This article is a part 2 following the article called a 'New Approach to Self Care' posted 30th September 19.
There are six different brain waves that we can are measure, each serving a different function. A normal waking adult tends to be in heightened state of low and mid beta brainwave. That is 15 to 18 Hz and 18 to 32Hz, or 18 to 32 cycles per second, which enables us to be alert and to concentrate on day to day tasks at home and work.
If we experience high levels of stress however we can be in a state of high beta (32-38 Hz), or if we're in a a state of acute danger the higher level brainwave frequency, Gamma, may rise at the time of trauma happening and encodes the trauma onto the surface of the cell. However, Chronic states of stress can become the norm and result in daily distress associated with recurring patterns of high beta brainwaves, which over time can become habitual. The side effect of spending too much time in high beta is the ongoing release of stress hormones day and night (including high quantities of adrenalin and cortisol) resulting in a survival bodily responses. It results in suppression of the immune system and digestion(10), increasing heart beat and blood pressure and narrowing of the eyes gaze to focus in and on the problem (danger) to resolve. There is also evidence of the impact of stress on the liver(11).
In states of heightened stress the body and mind prepares much the same as it does when it is in a state of danger, or when unsafe, causing an underlying unsafe feeling right across the nervous system, felt in certain places like butterflies in the gut and worrying at night. It can also create an habitual brainwave pattern that is incoherent which over time can translate into dis-ease. This is why the topic of workplace stress is so important. If stress becomes chronic in the workplace it can contribute to dis-stress and overtime dis-ease in the gut, heart, back and brain. Brain Training can help to make incoherent brain waves coherent and bring homestasis to the mind and body.
"Many people don't start thinking about their brain health until they notice some cognitive changes and memory loss in their 60s or 70s," Elise Caccappolo, PhD, an associate professor of neuropsychology at Columbia University Medical Center in New York(13)
So now we have the tools to assess your brainwaves helping you wake up and give you the awareness you need to make a decision on what to do next. And we also give you the tools and techniques to help you reduce your stress:
Reading/References
(10) Stress effects on the Body; https://www.healthline.com/health/stress/effects-on-body#1
(11)Stress levels linked to risk of liver disease death, study shows; https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150519105856.htm
(12) Taming the Amygdala: An EEG Analysis of Exposure Therapy for the Traumatized; https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1534765611429082