myself, right?
Maybe I'll get more sophisticated in time and get a mantra or something!
On Thursday I start my first deep massage. I hope to be able to afford that once or twice a week. I can't go 3 times, but wish I could. Anyway, I think my PT will be impressed with my shoulders, which are usually tense when I haven't seen her in several weeks.

Nancy

Re: skilled relaxation: a gift to yourself!

In Reply to: skilled relaxation: a gift to yourself! posted by Nancy on February 04, 1998 at 19:26:03:

Nancy,

Congratulations! I think you are on the right track. I'm glad you found something that works for you. Just realx and don't try so hard. Keep up the good work. Linda

Rebounding research

My father is at the University of Utah Medical Center because of heart trouble. I spoke with the doctor and he (and two of his colegues) never heard of the benefits of rebounding. This is supposed to be one of the leading heart institutes in the world! Please direct me to more in depth research.

I found a web site for the 'Vitalizer' from Australia which references Dr. Robert G. Frost at the University of California at Los Angeles and many 'American researchers'. I sure would like to know who these researchers are and what they have to say. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Gizmo (Chris Guimond)
------------------------------------------------------------
'The lack of knowledge is overcome by the passion for belief'

Re: stress management

anyone tried the freeze-frame method of the institute of heart math? it's simple, fast and effectiv and can be done just about anywhere, anytime. maybe best of all, it can be learned from a $10 paperback book - isbn 1-879052-39-3.

Re: Who is suceptible to bracing?

Dave

Well, you just certainly described my personality to a "T"! I just read the description of arthritis (and IBS) personalities in Mind As Healer... and could not relate to it at all as similar to me, though.

Nancy

Re: Rebounding research

In Reply to: Rebounding research posted by Chris Guimond on February 11, 1998 at 02:59:57:

Dear Gizmo,

How much rebounding might help your dad depends almost completely on what kind of heart problem he has.

The companies that make the best rebounders would have the most complete collection of research articles on this subject. The last I looked was about 15 years ago.

There is a good book about this that your library could find for you: something like "Rebounding Aerobics". There are excellent references contained therein.

Let us know what you learn.

Walt

Re: Who is suceptible to bracing?

Dear Doc Dave,

Wonderful stuff!

I would, however like to emphasize that ALL stressors cause bracing--not just psychosocial ones. They are just the ones we notice.

Only 10% of the stressors identified to be contributing to this bracing problem come from psychosocial causes. All the rest are environmental (elecrtomagnetic, nutritional, chemical, bacterial, viral, hormonal, etc.). This is one reason many people being eaten up with bracing have no idea they are doing it. All those people have to do, to be enlightened, is to do the deep, total body, therapeutic massages 3 times a week for 2 weeks & they will KNOW they have been bracing. Awareness is the first step in resolution.

Remember the famous saying: "Tis the bonds of which we are unaware that are the most binding of all!"

Walt

On-line Meditation Course/Skilled Relaxation

The URL following this message will take you to a FREE on-line meditation course. I've found it helpful in my never-ending stuggle to practice skilled relaxation.

Peter

• Buddha Net

Re: On-line Meditation Course/Skilled Relaxation

In Reply to: On-line Meditation Course/Skilled Relaxation posted by Peter Wray on February 17, 1998 at 09:36:37:

Dear Peter,

Thank you for sharing that site with us. I have searched out quite a few meditation pages, but have rarely returned to one. This one will be an exception.

Your work here and on your own page is an act of "loving kindness" for all of us.

Jim

Re: On-line Meditation Course/Skilled Relaxation

In Reply to: On-line Meditation Course/Skilled Relaxation posted by Peter Wray on February 17, 1998 at 09:36:37:

Peter,

Thank you so much for sharing this. As one who has taught skilled relaxation for a long time, it is helpful to have reliable resources to share with my clients. It is also beneficial to me as well. I think it is important for people to experience different types of relaxation and meditation practices so they can find the ones that work for them. Thanks again. Linda

Re: Rolfing?

I've asked the same questions and found a few answers.

Rolfing is a form of deep muscle massage and bodywork developed by Ira Rolf (I believe I have his first name correct). What I've determined is that it works by manipulation of soft tissues to properly re-align the body and free up the meridians of your body. Other practices have very similar philosophies. Accupuncture uses fine needles along the meridians and Aryuvedic practice also works along these lines. I beleive chiropractic also works in a similar fashion.

My limited understanding is that these meridians are the communication lines of your body. If they are "kinked" or obstructed in any way, you will not have optimum health.

Now I haven't tried Rolfing myself, but my wife has a session booked for late March.

I believe treatment usually takes 10 sessions. My medical insurance covers this providing the service is provided by a Reg. Massage Therapist. (I'm fortunate to have a very good health plan).

Hope this helps.

Peter

• Alternative healing Community

Re: Rolfing?

In Reply to: Re: Rolfing? posted by Peter Wray on February 19, 1998 at 21:39:18:

Thanks, Peter!

It is IDA, and she was a woman.

Walt

Re: Peter Wray

Just click on the link below or enter go to
http://www.magmacom.com/~pwray/altmed/altmed.htm or you can get there from Dr. Stoll's Links page. Mine is the Alternative Healing Community.

I've got meditation instructions articles that I hope to have on my site within the next week, so come back if you are interested.

Thanks for asking about my site. I put a fair bit of time into searching for good resources and getting them into my site. It is good to know that people are using it. If you ahve any suggestions, please do not hesitate to pass them on to me.

Thanks

Peter

PS if you go to my main page you'll also find my puns page (humour is one of the best medicines), my baseball links and my virtual summer camp if any of these interest you.

• Alternative Healing Page.

Re: biofeedback

Nancy and Terrie,

Yes, bio-feedback is still around. Here are some leads

http://www.aapb.org/

http://www.Biofeedback.net/

http://alt.medmarket.com/members/allied/allied.html

Guido

Autogenic training

I am using an autogenic training tape for most of my 20 minute relaxation sessions. Does anyone know of a good source where I could get additional tapes using this method? I'm somewhat dissatisfied with the one I have.

Thanks. Nancy

Re: Autogenic training

In Reply to: Autogenic training posted by Nancy on February 22, 1998 at 21:19:03:

Nancy,

Here's a site with a ton of links!

http://elaine.teleport.com/~interlud/index.html

Guido

Re: biofeedback

I my never-ending search for skilled relaxation, I am now trying biofeedback. I've had two sessions (very expensive I might add). They are interesting and I do beleive the process works. The fellow I see has some very sophisticated equipment (I would guess tens of thousands of dollars worth). Just learning a simple breathing technique and I was able to reduce my heart rate by 10 beats per minute (at this rate, a few more sessions and I'll have it stopped altogether ). In the process I was able to achieve better balance in the blood flow to my hands (measured by skin temp.) and reduce and balance the muscle tension in my shoulders.

For those of us who are still very pragmatic in our thinking, biofeedback gives you something very concrete to work with.

Peter

• Alternative Healing Community

Re: Some More Rolfing Information and Links

It is a type of deep soft tissue massage that a trained therapist does to you.

Peter

• Alternative Healing Community

Re: biofeedback

Dear Nancy,

Lots of good responses.

I would like to put in MY 2 cents here since I have been talking about (for 20 years) what I have found to be the least expensive way to achieve an effective skilled relaxation technique WITHOUT the basic expense of doing it all with biofeedback. After all, skilled relaxation is the only thing basic biofeedback is for anyhow.

In MY experience only about 2% of people need biofeedback to learn a technique. If you want to learn to control one single muscle cell or brain cell--or even the blood flow to one kidney, etc.,(research stuff) you will definitely need biofeedback.

The skilled relaxation workbook, followed up with one visit to the biofeedback guy/gal to see if what you have been practicing is "working" is what the other 98% needs.

If you have any trouble finding what you want about biofeedback, from the resources you were given with the wonderful responses to your note, write again & I can show you how to find the certified practitioner in your area if you want to go that way.

Walt

Re: Autogenic training

In Reply to: Autogenic training posted by Nancy on February 22, 1998 at 21:19:03:

Dear Nancy,

If you have used the tape twice a day for at least 2 weeks, have you checked out whether it is working, with biofeedback? If not, you may be wasting your time with autogenics anyhow.

Any technique that anyone uses, that does not "work" at least a year, needs to be considered suspect. That person probably tried to cut corners by not checking the technique with biofeedback.

Walt

Re: Autogenic training

In Reply to: Re: Autogenic training posted by Walt Stoll on February 24, 1998 at 13:49:05:

Welcome back, Dr Walt!

I am looking into obtaining some kind of biofeedback device. Years ago my aunt gave me a card with her business address and a black square on it. You put your thumb on the square and held it. If it stayed black, you were stressed, green you were so-so and blue, you were very relaxed. Guess what color mine always was? Would that type of thing be sufficient? I'm not having any luck finding anyone in town who has a biofeedback machine.

I noticed that the Relaxation Workbook has tapes available for several different types of meditation, including autogenic. Are you familiar with them?

Also, I have two problems when I practice my Sk. Rel.: In the afternoons, I sometimes lose track of the voice on the tape and feel that I have drifted into sleep. In the mornings, I'm much more aware of the entire tape. Second, I am usually so cold that I have to put a blanket over me before starting my S.R. Is that OK?

Re: biofeedback

In Reply to: Re: biofeedback posted by Walt Stoll on February 24, 1998 at 12:54:42:

Dr. Walt

I'd like that. The only people here that do any kind of biofeedback (the skin type) are psychologists who charge over $200 for the initial visit and over $100/hr after that and include behavior therapy, which I think I can teach myself. I have a personal bias against psychologists for several reasons, which I'll refrain from going into.

I didn't see this post at first, so I asked this question somewhere else today. Sorry. Nancy

Re: Autogenic training

In Reply to: Re: Autogenic training posted by Nancy on February 24, 1998 at 18:13:23:

Nancy,
I can provide you with a little bit of information based on my limited experience with biofeedback. One of the sensors that is used during my sessions measures skin temperature on both of my index fingers. When I do very simple breathing exercises the skin temperature increases (by a coupel of degrees I believe).

What the card you sister had does is measure the skin temperature of your finger or whatever happens to be touching it.

As I understand the relaxation response, as your body relaxes the blood flow to your extermities increases thus warming your extremities. So this simple little device is a biofeedback instrument.

Again, as I understand the relaxation response, what happens when you are "tense" is your body is in a fight or flight situation. You are readying yourself for some preceived danger. Your body knows that blood flow to your vital organs is most important, so blood flow to your extremities is restricted, thus your hands and feet will often feel cold when you are nervous or tense. Looking at this in reverse, when you begin to relax, or move out of a situation that your body preceives as a fight or flight situation, the blood flow to your extremities will increase because your body no longer believes it is necessary to ready your vital organs. So, what biofeedback does is tells you that the relaxation method you are practicing is working by measuring the change in the temperature of your extemities.

Many other biofeedback instruments are also used that measure muscle tension, brain waves, respiration and cardiac activity.

Hope this is helpful

• Alternative Healign Community

Re: Autogenic training

In Reply to: Re: Autogenic training posted by Nancy on February 24, 1998 at 18:13:23:

Dear Nancy,

It sounds like your first tape is the best one for you. You need to get a big serving spoon & hold it in your hand while doing it. THEN, if you drift past the alpha/theta level you are aiming for (into delta--sleep) the spoon will slip from your fingers and wake you up. Just pick it back up & continue doing what you did to get there. EVENTUALLY you will begin to feel the subliminal clues that tell you when you are getting close to the boundary & you will bring yourself back without needing the spoon.

Your card was always black. Do I get a prize? This is a very simplistic device that is better than nothing. It is about like haveing a lantern in the dark of night when what you need is a search light. Also, temperature biofeedback is not nearly as responsive as galvanic skin response (for example) and so you have to be going in the right direction for a pretty long time before you know it. With a GSR, you know immediately.

Many people find that, when they are being successful with their technique, they are more comfortable with a blanket. There are reasons for that that I will not take the time for here.

From what you are saying here, it might be worth your while to do your first tape, hold the spoon and use the blanket WITHOUT the biofeedback check. Let me know what is happening in a few weeks. You may be one of the rare ones who can, somehow, wiggle past needing it for now.

There are thousands of tapes out there. The best one is the one that works for YOU--whatever that is. It is just trial & error without a GSR biofeedback machine to guide you.

Walt

Re: Autogenic training

In Reply to: Re: Autogenic training posted by Walt Stoll on February 26, 1998 at 11:30:01:

Walt

Thanks for your answer. I found that stress card in a drawer and used it after my last SR. It turned red (tense) when I put my thumb on it, but green (calm) and blue (relaxed) when I put it against my chest. Of course, it was black before SR. My husband, who is always warm to the touch, turns it blue instantly! I need to catch him sometime when he is really stressed and try it, though. I could create that situation myself, but don't think I want to know that bad. (grin). He has an extremely high-pressure job, but seems to be able to relax much better than I can. Some people are luckier than others, I guess.

Glad to know a blanket won't hurt the process.

Nancy