Why It Is Important To Relax

     Within the autonomic nerve system of all mammals, there are two divisions: The Sympathetic and the Parasympathetic. These two systems are in direct opposition to each other. The Sympathetic operates when we encounter a dangerous situation. It was in use when our ancestors needed to survive, by preparing their body and mind to cope with predators. When they felt more secure, the Parasympathetic operated helping them to save energy by relaxing. Although modern humans do not encounter predators very often, our Sympathetic nerve system operates whenever we feel stress and anxious. (For more details review chapters: What is “Fight or Flight” Reaction?) When we are stressed or anxious for a very long time, the effect on our body and on our mind may be compared to a car that is driven extremely fast, for a very long period. As a result, a red light turns on, indicating that the engine is too hot. If the driver ignores the red light, and continues to drive very fast, the engine may be damaged. When the driver wants to cool off the engine, he parks the car and keeps the engine idling. When the Sympathetic nerve system is operating for a long period, it may good for us to cool off our body and mind by practicing relaxation, even for a few minutes.

    Throughout the human history, in all societies, regardless of culture and race, people have been practicing variety of relaxation techniques such as: praying, dancing, singing, playing musical instruments, telling stories at the fire site, playing social games, juggling, reading books, watching TV, practicing yoga, meditating, visualization, or self hypnosis. All relaxation techniques share two elements: focusing on thoughts or activities that are not threatening and narrowing one’s attention span. (For more details review chapters: Why Hypnosis Helps?)

    The effect of relaxation on mind and body was searched in many scientific studies. Since the Parasympathetic Nerve System increases the level of the immune system, the body may heal it itself faster when we practice relaxation. I recommend readers, who wish to read summaries of scientific studies about the subject, to go to www.pubmed.com and write on the top: relaxation and guided imagery. Last time when I looked there, I found 307 summaries of studies that stated positive effects of relaxation and guided imagery on variety of physical ailments.