Managing
Stress
7E
Principles and Strategies
for Health and Well-Being
Brian Luke Seaward, Ph.D.
© Creatas/age fotostock
“By comprehending that human beings are energy,
one can begin to comprehend new ways
of viewing health and illness.”
– Richard Gerber, M.D.
Stress and Disease
According to the American Institute of Stress:
• 43% of all adults suffer adverse health
effects due to stress
Stress and Disease
According to the American Institute of Stress:
• 43% of all adults suffer adverse health
effects due to stress
• 75–90% of all visits to primary care
physicians are for stress-related complaints or
disorders
The
association
between
stress and
disease
is HUGE.
Stress and Disease
• It is estimated that between 75–85% of
all health-related problems are either
precipitated or aggravated by stress.
Stress and Disease
• It is estimated that between 75–85% of
all health-related problems are either
precipitated or aggravated by stress.
• The term “psychoneuroimmunology” was
coined in the early 1980s to link the fields of
psychology, neurology, and immunology to
better understand the relationship between
stress and disease.
Figure 4.8. The association between stress and disease
is very real! Source: © Peter Mueller/The New Yorker
Collection/www.cartoonbank.com
Theoretical Models
of
Psychoneuroimmunology
The Borysenko Model
The Borysenko Model
This model classifies
disease using a matrix (or
quadrant) with the nervous
system and immune
system as the variables
The Pert Model
Candace Pert’s Research Findings
• Academic stress lowers saliva immunoglobulin
which is the first line of defense against upper
respiratory diseases!
• Academic stress lowers lymphocytes (white blood cells
that help fight off disease!
• Stress slows the healing process of wounds!
• Stress (bereavement) lowers lymphocyte
response!
• Chronic stress accelerates the aging process!
• Some emotions suppress the function of white blood
cells and some emotions enhance their function!
The Lipton Model
The Lipton Model
Lipton’s research at Stanford University
revealed that cells have the ability to
promote growth as well as the protection
of their own integrity.
The Lipton Model
Lipton’s research at Stanford University
revealed that cells have the ability to
promote growth as well as the protection
of their own integrity.
They CANNOT do both functions at
once!
The Lipton Model
A biological environment of stress negates time and
energy for cell growth and integrity.
A state of constant stress will ultimately compromise
the integrity and vitality of not only the cell, but the
entire biological system.
Bruce Lipton, Lynn
McTaggert, Fritz-Allen
Popp, and several others
were featured in the
critically acclaimed movie
The Living Matrix, about
the new science of mindbody-spirit healing.
Source: Courtesy of The Living Matrix, LTD and
.
Becker Massey LLC
The Gerber Model
The Gerber Model
The mind, as conscious and unconscious thoughts,
exists as “subtle energy” that surrounds and
permeates the body.
The Gerber Model
The mind, as conscious and unconscious thoughts,
exist as “subtle energy” that surrounds and permeates
the body.
Stress-related symptoms that appear in the physical
body are the manifestations of “problems” that have
occurred earlier as disturbances at a “higher energy
level.”
Subtle Anatomy
Subtle Anatomy
• The Meridian System
• The Chakra System
The Meridian System
The Chakra System
There are seven primary chakras. Each chakra is
associated with a specific level of consciousness.
The word “chakra” is a
Sanskrit term meaning
spinning wheel
The Chakra System
Crown Chakra: Spiritual growth
Brow Chakra: Intuition, insights, wisdom
Throat Chakra: Communication, purpose in life
Heart Chakra: Love (ability to express love)
Solar Plexus Chakra: Self-confidence, gut feelings
Navel Chakra: Personal power, sexual power
Root Chakra: Safety and security needs
The crown chakra is called the halo in the
Judeo-Christian culture.
Figure 4.4. The Human Energy Field.
Source: Courtesy of Inner Traditions
A Kirlian photograph displaying the
electromagnetic energy surrounding an aspen leaf.
Source: Courtesy of Lynn Gerber
A Kirlian photograph
displaying the
electromagnetic energy
surrounding the hand
of renowned healer
Olga Worrell.
Source: Courtesy of Lynn Gerber
Each layer of subtle energy around the body vibrates at a
specific oscillation. If one layer is out of tune, like a
guitar string, then the entire energy field is affected.
“Thoughts are particles of energy. (Negative)
thoughts are accompanied by emotions which
also begin at the energy levels. As these
particles of energy filter through, from the
etheric level to the physical level, the end result
Is immuno-incompetence.”
—Richard Gerber, M.D.
The Pelletier Pre-Model
Ken Pelletier has been studying the relationship
between stress and disease for decades. He
believes that no model is complete until certain
questions are answered; specifically, the topic
of consciousness…also known as the “Ghost in
the Machine.”
The Ghost in the Machine!
• Multiple Personality Disorder
• Spontaneous Remission
• Hypnosis
• Placebos and Nocebos
• Cell Memory
• Immunoenhancement
Figure 4.12. The balance between the nervous system,
endocrine system, and immune system is quite delicate
when repeatedly affected by chronic stress.
Nervous System-Related Disorders
• Bronchial Asthma
• Tension Headaches
• Migraine Headaches
• Temporomandibular Joint
Dysfunction (TMJ)
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• Coronary Heart Disease
Immune System-Related Disorders
• The Common Cold
• Influenza
• Allergies
• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Lupus, Multiple Sclerosis,
Crohn’s Disease
• Ulcers
• Cancer
Effective coping
skills and relaxation
techniques for stress
management offer a
means to return to
“homeostasis” for
optimal health.