# Some basics and peoples experiences with relaxation techniques



## eric (Jul 8, 1999)

I just thought it would be interesting to ask everyone how they thought the basics of relaxation techniques help IBS and how they have helped people in particular experiences?


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## JeanG (Oct 20, 1999)

Hi Eric:Even before I had IBS, extreme stress would cause almost instant D. Practicing hypnosis lessens stress so that I have far fewer episodes. My main problem when IBS started, though, was constipation, which was relieved by the hypno. It could be that, when under stress, I was eating a very unbalanced diet. When I am feeling well I love to cook and make sure I eat a good variety of foods, as well as take care to get the proper exercise, etc.Hypno has also helped me deal with fatigue related to stress, so I am less grumpy.







JeanG


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## eric (Jul 8, 1999)

Jean,







I thought I would put this here for the info.The relaxation response http://www.canoe.ca/Checkpoint/relax1e0.html The stress response http://www.canoe.ca/Checkpoint/strss1e0.html


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## Clair (Sep 16, 2000)

Hmmm,I would have to say prior to actually carrying out the relaxation techniques involved in Mikes Hypnotherapy Tapes, I didn't even know I was sufffering from stress which in turn was affecting my IBS.I think for like 2 years I had become so used to holding my body rigid and never physically relaxing - I found it really difficult to even slow my breathing down to normal let alone uncoil the spring so to speak.However after learning to just lie on the bed, empty my mind and just tense and relax my muscles and breathe normally - I found that helped alot.Just very simple exercises helped me relax my abdomen muscles which in turn helped relieve the chronic pain I had suffered for almost a year constantly. However, it is important to point out that mental exercise is just as beneficial as physical exercise....Clair


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## zayaka26 (Jul 5, 2001)

In my case IBS is caused mainly by stress, so ANY kind of relaxation is always helpful.


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## JeanG (Oct 20, 1999)

Hi eric:The articles on the relaxation and stress response are interesting. I had no idea how many changes there were in the body when stress acts up. No wonder we can get sick from it if overly stressed. JeanG


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## AZMom (Oct 13, 1999)

Before I finally figured out I had IBS, I thought anxiety was my problem. I thought the anxiety brought on the D, so I tried many relaxation techniques. I did CBT, biofeedback, even hypnosis (ten years before I did Mike's tapes), and even psychotherapy. To rate them from least helpful to most I'd say:1. Psychotherapy-made me more anxious having to sit for an hour without being able to get up to use the loo. After a while we just ran out of things to talk about, and the IBS was not helped at all.2. Biofeedback. By the time I got to biofeedback I'd done hypnosis (for panic attacks) and was quite good at getting into a relaxed state and making the machines do what the therapist asked. 3. CBT. This helped me to understand my thoughts and how they can bring on an attack. Helped me not to fear the panic attacks and make their duration shorter, however did little for IBS symptoms.4. Hypnosis. In 1989 I did hypnosis for my panic attacks. At this time I still had never heard of IBS. It helped a lot with panic attacks and taught me to get into a relaxed state very quickly and easily. 5. Mike's Tapes. Actually helped with IBS symptoms. Very different from the first hypnotherapy I had. This is gut directed and specific for IBS. I can say this has changed my life, improving my IBS symptoms, and as an added bonus the anxiety is gone too.All of the above (except perhaps psychotherapy) helped get me where I am today. With IBS it takes a bit of this and a bit of that. I've also changed my diet the biggest problem being dairy foods. AZ


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## LTL (Dec 18, 2001)

Hi Eric,I'm becoming a fan of the relaxation techniques from links that you had posted a few weeks ago - I used them & went on vacation & had a good trip with no D problems.While I like those, I'm beginning to like my GSR biofeedback monitor even better because it gives me actual numbers - I can attach numbers to the dropping stress levels, which gives me more confidence.I had an auto accident last week, & was taken to the local trauma unit via ambulance with an IV & a couple of monitors hooked up to me, and of course started to wonder if my IBS was going to make things a lot worse. I used the relaxation techniques that I was using for biofeedback & did fine. However I haven't used them since then & now I'm paying the price - between reliving the accident 100s of times, losing my vehicle, pain, problems with insurance, etc. & not using the relaxation, I've become a bit overstressed. It makes a great example of how all this stuff works for me anyway.







It'll probably take a few days of trying to relax to bring things back down to normal. But in a sense I'm finding it to be an interesting experiment.


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## eric (Jul 8, 1999)

Ltl, I am sorry to hear you were in a crash, I hope your okay and that would certainly stress anyone out. Sure sounds like you have a pretty good attitute though.







Its very interesting I believe how this all fits and works and what does what. Sorry to hear you were in a crash they are very scary.I am glad your okay and hope you get it sorted and settled quickly.







I think its good to see people posting there experiences and information on all this for everyone and for us all to figure out and see certain connections.


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## JeanG (Oct 20, 1999)

Hi Ltl:I'm sorry to hear of your crash, also. Were you in the hospital for a while? It sounds like it was pretty serious, and I hope you're ok now.I'm glad the relaxation techniques helped you through the rough spots. Hang in there.







JeanG


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## LTL (Dec 18, 2001)

Hi Eric & Jean,Thanks for your concerns. I was only in the hospital for a few hours - I was quite shocked when the Dr. told me that I could leave because everything hurt pretty bad. But I was actually out driving around that afternoon in a different vehicle. I feel quite a bit better now, though still sore.The whole thing has helped me gain a new depth of understanding of stress & is pretty interesting because of it. I'm getting close to bringing the BF monitor back down to where I could get it pre-crash. However, I don't recommend running into a tree to gain this understanding.


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## eric (Jul 8, 1999)

I am glad your okay Ltl.







I am also glad to see your interest sparked in all this, when I first started studying HT I was really amazed and amazed at all I learned while researching it. Of course of have applied this back also to my IBS, not just hypno, but all the information I learned on digestion, the relaxation responce, parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system involvement ect.. Very interesting stuff indeed.A book you might want to read that I have not yet and would like to, but I have read a lot of her work."The Balance Within" http://www.esthersternberg.com/ Glad your okay.


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## LML (Jul 17, 2001)

EricI was perhaps more ready to accept the help the HT offered due to a couple of years of Yoga pratice. There I'd already experienced the benefits of really learning to relax. So it seemed an easy transition to use Mike's CDs for the gut specific relaxation, and for the ease of use. (Not getting dressd and driving to my Yoga class and back.) An interesting sidelight ... my daughter is an 8th grade teacher. She found that keeping it all politically correct and teaching her students to have a little "brain vacation" for a couple minutes before a test, closing their eyes and breathing deeply several times before begining, they performed ever so much better.


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## JeanG (Oct 20, 1999)

Hi Ltl:I'm glad to hear you're up and around!







An accident is such a shock to the whole body, that you're very lucky you have a way to cope with it.If more people would only understand the benefits of relaxation techniques and stress reduction techniques, things would go much easier for them. Unfortunately if stress is mentioned many people feel as if they are being judged, which isn't the case at all!Oh, well, it's too early in the morning to be on my soapbox.







JeanG


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## LTL (Dec 18, 2001)

Eric & Jean,Thanks again for your comments. It remains an interesting experience, especially in the light of the new article that Eric has posted under the 'second wave' thread. I noticed that within about an hour after the accident, I was calm & in good spirits even though I didn't know the extent of my injuries & things hurt a lot.A week later, I was stressed out, couldn't bring the BF monitor down nearly as far as I used to, etc. What happened during the week? I thought about the accident - someone ran a stop sign, broadsided me & my family, knocked us through an intersection & then we rammed into a tree. Were we in a smaller vehicle, it likely would have killed us. So I guess there is a bit of anger there, though not a lot. However I do feel tension now whenever I see another car approaching a stop sign perpendicular to my path. And the insurance company is playing games with the settlement that I need to get a new vehicle, etc. etc. I'm not complaining here - just finding the whole thing fascinating regarding the effects that it has had on me & comparing it to the 'second wave' article.


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## trbell (Nov 1, 2000)

LTL, It might help to think of the accident as a trauma similar to war. The first step in recovery from PTSD is typically recognition that it was a trauma which activated the HPA axis. You have actually taken the second step here of telling someone how you feel. If you're not better soon you might want to see someone.tom


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## JeanG (Oct 20, 1999)

Hi LTL:Reactions to trauma can be really strange. Sometimes something as simple as a color or scent someone is wearing that can remind a person subconsciously of what happened earlier. Take care.







JeanG


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## LTL (Dec 18, 2001)

Hi Tom & Jean,Thanks. Based on the biofeedback monitor, I'm back to normal now - I can relax more than it is capable of indicating. Unfortunately (from an experimental sense) this didn't happen until I settled with the insurance company & acquired a new vehicle.







I was hoping to achieve my former level of relaxation in the midst of more difficult circumstances. I'm sure that someday I'll have a new set of problems so that I can experiment again.







But I'm not really looking forward to that.


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## JeanG (Oct 20, 1999)

Hi LTL:Look at it this way -- you probably recovered a lot faster than you would have without your techniques.







JeanG


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