CHAPTER NINE Relaxation Exercises and Techniques
Relax, You Are in Good Hands
Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)
Autogenic Training (AT)
Autogenic Instructions
Self-Hypnosis As a Relaxation Technique
Biofeedback
Sensate Focus Approach
CHAPTER TEN Spirituality, Alternative Medicine, and Health
That’s the Spirit
Faith and the Mind-Body Connection
The Power of Prayer
Using Prayer for Health and Self-Healing
Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Alternative Health Therapies
Acupuncture
Aromatherapy
Ayurvedic Medicine
Binaural Beats
Color and Light Therapy
Homeopathy
Hydrotherapy
Magnetobiology
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy
Music Therapy
Naturopathy
Orthomolecular Medicine
Tai Chi
Therapeutic Humor
Therapeutic Touch
Yoga
CHAPTER ELEVEN The Mind-Body Connection in Children and Adolescents
The Stress of Growing Up
Warning Signs and Symptoms
Effects of Toxic Stress on Brain Development
The Teenage Brain and the Mind-Body Connection
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Child and Adolescent Depression
Child and Adolescent Bipolar Disorder
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Stress Management for Young Children
Praise and Self-Esteem
Coping with School
Coping with Grief and Death
Talking About War and Terrorism
Dealing with Anger
Stress Management with Preteens
Stress Management for Adolescents
Signs and Symptoms of Suicidal Behavior
APPENDIX A Time Management and Stress
Time Management Skills Test
Time Wasters That Create Stress
Tips for Students
Time Management Plan of Action
Effective Time Management Strategies
APPENDIX B Health Assessment Quiz
APPENDIX C Family Stress Assessment Quiz
APPENDIX D Health Screening Checklist
ENDNOTES
REFERENCES
A book like this is not possible without the input and expertise of researchers and healthcare professionals who spend their lives helping us learn more about the connection between the mind and body. I would like to thank my former colleagues at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, and particularly Dr. Joan Robinson and Dr. William Sonntag, who mentored me during my early years and helped guide me in my research.
As researchers continually discover more about the amazing extent to which the brain has power over the body and may even control healing, we continually marvel at what has become known as the mind-body connection. The premise of this book is that by using a variety of simple techniques and tools we can harness and direct that power for optimum physical, emotional, and behavioral health. These include diet, exercise, attitude adjustment, and, perhaps most importantly, stress reduction.
Mind-body specialists posit that the mind and body are essentially inseparable—that the brain and peripheral nervous system, the endocrine and immune systems, all of our organs and all of our emotional responses, are in constant communication with one another through a common chemical language. Indeed, many of our most deeply felt emotions may be considered by some simply as chemical reactions that take place in the brain and manifest in the body as the states we recognize as love or hate.
Mental states can be fully conscious or unconscious. We can have emotional reactions to situations without being aware of why we are reacting (think “triggers,” or “having one’s ‘buttons’ pushed”). Each mental state has a physiology associated with it—a positive or negative effect felt in the physical body. And so, many mind-body therapies focus on becoming more conscious of mental states and using this increased awareness to guide our mental states in a better, less destructive direction.
Scientific studies show that severe prolonged stress and chronic negative thinking can compromise
