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Body Stress Release is an alternative health profession that was originally developed by Ewald and Gail Meggersee. The husband and wife team studied chiropractic in the USA before setting up a practice in South Africa in 1981. The BSR practice concerns itself with helping the body to heal itself by releasing locked in tension or stress. Lines of tension are identified by pressure tests where the body acts as a biofeedback mechanism. This tension is then released by precise and specifically directed pressure.
Healthy stress
Stress is a constant in life but not all stress is bad stress. As Body Stress Release material explains, ‘a certain amount is necessary, to provide us with challenges, and to stimulate us to strive for survival and progress.’ Just as important as it is to challenge the mind to prevent it from becoming bored, so should the body be given the mechanical stress of exercise to maintain and strengthen muscles.
Health is defined as ‘the body’s ability to constructively deal with all the stresses to which it is subjected. In this way it is constantly repairing itself, and maintaining its optimum level of efficient functioning.’ The body continues to heal itself as long as it is not overloaded.
Stress overload
‘Stress becomes a negative, destructive factor in life when it goes beyond the individual’s ability to adapt to it. Overload is reached; instead of the stress being released from the body, it becomes stored within the body as “body stress.”’
Stress can be induced by emotional and mental factors such as fear of the future, relationship difficulties, financial issues, sudden violent emotions or ongoing milder mental strain such as depression. It can also be brought on by sudden physical forces like bumps, accidents and falls or from milder mechanical stresses that may come from sitting or exercising incorrectly.
The body can also experience chemical stress from pollutants.
Symptoms of stress overload
When the point of stress overload is reached, the stress becomes ‘locked into the body and manifests as lines of tension,’ explains Body Stress Release. The body then goes into protective mode which can cause muscles to ‘splint’ the area, which in turn appears to dampen the nervous system. This can then cause the ‘brain’s filtering mechanism to ignore the areas of body stress.’
Over time, this may lead to distorted posture, pain, stiffness, tension, tiredness and a general lack of energy and enthusiasm. ‘Headaches, backache and indigestion may follow.’ As the tone of the body becomes disturbed, so is its efficiency reduced. In this way, one can move further away from optimal health.
How the Body Stress Release technique works
A BSR practitioner locates precise sites of body stress by carrying out a series of tests on a clothed client who is lying down. Light pressure is applied to various areas with the body acting as a biofeedback mechanism. Information about the lines of tension are supplied and the stored tension can then be systematically released.
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