Chronic stress, recurring tension, frequent conflicts and latent discord caused by life's demand and/or with the people around you and especially in your relationships with your loved ones are often the result of an over-regulated nervous system. Generally speaking, stress hormones are supposed to prepare us for fight/flight. And during Stone Age it was extremely useful for survival. But how useful is it today? This survival reaction (fight/flight/freeze) is no longer up to date. We often don't need this stress reaction at all. So why the heck are we still reacting as if we were fighting a dinosaur?  

 

When we have experiences that exceed our window of tolerance, survival strategies such as flight, fight, or freeze (Fight/Flight/Freeze) are triggered. This survival mechanism is controlled by the brain stem (regulates all automatic processes in the body such as digestion, breathing, etc.) and jumps in instinctively, meaning automatically, and super fast in threatening situations. This survival response cannot be stopped by a cognitive decision.

 

And here's the rub. What is a threatening situation? For many it is something benign and yet it sets off our nervous system. It can be many things. The flight/fight reaction can be caused by external events, such as an open conflict with a superior or a loud argument with a partner. But it can also be triggered by thoughts, for example when the inner critic, aka the internalised voice of the parents, attacks us, stirs up fear or threatens punishment. This usually happens subconsciously. But even if it is consciously perceived, it can lead to a fight/flight reaction, in extreme cases even to freeze. What ultimately constitutes a threatening situation for the individual therefore depends heavily on what was imprinted in childhood.  

 

If survival strategies such as flight, fight or freeze are triggered regularly and at short intervals, in many cases it is inevitable that we will get stuck in the biochemical cocktail of fight/flight/freeze. This is reflected in chronically elevated adrenaline and cortisol levels, but also in chronically tense muscles and chronic stress.  

​

I guess you are now wondering what can you do to break out of this vicious circle? Don't worry, there is a solution. In the next section, you'll learn how to effectively get out of this loop.​

​

​

​

What is effective stress management?

​

We are indeed able to rid ourselves of the results of chronic stress, but we must learn how. Because not everything helps permanently. As you already know, the root of chronic stress is actually in the body. Put simply, it is a dysregulation in the autonomic nervous system. So in order to work with it effectively, we have to work with the body.

 

I have found one method particularly useful to work with the above mentioned issues. The method I use is  TRE®, short for Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises, developed by Dr. David Berceli.  For the last 8 years I have been treating the effects of chronic stress, and as a result physical tension, sleep disorders, as well as recurring conflicts and other relationship problems successfully, using TRE®.

 

TRE® works directly with muscle tissue in a non-invasive manner, thereby accessing the nervous system and brainstem. TRE® helps the client to restore balance at the nervous system level as well as at the emotional and cognitive levels. This way you can reduce stress and anxiety, improve your sleep, release muscle tension, improve your performance and optimize your well-being.

​

The Trauma & Tension Releasing Exercises (TRE®) are a powerful yet very simple self-help method to permanently release chronic stress, including chronic tension in the body. If this has piqued your interest, just call me to find out about upcoming seminars or make an appointment for a one-on-one-session with me to benefit from TRE® immediately.