STRESS AND PSYCHIC TENSION

Stress and psychic tension

In the brain there is an "intense electrical activity. It was Dr. Hans Berger who first, in 1929, described the four types of rhythms or waves, called electroencephalographs, characterized by different frequencies (or cycles per second):

Rhythm Beta (frequency greater than 14 hertz). It is "the state of active wakefulness, characterized by mental and muscular tension, which prevails when we are busy, alert, with the" attention almost entirely directed to the outside or to the intense remurgination (internal dialogue). It is the rhythm of the maximum expenditure of nervous and physical energies, in which the orthosympathetic nervous system dominates. It also coincides with the paradoxical sleep phase or when you dream (REM phase). It is the rhythm of acute stress and is directly proportional to it. Stress hormones bring the brain to maximum activity and, in the long run, to maximum wear and tear from overworking. Hyperactive people spend much of their time in this rhythm.

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Alpha rhythm (frequency approx. 8-13 hertz). It is the rhythm of detachment from external reality. It coincides with relaxation and a decline in brain activity. In healthy people, not under stress, this state is generated automatically by simply closing the eyes. M. H. Erickson would define this state as "the normal daily trance state" experienced by all.

Rhythm Theta (frequency approx. 4-7 hertz). It coincides with the state of semi-sleep. It is "the phase in which associative and creative thought is favored. It is the rhythm of flashes of genius, of sudden illuminations. In this phase one is open to inner listening, to introspection. But it is also the rhythm of psychophysical regeneration. It corresponds to the trance state normally reached during a hypnosis session.

Delta rhythm (frequency below approx. 3 hertz). It coincides with deep dreamless sleep and intense muscle relaxation. In this phase there is the maximum production of the GH growth hormone (which is essential for cell renewal throughout life as well as, in the first phase, for growth) and the maximum activity of the immune system. This is the topical moment. for all our regenerative processes and for the production of "endofarmaci": the powerful drugs produced by our. organism with highly specific action. The great power of the "placebo effect" is now known to all. It stimulates the body's self-production of drugs thanks to the sense of tranquility, the calming effect, resulting from the firm belief that we have taken something that will soon make us feel good . On the contrary, mental tension (eg fear) as well as the prolonged intake of drugs (through a feedback mechanism) inhibit the action of our "internal doctor".
The delta rhythm is under the maximum domination of the parasympathetic nerve system and prevails in the sleep of good dorms. When it is altered, the person sleeps badly, regenerates little and therefore tends to be tired, to get sick easily and to have psychosomatic disorders.

The study of the brains of chess players and of memory samples, carried out using techniques such as PET or positron emission tomography, indicates that in many cases a considerable mental concentration can be achieved by reducing, rather than increasing, the rhythm of the brain. When the brain is rapid, the cortex is ready to respond to a multitude of stimuli and to carry out various mental activities. Conversely, a reduction in rhythm can promote selective and intense "mental activity.
The frenetic pace of modern society, which now travels at the speed of the internet, causes the brain to become more and more active and for more and more time, so that it will find it increasingly difficult to slow down its cycles. This reduces the ability to relax, to have a deep sleep, then to regenerate, thus establishing the fearful escalation: distress - insomnia - memory and concentration disorders - pathologies -
Furthermore, the high cerebral activity corresponds to an excessive attention towards the outside (supremacy of the exteroceptive senses, sight and hearing), at the expense of listening to the needs of the body. In a certain sense, one is projected "out of the body" thus reducing proprioceptive sensitivity. A bodily despair is therefore generated, that is a diminished awareness of one's "ego", which is dangerously capable of facilitating degenerative processes.
Finally, the same muscular tension derived from stress involves, as will be discussed in detail in the next paragraph, further "proprioceptive deafness" as well as difficulty in concentration and mental clarity. This can provoke as a reaction a further voluntary psychic effort which in reality, for the above reasons, will turn out to be more and more counterproductive until the opposite strategy is implemented: relaxation.

In addition to hypnosis, all relaxation techniques, both Eastern and Western (yoga, meditation, breathing control techniques, autogenic training, biofeedback, visualization techniques, moderate physical activities, anti-stress massage) have the important advantage of obtaining a healthy "deceleration" of the brain, otherwise difficult to reach by those suffering from chronic stress. The goal is to reduce stress levels with muscle relaxation, deep breathing, and "distracted drowsiness" of the conscious mind.

Edited by Dr. Giovanni Chett

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