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First published as Your Complete Stress-Proofing Programme 1983

This completely revised and expanded edition published 1992

© Leon Chaitow 1983, 1992

Leon Chaitow asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

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Source ISBN: 9780007272938

Ebook Edition © JULY 2016 ISBN: 9780007569038

Version: 2016-08-17

Dedication

To my darling wife, Alkmini,

a counsellor of rare skill from

whom I have learned much.

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Introduction

1. The Causes and Nature of Stress

2. The Physical Effects of Stress

3. The Musculoskeletal System and Stress

4. The Healing Power of Hardiness, Happiness and Self-Esteem

5. Assessing Your Stress

6. Starting to Stress-Proof Yourself

7. Relaxation Exercises

8. Additional Relaxation Methods

9. Meditation

10. Using the Power of Your Mind for Healing

Keep Reading

Acknowledgements

About the Author

Other Books By

About the Publisher

INTRODUCTION

Choosing to Become Less Stressed

There will always be stress in life, and really what we have to look at is our reaction to it rather than trying to make the stress go away. In this book I explain a number of practical ways to enable you to better cope with the pressures you find yourself under.

But, first, let us look at exactly what stress is, since once you have understood the diverse nature of it, and its possible ramifications in terms of ill health, you will more readily be able to see the importance of these stress-management methods.

Where applicable wrist watches used to be described as ‘waterproof’, but this expression now tends to be altered to ‘water resistant’. In stating the degree of resistance the manufacturers have, of course, to take into account the nature of the hazard and the properties and quality of the instrument, as well as the different sorts of water it might be immersed in (salt water, fresh water, acid or alkaline water etc.), and the depths beyond which its resistance begins to deteriorate. There are other hazards, too, facing wrist watches, such as shock, heat, cold, magnetic fields and so on.

In the same way we face a range of stress factors, and it is not possible to ‘stress-proof’ ourselves absolutely. Stress resistance can be increased, however, and as in the case of the watch, we have to look at the variable stress factors and the nature of the instrument at risk – that is, you. The aim is, therefore, not to try to eliminate stress, but to modify it where possible and to encourage in yourself appropriate responses to it.

Variables exist not only in the nature and intensity of the stress you face, but also in the unique characteristics which each of us possess. Some of us are born with a strong degree of what is termed ‘hardiness’, whilst others seem to be short of this innate defensive shield.

The hardiness factor is a combination of things, including a sense of being in control of life and events, a feeling that the multiple changes which occur throughout life present challenges or opportunities rather than threats, and a wish to be involved in society and the lives of others (commitment). The good news is that, as with so many aspects of stress-proofing, these positive, stress-coping characteristics can be learned and acquired once you know more about them.

The whole subject of hardiness, as well as the importance of understanding the role of happiness and cynicism in your life and their effects on your health, are fully explained in Chapter.

The state of your health is the result of the complex interrelationship between the uniqueness of you and the challenges and stresses of your particular internal and external environment. Those stresses can be self-produced (e.g. anger, fear) or they can be externally generated (e.g. job insecurity, an unstable marriage etc.) Mostly your stress-picture will be an amalgam of internally and externally originating factors. Attitudes, beliefs, behaviour patterns, personality traits (the major features of the hardiness factor: control, challenge and commitment) and deeply entrenched habits of thought may all be partly responsible, and I shall explain several ways of examining and modifying them. The importance of correct nutrition, sufficient exercise and rest, as well as such things as adequate exposure to full spectrum light (daylight), will be other themes which I touch on in as much as they relate to stress reduction and to our aim of stress-proofing ourselves.

These areas are important, but the main point of this book is to show that there are defences which can be erected against stress, whatever form it takes, and that by the regular application of these methods great benefit can be derived in terms of health and well-being. We must certainly aim at reducing stress, but must also increase our resistance to it and learn to counteract its effects.

Effective stress-proofing, therefore, involves taking responsibility; which means incorporating positive action in various areas of your life. For, it is necessary and desirable to understand not just the causes of stress, but also the physiological and pathological effects which it can produce, and the ways in which its negative tendencies can be countered. For the very best results such strategies need to be combined with methods which effectively increase and enhance the natural defences against stress, which some people have in greater or lesser degree than others. The importance of reviewing, and altering where necessary, your diet, exercise and rest patterns, lifestyle and personal attitude, as well as behaviour patterns (many of which are within our conscious control) are all features of this comprehensive protection plan which can deflect many of the potentially harmful effects of hectic modern-day life.

Next, I present a number of different breathing exercises and patterns, and relaxation methods, as well as a selection of meditation techniques, together with a résumé of current thinking on the use of mind/body therapies, such as visualization, which emphasize the power of the mind in promoting good health.

One of the quickest ways in which your blood chemistry can be disturbed under stress conditions, producing a host of symptoms – ranging from feelings of intense agitation and weakness to anxiety and panic attacks, as well as physical effects such as numbness of the limbs, nausea, stomach cramps and shivering – is by hyperventilation. In Chapter I give a detailed explanation of this widespread phenomenon of over-breathing, and show how it can usually be dealt with swiftly by using special breathing techniques which almost anyone can learn to apply to themselves.

Whilst the process by which hyperventilation affects us is relatively easy to grasp, there are other aspects of stress’s interaction with our minds and nervous systems which are quite complex. One is the effect of the state of mind on the immune (defence) system of our bodies. The new science which concerns itself with this side of things is called psychoneuroimmunology, and it deserves to be more widely understood, for it holds the key to many common and some serious health problems.

The discovery and proof of the existence of this mind/immune system link was made as far back as 1975 by Dr Robert Ader, a psychologist at the University of Rochester in the USA. He had been studying the effects of giving laboratory rats an unpleasant drug-induced sensation of nausea every time they drank water which had been sweetened with saccharine. He was in fact studying the phenomenon of conditioned response, made famous (some would say notorious) by Pavlov in his dog experiments half a century previously. Just as Pavlov’s dogs learned to salivate whenever a bell was rung (through having been conditioned by a bell being rung whenever they were fed), so did Ader’s rats learn to feel sick whenever they were allowed to drink sweet water.

In itself this result was not sufficient to attract attention, but what Ader observed next was of profound importance. He saw that not only did his rats dutifully become sick whenever they had sweetened water (even after the drug injections had ceased), they soon began to really sicken and to die. The reason, he found, was that the drug he had been using to induce a feeling of sickness was an immune depressing substance. So, not only had the rats learned to feel sick when they drank the sweet water, they also mimicked the other immune suppressing effects of the drug, even long after the drug administration had ceased, producing in themselves a reduction of immune function. As a result they went on to die of auto-immune diseases or overwhelming infection allowed to occur through their self-induced immune response suppression.

This was surely proof positive that the mind can control immune function directly, and that it could switch off the defence mechanism sufficiently to allow serious illness and death to occur. Much additional evidence has subsequently been produced which supports Ader’s original observations. Does this also apply to humans? Indeed it does, and many medical studies have proved it to the extent that researchers are being led to the conclusion that it is not stress which does the damage, but how we handle it. This is something we should be sure to take heed of.

A leading article in the 27 June 1987 edition of the Lancet, one of Britain’s most prestigious medical journals, under the title of ‘Depression, stress and immunity’, came to the conclusion that ‘it is the individual’s response to stress that determines the effects on immunity rather than the stress itself.’ This statement is of profound importance and deserves illustration.

One easy measurement of immune function can be made by studying the efficiency, or otherwise, of a group of defensive cells which go by the name of ‘natural killer cells’. Their function is termed ‘natural killer cell activity’ (NKCA). When this was measured in groups of medical students before an important examination, NKCA was found to be depressed in some but not in others. These observations were then compared with psychological profiles previously conducted on the same students, and it was discovered that they related directly; that is, those students who were known to be ‘poor copers’ (high levels of reported life stress accompanied by health distress), or subject to loneliness (social isolation) were also the students with poor NKCA at exam time. In contrast, those who were good copers (high life stress but little health distress) had continued high performance in the NKCA when confronted by examination stresses.

It is no surprise that the poor copers were the ones who became ill with colds, ‘flu etc., since their immune function was inadequate when faced by infectious agents. The stress of exams was the same for all the students, and this presents a clear picture of where the cause lies – not with stress alone, but with the way it was handled. Numerous studies confirm this. As the famous American surgeon, Bernie Siegel, MD, states: ‘The medical profession is going to have to confront this thing we call the mind.’

Research at the National Institute for Mental Health in America by Candace Pert, a neuropharmacologist, has shown that substances called neuropeptides, which are messenger molecules which interact between the nervous system and the immune system (in all animal and plant life) appear to unify the multiple interacting systems in the body so that they act in concert to survive, unless negative health-destroying factors are at work. This may well be the way psychological factors interact with the immune system. This new knowledge is summarized quite graphically by the words of another American researcher, Robert Cathcart, MD, who says: ‘All the vitamin C in the world won’t make up for a lousy attitude.’

Among the chemical changes found to take place in the brain in response to stress, sometimes within seconds, are increased production of neurotransmitters such as serotonin, epinephrin (what used to be called adrenalin), acetylcholine and dopamine, all of which increase the excitability of nerve cells.

It is therefore abundantly clear where we need to focus our attention if we are to avoid those aspects of ill-health which relate to stress. As the Lancet puts it: ‘The efforts of psychologists, counsellors and indeed general practitioners may be of more value … were they to concentrate on improving coping skills and increasing people’s sense of self-efficacy … for fortunately all these procedures [learning of coping skills] can be taught.’ So, according to the most respected medical opinion, we can learn to handle stress and many of its negative influences on the body chemistry and immune function.

A variety of techniques exist in this field, some more suited to a particular person than others. The main aim of this book is to enable the reader to find those methods that best suit him or her, and to explain how important their regular use is in regaining and maintaining health. Whether active or passive relaxation methods are employed, or whether meditation alone, or together with creative visualization and guided imagery, is found to produce the desired results, is immaterial.

What matters is that we learn to harness the mind’s latent force towards positive rather than negative goals, and that the mind/body complex is insulated, as far as possible, from those internally and externally generated stresses which, left unchecked, will first weaken, then cripple and finally destroy the body.

Health and disease, and all the grey area between, are states which reflect the ability, or otherwise, of the body to maintain equilibrium (known as homoeostasis) in the face of a host of environmental threats and hazards. At any given time the individual represents a culmination of all that has been inherited, and all that has been acquired and developed up to that moment. The degrees of susceptibility and of resistance that the body can demonstrate, will be absolutely unique to him or her. With so many variables, it should be obvious that no one method, system or prescription can apply to everyone, even if similar outward manifestations of ill health are evident.

Because of this, less emphasis should perhaps be placed on outward signs and symptoms of ill health. Whilst these are important, they indicate no more than how the individual is responding to a health threat. The same symptoms (e.g. headache) can result from a variety of causes. The same apparent cause (e.g. anxiety) can produce quite different symptoms – say insomnia in one person, palpitations in another and headaches in a third.

Treatment of the symptoms alone can never bring more than short-term relief. To remove the symptoms and ignore the cause is patently wrong, for they or other symptoms will surely re-show themselves sooner or later. Only by improving the general level of function of the total organism and by removing, where possible, the causes of the condition, can a successful outcome be anticipated.

Since causes of anxiety are often outside the control of the individual, it is necessary to provide ways of altering the ways in which such problems are viewed. In addition, techniques are necessary whereby, even if such stress remains to some extent constant, the individual can nullify and counteract its ill effects by positive action. This is where relaxation, meditation and other exercises of the mind come in.

Additional methods, which will be explained in Chapter, are derived from the work of a remarkable researcher, L.E. Eeman. The approaches which he evolved include application of the knowledge that we all have what appear to be specific ‘polarities’ in different parts of the body, and that it is possible to use this fact in a practical way in order to enable deep relaxation to be achieved.

Using electromagnetic terminology, Eeman proved that ‘when different parts of one human body, or different or similar parts of different human bodies are connected by means of electrical conductors, such as insulated copper wires, these bodies behave as though (using an electromagnetic analogy) they were bi-polar.’ The polar opposites which Eeman identified most strongly were the head and base of the spine, and the right and left hands. The effect achieved by holding a piece of insulated copper wire in one hand, attached to a copper grid lying under the spine or head (with no connection whatever to external electrical supply) is to produce either an increase in relaxation or tension, depending upon whether the hand and the part of the body involved had similar or opposite polarities.

For example, should the right hand (of a born right-handed person) be linked with the base of the spine (these being polar opposites) the result is a ‘relaxation circuit’, while connection of the right hand with the base of the head (here the polarities are the same) causes a ‘tension circuit’. ‘The relaxation circuit automatically promotes relaxation of the voluntary muscles and stimulates functional activity. It fosters sleep, recovery from fatigue and disease, capacity for work and health in general. The tension circuit reverses these effects, more or less. Both circuits affect not only organic, but also nervous and mental health.’

In Chapter a number of useful methods, based on Eeman’s work, are described, including two self-help approaches, one of which calls for the use of copper wire and gauze, and another which does not.

Stress-proofing is all about choices. No one pattern of relaxation exercise can possibly suit everyone, and this is the reason for the presence in this book of a wide variety of options. Try the ones that appeal to you. Drop those that do not work easily, and hold fast to those that do. There is certainly no sense in trying methods which just do not appeal or those that you feel uneasy with. Remember, though, that there is a rule of thumb which, stated simply, insists that until you know how to breathe adequately relaxation is difficult, if not impossible, and that it is virtually impossible to use the methods of guided imagery and visualization until you can meditate.

This means that whichever choices you eventually make in terms of which methods, or patterns, of relaxation, meditation and visualization you use, there is need for that sequence (breathing-relaxation-meditation-visualization) to be respected, if good results are to be hoped for.

The individuality of each person must be recognized; this leads to a realization that the particular factors which enable successful adaptation to the environment will vary. Stress-proofing involves gaining understanding and insight into the nature of the problems of stress, as well as a determination to make changes, alterations, modifications and efforts in accordance with this knowledge. Through this apparent maze, I would urge you to hold fast to one concrete thought: given the chance, the body is a self-healing, self-repairing and self-regenerating organism. The aim is to give it that chance, and at the same time to erect barriers which will provide protection against future hazards.

CHAPTER 1

The Causes and Nature of Stress

Stress-induced illnesses now cause more deaths and diseases than do infections, which used to be the predominant killer in industrialized countries. Among those conditions now known, in many instances, to involve the interaction of stress and particular personality ‘types’ are arthritis, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, cancer and depression. It has also been shown beyond doubt that ‘noxious’ factors, such as negative emotion, anxiety, grief, loneliness and depression are actually immune suppressive, contributing in large part to subsequent illness and often death.

Excitingly, and of major importance in our quest for better health, research has also revealed that whatever it takes to create a ‘distress-free’ mind produces as a consequence beneficial immune-enhancing effects. Indeed, just as Ader was able to show that he could condition rats to become immune compromised, so can improved immunity be conditioned (R. Gorcynski, ‘Conditioned immune response associated with allogenic skin grafts’, Journal of Immunology (1982), Vol. 220, pages 821–2). Animals and humans can ‘learn’ to become healthier and to have improved immune activity.

It is of only partial value to concentrate on just one side of the picture, to think only of stress avoidance or of better stress handling. Ideally, both elements of the stress/health equation should be looked at and, if possible, dealt with. You need to be aware that stress is at its most harmful when you respond to it inappropriately.

Most stress situations in today’s life are not as simple as the ‘fight or flight’ reaction, when the stress is matched by a straightforward immediately executed response. There may be no obvious choices to make, and in many instances there is no on-the-spot ‘caveman’ solution – for example, when you are exposed to someone’s rudeness or aggressive behaviour, and you metaphorically have to ‘take it on the chin’. Repeated exercising of pretended patience may indeed result in stress-induced damage. Many stressful events in life, such as divorce, bereavement, loss of a job, etc., present no opportunity for a simple and immediate ‘fight or flight’ response, and how they affect us depends very much on our emotional coping skills.

Equally damaging are reactions which are inappropriate. For example, when anger is the response to an incident which someone else would treat as being of little importance – in other words, an over-reaction. The question is: how is it that some people can cope with all these things, whilst others cannot? The answer is a matter of attitude, belief and habitual behavioural patterns.

Many of our attitudes derive from the imprinting we receive in our early formative years. Unconsciously we are ‘programmed’ by what we hear and see as children, and these attitudes then become the blueprints, the beliefs, which dictate how we will ‘feel’, act and respond in a multitude of situations, including stressful ones.

It is our acceptance when very young, usually without question or critical judgement, of the attitudes we see and learn from our parents, relatives, friends, schools etc. which mould our later behaviour and responses to stress. To alter entrenched attitudes and behaviour in later life we first must recognize that we may be ‘programmed’ in a manner which leads to inappropriate, self-damaging behaviour, and that just as we first learned attitudes when we were very young, so can we re-learn a different view of life later if we wish to.

The key to such a change is awareness of where the key to improving things lies, to a realization that there are other ways of seeing things, that these may be more life/health enhancing than our current approaches, that we need to challenge our present attitudes and beliefs. As you alter your attitudes so will your feelings change, and this is because it is your thoughts which govern your emotions. If you can learn to see your emotions as a mirror of your thoughts, and if you are aware that your emotions are in turmoil, or that they lead you to inappropriate responses, you can see that it is the way you think which needs to be addressed before changes will come in your emotions and stress-coping skills.

If you can begin to see that a repetitive cycle occurs in which life stresses are poorly coped with, and that the end result of this is depression, and the risk of mental and physical ill health, the need to gain control of the underlying causes becomes clear. Control of the emotions comes through understanding and awareness that negative feelings can be replaced with positive ones.

It is no simple or easy task to make such changes, and it may well require professional counselling, for it is not enough to simply superficially ‘blot out’ negative emotions with an overlay of positive thinking. What is called for is a more fundamental change in which you come to understand your way of thinking, the place where your attitudes were born. The start of this process towards an upwards positive spiral is recognition of what is necessary, followed by the use of a method which leads to greater understanding or insight. This can be achieved by attending workshops or group therapy sessions, or one-to-one counselling with a therapist, whether the method involves psychosynthesis, voice dialogue, neurolinguistic programming, or any other humanistic psychotherapy tool.

In all of these methods, judgements are avoided, and understanding and awareness is encouraged. Once you come to understand and accept yourself, and learn why you think (and, therefore, behave) as you do, change comes naturally.

There are a number of defensive tricks which the mind can play in response to any challenge or stress. These include repression of thoughts and memories which might prove stressful, as well as ‘rationalization’, in which the individual makes up an account of his or her behaviour in response to stress, the true explanation of which would produce anxiety. Such common defences, if producing anxiety states or personality changes, require professional psychotherapy to provide insights into, and resolution of, the problem.

It is self-evident, then, that what is to one individual a major stress factor may to another be only a minor irritant. Recall the student doctors who I referred to earlier. Some became ill and some did not when confronted by the same exam stresses. It was their coping skills and attitudes which determined who would become ill and who would not. In a well-documented study (M. Linn, ‘Stressful events, disphoric mood and immune responsiveness’, Psychological Report (1984), Vol. 54, pages 219–22) it was shown that the psychological response to a stressful event can alter the ability of the immune system to function adequately. In particular, men who reported the most depression after bereavement or serious family illness had the greatest reduction in immune efficiency. Such changes are not confined to depressive illness, but may result in a variety of responses to unpleasant life events.

Now, it is clear that life-events are common to us all. We all experience many, or even most, of the sort of events which are listed below, and yet they do not provoke a negative effect in everyone. Dr Norman Cousins, writing in the American Journal of Holistic Medicine (March/April 1986, pages 1–20) gives his view of the remedy which saves so many from stress-induced illness.

‘If negative emotions like panic can create disease, what is the role of positive emotions – love, hope, faith, laughter, playfulness, creativity? I’ve come to the conclusion that the function of the positive emotions is to interrupt the negative ones. The positive emotions protect the body against the bolts of fear, anger, worry and despair. They are the blockers, magnificent blockers … blocking as they can the disease of panic, which can intensify virtually any underlying illness. It is not possible to entertain two contrary feelings. The positive emotions drive out the negative. You cannot panic and laugh at the same time.’

The difference lies in a person’s attitude towards the cause of stress. For one person, for example, the meeting of a deadline, the need to be at a particular place at a fixed time, is of vital importance, and the prospect of being late, of failing to meet the deadline, generates a great deal of tension and anxiety. To another person, such deadlines are mere guidelines, and no particular worry is felt at their being missed.

Attitudes depend upon a person’s concept of reality. The world as they see it is their own reality, and when this comes into conflict with the external environment stress results. To some extent, all change represents stress. Anything that calls on us to adjust or change from what is normal represents stress. Our concept of what is normal, what is right, how things ought to be is, therefore, the sounding board on which the external environmental factors operate. Beliefs and attitudes often determine the degree of stress, anxiety etc. experienced. For example, the death of someone close is undoubtedly a major stress factor, and yet to someone whose beliefs include a certainty of an after-life or a reincarnation, the death will be seen as part of a continuous process, not an end, and therefore the amount of stress will be minimized. Clearly, what you believe, what you think, and how you see both major and minor events, is linked to your learned responses, which in turn derives from your upbringing and the attitudes and beliefs of those who guided your early years, modified by all that has happened to you since then.

Stress and Changes in Lifestyle

It has been possible to grade the potential of events or changes in our life. In the following chart, scores have been allotted to each event so that the degree of susceptibility to the effects of stress can be estimated. This can be valuable in alerting us to pay extra attention to dealing with those elements of health maintenance which are within our control. Some such methods are explained in Chapter 5.

The stress scale is based on the work of T.H. Holmes and R.H. Rahe (Journal of Psychosomatic Research (1967), No. 11) and is meant as a guide to the assessment of measurable stress resulting from having to adjust to change. There are many other causes of stress, but it is true to say that a high score on this chart (300 or more) over a short period of time (six months or so) is a strong indicator (affecting 80 per cent of us) that a major illness may follow. If the score is relatively high (anything from 150 to 299) about 50 per cent of us may become ill soon afterwards, and if under 150 points are scored, fewer than 30 per cent become ill. The higher the score the greater the need for stress-proofing.

Changes in lifestyle | Scale
Death of spouse | 100
Divorce | 73
Marital separation | 65
Jail sentence or being institutionalized | 63
Death of close member of family | 63
Illness or injury | 53
Marriage | 50
Loss of job | 47
Reconciliation with marriage partner | 45
Retirement | 45
Health problem of close member of family | 44
Pregnancy | 40
Sex problems | 39
Addition to family | 39
Major change at work | 39
Change of financial status | 39
Death of a friend | 37
Change in line of work | 36
Change in number of marital arguments | 35
Large mortgage taken out | 31
Mortgage or loan foreclosed | 30
Responsibility change | 29
Child leaves home | 29
In-law problems | 29
Personal achievement realized | 28
Wife starts or stops work | 26
Starting a new school | 26
Leaving school | 26
Change in living conditions | 25
Change in personal habits | 24
Trouble with employer | 23
Change in working hours | 20
Change in residence | 20
Change in recreation | 19
Change in church activities | 19
Change in social activities | 18
Small mortgage taken out | 17
Change in sleeping habits | 16
Change in number of family get-togethers | 15
Major change in eating pattern | 15
Holiday | 13
Christmas | 12
Minor violation of the law | 11

It is known that these scores and the position on the scale of some of the incidents vary in different cultures. Different belief systems place the stress of marriage higher in Europe, for example, than in Japan. It can also be seen from the list that stress factors are not always confined to unpleasant events. A holiday, for instance, is seen as a cause of stress. Change itself, pleasant or unpleasant, has a potential for stress. But, even in high-scoring people 20 per cent do not become ill soon afterwards because it is our response, our attitudes, beliefs and underlying health status, that are the real determining factors in whether or not we are badly affected by stress. The list can be used as a guide, but it should be coupled with thoughts on the most appropriate responses, and these responses should then be cultivated.

Anticipated problems

There is another element in life which can often produce even more stress than events and changes which actually take place. This is the highly charged area of anticipated problems or events. Whilst losing a job is indeed a high-scoring stress factor, the anticipation of such a loss presents potentially greater stresses by virtue of the time-scale involved. Once a job has been lost, the reality of the situation determines that the person concerned does something about it. Looking for a new job, making practical arrangements regarding finance etc. are all stressful, but they are positive responses to the event. If, however, there are rumours of possible redundancies, and the anxiety and uncertainty continues for months or years, then the stress induced may be far greater. It is, nevertheless, worth remembering that, in such a case, there are practical steps which can be taken to minimize the effects of the stress once it is realized what is happening.

So, apart from actual changes in life being potentially stressful, the anticipation of such changes also creates stress. It is true, too, unfortunately, that much stress relates to an inability to resolve events which are in the past. Guilt, self-pity, brooding over events gone by – real or imagined – present another major potential for stress generation. Not only does such dwelling on the past produce stressful changes in the body, but it greatly diminishes our ability to function well in the present.

As well as anticipated or remembered unpleasant events, stress can build up from the environment in which we find ourselves. We may have to work amongst a lot of noise, or in very hot or cold conditions. All these things, including the effects of change, are termed ‘stressors’, and of course their potential for harm will depend upon our attitudes, emotions and personality characteristics. The strain, conflict and pressure resulting from such stressors may produce anxiety states which can be short-lived or long-term. Since it is not possible, in the main, to protect oneself against the major changes in life, it should be thought of as desirable and necessary that attitudes should be cultivated which will minimize the effects of the inevitable vicissitudes of life.

External stressors, whilst easy to identify, are less easy to measure and control. These might include difficult working conditions, boring repetitive occupations, and commuting on an unreliable transport system, or having to drive in heavy traffic for hours every day. Our bodies respond to all such stressors in a predictable pattern of internal changes. Stress is, however, cumulative, and a relatively minor event, when added to a large existing stress load, will often prove to be more than the body’s adaptation process can cope with. To a large extent the breaking point can be avoided by taking care of that aspect of the stress jigsaw puzzle most easily alterable, i.e. your personal habits and lifestyle. A change in attitude can dramatically alter the potential for damage created by externally generated stress, but such a change is far more difficult to achieve than, for example, a healthier pattern of rest and exercise, or a change in the food you eat.

Challenge and Control: The Element of Choice

All the changes and challenges in your life require that you adapt to or deal with them, often on a level where you are acting instinctively. Such challenges of life might involve any of the seemingly mundane stressors referred to above, or such things as:

 Time pressures (deadlines, appointments, responsibilities, tasks, tests, meetings)

 Other people’s behaviour (abusive, unkind, unreliable, contradictory, demanding, spiteful)

 Situations (job or home pressures, expectations of others)

 Self-imposed stresses (excessively high standards of performance in job, and even leisure activity; unduly self-critical)

 Life events beyond your control (as listed on pages 24 and 25) or the prospect of these

The question of whether or not damaging stress will result from any of these or other challenges and demands hinges upon the type of response which is forthcoming. Are the challenges seen as something to be overcome, to be dealt with, to grow through, offering a spur towards an improved future, triggers for potential growth, opportunity for change for the better? Or are they viewed as insurmountable, never-ending, overwhelming, crushing, beyond any personal control, negative with no redeeming features at all? To a large extent the degree of stress-induced damage which occurs is dependent upon which answer is forthcoming to these questions.

It is the ‘hardy’ response which is health-promoting with quite the opposite effect deriving from the opposite choice. Hardiness carries with it a sense of being in control, the view that the sort of events and situations described above offer a challenge and not a threat, and finally a sense of involvement and commitment rather than of detachment and isolation. And, in all of these hardiness elements, whether or not you feel it likely at this stage, you have a large degree of choice.

Choice? Yes indeed, for we can learn to choose how we will respond to life’s inconsistencies, demands and challenges, and this represents a major element in stress-proofing yourself. Even your believing the possibility of that statement being correct involves choice.

From childhood onwards, stress provides a spur and an incentive to development. The will to please others and to satisfy inner drives are responses to needs, desires and targets or goals, set by authority, society, family, self, and so on. This aspect of stress is vital to human survival and development. It is when there are inappropriate responses to such drives that stress becomes potentially harmful.

Whether considering early childhood development, schooling, family life, courtship, marriage, higher education, work or retirement, life presents a kaleidoscope of stressful events, challenges, obstacles, pitfalls and sometimes tragedies. The ground on which these events fall is the personality and make-up of the person, and since the avoidance of all stressful events and stages in life is not possible, it is the ground, the personality and belief system, that presents the main opportunity for modification, and consequent lessening of the impact of the many stressors that beset us.

‘Type A’ and ‘Type B’ Personalities

Cardiologists, Friedman and Rosenmann, have described the ‘Type A’ personality who is predisposed to heart disease. The Type A individual moves, walks, talks and eats quickly. He finds it difficult to relax, sets himself deadlines, often undertakes more than one task at a time; he fidgets and is ambitious. The ‘Type B’ person, much less prone to heart disease, is in direct contrast. This type moves, talks and eats slowly, is able to relax, is unambitious and avoids pressure and deadlines. None of this is too surprising, but what is exciting is that, when motivated (often by an early coronary) the Type A can turn into a Type B by altering their behaviour and copying Type B behaviour until it becomes habitual. There is a consequent drop in the likelihood of coronary disease following such a modification. Type A will have then adopted more desirable and appropriate responses to the needs of life, and will have enhanced his chances of long-term survival.

Living in the present lessens the tendency to dwell on past events or to worry about anticipated future events, and a further aspect of this is that the nearer our concept of reality is to actual life the less stress will be created. Reality may not always be the same for all people, but in many daily situations the stress felt by people is the direct result of their ‘fantasy’ of how things should be, being at odds with reality. My ‘fantasy’, for example, is that when people make appointments they ought to keep them, and what is more, they ought to be on time. In reality, however, this is often not the case. The annoyance and stress which is generated every time an appointment is missed or someone is late, could be avoided if I could bring my fantasy closer to real life, i.e. anticipate that people will, by the nature of things, be late for or will actually forget to keep their appointments from time to time.

‘If Only …’

In terms of attitudes to life and events, such thoughts or utterances as ‘if only …’ or ‘it should have been like …’, or ‘wouldn’t it have been nice if …’ indicate a failure to accept reality, or an unwillingness to accept what has actually happened. This type of ‘fantasy’ may appear harmless, but it is as potentially stressful as dwelling in the past or future. It is, in fact, another facet of that same tendency. ‘Be there now’ is the best piece of advice for such a person to bear in mind. Life is in the ‘here and now’. In the past, the future and the ‘if only’ lie shadows, demons and stress.

Nowhere is this more evident than in personal relationships, whether this be at work or in the home environment. Much stress results from an inability to express feelings clearly, without becoming upset. If feelings are expressed inadequately, then hostility and anger will often develop. Once again, many such stresses relate to differences of opinion as to what is, and what is not reality. Interpersonal relationships require that we express our feelings clearly and in a non-hostile manner, and that we are then prepared to listen to a similar expression of the other person’s views, without feeling ‘got at’ or under attack.

This is the ideal, of course, and it may be difficult to achieve because of long-held attitudes and firmly-rooted personality traits, but it is, undoubtedly, the way to ensure non-stressful relationships. Seeing reality in the present, the ability to deliver unbiased, non-hostile expressions of opinion, and the ability to listen are, then, qualities to be cultivated.

In personal relationships much tension is generated as a result of unfulfilled expectations. If one party anticipates a gesture or form of recognition (such as a birthday card or telephone call) which does not materialize, a tense and resentful attitude may ensue. Again, an ability to communicate can defuse such a situation. Errors or sins of omission are just as potentially stressful as sins of commission; i.e. non-events as opposed to actual events. If bottled up and nursed, such feelings can produce stress out of all proportion to the importance of the actual incident.

Self-Esteem and Cynicism

Into the huge equation of stress factors and their interaction with the mind/body complex which makes up each of us, we need to add ‘self-image’. How do you see yourself in relation to others, society at large, your friends and family? How accurately (and how harshly) do you judge your own strengths and weaknesses? Above all, what is the degree of your self-esteem, and how important is that anyway?

An important leading article appeared in the Lancet (22 October 1988, pages 943–4) which addressed the question of self-esteem. This explained the complex way in which we come to a value judgement, in which we weigh ourselves, deriving our standards partly by comparing ourselves with others. Do we, however, compare ourselves with those who are better off or those who are worse off than ourselves?

Modern American adolescents compare themselves with their fellows, judging by such yardsticks as popularity, degree of influence over others, school and other results and their self-awareness of such concepts as honour and virtue. Out of those assessments comes a self-esteem judgement which can profoundly influence the person’s stress-coping abilities.

In adult life we use similar yardsticks, but we add to it factors such as how good we feel we have been at being parents, husbands or wives, as well as experiences of success and failure in many of life’s tasks and the world in general. One common tactic in maintaining self-esteem is the awarding to ourselves of the credit for all that goes well, and to others (or circumstances) the blame for all that goes wrong.

Additional reinforcement for feelings of self-esteem (and the opposite) derives from other people’s opinions of us, as we perceive them. To that we have to add the degree of respect, attention, approval, praise, affection and love (or the opposite of any of these) we receive. Our self-esteem, therefore, has a lot to do with how we see our value reflected in the eyes of those around us and of society, and this starts in childhood.

Freud summed it up by saying: ‘A man who has been the indisputable favourite of his mother keeps for life the feeling of a conqueror.’ Imagine also the opposite, the sense of rejection and failure which children derive and carry with them into adult life from a parental attitude of indifference, or worse. Of course, life is seldom as simple as any of these models suggest. Some children are much loved by their parents, but rejected by their peers (or the other way around); some people regard themselves as superior, having a high self-esteem, despite little evidence that anyone else agrees with them.

Is Self-Esteem Important Anyway?

It is known that poor self-esteem is linked to illness such as depression, anxiety states and a host of psychosomatic disorders. It has also been linked to delinquency, child abuse and prejudice. It is even suggested, with strong research evidence, that our measuring of self-esteem has echoes in biological evolution. Many animals have displayed what is called ‘resource holding potential’ (RHP). This relates to the animal’s sense of degree of ability to fight and defend itself when it compares itself with other animals. When a low RHP is assessed by an animal it actually alters its internal physiological state, characterized by excretion of higher levels of certain hormones, changes in skin colour and behaviour patterns which indicate submission rather than a desire to assert itself. This sort of behaviour is clear to anyone who has kept groups of animals in which some dominate and others seem willing to adopt submissive roles (the pecking order in a chicken run is a good example.)

In a human setting this means that hardiness, self-esteem, the ability to deal with life’s vicissitudes, could be linked to the primeval pattern noted in our animal example, and that we unconsciously take on the role of the weak and vulnerable based largely on our self-image, our degree or lack of self-esteem, and that this has profound implications in health terms. Unlike chickens, we are not legally permitted to assert ourselves by pecking and fighting, and we should look for other ways of raising self-esteem. This has to be one of the major challenges of stress-proofing. And, what is the ideal? To be healthy, it is suggested, you should be neither unmoved by success nor indifferent to it. You should also be using every means possible to increase awareness in yourself of these self-imposed limitations, so that you can blossom into the full potential which life offers, even with all its challenges and hardships.

But can self-esteem itself lead to excesses?

Cynicism

A danger inherent in excessively high self-esteem is seen in behaviour involving cynical mistrust. This is characterized by a collection of attitudes which involves suspicion and the denigration of the motives and behaviour of others, and this has been shown to be a risk factor in the development of coronary heart disease (A. Fontana et al, ‘Cynical mistrust and the search for self-worth’ Journal of Psychosomatic Research (1989), Vol. 33, No. 4, pages 449–56.)

Interestingly, this research also showed that such people who are prone to self-criticism if they fail to reach the high standards they set themselves, who score high in assessment of their own self-worth in social comparisons as well as displaying cynical mistrust of others, also scored high in assessment of their degree of dependency on others for validation that they were deserving of being loved.

Self-esteem can therefore be seen to be a two-edged sword, especially where these other elements are found (cynical mistrust and strongly self-critical tendencies). I will return to cynicism in later chapters, and will also examine a splendid psychotherapeutic tool (Voice Dialogue) which allows the therapist to help you become aware of the ‘sub-personalities’ which make up all of us, and which can be involved in these excesses of critical and self-critical behaviour.

In summary: self-esteem, in its healthiest expressions, is a major stress-proofing factor, and conversely excessive self-esteem, especially when linked with cynicism, is a stress factor in its own right, as is low self-esteem.

Basic Emotions

The range of possible stress factors is almost endless, and the possible permutations of reaction to them equally so. It has been said that there are only two basic emotions: ‘like’ and ‘dislike’. All other emotions stem from variations and degrees of these prime feelings. The amazing differences in people, tastes, likes, dislikes and so on, makes it obvious that there is seldom any intrinsic quality in an event, object or situation, which guarantees it being universally liked or disliked (one man’s meat is patently another man’s poison). It is also worth noting that at different stages in life and under different conditions, the same person’s ‘likes’ and ‘dislikes’ will vary.

The conclusion may be drawn that a person can possibly be taught to like what was previously disliked, and vice versa. Thus, if, because of degrees of ‘liking’ or ‘disliking’, a person’s behaviour gives rise to a more stressful existence and more problematic relationships than are desirable, reduction of stress is possible only through a basic change in attitudes.

Just as type A must change from a fast-moving, fast-talking, fast-acting, fast-eating individual to one with more deliberate habits, so must the individual who says ‘that’s how I am, I can’t change!’ be made to understand that change is not only possible but desirable, and that self-interest dictates that it should be so. Changing habits and attitudes is merely a matter of understanding and recognizing them for what they are, followed by modifications in behaviour. This is easily said and, obviously, not as easily achieved. However, as will become clear, the alternatives to such behavioural modification may often be serious illness.

The Importance of Changing Your Automatic Response

In setting about behavioural modification – the changing of habitual attitudes and ways of responding – it is important to be aware that whenever you behave in a particular manner, you reinforce the belief that lies behind that form of behaviour. If there is always an angry tantrum in response to real or imagined criticism, then your belief that this is the appropriate response will be reinforced with each outburst.

To alter the underlying belief calls for an altered response. By substituting a less stressful, less provocative reaction, the belief will develop, and be reinforced, that the new reaction is correct and appropriate. Obviously, in interpersonal relationships, two such modified responses may be needed, and this is not easy to arrange.

Once you realize the role that habit plays in reinforcing undesirable modes of behaviour, it is possible to begin to change. By acting in a manner in which the other person is dealt with as you would wish to be dealt with yourself, and by expressing whatever needs to be said honestly and calmly, the opportunity will grow for a less stressful relationship. Such behaviour changes often spark changes for the better in the other half of the relationship.

It is worth noting that no-one and nothing makes you angry. You do it all on your own. Such feelings are always self-generated, and this is true of most emotions. You choose to be angry, jealous, guilty or bitter and, equally, you choose to be happy, giving, loving etc. Your attitudes and behaviour can be self-modified, and most experiences present a choice of response – one negative and stressful, and the other positive and, potentially, offering the opportunity for growth and self-knowledge – that choice always being yours, and the extent of attention you pay to the stress-reducing measures presented later in this book will be an indication of the extent to which you are prepared to accept responsibility for your life and actions.

Stress is Cumulative

Whilst, in early life, most people can cope with a great deal of emotional and physical trauma, this ability tends to diminish as life progresses. There are, of course, inherited characteristics which have an influence on our capacity for coping. And, there are other factors which will also, to varying degrees, determine to what extent stress can influence our physical and mental health. Among these are nutritional considerations, structural factors, exercise patterns, general fatigue, and the sum total – long-term and in the recent past – of stress. The effects these influences have will become clearer in subsequent chapters. At this stage, it is worth noting that stress is the spur that moves us to action, and that, if responses are not appropriate, it can also become the boulder that crushes.

There is indeed a point at which our body’s capacity for adjustment and adaptation in the face of stress becomes inadequate. When this occurs, health begins to break down in obvious ways. I will cover this in greater detail in the next chapter, but it is important to note that this very noticeable deterioration in health is itself a potent stressor. Anxiety in the face of changes in function and the onset of pain quickens the downward spiral. If you wait for this stage before taking reforming action you may have waited too long. It is, though, possible to regain health from this point, but only with great effort.

There are extrinsic factors which are outside our control, but there are also many aspects of the picture that we can control. There are, of course, states of mind which generate stress, which are outside our conscious control. There are many deep-seated anxiety states and depressions, in which only skilled psychotherapy and counselling can enable us to achieve insights and understanding and, ultimately, a resolution of the problem. Such forms of treatment lie outside the scope of this book, but it is suggested that the general principles here outlined, and the techniques described, can only be of help, even in such cases. However, no-one who is receiving psychotherapy should attempt self-treatment without first consulting his or her practitioner.

CHAPTER 2

The Physical Effects of Stress

Stress is an essential and constant part of life. It is the spur that drives humankind to all achievement, but, when excessive, it can destroy. All the ages and stages of life are transitional; from baby to toddler, from schoolchild to young adult, from active worker to retired pensioner, and so on. Each change has potential stress implications which, when overlayed upon the external and internal stresses of living, are constantly affecting our minds and bodies.

A definition of stress, coined by the great researcher into this ubiquitous phenomenon, Dr Hans Selye, is simply ‘the rate of wear and tear on the body’. All change calls for adaptation. If we go from a warm room into the freezing cold outdoors, adaptive mechanisms immediately become operative to help the body to maintain its equilibrium.

Adaptive processes take place in response to all changes and stressors, whether these are physical, such as heat and cold; chemical, such as polluted air and water, and drugs; or self-generated emotions, such as anger, grief or joy. Anything that is perceived as threatening the mind or body arouses a response of an adaptive or defensive nature instantly.

Homoeostasis

This ability to attempt to maintain the safe equilibrium of the body is known as homoeostasis. It is, for a variety of reasons, not always successful. The biochemistry of the body may be inadequate for the task, perhaps through poor nutrition – and this and other possible factors, including structural integrity, will be considered later. If the response is inadequate, or if perception of threats is inaccurate, then unbalanced and faulty body adjustments may occur with harmful consequences.

The normal stress reaction is seldom the result of the outside agency, but rather it is the system’s reaction to it. Whether the stressor is physical, such as sudden exposure to cold; or psychological, such as an unexpected crisis or a change of responsibility at work, or unpleasant news, the body begins to make biochemical changes in response to its perceived needs. Such changes take place to a greater or lesser degree almost constantly throughout life.

If a stressor is prolonged, continuous or extreme in its nature, then the defensive mechanisms of the body become even more active. In response to intense heat, changes take place in the blood chemistry and circulatory system in order to cool the body by means, for example, of extra fluid loss and evaporation through the skin. Should this fail to achieve the desired effect, then an even greater defensive effort might involve fainting and temporary unconsciousness, in order to reduce all bodily functions to a minimum. Such homoeostatic efforts, though, fall short of being actual stress reactions, unless prolonged.

Fight or Flight

In response to any stress or extreme the body undergoes a series of changes which Selye has grouped under the heading of the ‘fight or flight’ reaction. Quite logically, the response to being confronted with real physical danger, such as the appearance of a man-eating animal, would be to attack it or to escape from it. Whichever was the choice, the body would require instantly available energy, strength and concentration. There would be no time for slow deliberation or stages of progressive arousal, for by that time the adversary would be beginning its meal! If an appropriate response (fight or flight) to the stressor were forthcoming, then the biochemical and other changes triggered by the initial shock, would be utilized, and no ill-effects would be felt.

Today, people are seldom faced with such life and death stress situations. However, the mind and body may feel threatened in many other ways than by a man-eating tiger. Any perceived (accurately or not) threat or danger to the mind or body will produce a similar ‘fight or flight’ reaction, and there may be ways of producing an appropriate response to these. For instance, someone might say something which is perceived as being insulting and hurtful. The stress reaction, which includes a tensing of the muscles as well as biochemical (hormonal and other) changes, could simply be ‘bottled up’ and remain as an extra degree of muscular tension. If a suitable verbal and/or physical response were to be found, however, then again the preparation for action would have been expressed and used, and no ill-effects would result.

The degree of stress imposed on the body will vary with your perception of what constitutes a threat – one person would laugh and shrug off an insult, another would reach for a gun! It will also vary with your ability to respond appropriately. One might calmly but firmly state their views and inform the ‘villain of the piece’ of their feelings. Another might bluster and fluster and add fuel to the fire, and in doing so fail to obtain psychological release from the hurt and anger within. The stress factor, therefore, cannot be seen as the main determinant of the degree of ‘fight or flight’ reaction, but only as its potential trigger. The harm done to your body by prolonged, repeated arousal, is largely an outcome of your beliefs, attitudes, personality and ability to see objectively what constitutes real, and what constitutes imagined danger, physically or mentally.

The ‘Chain Reaction’ of Stress

The actual processes that take place during arousal and ‘fight or flight’ reactions are quite amazing to contemplate. It is possible to extrapolate these immediate changes and to see their potential for major physical damage if they are repeated or prolonged. The following process occurs instantly within the body in response to stress:

The muscles tense in preparation for activity; the hypothalamus (part of your brain) co-ordinates a number of hormonal changes; the pituitary gland is activated, and among other results of this is the production by the adrenal glands of the hormones, adrenaline and noradrenaline. As a result, a vast number of bodily changes occur; the pupils of the eye dilate – no doubt to see more clearly; the heart pumps more rapidly to service the extra requirements of the tense muscles, and this increases the blood pressure; the extra blood for the muscles requires extra oxygen, and the respiratory rate quickens to cope with this, as well as to help expel additional waste products resulting from increased activity. Blood being diverted to potential muscular activity requires the shut-down of some other functions, including reduction in blood through the kidneys, as well as the ceasing of digestive functions. To this end, saliva dries up and the intestines and stomach stop working. The body’s need for additional energy is met by the liver releasing stored glucose into the bloodstream, where the oxygen changes it into readily available energy. In anticipation of extra activity, the skin cools the body down by opening its pores to encourage perspiration. Since blood is being diverted to the muscles, there is a tendency for the skin to become paler. There may be involuntary urination or defecation, due to an over-reaction of that part of the nervous system responsible for restoring the status quo (the parasympathetic nervous system); normally, however, the sphincters controlling these functions close to prevent any further activity until the crisis is past. Other aspects of the body’s defence capability, the immune system, become less active during such arousal. This makes infection more likely at such a time. Since the muscles are tense, they will be producing lactic acid break-down products, which have the effect of reinforcing the anxiety and tension felt.

This listing of the chain reaction set up by stress is by no means fully comprehensive, but it gives an idea of what a devastating effect prolonged stress can have on normal body functions.

General Adaptation Syndrome

In the initial stages of arousal, most systems adapt to and accommodate such changes. After arousal there is a return to the status quo, especially if the response is adequate. However, if arousal is repeated over and over again, then some of the changes mentioned above stop being temporary and become chronic. The term employed to describe this process is the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS). As your body adapts to repeated and constant stress factors, and as chronic symptoms become an accepted part of life, the general level of health declines. Such symptoms include headaches, dizziness, insomnia, blurred vision, swallowing difficulties, aching neck and shoulder muscles, high blood pressure, heart problems, circulatory problems, palpitations, asthma, allergies, indigestion, ulcers, backache, skin rashes, excessive sweating, colitis, sexual problems, depression, phobias and irritability.

Disturbances occur in the blood-sugar balance, giving rise to wild swings in energy levels and mood. If this is accompanied by the excessive use of sugar in the diet, and of stimulants such as tea, coffee and chocolate, the body’s ability to maintain a normal blood-sugar level can be severely damaged. (Some researchers see this as a major cause of diabetes.) There is often a tendency to underperform; self-doubt and insecurity become apparent, and there is a tendency for the defence mechanism to break down, making allergies and infections more likely. Personal relationships may become strained, libido often disappears, and all these changes lead to further anxiety and stress. A vicious circle of declining health, resulting from stress, is the bleak picture which is all too familiar in modern society.

Accompanied, as it often is, by poor nutrition, lack of exercise, and the debilitating habits of drinking (tea and coffee as well as alcohol) and smoking, the formula for disaster is well under way. Treatment by drugs and other medication results in nothing but a possible alteration of superficial symptoms. Indeed, by neglecting the underlying causes, symptomatic treatment may well do further harm. Masking and disguising a problem will never provide an answer to it.

This adaptation stage is critical in as much as most, if not all, of the symptoms are still reversible if the underlying stress factors are dealt with, and attention is paid to nutrition, exercise and structural integrity. How long this stage lasts depends upon many variables, including inherited factors, as well as the degree of stress, basic health habits, and the degree of emotional support available.

After a period of years (ten, twenty or more) the exhaustion stage of the GAS may be reached, and at this time the body simply ceases to be able to cope, and there is a collapse into one or other disease state. Break-down finally occurs, when even minor stress factors are not dealt with satisfactorily. At this point there may be collapse into a catastrophic illness, such as coronary heart disease, cancer, etc.

Knowledge of the signs and symptoms of stress, and of some of the ways in which the body copes with stress, can be seen as a necessary step towards understanding the enemy. Without being able to recognize and become aware of stress, it is possible to delude oneself that ‘it just won’t happen to me’.

The combination of prolonged stress and chronic fatigue has been put forward by some researchers (Drs Poteliakhof and Carruthers, in their report: Real Health: the III Effects of Stress and their Prevention) as a major factor in the cause of such conditions as rheumatoid arthritis, asthma and hypertension. Lack of sleep, persistent overwork and chronic anxiety is thought to result in hormonal imbalance, notably adrenal exhaustion or sluggishness. This is thought to interact with constitutional and inherited factors to determine the type of disease which develops.

Heart Disease

In the field of heart disease, research by Dr Peter Nixon at London’s Charing Cross Hospital (detailed in Stress and Relaxation by Jane Madders) has shown contributory causes to be sustained and inappropriately high levels of arousal. This is mainly the result of the following factors, he suggests:

1 Pressures exerted by people from whom there is no escape.

2 Unacceptable time pressures, deadlines, etc.

3 Sleep deprivation.

4 A high score in the lifestyle changes list (see page).

Dr Nixon states that drugs are unsatisfactory in the treatment of hypertension, since the underlying causes are not dealt with.

Neurological Disease

Among other stress-induced conditions are those that mimic more serious conditions. ‘Symptoms suggesting serious neurological disease are common in patients suffering from anxiety states, or depressive illness, partly, or wholly, attributable to the effects of stress’, states Dr Richard Godwin Austin, consultant neurologist of Nottingham General Hospital. ‘The most common example seen in the neurological out-patient clinic is the patient suffering from recent onset headaches … Patients under physical or psychological stress, frequently develop tension headaches. These may occur in the setting of a depressive reaction, with symptoms of agitation or phobia. The headache often fails to respond to any form of simple analgesic.’

Cancer

There has also been a good deal of research into stress and its relationship to the onset of cancer. The German researcher Dr W. Herberger has noted that chronic anger, disappointment, fear and inability to cope with misfortune often play a role in its development. It has been found that the majority of cancer sufferers have a tendency to dwell on past misfortunes, real or imagined, and they have little sense of the future. Dr Hans Moolenburg, a noted Dutch physician, has described cancer patients as people who have been ‘battered by fate’. It has also been noted that in the U.K., where six out of ten members of the general public acknowledge some belief in God or some spiritual agency, that nine out of ten cancer patients had no such belief. Cancer might therefore be described as, in part, a disease of ‘spiritual deficiency’.

Load, Strain and Stress – Harmful and Helpful Factors

Before looking at some of the conclusions that have been come to concerning the relationship between personality traits and disease states, I want to touch on the possibly surprising healing potentials of some aspects of controlled stress. First, I want to be sure that you truly understand what is, and what is not stress.

Any reaction of your body or mind in response to an environmental or psychological demand is commonly termed a stress reaction. However, the total process of adaptation can be divided into three major phases, termed load, strain and stress.

Load is that part of the process in which an interaction takes place between you and any factor (physical, chemical or psychological) which is capable of disturbing you, or which demands a response from you. Strain is the term applied to the change(s) which result in your body/mind after the application of that load. It is the defensive (healing or normalizing) phase which follows on from the strain, in which an attempt is made to restore the situation to balance, which, strictly speaking, should be termed stress.

Stress can therefore often be seen to represent a positive, normalizing effort, something which can only be considered good, helpful and desirable. It is this self-healing process upon which we rely for survival, and in fact upon which all healing methods depend. For example, cut yourself (load and strain) and stress follows as the wound heals. This is homoeostasis in action.

Many other symptoms which we commonly try to ‘cure’ are, in fact, nothing more than evidence of the body putting things right. One good example of this is that of the fever which occurs during an infection. The infecting agent (load) has led to local or general problems, leading in turn to a ‘stress’ reaction (adaptive response) on the part of the immune system, which involves elevation of the body’s temperature (the fever). Under normal conditions this is a self-limiting process which causes no harm (except to the invading virus or bacteria) and which effectively gets rid of the infecting agent.

Such a stress reaction can actually be said to be life-saving, and yet – in many instances – the first objective of most people seems to be to try to over-ride this self-healing process and to take or do something to bring down the temperature! Such an action is clearly counterproductive, and not in the best interests of the body as a whole, unless the fever is of life-threatening proportions.

Stress as a Healing Factor?

There is yet another side to the concept of stress, and that is the therapeutic use of it (especially in alternative or complementary therapy) using the triple features of load, strain and response (stress). For example, manipulative methods such as chiropractic and osteopathy have historically seen as one of their primary roles the removal of obstructions to normal function as they normalize mechanical restrictions. They also understand that under ideal conditions self-normalizing responses take care of the processes of restoration of functional and structural integrity following appropriate manipulative care. What research has shown is that it is the degree of ‘load’ which the therapist applies which decides whether or not a good end-result is achieved by the treatment.

Selye’s Evidence

In some of his early research, conducted in the 1930s, Hans Selye MD, demonstrated the homoeostatic process in action, with spectacular clarity. He observed, in experimental animals, a specific pattern of response to a variety of what he termed ‘noxious stimuli’. Whether he used poisons of one sort or another, intense heat or cold, radiation or mechanical trauma (i.e. ‘load’), he noted what he called a ‘stress-syndrome’ which involved, among other changes in adrenal and thymic activity and size, loss of weight, haemoconcentration, and sometimes intestinal ulceration. These changes are evidence of ‘strain’ and an inadequate ‘stress’ (self-healing) response, since where such problems had occurred, the homoeostatic mechanisms had clearly been overwhelmed and had failed to restore equilibrium – or health.

Selye made an important subsequent discovery following experiments in which the load factor involved the injection of noxious (poisonous) chemicals under the animal’s skin. Selye, not surprisingly, observed a degree of response which was directly related to the concentration of the poison. He also noted that if a second stress factor (additional load) was then introduced (brief exposure to intense cold, heat, immobilization etc.) to animals previously exposed to mild degrees of toxicity there was an improvement of the initial response with, for example, reduction of tissue damage and speedy healing.

If, however, the initial toxic load had been heavily concentrated with very marked lesions, the secondary stressor (load) caused a rapid increase and spread of tissue damage, frequently leading to necrosis and death. This time the ‘load’ and ‘strain’ had overwhelmed the potential for healing.

These observations led Selye to state the truth which had been revealed. This was the crucial experiment showing that stress can either cure or aggravate a disease depending upon whether the inflammatory responses to a local irritant are necessary or superfluous.’

Selye attempted to make clear that a stress response involved many variable factors based on the unique and idiosyncratic ability of the organism (person or animal) to respond to load and strain. The variable nature of the response is based on genetic and acquired characteristics and energy reserves.

Whether treatment involves having something done to you (manipulation, insertion of an acupuncture needle, a change in diet, psychotherapy, taking a substance (whether a herb, a drug, a supplement or even a homoeopathic dilution of a substance) the same rules apply. It is always the body which is being ‘asked’ to respond, and this makes the potential healing response, by definition, a stress reaction.

Without any doubt it is the response of the individual which decides whether or not healing takes place, and that response (triggered by an appropriate therapeutic effort, or simply by innate self-healing mechanisms) is modulated (made stronger or weaker) by the current state of susceptibility, vitality or ‘potential for response’.

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