Self Hypnosis Found to Reduce Heart Attack
(article below)

Self hypnosis can help save your life! Did you know that the stress of being overwhelmed could contribute to heart attack?

And this is a real danger if you are also prone to development of cold sores which is a virus--Herpes Simplex 1 (HSV1). A study published in the Journal Circulation reported that those whose blood contained the antibody for Herpes were twice as likely to suffer a heart attack. The virus lies dormant in the nervous system and with an overload of stress, fatigue, or illness is activated resulting in triggering a nerve response in the coronary nerve responsible for excessive clotting. And of course this clotting contributes to a heart attack. 

But there's help--something you can do to insulate yourself from activating the dormant virus. A German study found that through the use of hypnotic relaxation such as in self hypnosis there was a 44% reduction in cold sore symptoms compared to a control group. Now that's incredible news. The amazing thing is that when you take those few moments to practice self hypnosis (in the midst of being overwhelmed), when you feel you can least afford a few minutes, it pays you back ten fold. The life stressors are still there when you open your eyes, however,  you are far more organized and relaxed about handling them so that you handle them far more effectively than might otherwise be possible. 

A technique developed by the late Harry Arons of South Orange NJ has the individual do a breathing counting technique that lasts approximately three to five minutes. I'll be redundant and say that I've found on numerous occasions taking this three to five minutes when I felt that I could least afford it, simply dissolved the feeling of being overwhelmed. Ultimately self hypnosis involves more that simply counting and breathing; it involves the use of suggestion. However, in the midst of feeling overwhelmed, all that is needed to quell the tremendous psychological pressure is to use the breathing and counting technique which is actually the second step in Harry's three step process for self hypnosis.

How is it done? Amazingly the technique doesn't require one to use any equipment or facility. In other words it can be done even standing in a crowded subway car as I've often used it.

The key is to recognize that when one feels overwhelmed, trying to tackle many items simultaneously can result in making mistakes, "spinning your wheels," and result in doing the same thing over and over again which itself is redundant and can take up hours of precious time. Thus three to five minutes, considering that it could save hours of redoing the same task to get it right, is completely affordable and is a win win situation.

To do the self hypnosis, simply sit or stand (holding onto something such as a hand rail).

1. Take in five slow deep breadths as you keep your eyes fixed on a point of focus--anything of your choice.

2. Hold your breadth on the inhale of the fifth breadth.

3. Exhale and close your eyes.

4. Slowly count back from 50 to one at one count for each breadth as you breathe slowly and deeply.

5. When you reach the count of one, count from one-to-five and open your eyes.

As you are counting backwards, your mind may wander--particularly to the pressures facing you--simply let the thoughts pass through your mind and get back to the counting. Avoid trying to force them out of your mind, but just let them pass through like a log floating pass your point of vision on a river. Remind yourself that these three minutes or so are important to keep from "spinning your wheels" and that you'll be tackling the issues in short order.

Why wait? Why wait for calamity and overwhelming problems, begin practicing this technique two to three times per day every day. See the resource box for my website for the cd program which provides all the instructions for developing suggestion for the third step of self hypnosis. Using suggestion, you can overcome procrastination; improve sales skills; develop study and test taking skills; build self confidence; improve organizational skills, reduce risk of heart attack... I recently used it to improve my hand writing which I noticed had begun to deteriorate.