Why is relaxation so critical for healing?

Nowadays, we are all being inundated with input. In 2023, scientists estimated that the average American processed about 74 gigabytes of data and information per day. To put that in historical perspective, 500 years ago, 74 gigabytes would be what a highly educated person may have consumed in a lifetime via books and stories. No wonder so many people report regularly feeling tired and overwhelmed!

Since this can more deeply impact those of us with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and/or a history of chronic stress, prioritizing and re-learning how to relax is one of the keys to recovery and overall well-being. Some of the ways the mind and body demonstrate the need for more relaxation include depressive symptoms, panic attacks, chronic tension, nightmares, intrusive thoughts, anxiety symptoms, and difficulty sleeping.

Re-learning how to relax can allow these and other symptoms to discharge and help stop the body from cycling through our inherent "fight-or-flight"/sympathetic response when triggers are experienced externally or internally (as our thoughts can be highly dysregulating). After we experience trauma, our nervous system may remain in a state of hypervigilance that can result in feelings of constantly being on edge, bracing in the body, and irritability. Ultimately, our amygdala and BNST (the area of the brain related to managing prolonged anxiety) are overactive in reaction to trauma. Additionally, our ability to regulate our emotions and manage our level of reactivity is impacted due to multiple areas of our cortex being less accessible as our brain is working overtime to promote our survival.

Once we start to recognize these tension-based patterns and trigger-related reactions, we can learn to downshift our nervous system and retrain the body and mind to strengthen our "rest-and-digest"/parasympathetic response. While on some level, re-learning to relax may seem simplistic, especially given the complexities of and depth of impact of traumatic experiences, it can be life-changing and allow your relationship with yourself to start to shift as you refine what daily activities benefit your well-being and treat yourself with compassion.

As a trained consulting hypnotist, I incorporate relaxation practices into my approach to promote feelings of rejuvenation and resilience. If you are interested in cultivating true relaxation, please reach out. This work is incredibly restorative - and can be quite enjoyable!

Take good care,

Michelle

michelle@somaticzencounseling.com