BODY STRESS RELEASE from bodystressrelease.co.za

BODY STRESS RELEASE is a non-therapeutic complementary health profession. It is concerned with assisting the body to release stored tension, thereby allowing it to maximise its in-built ability to maintain and heal itself. This technique has been developed and practised in South Africa since 1981

Stress becomes locked into physical structures when the body fails to adapt to an overload of stress. This may result in pain, stiffness, numbness and postural distortions. In addition the body's capacity to co-ordinate its functions is undermined. Body Stress Release is a gentle procedure in which where areas of body stress are located, using the body as a biofeedback mechanism monitor. The practitioner assists the body to release the tension by applying light but definite pressure to the sites of body stress.

STRESS AND HEALTH

We are constantly subjected to various forms of stress in our daily lives. A certain amount is necessary, to provide us with challenges, and to stimulate us to strive for survival and progress. For example, a mind that is not challenged by problems to be solved becomes bored and stagnates; to maintain and strengthen muscles, they must be provided with the mechanical stress of exercise.

The body is designed to be self-healing. It has mechanisms that constantly monitor every function that is taking place, and is continuously adapting to both external influences and stresses, and to internal changes and stresses.

Health may be defined as: The body's ability to constructively deal with all the stresses to which it is subjected. In this way it is constantly repairing itself, and maintaining its optimum level of efficient functioning.

Certain stress factors will cause a temporary reduction of the body's efficiency, or health, eg. a strained muscle will be stiff and painful for a few days; then it will return to its normal condition.

The body is capable of healing wounds and fractures, counteracting harmful chemicals, adapting to sudden changes in temperature, etc.

STRESS OVERLOAD

Stress becomes a negative, destructive factor in life when it goes beyond the individual's ability to adapt to it. When the point of stress overload is reached, instead of the stress being released from the body, it becomes stored as "body stress". As we differ in our emotional and physical makeup, we have varying degrees of susceptibility to stress overload.

THE CAUSES OF BODY STRESS

EMOTIONAL / MENTAL STRESS FACTORS

These include fear of the future, financial worries, competition in the work-place, disintegrating family relationships. At times we experience sudden violent emotions, such as anger or shock, or we undergo milder but ongoing forms of mental strain, e.g. anxiety, depression and resentment.

We may become aware of the physical effect of emotional pressures, as the diaphragm, jaw, neck and shoulders tighten in a defensive posture, to armour us against the onslaught of life's stresses.

MECHANICAL STRESS FACTORS

The body is designed to withstand a certain amount of physical force - bumps, jerks and falls, but if the mechanical stress goes beyond the body's limit of adaptability, the effects may become stored as body stress.

The causes may be sudden and violent, such as a car accident, a severe fall, or lifting a heavy object incorrectly. Or, there may be a gradual accumulation of milder mechanical stress, eg. habitually sitting incorrectly, or doing inappropriate exercises.

CHEMICAL STRESS FACTORS

The sources of chemical stress include pollutants in the air, insecticides and certain food additives and preservatives. Harmful chemicals may be consumed, inhaled, or even absorbed when contacting the skin.

THE EFFECTS OF BODY STRESS

When the point of stress overload is reached, the stress becomes "locked" into the body and manifests as lines of tension.

The body adopts a protective mode of action by means of automatic reflexes, causing adjacent and overlying muscles to splint the area.

It appears that this action has a dampening effect on the nervous system, thereby causing the brain's filtering mechanism to ignore the areas of body stress.

In time when the body is required to take greater defensive action, stiffness may become noticeable, ultimately leading to postural distortion. It may also lead to loss of flexibility, pain or numbness.

A person with body stress may also feel tense, tired, and lacking in energy and enthusiasm for life. Headaches, backache and indigestion may follow.

It is also possible for the body stress to be present without the individual feeling any pain or stiffness - he or she will simply come to accept as normal their sense of having less than 100 per cent well-being.

While the stress or tension remains stored in the body, the normal tone of the body is disturbed, causing a reduction in its general efficiency. As its defence mechanisms become weakened, the body becomes less and less able to deal with further stresses to which it is subjected daily. In this way the individual moves increasingly further away from the optimum state of health.

REDUCING THE NEGATIVE STRESS IN OUR LIVES

We all need to take responsibility for our own health, by striving to reduce the negative stresses to which we are subjected.

To minimise chemical stress, it makes sense to follow a balanced and varied diet. Eat foods in forms as close as possible to their original state, and choose those containing the fewest additives. We should avoid exposure to harmful substances, by minimising skin contact and being careful not to inhale sprays.

We can reduce mechanical stress by improving our posture, by sitting, bending and lifting correctly, and avoiding potentially harmful exercises. Obviously it is helpful to pursue moderate and sensible forms of exercise to strengthen muscles.

As for the emotional/mental stress in our lives, we need to learn to consciously relax when we feel ourselves becoming tense. It is also advisable to seek out whatever activities and techniques help us, as individuals, to approach emotional balance and inner peace.

By minimising stress overload, together with Body Stress Release, we allow ourselves the opportunity of expressing our highest life potential.

PREGNANCY AND BODY STRESS

Body stress in the lower back may affect the nerve supply to the ovaries and uterus, undermining their efficient functioning. This may result in menstrual cramps, excessively heavy menstruation, irregular ovulation and infertility.

During pregnancy it is essential to keep the lower back free of body stress as pressure in this area may cause tension of the ligaments connecting the uterus to the sacrum (the bone at the base of the spine). This could lead to lower back discomfort and also may irritate the nerve supply to the legs resulting in leg pain (sciatica).

A woman of 32, four months into her second pregnancy, was experiencing twinges of hip and leg pain. She dreaded the situation developing into the severe “pinched nerve” pain which she had undergone during her first pregnancy. After several sessions of BSR all lower back and leg pain withdrew. With monthly maintenance sessions she remained pain free until the birth.

Following the birth of her fourth child several months previously, a woman of thirty five was experiencing lower back pain and almost constant diarrhea. All medical tests were negative. After three sessions of BSR she no longer had diarrhea at night. Over the following six months, with regular BSR care, the tension in her lower back was relieved and the muscles were restored to their normal tone. The bouts of diarrhea became less frequent during this time and finally ceased.

There have been many cases in which women who were assumed to be infertile were able to become pregnant after the pressure had been released in the lower back.

A woman of 24 tried to conceive over a period of two years. Her medical examination revealed that she was not ovulating. After three months of regular BSR she became pregnant.

A mother of two girls had experienced mild lower back pain for several years. When it suddenly worsened she turned to BSR for relief. After eight sessions over a three month period the pain had completely cleared and she found to her amazement that she had become pregnant. Initially this was a shock as she and her husband had long abandoned the hope of having a third child - their younger daughter was eight years old. However they were delighted when their first son was born.

BODY STRESS and BABIES

If the birth process was difficult, a baby may be born with body stress, especially in the neck and lower spine.

Small children are likely to accumulate body stress as a result of frequent falls and jerks while playing, or trying to lift heavy objects.

Children may sit incorrectly, e.g. reading or studying while sitting hunched over on a bed will induce stress in the neck and lower back.

Watching television while in a half-lying position which reverses the normal lumbar curve will cause pressure to build up in the spine.

As they approach puberty, children become more self-conscious and may develop poor posture. Hunched shoulders, a contracted chest and downward tilted head occur as a defensive mechanism against the new challenges and stresses in life. Muscles tighten and tension becomes locked into the body.

WHEN SHOULD A BABY OR CHILD BE ASSESSED FOR BODY STRESS?

The birth process is stressful to the baby. It makes sense to have a baby assessed for body stress within a few months of the birth, even if there do not appear to be any problems. In this way, if there is any tension stored in the baby's neck or back it will be released before it accumulates to have an adverse impact on the nervous system.

The BSR practitioner carries out the checks and releases while the baby is lying on the mother's chest or lap. The pressure applied is very light and comfortable for the baby. After the stored stress is released a baby very often will fall into a sound sleep.

Small children cannot always verbalise what they are feeling, but the parents may observe signs indicating the presence of body stress. For example, a normally good-natured child will become sullen and uncooperative, or the child may talk about a "funny feeling in the tummy", or complain of sore legs.

Children enjoy experiencing BSR as it is a gentle procedure and they become aware of how different they feel once the stored tension has been released. Often a small child will be aware of the body stress and will ask to be taken for a BSR session.

Babies & children respond very quickly to BSR, as the pressure has not been present in the body for a long time and is readily released.

CASES

A two day old baby could not suckle, as her tongue kept flicking to the corner of her mouth. After body stress was released in the neck she began suckling normally.

A mother reported that her twelve week old baby had cried almost constantly since birth, and he hunched his shoulders and screamed when moved. Immediately after body stress was released in the neck the exhausted baby fell asleep for 10 hours. Much to the relief of the distressed parents, he became placid and contented.

A five month old baby kept his arms in spasm against his chest and his gaze appeared to be unfocused. Cerebral palsy was suspected. After one session of BSR his arms relaxed. After a second session his mother reported that he was able to focus on her face and respond to her. Six months later his grandmother sent a photograph of him and a letter to say that his development was normal in every way.

A six year old brain-damaged boy had both arms and legs bent in constant spasm, and his mobility was limited to rolling on the floor. After 4 sessions of BSR the limbs had relaxed completely and he began crawling. Two weeks later his parents reported that he was walking.

A three year old girl was described by her father as naughty, as medical tests showed no reason for her continual bed-wetting. During the two weeks after the stress in the lumbar spine was released, the bouts of bed-wetting steadily decreased in frequency, and then ceased entirely.

THE EFFECTS OF BODY STRESS

A common sign that a baby has body stress in the neck is constant crying for no apparent reason. When body stress is present in the lower back the baby will cry when the hips are lifted while the nappy is being changed. The impact on the nervous system may cause constipation. body stress in the area of the diaphragm may result in colic.

Toddlers who refuse to walk and demand to be carried, or who complain of sore legs, (so-called growing pains) very likely have body stress in the lower back. The leg muscles may be affected, causing a tendency of the feet to turn inwards. Bed-wetting may occur if the nerve supply to the bladder is irritated.

At school, a child with tension in the neck may lack concentration and become disruptive. If there is pressure in the lower back, the child may be restless and unable to sit still.

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