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An auto hypnotic technique for reducing
tension, headaches and stress
by
Sylvia V. Mills, Ph.D.
Do you wish you could simply relax? In today’s busy world,
relaxation is something a lot of us don’t have until we stretch
out in bed to sleep. The trouble is, sleep is difficult if you are
feeling tense from the day’s anxieties, frustrations and worries.
If your mind is still going ten miles a minute, even if you want
to sleep, it is hard to know how.
I’ve bought and played recordings of the
sound of waves crashing on seashores and, of birdsong designed to
induce relaxation. They did not work. They just provided a backdrop
while I ruminated about the day’s events. Besides, half an
hour seemed too long to spend trying to relax and I was irritated
when they did not work so I decided to research what would be effective
and created Simply Relax: an autohypnotic technique for reducing
tension, headaches and stress.
The Simply Relax Strategy:
This strategy is essentially simple and easy. Once
you have learned the technique you need no props or recordings:
you can take it anywhere. It works to lower blood pressure, reduce
headaches and tension and calms feelings of anxiety and panic.
Simply Relax asks you to focus your mind and concentrate
on the physical sensations that occur when you pretend that your
right hand and arm are asleep. You will feel an interesting contrast
in sensation between the right arm that is pretending to be asleep
and the left hand and arm that are awake. The right arm and hand
feel heavier than the “awake” arm. There is also a change
in dimension, the right hand and arm usually feel bigger than the
“awake” arm.
As you focus on these differences in sensation,
you may notice your fingers tingling. This signals that the flow
of blood is being released from the muscles into the skin at the
tips of the fingers. Additionally when we relax blood also flows
more generously into gastrointestinal tract: relaxation promotes
good digestion whereas tension causes gastrointestinal upsets.
When you really feel a big difference between the
arm pretending to be asleep and the awake, let the sensation slide
from the right shoulder down the body to the right leg and foot.
Pretend the right leg and foot are sleep. The right leg will feel
heavier and larger in space and you may feel your toes tingle as
the blood in your foot begins to flow more readily into the skin
and tips of the toes. When this feeling is established on the right
side of your body, pretend that the left leg and foot are asleep.
Finally, let your left hand and arm join the rest of your body in
voluntarily giving up the power to move [although if you wish to
adjust position you may as long as you then continue to pretend
to be asleep]. To finish this process, allow your eyelids, your
tongue and your jaw to pretend to be asleep.....
Conclusion:
By focusing on the simple task of thinking about
the sensation of being asleep you keep your mind occupied. Since
you can only attend to one task at a time, you cannot be attending
to worries. By pretending to be asleep, you are creating the very
sensations that accompany real sleep. I have taught this technique
to so many clients in my office, I now issue a warning: if there
is a long silence, check I haven’t put myself to sleep in
the process of teaching the technique to them. This technique works
and I use it. I use it in situations where there is a lot of anxiety,
I let one arm pretend to be asleep and this single element functions
as an emotional anchor.
Simply Relax is a simple technique to learn. The
more you use it, the easier it becomes. There is an audio tape version
you can purchase if you need help with timing and focus and you
can learn by listening to me walk you through the technique until
you are familiar with it. You can purchase this tape alone or with
the Deep Muscle Relaxation tape. The cost is $18 for both tapes;
$10 for individual tapes. The cost includes sales tax and mailing.
Mail your check or money order to S.V. Mills, 870 Market St., #1220,
S.F. CA 94102.
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