Does Stress Cause Immune Disorders? Hello, this is James Lowery with James Lowery Hypnotherapy where I, with the help of a medical provider, aid adults suffering with immune disorders in relieving the emotional stress surrounding their discomfort in order to achieve a better quality of life in as little as one session. Today’s frequently asked question is: can stress cause immune disorders? Now, before I answer that question, I want to make it abundantly clear that the information I am presenting is not to serve as a substitute for medical advice.
My role as a hypnotherapist is to serve as an effective adjunct to those already receiving medical treatment who perhaps need additional care. Does stress cause immune disorders? Now, it has not been determined that stress is a direct causation for immune disorders, but it can certainly worsen or exacerbate an immune disorder because stress leads to the release of stress hormones such as cortisol, as well as neurotransmitters which are directly responsible for modulating immune cell responses.
The release of these stress hormones in a long-term sense leads to chronic inflammation which weakens one’s immune system and worsens the overall condition. When that happens the worsening of the condition and the condition itself becomes more apparent. When it becomes more apparent in this way, it increases or amplifies all the negative experiences surrounding that condition, which, in turn, brings with it further stress. The further stress brings with it further release of the stress hormones, further chronic inflammation, and so forth, and so forth. It becomes a vicious cycle that feeds on itself. So, how does one effectively break out of this vicious cycle? Through a branch of science known as psychoneuroimmunology which studies how the mind, the psyche, one’s neurology and one’s nervous and immune systems all interact with and affect one another. At the core of psychoneuroimmunology, and its applications in the form of mind-body therapy such as hypnotherapy, is looking at where attention is placed, the degree to which attention is gathered and maintained and the overall emotional quality or flavor of that attention.
Mind-body therapies such as hypnotherapy aim to therapeutically affect attention in this way so that people can reestablish a healthy communication between their mind and their nervous and immune systems. Now, you might be thinking to yourself, “But James, I’ve tried talk therapies before and it didn’t work for me. How is this different?” Well, most therapies, and even meditation, aim to alter or bolster your conscious perception of the problem.
But, let me ask you something. If you could consciously decide, right now, not to have the discomfort surrounding your immune disorder, you would reasonably, consciously decide to do so, would you not? If you could consciously have decided not to have taken on the immune disorder, the problem, the discomfort at all, again, it would only be reasonable or fair to say that you would consciously have decided to do so by now. So the stress, the immune disorder, the maladaptive psycho-emotional responses that surround all of it, do not effectively exist in the conscious mind. Rather, all of it is more predominant in the unconscious mind. So, if you`re looking to adopt this kind of therapy in such a way that, with the help of a medical provider, aids you in relieving the emotional stress surrounding your discomfort in order to achieve a better quality of life in as little as just one session, then give me a call or book a free consultation at James Lowery Hypnotherapy. I’m always happy to help.