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1997-08-22
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SELF-INDUCED RELAXATION AND THE ALPHA STATE
WHAT ARE STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS?
Although we generally think of ourselves as being in one or the other of
only two states of consciousness - either awake or asleep - there are, in
fact, several distinct states of consciousness which humans routinely
experience virtually every day. These states have been identified by
consciousness researchers by the distinctive brain-wave patterns
associated with them as well as by several other mental and physical
factors which characterize them.
The state in which we are fully awake and aware of our surroundings and
in which we do our conscious thinking has been designated as the beta
state. You are probably in the beta state right now as you read this essay -
unless you are sleepy and not really paying much attention to it.
When we are asleep we may be in any one of several different states, and
we generally go through all of these unconscious states during a typical
period of sleep. Although the various sleep states are important and quite
interesting we will not discuss them further in this essay. The state on
which we will concentrate is the state which lies between the fully-
awake beta state and the first stage of sleep. This intermediate state,
that is of primary interest to us here, is called the alpha state.
WHAT IS THE ALPHA STATE?
In the alpha state we are very relaxed and neither fully conscious nor fully
unconscious. The alpha state is a passive condition in which we are awake
but not fully alert to our surroundings. Since the alpha state lies between
wakefulness and sleep we must pass through it every time we fall asleep.
Sometimes we fall asleep quickly and spend only a few seconds in the
alpha state. At other times we may spend several minutes or more in the
alpha state as we gradually drift off to sleep. Although we pass through
the alpha state every time we fall asleep we donUt have to fall asleep to
spend time in the alpha state. Whenever we relax and allow our
concentration to wane and our mind to wander we enter the alpha state.
WHY IS THE ALPHA STATE IMPORTANT?
Time spent in the alpha state can be quite beneficial. For one thing, you
must be relaxed in order to enter and remain in the alpha state and,
therefore, any time you spend in it is usually both pleasant and restful.
Furthermore, when you enter the alpha state you actually undergo a
perceptible lowering of your blood pressure and pulse rate as well as your
brain-wave activity without having to resort to any sort of medication or
drugs to do so.
Another benefit is that your conscious and subconscious minds can
communicate with each other much more readily when in the alpha state
than they can in the beta state with all of its distractions. If you have a
problem that you have been trying in vain to solve and finally put it aside
and allow yourself to drift into the alpha state, you may find that the
solution presents itself to you, seemingly out of nowhere, after you come
back to the conscious state. This is because your subconscious mind has
been working on the problem while you were daydreaming without the
constraints and preconceptions which our conscious minds often impose
when we are thinking Rrationally.S
HOW DOES ONE ENTER THE ALPHA STATE?
There are a number of ways to enter the alpha state. Anything which
causes deep relaxation and partial detachment from conscious thinking
and alertness leads to the alpha state. You can enter the alpha state just
by relaxing and letting your mind wander - while gazing at the flames in a
fireplace, the sea gulls or waves at a deserted beach, or even tropical fish
swimming in a bowl or aquarium, for example.
Hypnosis, meditation, and yoga are all techniques for deliberately
inducing the alpha state. Despite their differences of method and the
specific benefits which characterize each of them, these and many other
techniques, which may seem mysterious or exotic to us, are simply
methods which have been found by various cultures over years - even
centuries or millennia, of experience - to successfully and consistently
induce the alpha state. The relaxation technique outlined below is a simple
generic form of self-hypnosis.
WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU GET THERE?
After you have learned how to induce the alpha state you may simply relax
and unwind for a while or you may, by working with a trained instructor or
hypnotist, explore or even program your subconscious mind, if you wish to.
The technique of relaxation presented herein is quite simple but also
generally quite effective. It is also quite safe.
Anytime that you wish to come out of the alpha state you may do so, but
please do so gradually because of the depression of your blood pressure,
pulse rate, and brain-wave activity which was mentioned earlier. Many
people fall asleep as a result of self-hypnosis and, in fact, may
deliberately practice it at bedtime, lying down, in order to combat
insomnia or just to fall asleep naturally from a state of deep relaxation.
If you do fall asleep as a result of self-hypnosis you will not be trapped in
any sort of trance but will awaken naturally as you would from any other
sleep.
TWO CAUTIONS
Despite the general safety of the technique described below, (1) you
should not use it in an attempt to self-treat any deeply-seated
psychological or emotional problems which you may have and (2) YOU
SHOULD NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES ATTEMPT TO HYPNOTIZE ANYONE
ELSE without thorough professional training and experience.
TECHNIQUE FOR SELF-INDUCING THE ALPHA STATE
1. Sit in a comfortable chair or lie down on your bed. Keep your arms
relaxed at your side and your feet and legs uncrossed. Close your eyes,
relax, and allow yourself to get very comfortable.
2. Take a deep breath, hold it for a second or two, and then exhale it
audibly through your mouth.
3. Now begin to breath fairly deeply but easily (not audibly) with a slow
relaxed rhythm. With each breath inhale slowly, hold your breath for a
moment without straining, then exhale slowly and fullyQagain without
straining. For the first ten breaths or so (donUt worry about keeping score)
think the word RrelaxS each time you exhale.
4. Continue your slow relaxed breathing but pay less attention to it and
begin to visualize yourself in some quiet and relaxing place that is
pleasant to you. The special place which you visualize may be a hammock
on a warm spring day, a quiet forest glen, a deserted beach, a cozy room,
or any other place which is pleasant and relaxing to you. You may simply
visualize billowing clouds or a flickering flame if you prefer to do so.
When you exhale you may continue to think the word RrelaxS or not,
whichever feels most comfortable to you.
5. As you continue to breath slowly and easily, allow yourself to be a
passive relaxed observer of whatever scene you are visualizing. See it in
as much or as little detail as your mind provides. Visualize animals or
birds if you like or enjoy complete solitude if you prefer.
6. Allow your mind to drift to some hypnotic element of your chosen
setting if you can do so without disturbing your sense of relaxation and
serenity. Examples of hypnotic elements are a leaf slowly drifting down
from a tall tree in a forest, the lapping of waves or the soaring of sea
gulls at the shore, a flame flickering in a fireplace, and so forth.
7. You should now be in the alpha state. DonUt worry about verifying this,
just enjoy it. Let whatever thoughts may pass through your mind do so. Do
not fight any negative thoughts that may intrude themselves. Just relax
and visualize your peaceful surroundings and they will drift away.
8. Allow yourself to remain relaxed in your chosen setting as long as you
wish to. DonUt worry about time or anything else.
RETURNING TO NORMAL CONSCIOUSNESS (BETA STATE)
When you wish to leave the alpha state simply tell yourself that you are
going to do soQif your are not asleepQand then slowly count forward from
one to ten. At the count of RtenS slowly open your eyes. Let yourself
readjust to wakefulness as gradually as your body wishes. If you have
fallen asleep, you do not need to do anything to come out of the alpha
state; you will awaken naturally as you would from any sleep, although
you may feel more relaxed than usual.
RELAX
If you practice the foregoing relaxation technique fairly regularly - at
least once a week but preferably every day or so - you should become
conditioned to relax, at least somewhat, by this simple two-step
technique: (1) Take a deep breath and then exhale it audibly through your
mouth. (2) Then breath slowly and regularly and mentally repeat the word
RrelaxS several times.
This can be very helpful for reducing stress in real-life situations. Be
sure to make your first breath a deep one and audibly exhale it, if
circumstances permit.
NOTE
THE AUTHOR OF THIS ESSAY IS NEITHER A PHYSICIAN NOR A HYPNOTIST.
THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS ESSAY IS NOT PROFESSIONAL
ADVICE.
David R. Schryer
Copyright 1993