diff --git "a/test.csv" "b/test.csv" new file mode 100644--- /dev/null +++ "b/test.csv" @@ -0,0 +1,1370 @@ +line +Chapter +Chapter +Chapter +Chapter +Chapter +Chapter +Chapter +Chapter +Chapter +Optimal Quality of Life Training cccecceereeeeereeees +Persistent Adaptation to Chronic Stress cccseeees +Breathe Deeply Smoothly Slowly and on Long Intervals +Hold a Steady Upward Gaze with Wide Eyes +Recognizing Muscular Tension and Dormant Muscle +Release Tense Muscle with Compression and Massage +Thinking Peacefullly cccccscccssseccssecsseesssseesseeesssaeessaees +Reprogramming Facial Tension ccscccssscssseessteesseees +Compressing Facial Muscles for Composure and Wellbeing +Chapter Perfecting Your Smillecccccccccsscecsseeesseeeesseeesseeeenes +Chapter +Chapter +Chapter +Breathing Less Nasally and without Pharyngeal Tension +Release Vocal Tension ccecceceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeteeeeneeeae +Reprogram Your Posture for PoWEFC cccscceeseeeereees +Chapter Antirigidity Therapy Bring Dormant Muscle to Fatigue +Chapter +Combine Antirigidity with your Exercise Routine +Chapter Antirigidity Exercises for the Neck and Shoulders +Chapter Antirigidity Exercises for the Lower Back +Chapter Use Proper Posture and Antirigidity While Walking +Chapter +Chapter Healthy Eating Patterns cccccscccssseecssseesseeessees +Chapter +Chapter +Chapter +Stop Sexually Submissive Behavior ccccccecee +Chronic Stress the Amygdala and Cortisol +Listen to Your Heart and Gut cccccccccccceeeseseeeeeeeeseeee +Serotonin Optimism and Cooperation ccccee +Chapter Rise Above Status Conflict ccscccssceessseeesseeeseeeenee +Chapter +Happiness Is Playfulness Composed Kindness +Chapter Conclusions +PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body +Indeed human infertility and sexual dysfunction are both known by medical researchers to be +highly exacerbated by the stress hormone cortisol +Chronically elevated cortisol levels can cause loss of libido and impotence in men mostly by +inhibiting the production of testosterone In women it can cause severe fertility problems and +result in an abnormal menstrual cycle This antagonism between the cortisol and testosterone +hormonal axes is thought to be adaptive because in emergency situations engaging in behaviors +that are encouraged by testosterone such as mating competition and dominance is +unnecessary and possibly counterproductive +If you put a mouse in a cage with a more dominant mouse its testosterone and fertility will +decline significantly Similarly if you spend time believing that you are inferior or inadequate +your virility will drop We must avoid sexual bullying and stop ourselves from thinking sexually +selfsubordinating thoughts Fortunately the effects of cortisol on testosterone in both men +and women are reversed when the stress goes back down +You dont want your body to assume you are a pathetic monkey trying to sneak copulations +in hiding So you need to send it the right messages You want to develop a mindset of sexual +dominance and disinhibition affirming that you can achieve arousal at any time have sex +anywhere and be in your sexual comfort zone under any social conditionsas long as it is +ethical and legal of course This starts with slowing everything else down and making your +sexual response a priority Just as subordination causes us to ignore our shallow breathing and +protracted neck it also causes us to ignore both the tension and the pleasure in our genitals +The best way to counteract this is to learn to listen to your genitals +Sexual Exercise Listen to the Sensations Coming from Your Genitals +Your genitals are continuously sending you sensory signals about their current state of +arousal Most of us ignore this steady influx of cues leaving us out of tune with our sexuality +Sexual suppression and submission have turned our erogenous zones into blind spots Feeling +good down there is not a sin not a luxury and not something you have to earn It is your +basic right as a mammal and an integral part of dealing with stress If you want to cultivate +your sexual response you must pay attention to any and all pleasurable sensations coming +from in between your legs +Close your eyes and spend five minutes meditating on this area Focus on it completely like +you are watching a movie At first you may not sense much but with time and patience +you will begin to notice faint instances of erogenous squirming and pulsating Indulge them +Learn to revel in them Doing this will help prove to your body that you are a lusty beast +unencumbered by sexual trauma With time practice and the use of the other exercises in +this chapter infrequent tingles and quivers will turn into a steady stream of notsosubtle +heaving and throbbing Monitor your breath while you do this and imagine breathing +straight into your genitals This will help you develop the laser focus necessary to become +reacquainted with the full extent of your aphrodisia +Chapter Stop Sexually Submissive Behavior +One of the best ways to improve your awareness of sexual sensations is to stop bracing the +muscles involved This is simply because if they are constantly strained they cannot respond +actively to sexual stimuli There is no throbbing in dormant muscle +Stop Bracing the Muscles Surrounding Your Genitals +Hip or pelvic tension can be a conscious or unconscious attempt to downplay the potency of +the genital region and is yet another form of submissive body language Over time the +formation of dormant muscle leads to withered libido lessened enjoyment of sex and sexual +dysfunction There are other sources of pelvic bracing Falling on the bottom bruising the +tailbone long hours sitting at a desk or a bicycle seat and all types of physical trauma can lead +to tension the area +Pelvic bracing is linked to medical disorders Vaginismus is the involuntary contraction of +muscles that surround the vagina The tight muscles make penetration and intercourse painful +for women with this disorder Bracing may also make it harder for some women to orgasm +For a woman to climax the muscles of her pelvic floor cannot be taut They must relax during +sexual stimulation so that they can contract rhythmically during orgasm Many researchers +believe that various sexual disorders such as male impotence latency to female orgasm and +vulvodynia chronic vulvar pain can be due to excessive bracing of muscles adjacent to the +sexual organs This seems even more likely when you consider that common preceding events +for these disorders include sexual assault rape domestic abuse sexual humiliation chronic +pain and generalized anxiety +It is well known that the blood vessels surrounding the external genitalia constrict during +sympathetic stimulation and dilate upon parasympathetic stimulation This means that blood +flow to the penis clitoris and vulva is impeded by stress and accentuated by relaxation In fact +the pelvic floor is one of the most reactive groups of muscles during startle When it contracts it +results in a retraction of the clitoris for women and the penis for men Relaxation of the +anococcygeal area is thought to be key in improving the sexual arousal response As a matter of +fact engorgement of the penis clitoris and labia results from the relaxation of smooth muscle +In other words blood doesnt flow until these unconsciously regulated muscles loosen up +Sexual Activity Brace and Debrace Your Pelvic Muscles +How do stress and intimidation affect the bracing of the muscles around your genitals Most +people could not answer this because they have little to no awareness of this common +reaction Lets try bracing them to see how it feels Tighten the muscles in your lower back +Tilt your hips to one side and brace them Squeeze your legs together Tighten your urinary +sphincter as if you were trying to stop yourself from peeing Now contract all these muscles +and anything else local you can find at of their maximum strength After seconds +let go entirely and register what it feels like to let the bracing here subside Repeat this +contraction and relaxation four more times +We signal sexual submission by straining sexrelated muscles in the abdomen and pelvis +These muscles lose their healthy tone after sexual trauma or feelings of sexual inferiority +Thankfully like all muscles you can rehabilitate them Most people have an untapped reservoir +PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body +of muscle in the groin that has atrophied The next two sections will show you how to exercise +and strengthen it believe proper tone in these muscles allows the genitals increased vascular +blood flow vasocongestion increases the prominence of arousal and heightens the +accompanying sensations +Exercise Your Urine Retentive Muscles +You have numerous muscles situated between your sitz bones pubic bone and coccyx These +muscles support the pelvic organs contract during orgasm aid in childbirth and ejaculation +and provide core stability +Abdominal +Muscle +Rectum +Coccyx Pubic Bone +Bladder +Urethra +Anus +Pelvic Floor Vagina +Muscles +Illustration A Side view of female reproductive anatomy Note the location of the pelvic floor muscles +stretching from the pubic bone to the tail bone coccyx B Frontal view of the pelvic floor musculature which is +similar in women and men Several pelvic muscles are depicted including the ischiocavernosus bulbospongiosus +coccygeus pubococcygeus the urogenital diaphragm and others +In the s Dr Arnold Kegel taught people how to strengthen the perineum the area +between the anus and the genitals He knew that these muscles are often injured in women +during childbirth and he instructed women how to contract them reinstating their strength +in an exercise that came to be known as Kegels Doctors have prescribed Kegels for many +reasons including treating urinary incontinence ameliorating erectile dysfunction and +controlling premature ejaculation Kegels are taught by having the patient repeatedly interrupt +their urinary flow Dr Kegel recommended urinating a spoonful at a time Try this in the +activity below +Sexual Activity Contracting the Urinary Sphincter +The next time you find yourself peeing stop urinating midstream Once you can stop the flow +completely you have found the right muscles Try urinating for only a second at a time until +you have voided your bladder Focus on tightening only the pelvic floor muscles keeping the +abdomen thighs anus and buttocks relaxed This will allow you to isolate the contraction +Doing this several times will help you identify the muscles and gain conscious control of +them At that point you should do this exercise without urinating and from any position +you want +Chapter Stop Sexually Submissive Behavior +Most of us learned to brace the Kegel muscles intensely as young children when +holding it for long periods to avoid the embarrassing experience of urinating in public +Can you remember an incident in which this muscle was likely traumatized by being braced +heavily during the traumatic scenario of trying desperately to find a bathroom as a child +Not only do the muscles surrounding the genitals seize up in these scenarios but distressed +breathing predominates making the strain worse Most people have a strong tendency to hold +their breath when performing Kegels and of course this defeats the purpose Therefore +recommend pairing Kegels with paced breathing +Sexual Exercise Diaphragmatic Kegels +Perform hard Kegel contractions as if you were interrupting the stream of urine Do this while +paced breathing This will build your capacity to activate the pelvic floor muscles without +holding your breath Hold a forceful contraction during a second passive exhalation and +then relax for a few breaths Do this times in a row You might also try performing rapid +Kegels ie one to three per second for a minute +These muscles contract involuntarily during arousal and orgasm So loosening them up and +developing their responsivity may enliven your sex life Also after developing the muscular +strength that comes from pelvic floor exercises men can perform a Kegel at orgasm to +withhold ejaculation effectively allowing them to experience multiple orgasms also believe +that strengthening and unbracing these muscles can facilitate female ejaculation and +squirting +The next section will provide you with an exercise that will dilate these areas rather than +constrict them In a previous chapter we learned how important it is to perform forward bends +after backward bends to neutralize the spine believe that performing Kegels without +exercising the antagonist muscles leads to similar imbalances For example there is evidence +that performing Kegels can lead to incomplete emptying of the bladder and this is a risk factor +for urinary tract infection and other maladies As you might have guessed the counterpose for +a Kegel is complete bladder emptying +Exercise the Muscles that Expel Urine +Interestingly the Kegel contraction is braced involuntarily during social competition +Kegels result in a retraction of the clitoris penis and testicles potentially making them less +conspicuous to a competitor believe that in this they are submissive and intended to hide +the genitalia It is like the sea slug withdrawing its gill or the snail withdrawing its eyestalk +Male monkeys and apes are frequently observed hiding their erections from other males +especially from males above them in the hierarchy They dont want to be attacked for being +aroused This is why think genital retraction due to chronic Kegel contraction is an innate +defense mechanism protecting subordinates from sexually dominant individuals It is yet +another display equivalent to a collapsed posture believe that losing tone and developing +partial contraction in the pelvic region is a selfhandicapping mechanism that assumes +advertising ones level of sexual arousal is dangerous +PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body +If you have balanced tone in your pelvic muscles your flaccid penis or clitoris will increase +and decrease in size with your arousal level If you have strain or poor tone the flaccid organ +may remain at its smallest possible size until full arousal is reached Most people are aware that +the penis and clitoris shrink in size when exposed to cold In fact penile length decreases by up +to in the defensive response to low temperature believe men with a history of chronic +intimidation and sexual subordination are more likely to exhibit this kind of shrinkage when +flaccid This likely corresponds to the grower vs shower dichotomy referenced in popular +culture The growers may be men with a more extensive history of being sexually intimidated +This may be reversible by performing the opposite of the Kegel +It is easy for both women and men to pinpoint the muscles that expel urine They speed up +the stream These muscles include the lower abdominal muscles and the bladder detrusor +muscle They aid in the expulsion of urine by increasing the pressure applied to the bladder +wall The stream of urine will cease when the bladder has been voided but the muscles +themselves can still be contracted If you continue to squeeze the expulsive muscles very firmly +after you finish urinating you will realize you can flex these muscles through their full range +Most people never use this full range creating a missing corner of dormant muscle +Thus it is also a reservoir that you can tap into and rehab Think of the exercise as an +antikegel As we have seen in previous chapters sometimes the only way to free muscles +from partial contraction is through hard full contractions +Sexual Exercise Contract the Expulsive Muscles +The next time you urinate try to expel the urine more forcefully than usual Steadily increase +the force as you empty your bladder As it nears empty do not let up Instead squeeze the +related muscles hard even after the stream stops Notice the posture that your lower back +and lower abdomen have taken on and remember the feeling of contracting this muscle so +that you can do it later After you have emptied your bladder continue to squeeze the +muscle at to maximum force for an additional seconds It may ache tenderly +but performing this exercise each time you urinate will make this aching disappear within a +matter of days +Start practicing it away from the toilet as well You should feel comfortable performing the +Kegel and antiKegel contractions in the presence of others There is no reason to brace or +selflimit your pelvic range just because other people are around To really stimulate these +erogenous areas and all the tissues and blood vessels involved you can also try gently +performing Kegels and antiKegels while you have an erection whether clitoral or penile +Together these exercises will help put an end to neurotic pelvic flinching and straining +Urine Expulsion as a Posture and Mindset +You want to incorporate proper tone in these urineexpelling muscles into your daily standing +walking and sitting postures The muscles involved include the lower abdominals so imagine +being able to take a small punch to the lowest segment of your abs at any time This means you +need to practice walking around with your lower abs engaged as if you were peeing want to +Chapter Stop Sexually Submissive Behavior +encourage you to walk jog exercise and socialize as if you are dribbling urine everywhere +you go +Listen intently to the sensations involved It should feel pleasurable Imagine spurting +rainbows and gushing warm velvet from your urethra onto everything in front of you +Experience everything orgasmically This should be happening as you look at yourself in the +mirror as you walk around the block and as you squeeze in that last repetition while +exercising Imagine that your genitals are permanently everted rather than inverted As you +strengthen the retentive and expulsive muscles muscle memory will develop and they +will come to hold balanced tone automatically believe this is highly beneficial for +psychosexual health +suppressed these muscles during my lifetime through acquiescent selfhandicapping +behavior have always been averse to dirty jokes and overt sex play which may have led to +less sexualized perineal posture growing up believe that unconsciously allowed my Kegel +muscles to strain and my expulsive muscles to atrophy because was sexually repressive and +analretentive Again the expulsive urinary and anal sphincter muscles work antagonistically +with the retentive muscles meaning that expulsive qualities may be especially weak in +retentive people If you think that you may be analretentive you are probably also urinary +retentive While we are talking about poop please ask yourself whether combining distressed +breathing while straining on the toilet seat during defecation may have traumatized your anal +muscles If so you might consider using paced breathing while defecating when constipated +and while contracting the anal retentive and expulsive muscles +Strengthening the muscles involved in expelling urine will make your behavior more +assertive Activity and tone in this area are associated with approach and the seizing of +opportunities that are both sexual and nonsexual in nature It is difficult to maintain a +dominant selfassured demeanor if the tone in the expulsive muscles is low You have probably +noticed that worry or sudden fear makes your retentive muscles tense and the expulsive ones +limp Similarly encountering something sharp or experiencing fear of heights does this as well +For example peering over the ledge from the Sth floor of a parking structure can make your +whole pelvis seize up This happens immediately and involuntarily during startle and fright +Your pelvic floor recoils from threat +When you take an ego blow or get upset or flustered the muscles that expel urine similarly +drop out of flexion If your machismo is questioned but you have the gumption to reassert +yourself you might notice the activity waiver and come back Activity here shrivels up when +people get their balls busted For many depressed and anxious people these muscles drop +out of tonicity during social encounters For sexually assertive people the expulsive +musculature develops a stronger tone when around others they find attractive For sexually +withdrawn people the tone may actually decrease in these situations Losing tone and +accumulating strain in these muscles leads to emasculation andor defeminization +When first started to engage the muscles that expel urine would become afraid of +upsetting the bully introduced in Chapter realized that was afraid to engage the muscles +even when he was not around When tried thoughts visuals and a feeling of being in the +bullys presence would intrude into my mind unconsciously It took me some time to realize +that was bracing these muscles in a restricted range out of fear of offending the bully +This bully was muscular highly charismatic a felon and a murderer On one occasion had +PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body +seen him continue to make fun of and laugh at someone even after that person pulled a gun on +him As many bullies do he would frequently tell sexually explicit stories describing his sexual +prowess in attempts to intimidate other men This is one of the fundamental forms that sexual +toxicity takes +The man had acquired pseudopsychopathy meaning he had developed criminal +antisocial and hypersexual personality traits after severe brain trauma He was catastrophically +disinhibited after being fully ejected headfirst through the windshields of two cars he stole on +separate occasions was subverting my sexuality in an attempt to appease this man Simply +becoming explicitly aware of this subversion was enough to end it After bringing peace to this +context realized that there were additional contexts that caused me to brace my genital +musculature What contexts of intimidation sting you in the genitals and keep you stuck ina +partially contracted Kegel Dont let anyone keep you in a retentive state in which the genitals +are retracted or keep you from contracting your expulsive muscles Rather than being held taut +in a restricted range these muscles should fluctuate naturally between the two extremes of +retention and expulsion as you go about your day +Once you become comfortable fully contracting the muscles that withhold and expel urine +you should notice them quiver involuntarily more frequently Toning the muscles and stretching +them out of partial contraction will increase the range of motion of your orgasms You may also +notice that you experience increased blood flow and heightened turgidity in your genitals This +suggests to me that formal physical therapy centered around exercising these muscles could +treat both diminished sex drive and erectile dysfunction However most medical experts on the +topic assume that these muscles operate autonomously and neednt be exercised +This medical opinion is at odds with Ayurvedic medicine and tantric Hinduism which +recognize the base of the spine as a chakra It is called muladhara the root chakra and +kundalini yoga emphasizes that it must be used and meditated upon Additionally some +Japanese Zen meditation practices emphasize the lower abdominal area dantian or tanden as +a focal point for meditation believe the exercises in this chapter can guide you to exert +control over and rehabilitate these foci +At one point realized lacked the coordination to contract my urinary expulsive muscles +and gluteus muscles simultaneously When tried held my breath Many people have this +functional dissociation When these are dissociated you are limited to either doing one or the +other However it is easy to fix Proper core stability demands that you be able to contract +these muscles together actively Everyone should teach their body to activate both the urinary +and fecal expulsive muscles while simultaneously contracting their buttocks +Sexual Activity Pairing Expulsive Tone with Gluteal Tone +Stand with optimal posture as described in Chapter With your feet parallel and the top +of your hips rolled backward contract the gluteus muscles Now contract either your urinary +or fecal expulsive muscles as if you were trying to pee or defecate Now try all three together +Spend time in this zone varying these contractions to different degrees while engaging in +calm paced breathing +Chapter Stop Sexually Submissive Behavior +As with many other examples in the Program Peace system if holding two dominant +displays simultaneously is uncomfortable or difficult they likely inhibit each other However +if you can calmly practice them together you disinhibit them and increase the probability they +will arise together on their own +Walk Confidently as if Your Genitals Were on Display +In Chapter we discussed how submissive animals minimize the appearance of physical assets +like horns claws and muscles This includes the genitals Your everyday posture and +mannerisms reveal cues to others as to how comfortable you are naked Body language evolved +during our history as unclothed apes so even clothed we often act as if we were naked Most +people conceal their genitals during times of insecurity with their hands legs chairs or tables +When a dominant person makes a power play it is quite common for other people of the same +sex to place their hands in front of their sex organs The only time you should conceal or protect +the genitals is to block a physical blow to the groin +Most people walk in a way that hides or apologizes for their genitalia Walking like this +involves hunching or crouching of the lower back Remember the lumbar lordosis and anterior +pelvic tilt discussed in previous chapters We actually use these to withdraw our private parts +from view They obscure the genitals like a dog hiding its tail between its legs You should do +the exact opposite This means walking around with the back and hips open as if presenting the +genitalia To do this flex your buttocks Thats right gluteal contraction puts your genitals on +display by pressing your hips forward and rolling the top of your pelvis back as discussed in +Chapter It is an entirely different style of standing and walking that comes across as much +more sexually selfassured +If you can imagine being comfortably naked in social situations you will project higher +confidence The more time you spend naked the more comfortable it will become which is +why strongly recommend sleeping naked when possible If you have never slept naked you +may lose some sleep the first night because of how uncomfortable you feel But you will relax +into it within a week also recommend spending time alone in your room in the buff as +described next +Sexual Activity Spend an Hour in Your Room Naked +Make sure no one can see into your room and you wont be disturbed Lock the door +Completely disrobe Place towels underneath you if uncomfortable sitting on the floor naked +Spend a full hour reading watching TV meditating whatever you want completely naked It +can help to have a mirror in front of you Use optimal posture Once you become +comfortable try talking on the phone How do you hold your body when completely nude +Do you tend to cover up or hide your genitalia Is your posture retentive or expulsive Notice +these tendencies change as you become comfortable Experiment with pushing your pelvis +out contracting your glutes and spreading your legs in different ways If performed with +paced breathing this activity will transform your relationship with your birthday suit +PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body +Masturbation Trauma +Most of us were petitioned by our parents at a very young age to stop touching our genitals in +the company of others We learned to feel bad for stimulating the area resulting in a subtle +form of trauma recommend briefly touching yourself in a sexualaffectionate way at least five +times a day This can be a graze stroke or reassuring grope Some people already do this +regularly To others it is very foreign You can do it alone or discretely in public Even a second +of selfcomforting can help decrease bracing of the pelvic floor +used to worry that frequent masturbation could cause specific forms of cancer until used +pubmedcom to look at the actual medical studies It does not There are no diseases linked to +masturbation So give yourself carte blanche to be completely selfindulgent However there +are a few important caveats to keep in mind Masturbating to pornography may desensitize you +to real people potentially leading to sexual dysfunction Also masturbating with a lubricant can +make it difficult for men to sustain an erection with a condom Also consider masturbating +while standing up to avoid losing the ability to remain aroused while standing Definitely +consider masturbating while paced breathing For some people it takes time and work merely +to reach arousal while paced breathing But the process will steel and gird your sexuality +Studies have shown that placing tiny vibrators near or on the genitals of mice can increase +sexual response interest and the production of sex hormones Studies like these suggest that +the external use of vibrators may convince the mammalian body that it resides in some kind of +maximally optimal sexual environment and may in turn elicit an optimal sexual response from it +involving changes in gene expression Keep in mind though that masturbating to orgasm with +some sex toys may make it difficult to sustain arousal during regular intercourse +The fascia and muscles nestled in the pelvis control the responsivity of sexual arousal +Massage and myofascial release are probably beneficial for these muscles however there is no +existing rubric to help people do this safely and effectively Moreover excessive pressure could +damage your sexual organs or drastically change the tone of the muscles that regulate blood +flow to them For these reasons will not describe a protocol for genital massage here If you +decide to use compressive massage on the areas between your legs recommend using only +very light pressure That being said you should also find that groin stretching and antirigidity +can be helpful in conditioning these muscles +Sexual Expressivity +The antirigidity exercises for the lumbar spine from Chapter will help free up your hips and +lower back making your sexual expressivity more sensual and enjoyable Try to incorporate +previously dormant muscles into intercourse and use them to explore new movement patterns +Use the next two activities to enhance the coordination of the muscles and joints involved +Sexual Activity Bump Your Pubis Against the Wall +Find some privacy and turn on some sexy music Stand with your feet shoulderwidth apart +and your toes touching a wall Press your pubic bone into the wall to the beat of the music +You can bump against it like a bouncing basketball or smear yourself into it with each thrust +Contract your buttocks firmly as you advance Vary the curvature of your lower back the +distance between your feet and the placement of each blow against the wall +Chapter Stop Sexually Submissive Behavior +After a few sessions you will develop the coordination to turn it into a dance You can move +each advance from left to right or from top to bottom Doing this against a door jamb can +give you the leg room you need to bend your knees and drop lower You can also try this +exercise by bumping your butt against the wall instead of your pubis Bang everything from +your pubic bone to your hips your sacrum to your sitz bones into the brick wood or plaster +Focus on rhythm timing and bravado +Good sex should provide a massage to the pubic bone and the muscles that surround it +for both partners The friction between your pubic hair and your partners should make +rhythmic crackling sounds Pubicboneonpubicbone massage increases arousal and is one of +the best ways to stimulate the clitoris Just like the muscles in our lower backs muscles that +surround the pubic bone can take the form of tense cords that form tense cords Teaching +yourself to massage them during the act of sex along with those of the other person can be +very sexually empowering +Sexual Activity Hump Your Pillows to Music +Put on some music or a music video Stack pillows on your bed to support your pelvis in +different sexual positions You can straddle these pillows kneel squat or lie on top of them +You can also fold a pillow over a couple of times to +Chapter Finding Happiness Through Playfulness Composed Kindness +It can be freeing to be mellow and passive and to support the leadership of others +Allow other people to take over and yourself to relax when they do Relish the relief from being +in charge Do so while exuding balanced nonconfrontational energy Perpetual assertion takes +its toll It involves intense face time eye contact talking decision making and an overtaxing of +existing bracing patterns It leads to social fatigue and is why highpressure executives and CEOs +can age so rapidly We should be handing over the pack leader role constantly passing it +around from person to person sharing the stage the crown and the accompanying burdens +Often in real life we are forced to play an inferior role At our workplace we must submit +to higherups to keep our jobs and advance our careers There are many reasons you should +treat your boss as the dominant individual Whats more it may be best for you your boss and +the business to allow them to act superior in some ways That said dont hurt yourself just to +let the boss be the boss Acquiesce appropriately to your employer law enforcement judges +and other authority figures without diminishing your posture shortening your breath or +surrendering your pride This will allow you to maintain a healthy serotonin level regardless of +your place on the corporate ladder +Just because you dont try to stop someone from acting dominant doesnt mean they are +dominating you They are only dominating you if you are inhibiting yourself or avoiding +confrontation with them out of fear They can never dominate you as long as you stay +composed Take sovereignty from needless oneupmanship +Keep in mind that everyone has essential observations and keen insights to impart +All humans are our fellows and our equals As Ralph Waldo Emerson said Every man meet is +in some way my superior So let every man and woman be your superior at times especially +when they have something to teach you When you see someone do better than you at +something you value dont feel envious or threatened Instead feel eager to learn This is ego +stability and emotional strength +When threatened by an intruder a dominant gorilla will let out a tremendous roar charge +and knock down the newcomer with an immense hand swipe However outside of defending +themselves and their group members dominant gorillas do not generally overtly assert their +rank Even though gorillas are immense powerhouses animal behaviorists often describe them +as shy because most of the time they dont feel like they have anything to prove It is not that +they are shy it is that we are arrogant pompous and flagrantly adversarial +The only way to transcend the dominance hierarchy is to be content when you temporarily +find yourself in a subordinate position to be comfortable when others perceive you as +subordinate without trying to change their mind You dont want to be a doormat but neither +do you want to be consumed by resisting looking like a doormat Only doormats worry about +being doormats +Our unconscious mind values prestige over happiness The two are often at odds You can +change this by intentionally pursuing happiness over prestige +Optimism Excitement and Feeling Good +It pays to be happy Optimists live longer have stronger immune systems recover from injury +more quickly and have increased mental and physical health Happiness and positive emotions +are linked to higher earnings better appraisal at work relationships of higher quality and +increased likability Happy people are perceived as more intelligent competent and physically +PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body +attractive Optimists cope more effectively with stress are generally healthier and are less +likely to become depressed When optimists have coronary bypass surgery they heal more +quickly than pessimists Positive thinking results in a cardiovascular system that is less reactive +to stress But how do we become happy in the first place +Optimists attribute the cause of adverse events to external specific and transient factors +In other words they see a tragedy as a oneoff fluke Pessimists on the other hand attribute +failures to their own internal global and permanent shortcomings They see themselves as +useless and assume the world is out to get them If this is you stop it Regain your optimism by +recognizing that you have the potential to fix anything and everything that has ever been wrong +with your life Recognize that the future you will be skilled and competent enough to solve +any problems that arise +We are constantly making expressions to ourselves as we go about our days alone +Whatever these expressions are they constitute our true selves For most people its wincing +If thats you make the gestures and facial expressions of happiness when you are by yourself +The smiling and the postural alterations from previous chapters will help with this If solitary +happiness is not practiced regularly attempts at appearing happy among others will be fake +Remember how excited you could become as a child You had no reservations about expressing +exuberance and enthusiasm Nothing is stopping you from feeling zestfully happy right now +aside from the force of habit +have spent much of this book describing how we use our bodily energy to traumatize our +tissues This might make you assume that our life force is destructive It is not You must +redirect that same life force away from anxiety and tension toward happiness and joy The +more you do this the less energy there is to sustain stress Doing so actively reprograms how +your body routes energy setting you up for hardwired happiness Accordingly all the exercises +in this book should be done with joy and optimistic expectations This will make them much +more powerful +Be a lifeless corpse when it comes to tension ego and pessimism When it comes to +playfulness however thats when you want to be alive and spend your chilike energy on +positive social displays Lets start with laughter +Laughter in Other Animals +Many mammals laugh For example most rodents emit long ultrasonic vocalizations during +rough and tumble play The sounds rats and mice make have been described as chirping and +occur in the kHz range inaudible to humans When chirping they actively seek being +tickled and played with They chirp when wrestling chasing or searching for one another +They chirp during courting and before copulation Researchers have interpreted rat chirping as +an expectation of something rewarding and it appears to elicit friendly social approach in other +members of their species It also nullifies anxiety If you tickle a rat after a fearful situation +it will neutralize the negative emotions and vastly decrease any fearrelated learning going on +in its brain +Dogs can pant using heavy forced exhalations in a way that suggests a form of modified +laughter They use it during play Dogs exposed to a recorded doglaugh exhibit significantly +reduced stress behaviors increased tail wagging the display of the canine playface as well +as prosocial behavior such as approaching and licking another dogs lips +Chapter Finding Happiness Through Playfulness Composed Kindness +Chimps gorillas and orangutans all exhibit laughterlike vocalizations in response to +physical play including friendly contact like chasing wrestling and tickling It is a shallow pant +conveying nonaggression that is highly reminiscent of suppressed laughter in humans Their +laughter shows the same sonographic pattern as that of human babies They also use similar +facial expressions while laughing and are ticklish in the same areas that humans are Ape +laughter consists of a series of exhalations and inhalations like panting On the other hand +human laughter consists of a series of exhalations with no intervening inhalations +Mice dogs apes and humans make their breath shallow to create rapport Insistence on +breathing at long intervals caused me to stop doing this was so focused on diaphragmatic +breathing that refused to breathe shallowly even when joking with friends This is like refusing +to make anything other than an expressionless face Think of shallow breathing during fun +jovial play as a form of healthy panting that serves as a temporary microbreak or counterpose +to diaphragmatic breathing Refusing to pant is refusing to play +Rehabilitating Your Laughter Will Make It Much More Pleasurable +Gelotology is the study of laughter and the positive effects it can have on the body Proponents +advocate the induction of laughter on therapeutic grounds Laughter yoga hasya yoga and +laughter meditation also use voluntary laughter for therapeutic purposes Studies have shown +that it alleviates both stress and pain These practices assume that voluntary or forced +laughter provides some of the same benefits as spontaneous laughter Voluntary laughter is +often done in groups and may turn into real laughter Participants are instructed to facilitate +laughing by using childlike playfulness and eye contact These practices are great but think +they do not get down to the issues crux From what have seen people who engage in this +practice are mostly laughing superficially To reap the benefits we must isolate and strengthen +the core laughing reflex +The muscles involved in laughing have been traumatized by life stress As an infant your +laugh was primordial and bona fide Years of anxious laughter and worrying that your laugh is +too aggressive have damaged your instinctual laughing pattern As you might expect people +who are depressed or anxious have the least convincing laughs Extremely dominant people +laugh loudly without hesitating at whatever they like Most people however stifle their +laughter in the same way they stifle their posture and breathing This explains why most adults +laughter is eccentric and deviated from the innate laughter pattern +A babys laughter is vivacious and natural To relearn to laugh genuinely it is helpful to +watch infants and toddlers laughing Take the time to search for videos of babies laughing +on the internet and mimic them You will see that infants dont stifle their laughter They dont +worry about their laugh being too forceful or about offending someone Neither should we +Your laugh should shake you to your core and be intensely pleasurable +A hearty and progressive emptying of the lungs applies a significant load to the diaphragm +and the muscles of the chest wall triggering the endorphin system This is why social laughter +is correlated with an elevated pain threshold However most adult laughs hardly activate +the pleasure system at all After years of stifling laughter we have forgotten how to laugh in +a way that produces this response For many people the diaphragms role in laughter has +been weakened so much that laughter no longer recruits endorphins and is draining rather +than energizing +PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body +Fake or nervous laughter comes from the throat and often results in increased tension +there During natural laughter the diaphragm does most of the work By training yourself +to laugh through deep contractions of the diaphragm and abdominals you can rebuild an +authentic laugh These muscles should reach exhaustion and start to fail during a good laugh +If your diaphragm and abdominals begin to burn like they did when you were a child you know +that you are doing it right The next exercise will show you exactly how to retrain your +diaphragm to fully participate in the act of laughing +Happiness Exercise Diaphragmatic Laughing +Practice laughing while exhaling completely This involves an uninterrupted emptying of the +lungs Inhale completely only after you laughexhale completely Your exhale should consist +of a long series of laughing sounds punctuated by vocal glottal closure haha equals two +glottal closures The brief closing of the vocal tract glottis against the exhalation allows +pressure to build and makes the laugh sound like a series of rapidfire punches They should +roll out somewhat like the Rs when you roll your tongue Practice this as an exercise and +attempt to make the laughter last for at least five seconds but shoot for to seconds +Laugh all the way to the bottom of your range of exhalation Use the principles of anti +rigidity Try the following variations +Focus on and coordinate the laughs glottal closures so that they proceed at a +smooth and steady rate +Notice inadvertent irregularities in timing as well as the tendency to gulp +choke or falter and iron these out Its okay if it sounds mechanical and +robotic at first while you are relearning the basics +Cause the punctuated exhalations to roll out as fast as possible while +maintaining a fixed rhythm After you gain coordination in speeding them up +try slowing them down +Do this using your voice at various pitches but focus most on using a deep +voice to create a deep laugh +Explore your preferred ways of laughing varying resonance inflection and +timing Modulate each in as many ways as possible +Employ different melodies and model other peoples laughs Spend time +listening to and imitating actor Mark Hamills maniacal Joker laugh +Try laughing while exhaling completely until it turns into a wheeze and you +feel you dont have a cubic centimeter of air left in your lungs Ensure that the +laughing pattern remains coordinated even at the bottom of your exhalation +This will greatly strengthen the muscles involved +Dont raise your shoulders when you laugh and focus on keeping them pushed +toward the floor Maintain the tenets of optimal posture Dont allow your +spine to curve into a forward C shape You might try lying on your stomach +while you laugh to ensure that your spine is straight +Do this with a thoroughly relaxed face or while you massage your face so that +you can laugh heartily without intense facial constriction Induce paroxysms of +Chapter Finding Happiness Through Playfulness Composed Kindness +laughter without raising the eyebrows squinting sneering or tensing any +other muscles +The pressure to keep exhaling should be forceful and have a life of its own It +should feel like a boa constrictor is wrapped around your chest squeezing you +hard and only giving you a short period to inhale every few seconds +Laugh authoritatively compellingly boldly forcefully mightily Work on +making it contagious +Because the muscles are strained stagnant and uncoordinated your laugh may sound like +that of an insane villain at first But with practice it will become friendly and ebullient It is +important to do this exercise loudly gleefully and unhesitatingly so make sure that you are not +worried about others hearing you Do it in a closet or better yet in the car +It will be uncomfortable at first The muscles you engage may be so weak that they feel +susceptible to damage Mine certainly were If so take it easy the first few days and build up to +doing it vigorously Use laughter to work out the cramp in your diaphragm This exercise is a +powerful complement to diaphragmatic breathing exercises and will help you reach muscles +that you otherwise could not To this end try it while lying on your stomach from a forward +fold or from happy baby pose with your belly pushed out +At first the laughing exercise should make you feel weary After only one week you will be +able to push harder and be more adept at coordinating the pulses of laughter After a few +weeks you will be good at it and find yourself laughing more often This exercise transformed +my laugh from a flimsy perfunctory courtesy laugh into something enjoyable Now laugh +spontaneously heartily resolutely and much more frequently find laughing tremendously +gratifying and things that were barely amusing to me before are now hilarious +believe that laughing evolved to help humans let off steam It may have allowed instances +of camaraderie and social bonding to influence an individuals life strategy to place less value +on the adaptive aspects of trauma In other words the more conducive your environment is to +laughing the more your body assumes that your environment is a good one and that it is safe +to be optimistic A real laugh was probably designed by evolution to help us attain a fullrange +hard contraction of the diaphragm As with panthooting Exercise this contraction +relieves the diaphragm of the partial contraction caused by stress and shallow breathing +The more you rehabilitate your laugh the more you increase your diaphragms potential +for providing you with endorphins Remember that endorphins are most reliably produced by +grooming singing laughing and play These are addressed in Chapter Chapter this +section and the next section respectively +Some people with relatively calm nasopharynxes can clear their nasopharynx in the same +way others clear their throats It is like snorting except it involves breathing out rather than +breathing in Some people call it a nose laugh see it as a dominance signal conveying that the +persons nasopharynx is not tense When my nasopharynx was tense was incapable of +doing it Once you have compressed your nasopharynx using the exercises in Chapter +you can build the coordination to perform this empowering laugh +Some people use this signal to laugh at something they find inferior like rolling the eyes +Please dont use it derisively or to ridicule people Instead use it as a heartfelt laugh to +PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body +communicate that you are enjoying absurdity People usually find it exciting and it makes them +want to laugh along with you +Happiness Exercise Laugh through the Nasopharynx +Use a brief to seconds but powerful exhalation to force air out through your +nasopharynx with the mouth closed This snort is similar to a scoff or chortle It sometimes +arises when you try to withhold laughter First practice doing it in small short bursts to +develop the proper coordination so that you can build up to doing it in a prolonged way +With practice you will be able to hold convincing threesecond nose laughs It is a convivial +way to express amusement that improves quickly with practice +Be Playful +We dont stop playing because we grow old we grow old because we stop playing George Bernard Shaw +Play like laughter is a form of medicine but certain conditions must be met for it to be +genuine All stressors anger fear pain hunger and separation reduce play Animals must be +well fed comfortable and healthy for play to take place When these conditions are met rats +and mice chase and pounce wrestle pin nip poke and knock each other over This is the kind +of play that generates highfrequency laughterlike chirps at kHz Physical roughandtumble +play is the most fun of all At one point thought all aggressive acts were unpleasant but +judging from play in other mammals feigned aggression can be joyous +It is important to note that when mammals play rapid role reversal is a defining element +In other words they know it is friendly when everyone gets a chance to be on top Knowledge +of this should influence us to pass being dominant back and forth with our friends The rat that +ends up on top more often during pins becomes dominant The continuation of play +necessitates a willingness on the part of the winner to selfhandicap Dominant rats that go +easy on others always have playmates but those that bully are ignored when they try to solicit +play Play helps animals determine who to avoid and with whom they can develop cooperative +relationships They learn to dominate but also accept defeat without being defeated +Dominant animals would rather play but aggressive animals would rather fight Rats +involved in a fight bite each other and box This can lead to injury They stand on their hind legs +and strike each other with their front paws When they do this the kHz laughter turns into +kHz complaints This is similar to chimpanzees among whom play is accompanied by +wrestling panting and a play face whereas fighting involves boxing tearing scratching biting +and barking +Chapter Finding Happiness Through Playfulness Composed Kindness +Ilustration Animals playing +Rather than being based around wrestling human play focuses on verbal interchange and +banter Repartee involves provocation rejoinders biting commentary and if friendly laughter +As in other mammals this form of verbal jousting can engender friendship respect and +cooperation It can be made more fun with the use of bombastic quarreling absurd +braggadocio frivolous histrionics grandiose pretentiousness and ostentatious balderdash +When you do it be spunky employ exuberance and enjoy it You dont have to act excitable to +be sparkling and bubbly you just need to be playful Usually if you manage to entertain +yourself others will be entertained as well +Remember to be like the mice during play and allow others their opportunity to be on top +lest you risk losing playmates This includes giving others equal chance to talk and refraining +from dominating conversations A dog initiates play by crouching A monkey initiates it by +exposing its rear end Both of these actions involve selfdiminishment and vulnerability +Showing others that you dont take yourself too seriously or exposing a vulnerability can make +them want to play with you After experimenting with this for years now have concluded that +you can be as vulnerable and nice as you can and as long as you are playful it wont be +mistaken for weakness +Play ranks among the most beneficial neuroplastic interventions Placing rodents into +enriched environments where they can socialize wrestle and play with others results in +heavier brains and higher levels of dopamine endorphins and serotonin Studies have found +that rats deprived of play are more fearful and aggressive toward other rats Encouraging +playfulness in animals is one of the few behavioral interventions known to reverse anxiety and +depressive symptoms This is probably because it allows them to shift from the threat +response to the challenge response +Social play involves creativity and requires that we learn to approach others in diverting +and lively ways Imagination and fantasy can also facilitate play My favorite way to play with +people is to make up imaginary scenarios What would you do if am animated +shameless and immature when doing this My scenarios include helicopters ninjas dinosaurs +and hats with pinwheels on top of them When other people do this recognize it as play +participate and egg them on by laughing with them Whenever someone uses an analogy or +poetic license to describe a situation help them flesh it out until you have created a whimsical +comical cartoon world Feel at home with wordplay punning nonsense and silliness +Use Sensory Deprivation to Unmask Neurotic Activity +Most of us are afraid that fixing our gaze on anything will make us look too calm We keep our +eyes busy to make others feel comfortable Take a minute now and observe yourself looking +around You should be able to sense pressure to keep glancing neurotically This comes froma +form of anxiety in the eye motor centers that act below the level of conscious awareness The +restlessness makes it difficult for you to maintain eye contact and to fixate on anything if other +people are watching you The best way to retrain this nervous habit is to become more +comfortable anchoring your gaze without worrying about how you may appear to others while +doing it +Eye Exercise Sustained Gaze +Spend two minutes staring at a single point Notice any impulses to glance away and gently +override them You might try to keep your eyes fixated on a single feature of the wall or +ceiling or you might try to keep your gaze limited to a circumscribed region of space like a +light fixture If youre having trouble cut out a picture of a face from a magazine and tape it +to your wall or ceiling to gaze at contentedly Allow yourself to feel free to space out like a +child absorbed in a daydream Dont be concerned about looking dazed or stupefied and +dont worry if this level of ocular relaxation causes your eyes to cross for a few moments +Sensory deprivation can help uncover baseline neurotic tendencies Lets start with sight +Tracking your ocular behavior in complete darkness will make it clear how much of your eye +movement is highstrung and unnecessary The best way to do this is to wait until nighttime +turn off all the lights in your home and lie down on the floor of a closet or bathroom Do +whatever you can to make this area completely dark You may need to put up curtains or drape +some towels over the cracks Being in pitch blackness makes it easier to feel absolutely certain +that no one can see your face expressions or eye movements Think back to the way your +submissive signaling diminished when you took that walk around the block while pretending to +be invisible Complete darkness allows you an even greater degree of invisibility and anonymity +No one and nothing can be offended by how relaxed you appear because you truly are invisible +Take the opportunity to relax fully and open your eyes very wide without compunction +In absolute darkness feel like a slimy gelatinous sea slug that has been removed from all +danger can feel the squinting contraction release in the same way that the sea slug we +discussed in Chapter releases its gill The complete vacancy of visual stimulus will desensitize +you and provide your eyes with the experience they need to grow wide This phenomenon is +PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body +also a bit like eyestalk extension in snails When you touch a snail its eyestalks retract The eyes +invert within the eyestalks and travel down toward the head This action blinds the snail but is +an essential defensive reflex meant to protect the eyes After several seconds when the snail +starts to feel safe again the eyes slowly evert the eyestalks reach full length and the eyes pop +out at the top Use the exercises above to develop fearless wide eyes and fully extend your +eayestalks +In absolute darkness you will also be able to see phosphenes which are colored shapes +that are produced by your visual system These may take the form of dots stars lines static +circles or various other shapes This visual activity will be accentuated if you lightly rub your +eyes The phosphenes represent a type of background noise that is usually not noticeable yet +always ongoing When the lights are on phosphene activity is put to work helping you make +perceptual distinctions When the lights are off that activity hits a stumbling block amounting +to a lowlevel form of hallucination +believe these phosphenes can play a role in driving anxious thought Notice when they +flash abruptly and calm your reaction to this You may notice that they flare when you look +straight keeping you from maintaining a fixed gaze You may also notice that they burst in the +corner of your eye When they flash like this in the periphery of your vision believe they may +be reminding you to scan for potential threats that are to the side of you or behind you When +first started doing this the phosphene activity appeared sinister and frightening even saw +flashes of scenes from horror movies This all contributed strongly to the feeling of being unsafe +in the dark +This may have also been the case for my cat Niko He cried like a kitten in the dark closet +the first few times but now he will join me of his own volition Notice your reactions and try to +bring peace to your conscious and unconscious responses to the phosphene activity by pairing +the experience with diaphragmatic breathing After doing Exercise twice for five minutes +never again saw any frightful apparitions strongly recommend that you use this technique to +free the background activity of your visual system from unnecessary negativity +Eye Exercise Vision in Complete Darkness +Lie down on the floor in a pitchblack room Keep your eyes as wide as possible and observe +your eye movements Practice looking in different directions and sustaining your gaze at +different points with the eyes wide and eyebrows relaxed You will notice your eyes dart +around in the dark They will display an intense agitated tendency to move quickly on their +own without any conscious deliberation Simply observing this and practicing sustained +gazing in utter blackness will allow you to reduce the intensity Nonjudgmentally monitor the +visual activity colored phosphenes the eye movement activity and the feelings that come +from being in utter darkness Use this method to dismantle your fear of the dark +recommend buying noisereducing earmuffs to use in your dark closet With the earmuffs +on you will be able to hear the background activity of your auditory system just as darkness +reveals the background activity of your visual system For most of us background auditory +function takes the form of a ringing or buzzing in the ears which is known as tinnitus When +first heard the hissing sound amplified by the earmuffs it was very upsetting abhorred it +Chapter Hold a Steady Upward Gaze with Wide Eyes +Many people feel this way which is unfortunate because some degree of tinnitus is always +there whether we are conscious of it or not found that the practice of breathing +diaphragmatically and listening to my tinnitus gradually reduced its volume and made it far less +emotionally disquieting Paced diaphragmatic breathing will quickly help you come to peace +with being alone in complete darkness with nothing but the background noise of your own +visual and auditory systems This will make it so that their default settings do not haunt you +during everyday life +Conclusion +The final exercise puts several of the routines from this chapter together into a single routine +that you can perform while watching television +Eye Exercise Watching TV Upside Down +Lie on the floor on your back with your head near the TV and your feet away from it Watch +a movie or television program upside down so that you are looking straight up at the screen +Your eyebrows should be visible but out of focus just below the bottom of the TVs border +Do not allow your brow to raise Keep your eyes wide and your face relaxed Try to maintain +constant eye contact with the characters on the television Place your breath metronome +next to the TV so that it can guide you in paced diaphragmatic breathing Remain this way for +the duration of a TV show or movie +Afterward look in a mirror You should notice that your eyes look fuller happier and calmer +Watching inverted video is also a challenge for your brains visual systems and may build +cognitive and perceptual skills +Some of these exercises may seem strange forced and almost comical Remember +though that when you perform them you are coactivating behavioral subroutines not +ordinarily coactivated together because of social constraints By pairing these with +diaphragmatic breathing you reeducate your nervous system to treat them as safe making +that combination of subroutines possible The more you do it the more probable it is to arise +spontaneously in the future and eventually become a fixed part of your personality You will +rarely have the opportunity to make prolonged eye contact looking up with wide eyes +breathing diaphragmatically in the course of everyday life To build optimal behaviors into our +repertoire we must create artificially ideal worlds in which to practice +The next chapter widens our focus Behaviors like squinting looking down and glancing +away all have muscular components to them Chapter discusses repetitive muscular strain in +detail and considers the panoply of negative effects on us This will set the context for the rest +of the book which will guide you to overcome it +PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body +Chapter Bullet Points +e Squinting eyebrow raising looking down and gaze aversion are forms of trauma that +fracture our composure but can easily be rehabilitated +e Widening your eyes relaxing your brow looking up and practicing a fixed gaze have +many benefits and will literally change your perspective on life +e Squinting is defensive and intended to protect the eyeballs On a fundamental level it is +a sign of defensiveness or submission Deliberately widening the eyes can end excessive +squinting and is especially easy to do when breathing long deep breaths +e Raised eyebrows are analogous to the action of moving the ears backward in other +mammals This action is performed by an animal being chased so that it can hear its +attacker behind it It is submissive and so should not be strained for long periods +e Eyebrows lowered is analogous to ears forward which is the posture for an animal +chasing another This should not be strained either However becoming comfortable +lowering your eyebrows into a full frown will increase your nonverbal dominance The +same goes for glaring and the sideeye +e Looking down is submissive and doing it habitually weakens the muscles that allow us to +look up Looking upward above the horizon more often strengthens your ocular muscles +and conditions your nervous system to stop casting your gaze toward the floor +e Social trauma has caused us to become afraid of fixing our gaze on anything especially +anothers eyes +e Making prolonged eye contact with yourself in a mirror or simply gazing calmly at points +in space will train your unconscious visual control systems to be comfortable +maintaining a fixed gaze +e After making eye contact look at or near the eye line rather than below it +e Looking at characters on the TV straight in their eyes will strengthen your ability to look +real people in the eyes +e Speaking to someone on the telephone while making sustained wideeyed eye contact +with yourself in a mirror will strengthen your facetoface rapport with others +e Spending time in complete darkness while engaging in paced breathing will help you +make your visual systems default activity less chaotic and frightening Using sound +reducing earmuffs can do the same for your default auditory activity +e Watching TV upside down can reinforce looking up and eyewidening +Chapter Hold a Steady Upward Gaze with Wide Eyes +Chapter Endnotes +Pease B Pease A The definitive book of body language Bantam Books +Lutz T Crying The natural and cultural history of tears Norton +Hasson O Emotional tears as biological signals Evolutionary Psychology +Even C Schrder C M Friedman S Rouillon F Efficacy of light therapy in +nonseasonal depression A systematic review Journal of Affective Disorders +Keating C F Human dominance signals The primate in us In S L Ellyson J F +Dovidio Eds Power dominance and nonverbal behavior pp SpringerVerlag +Keating C F Keating E G Visual scan patterns of rhesus monkeys viewing +faces Perception +Keating Human dominance signals +ChevalierSkolnikoff S Facial expression of emotion in nonhuman primates +In P Ekman Ed Darwin and facial expression A century of research in review pp +Malor Books +Trichas S Schyns B The face of leadership Perceiving leaders from facial +expression The Leadership Quarterly +Carney D R Hall J A A LeBeau L S Beliefs about the nonverbal expression of +social power Journal of Nonverbal Behavior +Tubbs S Human communication Principles and contexts th ed McGrawHill +Hermann H R Dominance and aggression in humans and other animals The great +game of life Academic Press +Sapolsky R M The influence of social hierarchy on primate health Science +Gomez J C Ostensive behavior in great apes The role of eye contact In A E +Russon K A Bard S T Parker Eds Reaching into thought The minds of the great apes +pp Cambridge University Press +PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body +Cruz W Differences in nonverbal communication styles between cultures +The LatinoAnglo perspective Leadership and Management in Engineering +Sadri H A Flammia M Intercultural communication A new approach to +international relations and global challenges Continuum International Publishing Group +Knapp M L Hall J Nonverbal communication in human interaction th ed +Cengage Learning +Knapp Hall Nonverbal communication in human interaction +Hogan K Stubbs R Cant get through barriers to communication +Pelican Publishing Company +Farroni T Csibra G Simion F Johnson MH Eye contact detection in humans +from birth Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences +Lohaus A Keller H Voelker S Relationships between eye contact maternal +sensitivity and infant crying International Journal of Behavioral Development +Van Edwards V Captivate The science of succeeding with people +Penguin Random House +Chance M R A Attention structures as the basis of primate rank orders +Man +Dovidio J F Ellyson S L Keating C F Heltman K Brown C E The +relationship of social power to visual displays of dominance between men and women +Journal of Personality and Social Psychology +Dovido at al The relationship of social power to visual displays of dominance +Nagasawa M Mitsui S En S Ohtani N Ohta M Sakuma Y Onaka T Mogi K +Kikusui T Oxytocingaze positive loop and the coevolution of humandog bonds +Science +Tehovnik E J Slocum W M Carvey C E Schiller P H Phosphene induction +and the generation of saccadic eye movements by striate cortex Journal of Neurophysiology +Baguley D McFerran D Hall D Tinnitus The Lancet +Chapter Recognize Muscular Tension +and Dormancy +You translate everything whether physical or mental or spiritual into muscular tension +F M Alexander +Suppose youre interacting with an abusive boss Without realizing it you hold some part of your body still in order +to manage your behavior during the confrontation Tension in your jaw throat or shoulders keeps you from lashing +out and losing your job Tension in your hips or feet keeps you from storming out of the room Similar tensions may +arise when you deal with a relatives expectations of you or during a disagreement with a friend +Mary Bond b +This chapter discusses a form of trauma that transforms muscles on a cellular scale repetitive +strain The first half of the chapter introduces the concepts of bracing and persistent muscular +tension and explains how to recognize them in your own body The second half dives into the +social and emotional aspects of muscle tension laying out the relationships between longterm +strain pain breathing and submissiveness Exercises are offered throughout to aid you in +recovering from your bodily tension +Recognizing Excessive Muscular Tone +It can be difficult to recognize the physical sensations of muscular strain We become so +accustomed to the pain and discomfort that they become effectively imperceptible the same +way we stop noticing unpleasant smells It often takes a significant shift for us to notice how +our bodies really feel This happened to me after strained my shoulder skateboarding After +the accident a doctor prescribed me a dozen pills of meloxicam a nonsteroidal anti +inflammatory drug NSAID with analgesic effects After my first dose spent a few hours trying +to analyze the effects of the drug My muscles felt looser and this quickly put me to sleep +woke up in the middle of the night to feel my hamstrings burning intensely but they had +not been stretched or exercised recently in any unusual way It took me a few minutes to +realize that this pain was their normal baseline condition The strain had simply been unmasked +by the NSAID drug had become utterly accustomed to the fact that this tension went to bed +with me every night quickly realized that the problem was widespread My hamstrings were +chronically strained from overzealous exercise but so were my hips lower back shoulders and +neck That night as focused on gradually relaxing these body parts began to realize just how +much had been clenching them in a bizarre contorted way +This experience made me think of a lesson that my mother taught me In my twenties +developed a condition called plantar fasciitis that causes pain in the soles of the feet She +shared the method that she used to cure her plantar fasciitis saying something along these +lines Jared its a medical disorder but it comes from tension You must be curling your feet +into fists at night Right now you are unconscious of this tendency but it is possible to create +awareness Each evening before you go to bed focus on the sensations in your feet and tell +yourself that you plan to let the tension release and remain released as you sleep Dont allow +your feet to remain clenched all night had painful plantar fasciitis for a full year yet after two +nights of following her instructions meditating closely on the sensations of tension the pain in +PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body +my feet was gone Right there lying in bed saw the connection and realized that this same +lesson applied not only to my heels but to my hamstrings my heartache my headache +and my whole body +Tone Hypertonia and Hypotonia +Muscle tone also referred to as residual muscle tension or tonus is a continuous and passive +partial contraction found in all skeletal muscles It is often conceptualized as the muscles +resistance to passive stretching during a resting state Muscles receive continuous innervation +from the nervous system ensuring that even in rest they remain in a semiactive default state +Thus there is no complete rest in living muscle tissue +Both extensor and flexor muscles are constantly kept activated which helps us maintain +muscle readiness For instance your bicep a flexor and triceps an extensor are both always +in a state of partial contraction They complement and support each other no matter how +much you try to relax them Muscles on opposite sides of a joint contract in unison to stabilize +the joint This kind of antagonism occurs all over the body It is beneficial and necessary +Muscle tone is normal but it can become too intense under certain conditions and begin to +cause harm Excessive tone is referred to as persistent muscle tension muscle spasticity or +hypertonia Hypertonic muscles can be found in crucial places throughout our bodies and are +sources of chronic pain stiffness and premature frailty for every adult on the planet +The cause of excessive muscular tone and the accompanying pain we experience is +multifactorial Hypertonia can be exacerbated by bad habits wear and tear genetic risk factors +and injuries such as car accidents and falls However most of the preventable muscular pain +that we suffer is derived from a lowenergy injury to the tissues known as repetitive strain A +repetitive strain injury is caused by repetitious tasks or by sustained awkward positions Almost +any job profession or chore you can imagine involves monotonous contractions through which +muscles are subject to continuous or nearcontinuous strain While repetitive strain may occur +intermittently its effects build up over years resulting in chronic conditions +Longstanding instances of muscular tension develop pathways in the nervous system that +reinforce and perpetuate them Simultaneously an array of cellular changes takes place within +muscle cells themselves forcing them to contract permanently forfeiting strength and +flexibility By becoming accustomed to such burdens we force ourselves to carry them +unknowingly This is how we come to feel the weight of the world on our shoulders We are all +hauling an invisible intangible load forcing dozens of muscles throughout our body to push and +pull against absolutely nothing +Refrain from Muscular Bracing +Excessive tension in any posture is called muscular bracing and it is pervasive We brace +muscles all over our bodies every day Squinting and the raising and lowering of the brow +discussed in Chapter are also forms of bracing Mostly we brace as a reflexive response to +things that make us worried or uncomfortable Due to the false sense of security it can afford +some researchers have termed it muscular armoring Bracing is intended to prepare us to +quickly initiate offensive or defensive movements as when we protect the neck by keeping the +shoulders raised Small amounts of temporary bracing are healthy and can be helpful during +rough and tumble play contact sports falls or collisions Unnecessary bracing however +Chapter Recognize Muscular Tension Dormancy +keeps the body on guard and rigid Thus when you need to move you are forced to +overcome your own resistance forfeiting grace and coordination +Keeping our muscles tense makes us feel in control but is a dysfunctional coping tactic +People generalize bracing from physical challenges to intellectual and social ones This is why +some experts refer to instances of bracing as neurotic holding patterns For instance we +tense during social encounters especially confrontational ones People tense their bodies +during standardized tests social gatherings and public speaking This hinders their +performance by interfering with productive efforts and by causing discomfort and autonomic +stress As we will discuss in Chapter the sensation of fear in your gut and the sensation of +having your heart in your throat are also manifestations of chronic bracing +Imagine that you are standing alone in a strange dark parking lot with nothing nearby to +grab ahold of You hear someone yell Brace yourself What pose do you strike Whatever +pose you imagined is likely one that you commonly adopt during stress and startle The muscles +responsible for this pose are the ones you brace most often and so they are likely currently in +the process of becoming locked up Explore this a little further using the first unbracing +activity below +Relaxation Activity Making a Claw +Tense all the muscles in your hand making it into a stiff claw Curl your fingers so that all +fifteen knuckles are partially bent Keeping your hand in that formation see whether you can +tense it even further Keep it tight as you open and close it five times +Now use your imagination Try to feel what would happen to your hand if you were forced to +hold it like this for a week straight It would become immobile inflamed and excruciating +Consider how often you tense your hand in daily life Has it already taken a toll Going +forward work on undoing that tension Try to notice the claw whenever it materializes and +allow it to revert to a soft lithe hand +You also want your hands to be strong so contracting their muscles firmly is necessary The +important thing is that you allow them to relax deeply after you stop using them Make a +very firm claw and then let it relax five times in a row How you respond to the discomfort +involved in the effort makes all the difference Dont allow the discomfort from the +contraction to influence you to keep bracing Rather plunge into the deeper level of +relaxation that is available after you have brought the muscles to fatigue +There are cyclical relationships between stress bracing and arthritis Some specialists +refer to forms of bracing as prearthritic postures Joints can only be braced for so many years +before they become inflamed and degenerative My mother has osteoarthritis in her hands +Some of her knuckles are larger and more deformed than others She firmly believes that the +most affected knuckles are those that she braced more during stress over decades An extreme +example is the raisedarm babas of India These are men who for spiritual reasons have +decided to always raise one arm in the air Over the years their shoulders become stiff as a +PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body +board and completely useless As you look over the table below think about which bracing +patterns you use +Internal Facial Postural +Tightening the Jaw Squinting the Eyes Raising the Shoulders +Constricting the Throat Raising the Eyebrows Bracing the Lower Back +Sucking the Tongue Straining the Smile Hunching the Neck +Constricting the Nasopharynx Straining the Sneer Neglecting the Glutes and Abs +Straining the Vocal Folds Pursing the Lips Bracing the Shoulder Blades +Shallow Breathing Tightening the Cheeks Clenching the Hands and Feet +Abdominal Tensing Drawing Down the Corners of Tilting the Pelvis to One Side +the Mouth +Table Common Forms of Bracing that Compromise Muscle and Cause Pain +Bracing belongs to a more general category known as dysponesis or the misdirected use of +energy in the musculoskeletal system of which unnecessary tensing of the muscles is just one +example This wasting of energy is destructive For example dentists and orthodontists make +particular note of jaw clenching teeth grinding and tongue tension because those movements +push the teeth out of their optimal alignment In Chapter we will discuss how bracing the +back pushes the spine out of alignment Muscular bracing is a factor in almost all joint disorders +and is responsible for carpal tunnel temporomandibular joint disorder tennis elbow and +countless others believe that most chronic injuries despite the fancy and distracting terms +used by physicians start with tension caused by bracing +One way a mammal remembers that it just glimpsed a predator is by crouching down and +becoming very tense We often use muscular tension to keep something in mind When need +to remember something or when there is an urgent need to do something that cannot be done +right away become tenser The specific part of my body necessary to carry out the task is +often where the tension manifests For instance will try to remind myself to write down a +thought by tensing my fingers as if were gripping a pencil Recognize when this happens to you +and try not to use tension as a mnemonic aid +We tend to be negligent of excessive increases in muscle tension even when we are +performing simple tasks We tighten muscles that are not involved in what we are doing and +then keep those muscles tight even after we finish If the action is built into your job or daily +routine you can start by improving the ergonomics of your workspace or taking more regular +breaks You can also teach yourself to selectively calm muscles that you are not actively using +for the task at hand The key is to constantly and creatively alter your body posture so that +unused muscles are engaged and overused muscles are given a break +Chapter Recognize Muscular Tension Dormancy +Relaxation Activity Monitor Your Bracing During Teeth Brushing +The next time you brush your teeth notice the movements in your hand arm shoulder +neck face and torso Are you tensing muscles or expending energy that you dont need to +For instance you might be gripping the toothbrush too tightly flexing heavily at the elbow or +shoulder locking your jaw or craning your neck to one side Do you alter your posture and +vary the repetitive motions to give your muscles breaks Use this activity as an example that +you can extend to all your daily chores and rituals Generalize this experience to as many +other activities as possible including writing with a pen typing with a keyboard or holding a +phone tablet book remote controller or steering wheel +Microbreaks Allow Muscles the Short Rests They Need +Not all muscle tension is bad After all there is no way to exercise without tensing your +muscles But bracing is very different from healthy exercise because it does not include tiny rest +periods called microbreaks Sometimes all our muscles need is a few seconds or even just a +few fractions of a second without being held taut When the electrical activity of muscle is +tracked with electrodes these moments of downtime show up as electromyographic gaps +brief intervals during which the muscles slacken and relax They are essential +For example every step you take involves significant exertion as you push off against the +ground However as one leg takes over the other is given a break during the time it takes to swing +it forward again That respite allows the muscles to regenerate and prepare for the next step If +you didnt have this microbreak after every step walking more than a few hundred meters would +be difficult In much the same way all the muscles in your body require microbreaks +Without momentarily reverting to a relaxed baseline tone muscles cannot replenish and +unwanted processes ensue You have probably noticed the difference between fatigue caused +by sustained bracing hyperfatigue and fatigue caused by exercise that contains microbreaks +The former aches and is unpleasant while the latter is both soothing and exhilarating Indeed +the most important factor in building healthy muscle is to allow it to relax The more relaxed +your muscles are at rest the more quickly they recover from exercise This is why relaxed +muscle responds dramatically to training whereas tense muscle responds sluggishly Whenever +you are not using a muscle allow it to go limp It almost seems slothful but its not its the way +you should live your life +Intermittent breaks and rests can help you disrupt long periods of unnecessary rigidity +Naps can work wonders in this regard During sleep and especially during REM sleep changes +occur in brain signaling that cause vastly reduced muscle tone known as atonia This is one +reason why short to minute naps can be so invigorating Short naps can also restore +alertness mental performance and learning ability As you nap you are even giving your heart +a brief rest which may be why naps have been associated with reduced coronary mortality +Just remember that naps of minutes or more often lead to sleep inertia impaired alertness +and tiredness When you feel depleted after the gym after an upsetting episode or whenever +you start to feel stiff and sore set your phones timer for minutes and allow yourself a +recuperative power nap Even if you dont fall asleep just giving yourself a few minutes to lay +down during the day provides a reprieve that can be highly beneficial in the long term +PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body +Why dont we allow ourselves the microbreaks that our bodies call for Often it is due to +social pressures Propriety and intimidation related to the status hierarchy cause us to brace +then feel guilty about relaxing Chronic submissive signaling disallows you from claiming the +microbreaks that your muscles need When at a dinner date or in a board room we dont give +our neurotic holding patterns a single second of downtime Wellcomposed people give various +muscles involved in social displays microbreaks In fact we can conceptualize composure as skill +in microbreaking Of course even our breathing muscles require microbreaks +Unbrace Your Exhalation with the Passive Exhale +Diaphragmatic bracing is the central feature of distressed breathing and a core symptom of +trauma Remember Activity in which you held your hand like a claw and kept it tight as you +opened and closed it This is exactly what you are doing with your diaphragm when stressed +This kind of bracing could be an excellent exercise for the diaphragm if it only lasted for +seconds at a time but we tend to do it for hours or days at a time Continuously overtensing +the diaphragm and other respiratory muscles reduces their strength and range of motion +resulting in rapid shallow breathing +The inbreath requires muscular contraction but the outbreath does not It is not necessary +to do any muscular work during exhalation The positive pressure of air in your lungs is enough +to create the force This effortless return of the diaphragm to its resting position is called elastic +recoil The air naturally wants to be pressed out of your lungs as it would from a deflating +balloon Unfortunately most of us keep our breathing muscles tense during exhalation and this +ensnares us in a state of fight or flight Stopping this requires awareness and practice To +perform a passive exhalation all you need to do is let your breathing go limp while you are +exhaling After a minute or two of practicing this you should actually be able to feel the +diaphragm simmer down +Relaxation Exercise Unbracing the Diaphragm While Exhaling +Perform paced breathing for five minutes Take full inhalations and when you start each +exhalation let go of the diaphragm completely Every exhalation should be a completely +passive form of freefall throughout which all the breathing musculature is relaxed Imagine +the leisurely descent of a parachute You are not doing any work at all and it should proceed +at its own pace The air should be oozing out of your nostrils on its own Once you practice +this for five minutes you should be able to tell that you were holding your diaphragm like a +tense claw during your exhalation before Allowing the diaphragm to go limp during the +exhale is extremely important for its health because just like all muscles it needs periods of +inactivity to regenerate Because you never stop breathing its only chance for such a +microbreak is during the exhalation +Imagine that for some reason you are responsible for driving a car up and down a low +grade hill over and over again For a while you keep the engine on during the descent but +since the descent lasts for a few minutes you realize that you can turn the engine off put the +car into neutral and just let it coast without having to touch the brake the accelerator or the +Chapter Recognize Muscular Tension Dormancy +wheel This is what a passive exhalation should feel like After you finish your inhale just take +the keys out of the ignition +Your inhalation is also braced it is just much harder to notice An inhalation requires the +contraction of the diaphragm down into the gut to create the vacuum that draws air into the +lungs But this contraction is often braced beyond what is necessary like the opening of a +tightly clenched hand This bracing impedes belly breathing and pulls the air into your upper +chest If you can interrupt it during an inhalation you will feel your belly coming uncoupled +from the bottom of your rib cage The passive exhale will help you with this uncoupling As you +learn to sense your diaphragmatic tension during the exhale you can teach yourself how to +lessen the unnecessary tension occurring during the inhale Once you have done this your +breathing will become much more efficient and less labored +It is worth mentioning that aside from bracing the inhale during the exhale many of us also +brace the exhale during the inhale This is when we keep the thoracic muscles responsible for +exhalation clenched while breathing in This is also completely unnecessary Spend some time +trying to notice these effects in your own breathing +After performing the passive exhalation for a few days a sense of irritation in your chest +will dissipate When this discomfort and inflammation is totally gone you will feel a profound +sense of relief The passive exhalation is so important that consider it the fifth tenet of optimal +breathing Expect it to increase the benefits you get from paced breathing The passive exhale is +such a fundamental routine that it is actually a reflexive response that all mammals use after a +stressor has come and gone Can you guess what it is +Once a stressful episode has resolved all species of mammal exhibit deep spontaneous +breaths They inhale very deeply so that they can then exhale passively to reset and restore +equilibrium in their autonomic nervous system We know this as sighing Even mice sigh and +believe that like us they do it to provide the diaphragm with a microbreak However if you +provide your diaphragm with a microbreak during every exhalation you wont feel the need to +sigh anymore The trick is to learn to exhale limply even after a shallow inhalation Sighing is +very frequent in people diagnosed with panic disorders used to sigh constantly but after +diaphragmatic retraining rarely catch myself doing it anymore Master the passive exhalation +because it is highly detraumatizing +Persistent Muscle Tension Creates Trigger Points +Excessive muscle tension and the absence of microbreaks eventually produce knots that can +be felt under your skin They occur all over the body They are often palpable raised nodules +tender to the touch producing a dull aching pain when pressed firmly In the medical +literature these knots are referred to as trigger points trigger sites or spasms and they cause +reductions in muscle mass flexibility strength and endurance They are hyperirritated spots +in taut bands of skeletal muscle fibers created by chronic muscle overload They usually involve +a local contraction in a small number of muscle fibers within a larger muscle bundle +Many scientists refer to these knots as myofascial trigger points The myo is derived +from the Greek word for muscle while fascial refers to the tough outer lining that keeps +muscles in place fascia is a type of connective tissue that forms a continuous scaffold around +all the muscles and tendons in the body Myofascial trigger points are small patches of muscle +and fascia that pull together in an isolated spasm They are different from wholemuscle +PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body +spasms like a charley horse or cramp which are more transient have a sudden onset and +involve hard contraction of the entire muscle Although they can contribute to cramping trigger +points are different in that they are longlasting have a gradual onset and involve partial +contractions in small portions of the muscle +In addition to their immediate detrimental effects on muscle function trigger points often +cluster together and pull on tendons and ligaments causing joint problems and deep pain +The tension they cause at joints can result in clicking popping and grating sounds Over time +they can contribute to bone spurs pinched nerves and arthritis Trigger points can be seen in +greatly magnified pictures of muscle tissue like the one below They look like bunchedup +distortions in a weblike matrix +connective tissue +Figure Knot of partially contracted sarcomeres in the muscle fiber from the leg of a dog at x magnification +Compare with the normal sarcomeres above and below it This knot looks like an active contraction but has no +electrical EMG activity and is thus stuck in partial contraction Reprinted with permission from Simons and +Stolov +Dr Janet G Travell MD is generally recognized as the leading pioneer in +trigger point diagnosis and treatment It has been said that she singlehandedly created this +branch of medicine Travell who was the White House physician during the Kennedy and +Johnson administrations emphasized that trigger points are demoralizing and devastating to +quality of life She called them the scourge of mankind Advancedstage trigger points are the +worst They usually present in clusters are the most painful and involve highly warped muscle +fibers with large numbers of molecular aberrations In reality most people are practically +covered in trigger points from old injuries bad posture poor workout techniques and bracing +Muscle Tension Develops at the Molecular Level +To better understand trigger points we need a little more background on muscles themselves +Muscles are composed of fibers which are themselves made of smaller fibers The thinnest of +Chapter Recognize Muscular Tension Dormancy +those hold sarcomeres in which contraction takes place A sarcomere is a microscopic structure +built from two kinds of filamentlike molecules actin and myosin Actin and myosin form +interdigitating strands that can be activated When active they move past each other quickly +creating contractile force +Fascicle Fiber Myofibril all +I +Ui +ml a a +illustration A Muscle made of fibers containing sarcomeres B Microscopic view of contracted sarcomeres in +a muscle myofibril An actual trigger point may contain dozens of these tiny knots +Millions of sarcomeres must contract to perform even the smallest movement After they +contract the sarcomeres relax when their actin and myosin strands are uncoupled from each +other and pull apart In healthy muscle actin and myosin wait patiently in a relaxed decoupled +state until an impulse from the nervous system tells them to pull past each other again In +unhealthy muscle they are stuck Many specialists believe that trigger points start to form +when overuse causes actin and myosin to become fixed in an interlocked position This +interlocking puts the muscle into a static state of contracture in which the strands no longer +separate and relax +Relaxation Actin +ele ACTIN +Contraction +Illustration A Relaxed sarcomere on top and a contracted sarcomere on the bottom with actin and myosin +visible B Myosin curls like a finger pulling on actin and allowing them to slide past each other to create muscular +movement C Human neck and shoulders covered with clusters of trigger points +PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body +Trigger points originate from a few different sources sustained lowlevel contraction +sudden muscle overload eccentric contraction when a muscle stretches and contracts +simultaneously and gross trauma or injury to the muscle Regardless of the cause trigger +points slow blood flow to the muscle and cause oxygen deprivation at the affected site +The reduced blood flow then causes sarcomeres to contract further constricting the +surrounding capillaries Capillaries normally supply the muscle with blood so when they +constrict it leads to reduced circulation or ischemia that impairs many cellular processes +Without blood flow chemical waste products from muscular activity start to accumulate +Eventually the waste stimulates pain receptors in nearby nerve endings sending pain signals to +the brain Active trigger points demonstrate an unusual biochemical mix not seen in healthy +tissue It is an acidic milieu containing increased levels of proinflammatory contractile and +paincausing substances And remember we draw our very breaths with muscles that are +affected by these symptoms +Muscle Shortening and Scar Tissue +A muscle can change its resting length to adapt to the length at which it is habitually used or +positioned Muscles usually become shorter due to prolonged contracture This is known as +adaptive muscle shortening and places the muscle in a state of partial contraction It is another +pervasive clinical finding that affects every person who has ever lived +People confined to long periods of sitting exhibit debilitating shortening of the lower back +and hip muscles especially the hip flexors Similarly wearing highheeled shoes causes +prolonged plantar flexion of the foot which results in adaptive shortening of the soleus +muscles Constant squinting shortens the muscle fibers of the orbicularis oculi narrowing the +eyes Straining the sneer causes the muscles that lift the top lip to shrink making the face +appear hideous When the muscles in your knees and ankles shorten they leave you vulnerable +to sprains and tears Holding a hunched neck posture leads to shortening of the +sternocleidomastoid and other muscles in the front of the neck making it very difficult to stop +hunching because the decreased length of these muscles pulls the head down As Chapter +will explain bracing the muscles surrounding the genitals may play a role in sexual dysfunction +There are examples of adaptive muscle shortening in muscles all over our bodies +The pressure from prolonged contracture pulls on tendons straining them and distressing +the joints when they move Next ligaments and joint capsules retract These changes perturb +nerve endings within the muscles and joints causing deepseated pain Muscle shortening also +increases wear and tear contributing to inflammatory and degenerative changes such as +tendonitis fasciitis bursitis and osteoarthritis Many different tissue types are damaged by +strain including articular cartilages connective tissues tendons fascia menisci ligaments and +spinal disks +Adaptive muscle shortening can be made worse by the accumulation of scar tissue Scar +tissue is a very tough inflexible fibrous material that binds itself to strained muscle fibers +attempting to draw the damaged fibers together The result is a bulky mass of stiff tissue +surrounding the site In some cases it is possible to feel and even see this mass under the skin +When scar tissue adheres to muscle fibers it prevents them from sliding back and forth +properly limiting the flexibility of a muscle or joint +Chapter Recognize Muscular Tension Dormancy +Scar tissue tends to shrink and deform the surrounding tissues diminishing strength and +making the body feel heavy It tends to adhere to nerve cells leading to chronic pain Existing +research has found that scar tissue is weaker less elastic more prone to future reinjury and +up to times more painsensitive than normal healthy tissue This results in chronic pain +that under most circumstances lasts a lifetime In people who brace the most these effects +create visibly apparent postural distortions +Excessive Tension is Debilitating and Constrains Your Physique +Muscles encumbered by trigger points and adaptive shortening can be conceptualized as +dormant muscles This is so because they are difficult to recruit dont move with the rest of the +body and are starved of blood Dormant muscles cannot recover adequately after a workout +and are resistant to growth and strengthening because they can never fully relax and thus can +never fully heal As long as they are under constant selfimposed strain they will continue to +grow harder more fragile and decrepit Scrunchedup muscles crumple your body and cause it +to buckle under every movement +Pregnancy itself does not necessarily adversely affect a womans physique Rather it is the +months of prolonged bracing absence of postural variety and limited range of motion that can +accompany the later stages of pregnancy for some women that have prominent longlasting +effects Moreover although some of the natural variation in physique between humans is due +to exercise genetics and exposure to testosterone much of it can be attributed to differences +in dormant muscle that arose due to bracing during stress +You have significant untapped reservoirs of muscle in your body that correspond to areas +you brace and have been bracing for decades For example think about the hunch you probably +have in your neck Starting at birth you had a natural tendency to straighten the cervical +vertebrae in your neck stacking them in a straight line That straightnecked upright posture is +optimal But social pressures can affect how we carry our heads and necks the less safe stable +or welcoming your childhood environment was the more you were conditioned to hunch over +communicating modesty or submission The standard submissive neck posture is to stoop over +jut your chin out and tilt your head back All of those changes reduce your height and help you +appear guarded But they also introduce a slant in your neck which is an inefficient way of +stacking vertebrae against the force of gravity The excessive tension that develops leads to the +proliferation of trigger points and those in turn cause muscle dormancy in your neck +shoulders and chest and from there on down the spine +Chapter will detail exactly how to reclaim your neck and regain its flexibility and full +range of motion But the neck is just one example of a reservoir of muscle that has been +suppressed that you can tap into These reservoirs can be found all over our bodies Take your +clothes off and look in the mirror Any body parts that dont appear nubile and supple have +great potential If all of our muscles were brought completely out of dormancy we would have +the physiques if not bulk of elite athletes +Injuries Lead to Muscular Bracing +Injuries contribute to and interact with bracing After getting hurt individuals often try to avoid +experiencing pain by tensing the area surrounding the site of injury When someone sprains +their ankle they unintentionally contract many muscles in the ankle setting it in a fixed +PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body +defensive position This is intended to protect the injury In fact it is known as splinting +because it acts as a splint to immobilize the joint Unfortunately it also deprives the muscles of +the rest oxygen and nutrients they need to heal As a result splinting worsens the pain in the +long term by overtaxing the muscles involved This happens partly because we tend to breathe +extremely shallowly whenever we injure ourselves because as you know shallow breathing +causes bracing This is why whenever experience an injury pull out my breath metronome +immediately +Injuries almost always result in some form of persistent muscle tension Even major +medical procedures can contribute atrogenic pain is a term referring to pain caused by +medical treatment and is especially common with the use of braces slings casts and surgeries +Immobilizing a broken forearm with a cast can easily lead to frozen shoulder syndrome in +which a group of deltoid muscles is barred from moving through its normal range of motion as +tension gradually mounts +had a melanoma removed from my shoulder blade in my midteens and recently found +that have a series of muscular knots under the scar from bracing the area My brother +received a large shot in the quadriceps during his appendectomy years ago and he says the +same area troubles him often Think conscientiously about past injuries medical procedures +and other forms of trauma identifying how they might be causing you to brace or tense +muscles even today +Stress and muscular tension also make us more susceptible to physical injury because tense +muscles fail and tear under excessive force whereas relaxed ones are more resilient The +muscles strained by sitting in a fixed position at a computer for eight hours a day are the most +susceptible to damage from a fall or car accident Thus injury can lead to bracing and bracing +can lead to reinjury +Tense muscle tissue can be conceptualized as an injury or as a trauma even if there was no +precipitating accident The word injury is defined as physical damage to a biological organism +The word trauma is defined as an abnormality in an organisms tissues usually caused by +injury By these definitions any form of persistent bracing and the trigger points stemming +from it are both injurious and traumatic Unfortunately once they get bad enough they can +poison us emotionally +The Link Between Tension Pain and Negative Emotion +These mountains that you are carrying you were only supposed to climb Najwa Zebian b +Physical pain is an adaptive evolved mechanism The pain from a cut or burn informs us that +our bodies are suffering damage It gives us builtin motivation to withdraw from the source of +harm and learn to avoid it in the future But what about muscular pain also known as myalgia +In contrast to physical pain myalgia has more to do with restricting movement It compels us to +refrain from specific motions that might be damaging or harmfulit tells us not to overstretch +a strained muscle not to bend a weakened joint too far It also tells us when we approach the +limits of our healthy range of motion giving us important feedback about what our bodies can +and cannot do This would have restricted aging huntergatherers from movements that had