monomer/program_peace · Datasets at Hugging Face

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drowsy but only at first Many people assume that becoming sleepy is an unavoidable part of
relaxation It is not Performing the diaphragmatic breathing exercises in Chapter over several
weeks will prove to you that relaxation sharpens attention in the long run The next chapter will
discuss the biology of how becoming calmer paradoxically makes you more alert After
coaching him to take many steady full breaths in a row took him to get a massage
We went to an pound woman who gave hourlong fullbody massages for at a
storefront on Hollywood boulevard She had to be more gentle than usual because he could
Chapter Release Tense Muscle with Massage
barely stand even mild pressure glanced at him and saw him shuddering convulsing in what
took as the ecstasy of the womans touch meeting the agony of his painbody He started
moaning and when she asked whether she should continue his reply was Please A few
minutes later he started sobbing and didnt stop for the remaining minutes The other
people at the parlor didnt even complain about all the noise he was making because they could
tell what he was going through
A couple of hours after his massage he looked bright fresh and reinvigorated His
appearance contrasted starkly with his appearance described at the beginning of this chapter
It was abundantly clear that various chakralike modules were finally given the break they
needed to begin restoration and regeneration This included muscles that were never even
touched by the masseuse His face voice heart diaphragm and gut had the brief respite they
needed to recharge All because his inner animal was given minutes to forget about its
interminable fear of death
Having never had a massage he said it was the best experience of his life and asked when
we could go again Of course his case is an extreme example Most of us dont carry this
amount of trauma or have such deeply rooted pain bodies But massage be it professional or
selfadministered is among our most effective and accessible means of treating both
Spend Time Rubbing and Caressing
Personal grooming or preening is widespread in animals and is a hygienic behavior aimed at
extracting foreign objects from the bodys surface It is done to remove insects ectoparasites
leaves dirt and twigs Social grooming is common in mammals and involves stroking
scratching massaging licking and gentle biting of another animal Even animals such as birds
horses bats lions and insects groom each other Apes and monkeys groom one another daily
and the consequent trust and bonding are critical to group cohesion Grooming plays a role in
establishing alliances is imperative for reconciliation after conflict and is one of the main ways
that primates reduce stress and tension
In humans and other mammals gentle wellmeaning touch stimulates the release of beta
endorphin This natural analgesic attaches to the same brain receptors as morphine heroin
and other drugs derived from the opium poppy Synthetic opioid street drugs increase the
traumatic load on our bodies by leading to extreme withdrawal But increasing the levels of
natural endorphins produced by your brain does not and may be among the healthiest things
you can do It increases overall wellbeing Grooming massaging rubbing cuddling and
caressing all have this effect This is partially responsible for the fact that primates with the
most grooming relationships tend to be healthier on average
Do dominant primates groom a lot or a little What would be your guess In fact they
groom others the most Because the dominant primates usually have the highest circulating
endorphin levels they typically do not need to be groomed to relax but are the most willing to
groom others Most humans do not regularly rub or massage others Do you think that many
people are apprehensive about being affectionate because they are concerned that their
manual skills are not good enough or they worry about the social aspects of the interaction
More than anything they dont want to have their efforts rejected But much of this is a
question of familiarity and repetitionyou cant get good if you dont try A little bit of time
and practice will allow you to pass that apprehensive barrier and feel at ease touching and
PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body
rubbing other people As with other skills weve discussed you can develop the ability on your
own before perfecting it with others
Massage Exercise Rub and Caress an Inanimate Object
Find a pillow or similar object to rub caress or massage Know that the pillow will not
judge your efforts allowing you to caress it in the most loving way that you are capable
Imagine you are humbly trying to gain experience and work toward caressing a real
person You might pretend to be finger painting a beautiful cursive abstract composition
using a slow soothing cadence Think slow hand not heated rush Alternate between
touching firmly and very tenderly Try to touch the object in the way you want to be
touched and know that you can experiment with new flourishes and rhythms without
someone critiquing you If you do this while practicing paced breathing you will find that
your hands do not hesitatethe indecision and fumbling will be absent quickly making
you into a pro With enough practice your loved ones will never want you to stop
touching them and you will develop a healing hand
When you find the opportunity practice stroking and caressing another person ina
smooth rhythmic and doting way Alternate between using your whole hand and the tips of
your fingers Dont hesitate or pause and try to keep your fingers from skipping along their skin
Rather maintain fluid contact Lightly squeeze their skin between your fingers and tug at it
gently You can rub their entire body alternating between pressing and caressing This kind of
positive physical touch can work wonders for your spouse children or pets
Caress like vibration does not release hypertonic muscles in the same way that
compression or percussion does It undoes tension through relaxation by significantly reducing
conscious bracing However if the person being massaged feels uncomfortable they may
actually brace more like a pet that doesnt want to be picked up Many people cringe and
reject touch due to past physical trauma As the one doing the touching it is your responsibility
to touch them in a way that causes their bracing to subside Affectionate attentive and flowing
movements will do this
Try rubbing or caressing your significant other as you listen to music It can help coordinate
and sensualize your movements Rubbing and massaging the scalp is one of the best ways to
release endorphins One way to approach this is to start by pressing the tip of your thumb
firmly into their upper neck and then the occipital muscles on the back of their head Sensually
depress release and reposition once every two seconds Use your thumb to stroke firmly over
the hair shafts around the nape of the neck making a crackling sound and stimulating the
copious nerve endings in the area Massaging the entire scalp in this way rubbing it
rhythmically with all ten finger pads can be intensely pleasurable Try lying next to your
partner nestling against them and fondling their arms back and shoulders You might lie on
your back and have a significant other lie on top of you stomach to stomach so that you can
rub their neck back bottom and legs with both hands
It is known that in primates the grooming animal enjoys levels of pleasure chemicals that
are comparable to the individual being groomed It is the same in humans Stroking your cat or
dog releases endorphins reduces heart rate and drops blood pressure in the pet as well as in
Chapter Release Tense Muscle with Massage
the human doing the petting Without question massaging and caressing someone else is the
most pleasurable stressreducing and bonding activity know of believe that many people
feel unsated because they mistakenly seek this form of satisfaction from kissing and sex which
simply dont provide it One look at the pervasiveness of grooming in primates convinces me
that our bodies are biologically prepared for and expectant of being rubbed and caressed
We are doing ourselves a disservice by not doing it regularly

drowsy but only at first Many people assume that becoming sleepy is an unavoidable part of

relaxation It is not Performing the diaphragmatic breathing exercises in Chapter over several

weeks will prove to you that relaxation sharpens attention in the long run The next chapter will

discuss the biology of how becoming calmer paradoxically makes you more alert After

coaching him to take many steady full breaths in a row took him to get a massage

We went to an pound woman who gave hourlong fullbody massages for at a

storefront on Hollywood boulevard She had to be more gentle than usual because he could

Chapter Release Tense Muscle with Massage

barely stand even mild pressure glanced at him and saw him shuddering convulsing in what

took as the ecstasy of the womans touch meeting the agony of his painbody He started

moaning and when she asked whether she should continue his reply was Please A few

minutes later he started sobbing and didnt stop for the remaining minutes The other

people at the parlor didnt even complain about all the noise he was making because they could

tell what he was going through

A couple of hours after his massage he looked bright fresh and reinvigorated His

appearance contrasted starkly with his appearance described at the beginning of this chapter

It was abundantly clear that various chakralike modules were finally given the break they

needed to begin restoration and regeneration This included muscles that were never even

touched by the masseuse His face voice heart diaphragm and gut had the brief respite they

needed to recharge All because his inner animal was given minutes to forget about its

interminable fear of death

Having never had a massage he said it was the best experience of his life and asked when

we could go again Of course his case is an extreme example Most of us dont carry this

amount of trauma or have such deeply rooted pain bodies But massage be it professional or

selfadministered is among our most effective and accessible means of treating both

Spend Time Rubbing and Caressing

Personal grooming or preening is widespread in animals and is a hygienic behavior aimed at

extracting foreign objects from the bodys surface It is done to remove insects ectoparasites

leaves dirt and twigs Social grooming is common in mammals and involves stroking

scratching massaging licking and gentle biting of another animal Even animals such as birds

horses bats lions and insects groom each other Apes and monkeys groom one another daily

and the consequent trust and bonding are critical to group cohesion Grooming plays a role in

establishing alliances is imperative for reconciliation after conflict and is one of the main ways

that primates reduce stress and tension

In humans and other mammals gentle wellmeaning touch stimulates the release of beta

endorphin This natural analgesic attaches to the same brain receptors as morphine heroin

and other drugs derived from the opium poppy Synthetic opioid street drugs increase the

traumatic load on our bodies by leading to extreme withdrawal But increasing the levels of

natural endorphins produced by your brain does not and may be among the healthiest things

you can do It increases overall wellbeing Grooming massaging rubbing cuddling and

caressing all have this effect This is partially responsible for the fact that primates with the

most grooming relationships tend to be healthier on average

Do dominant primates groom a lot or a little What would be your guess In fact they

groom others the most Because the dominant primates usually have the highest circulating

endorphin levels they typically do not need to be groomed to relax but are the most willing to

groom others Most humans do not regularly rub or massage others Do you think that many

people are apprehensive about being affectionate because they are concerned that their

manual skills are not good enough or they worry about the social aspects of the interaction

More than anything they dont want to have their efforts rejected But much of this is a

question of familiarity and repetitionyou cant get good if you dont try A little bit of time

and practice will allow you to pass that apprehensive barrier and feel at ease touching and

PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body

rubbing other people As with other skills weve discussed you can develop the ability on your

own before perfecting it with others

Massage Exercise Rub and Caress an Inanimate Object

Find a pillow or similar object to rub caress or massage Know that the pillow will not

judge your efforts allowing you to caress it in the most loving way that you are capable

Imagine you are humbly trying to gain experience and work toward caressing a real

person You might pretend to be finger painting a beautiful cursive abstract composition

using a slow soothing cadence Think slow hand not heated rush Alternate between

touching firmly and very tenderly Try to touch the object in the way you want to be

touched and know that you can experiment with new flourishes and rhythms without

someone critiquing you If you do this while practicing paced breathing you will find that

your hands do not hesitatethe indecision and fumbling will be absent quickly making

you into a pro With enough practice your loved ones will never want you to stop

touching them and you will develop a healing hand

When you find the opportunity practice stroking and caressing another person ina

smooth rhythmic and doting way Alternate between using your whole hand and the tips of

your fingers Dont hesitate or pause and try to keep your fingers from skipping along their skin

Rather maintain fluid contact Lightly squeeze their skin between your fingers and tug at it

gently You can rub their entire body alternating between pressing and caressing This kind of

positive physical touch can work wonders for your spouse children or pets

Caress like vibration does not release hypertonic muscles in the same way that

compression or percussion does It undoes tension through relaxation by significantly reducing

conscious bracing However if the person being massaged feels uncomfortable they may

actually brace more like a pet that doesnt want to be picked up Many people cringe and

reject touch due to past physical trauma As the one doing the touching it is your responsibility

to touch them in a way that causes their bracing to subside Affectionate attentive and flowing

movements will do this

Try rubbing or caressing your significant other as you listen to music It can help coordinate

and sensualize your movements Rubbing and massaging the scalp is one of the best ways to

release endorphins One way to approach this is to start by pressing the tip of your thumb

firmly into their upper neck and then the occipital muscles on the back of their head Sensually

depress release and reposition once every two seconds Use your thumb to stroke firmly over

the hair shafts around the nape of the neck making a crackling sound and stimulating the

copious nerve endings in the area Massaging the entire scalp in this way rubbing it

rhythmically with all ten finger pads can be intensely pleasurable Try lying next to your

partner nestling against them and fondling their arms back and shoulders You might lie on

your back and have a significant other lie on top of you stomach to stomach so that you can

rub their neck back bottom and legs with both hands

It is known that in primates the grooming animal enjoys levels of pleasure chemicals that

are comparable to the individual being groomed It is the same in humans Stroking your cat or

dog releases endorphins reduces heart rate and drops blood pressure in the pet as well as in

Chapter Release Tense Muscle with Massage

the human doing the petting Without question massaging and caressing someone else is the

most pleasurable stressreducing and bonding activity know of believe that many people

feel unsated because they mistakenly seek this form of satisfaction from kissing and sex which

simply dont provide it One look at the pervasiveness of grooming in primates convinces me

that our bodies are biologically prepared for and expectant of being rubbed and caressed

We are doing ourselves a disservice by not doing it regularly