Healing Visualization: Part 1 – Experiencing the Mind-Body Connection
Posted: October 7, 2026 Filed under: attention, behavior, biofeedback, cancer, CBT, cognitive behavior therapy, education, emotions, healing, health, imagery, mindfulness, Pain/discomfort, relaxation, self-healing, stress management, Uncategorized, visualization Leave a commentAdapted in part from Cancer Reconsidered: Why Environment, Lifestyle, and Immunity Matter More Than We Thought, by Erik Peper, Robert Gorter, and Nancy Faass.
I saw my spine as crooked tree. On both sides of my spine, there were brick walls molding my spine into this bent position. I felt that all my muscles surrounding my spine to be hard and rigid like a brick wall. My spine had become inflexible. I began to imagine the bricks falling away one by one. I imagined the sun shining, with all its warmth, beyond the brick wall. As each brick fell away, the sun’s rays broke through and warmed my flesh—giving my flesh life and flexibility. The more I did this, the more vivid the images became. The sun became a stronger force allowing the tree to grow upright and straight. I was even able to generate heat in my back. This intensified my relaxed state. As bricks fell away there was less tension—allowing my spine to straighten. Over a five-week period of practdicing this regularly, my chronic back pain which I had had since the seventh grade, decreased from an average level of 7 to 2 or 3. – 22-year old college senior
In a health-care system where medication and surgery often take center stage, it may seem surprising that imagery could influence a person’s experience of a backpain, headache, fibromyalgia, or a serious illness such as cancer (Porter & Norris, 1985; Van Kuiken, 2004; Roffe et al., 2005; Menzies et al., 2006). Many people find that taking an active role in their care helps them manage symptoms, stress, or worry (Peper et al., 2002; Wang et al., 2022).
BACKGROUND
Over the years, I’ve guided thousands of students and clients in using self-healing visualization. Almost everyone can mentally picture their illness or stress, their healing process, and what it feels like to be healthy and whole. After practicing their personalized imagery, many report that their pain and symptoms have noticeably decreased. Possible mechanism include redirecting attention away from worry and discomfort, evoking a relaxation response that reduces stress-related symptoms, and triggering actual physiological changes induced by visualization. This blog post, the first of a three-part series on self-healing visualization, describes simple practices that may transform participants’ beliefs and open their minds to imagery as a powerful tool for self-healing. Future posts in this series will focus on a structured relaxation approach that to evoke hand warming, as well as detailed step-by-step instructions for practicing self-healing visualization.
For many participants, visualization is easier to accept and implement after they have experienced firsthand how thoughts and emotions affect the body and howpracticing relaxation alongside hand warming can reduce stress related symptoms. In addition, I often share case examples and drawings from previous participants whose health improved (Peper et al., 2022; Peper & Yirmiyahu, 2023). Before teaching self-healing imagery, I usually demonstrate and discuss how thoughts and emotions change the body’s physiology and how relaxation, practiced with passive attention, can increase hand warmth.
Guided Practices to Experience the Mind–Body Connection
A useful first step is to experience and know that thoughts and emotions evoked bodily changes. Depending on the person and setting, this can be demonstrated with biofeedback, guided exercises, or reflection on emotional memories. This process is is grounded in the psychophysiological principle, which states:
“Every change in the physiological state is accompanied by an appropriate change in the mental-emotional state, conscious or unconscious, and, conversely, every change in the mental-emotional state, conscious or unconscious, is accompanied by an appropriate change in the physiological state” (Green & Green, 1977). Simply put, when we purposefully change our mental-emotional state and imagery, we actively influence our underlying physiology.
BIOFEEDBACK MONITORING
Depending on the equipment available, a practitioner can monitor skin conductance, breathing, heart rate, or muscle tension. Participants might relax, recall a stressful memory, or notice their response to a brief, unexpected sound. This demonstration is usually stopped before anyone feels uncomfortable. By recording their physiology, participants can then observe and are often totally surprised by, how their body’s physiology changed of ways they were not consciously aware of as illustrated in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Example of a response to a stressor: skin conductance (SC) increased and abdominal breathing (Resp) decreased. After noticing the response, the participant practiced diaphragmatic breathing and recovered.
Seeing their own recording can prompt an “Aha” moment. It may help participants notice how internal or external events relate to their bodily responses. They can then explore strategies, such as guided breathing or calming imagery, and again observe what happens.
COMPLEMENTARY NON-BIOFEEDBACK PRACTICES
Without equipment, guided practice done, individually or in groups, can help participants experience how thoughts and imagery can change body sensations. These are explored with the following two guided practices: Lemon imagery and Muscle testing.
Guided practice: Lemon imagery
Close your eyes, get comfortable, and picture a lemon. Imagine cutting it in half and squeezing the juice into a glass. Then picture lifting the glass, tasting the juice, and swallowing. Notice any changes in your mouth or body. To experience how this visualization affects your body, try the pracdtice using the guided instructions provided in the YouTube video (Peper, July 25, 2018).
After guiding college students through this practice, more than 94% of participants report an increase in salivation and some noticed their mouths puckering. Individual responses vary in intensity.
Guided practice: Muscle testing
Pair up and stand facing each other. One person is the tester; the other is the participant. The participant extends one arm at shoulder height while the tester briefly presses down on the wrist and the participant resists. Repeat with the other arm, then use the arm that felt stronger.
Next, the participant recalls either a memory associated with feeling hopeless, helpless, or powerless, or one associated with feeling optimistic or empowered. When ready, they extend the chosen arm while the tester briefly presses down. Repeat with a memory from the other category. Afterward, take turns describing what you noticed. To experience how this recall of memories affects your body, try the practice using the guided instructions provided in the YouTube video (Peper, July 23, 2018).
After guiding college students through this practice, about 95% of participants reportedly felt weaker while recalling a hopeless or powerless memory and stronger while recalling an empowering memory. About 5% reported the opposite and those who reported the opposite pattern said they had recalled anger or resentment rather than helplessness or powerlessness.
Self-observation: How thoughts, imagery, and emotions affect the body
Many people have noticed changes in their bodies when they recall emotional charged positive or negative memories, or when they watch films or streaming videos: a thriller may make them feel frightened, erotic scenes may evoke sexual arousal, and a family drama may evoke tenderness. In a self-observation exercise, participants are asked to recall past or present emotionally experiences and observe their own body’s responses. People may notice changes in breathing, muscle tension, warmth, or sweating. Responses differ from person to person; no particular response is required.
DISCUSSION
By guiding participants through these simple awareness exercises, they may discover the intimate connections between their thoughts, emotions, mental images, and bodily responses. Experiencing this mind–body feedback loop may open the door to practical stress management and explore how our mental state shapes our health and immune function. For instance, shifting from helpless rumination to feelings of hope and empowerment doesn’t just change our mood, it boosts our vitality and resilience. When people observe how their bodies react to both internal thoughts and external triggers, they gain the objective perspective needed to interrupt negative patterns, redirect their attention, and consciously choose responses that foster healing and strength.
Without conscious awareness, our thoughts and images form the template of our future. Many of these thoughts and images were derived from the covert hypnotic suggestions give by our family, friends, and culture. Suggestions may limit our potential unless we make an effort to think otherwise. If we become aware of, accept, and change habitual thoughts that act as hypnotic suggestions, we may be able to expand our health and potential. (Peper et al., 2026, p. 292-293).
These practices form the foundation and motivation for self-healing visualization. The next two blog posts will focus on learning relaxation with hand warming and self-healing visualization.
For more on self-care strategies, lifestyle, breathing, relaxation, hope, and environmental risk factors, see Cancer Reconsidered: Why Environment, Lifestyle, and Immunity Matter More Than We Thought (2026), by Erik Peper, Robert Gorter, and Nancy Faass.
REFERENCES
Green, E., & Green, A. (1977). Beyond biofeedback. Delacorte Press. https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-biofeedback-Elmer-Green/dp/0440005833
Menzies, V., Taylor, A. G., & Bourguignon, C. (2006). Effects of guided imagery on outcomes of pain, functional status, and self-efficacy in persons diagnosed with fibromyalgia. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 12(1), 23–30. https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2006.12.23
Peper, E. (July 23, 2018). Be careful what you think. Peper Perspective. (Youtube link: https://youtu.be/5JDSmB-nroA;) https://peperperspective.com/2018/07/23/be-careful-what-you-think/
Peper, E. (July 25, 2018). Experience how thoughts affectd body. Peper Perspective. You tube link: https://youtu.be/5JDSmB-nroA https://peperperspective.com/2018/07/25/experience-how-thoughts-affect-body-with-lemon-imagery/
Peper, E., Cosby, J., & Almendras, M. (2022). Healing chronic back pain. NeuroRegulation, 9(3), 164–172. https://doi.org/10.15540/nr.9.3.164
Peper, E., K. H. Gibney, and C. Holt. (2002). Make Health Happen: Training Yourself to Create Wellness. Dubuque, IA: Kendall-Hunt. https://he.kendallhunt.com/product/make-health-happen-training-yourself-create-wellness
Peper, E. Gorter, R., & Faass, N. (2026). Cancer Reconsidered: Why Environment, Lifestyle, and Immunity Matter More Than We Thought. BiofeedbackHealth/Regent Press. https://www.amazon.com/Cancer-Reconsidered-Environment-Lifestyle-Immunity/dp/1587907402/
Peper, E. & Yirmiyahu, D. (2023). Transforming a “bad eye” to an “amazing eye”: a case report and protocol. Townsend Letters. The Examiner of Alternative Medicine, Saturday, July 29, 2023. https://www.townsendletter.com/e-letter-14-changing_health_outcomes_with_self_talk/
Porter, G. & Norris, P. (1985). Why Me?: Harnessing the healing power of the human spirit. Stillpoint Publishing. https://www.amazon.com/Why-Me-Harnessing-Healing-Spirit/dp/0913299197
Roffe, L., Schmidt, K., & Ernst, E. (2005). A systematic review of guided imagery as an adjuvant cancer therapy. Psycho-Oncology, 14(8), 607–617. https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.889
Van Kuiken, D. (2004). A meta-analysis of the effect of guided imagery practice on outcomes. Journal of Holistic Nursing, 22(2), 164–179. https://doi.org/10.1177/0898010104266066
Wang, R., Zhou, C., Wu, Y., Sun, M., Yang, L., Ye, X., & Zhang, M. (2022). Patient empowerment and self-management behaviour of chronic disease patients: A moderated mediation model of self-efficacy and health locus of control. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 78(4), 1055–1065. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.15077
Being safe means more than being physically and emotionally protected. It is the trust that, whatever happens, you can cope with it.
Posted: September 14, 2026 Filed under: attention, behavior, biofeedback, cognitive behavior therapy, emotions, healing, health, meditation, Pain/discomfort, relaxation, self-healing, stress management, Uncategorized, zoom fatigue | Tags: hope, resilience, safety, trust Leave a comment
From: Pulde, A, & Lederman, M. (2026). The safest man I met had every reason not to feel safe.. https://connectiondocs.substack.com/p/the-safest-man-i-met-had-every-reason
Self-regulation is the cornerstone of biofeedback and neurofeedback and a potent tool for reducing symptoms and enhancing both health and performance. Early in my work, I hypothesized that if a participant, whether a student or client, simply mastered their self-regulation skills, they would generalize these practices into their daily lives, thereby improving their well-being. While this often leads to success, I have come to recognize that the true power of these interventions lies in the synergy between physiological techniques and psychological states.
When a person learns to master relaxation and slow, diaphragmatic breathing while intentionally adopting a state of “being in the present” that is free from the constraints of expectation and the noise of rumination, they facilitate a biological environment conducive to healing. This is because healing and regeneration are most effective when the autonomic nervous system is shifted away from the stress response (Levy et al., 2013; Budhiraja et al., 2024).
My perspective on these mechanisms was significantly expanded through the observation of a yogi and Sufi practitioners who voluntarily engaged in what would objectively be considered deliberate harm to the body, such as the insertion of skewers, without reporting pain or discomfort (Kakigi et al., 2005; Peper et al., 2005a; Peper et al., 2006–; Fuhs & Peper, 2005). Witnessing this, demonstrated that beyond breathing and relaxation, a critical ingredient is the profound “knowing” that one is safe and no harm will occur. Feeling safe is the first step in the healing process (Peper et al., 2025).
In those Sufi piercings, total trust and visceral sense of safety were anchored by the permission and blessing of their Sheikh (their spiritual guide). This dynamic illustrates that implicit and explicit trust, combined with a conviction of safety, is likely a fundamental quality underpinning the placebo effect: the embodied belief that a procedure will lead to healing .
Often, this quality is highly state-dependent, constrained to the specific setting where the safety is perceived (for the Sufis it was the permission and blessing by their Sheik). The challenge is to generalize this feeling of safety beyond the specific setting and therapeutic room. To transcend situational anxiety or future-oriented worry, one must cultivate a foundational belief that whatever unfolds is acceptable, and that the person possess the internal resources and skills to cope with it. When one truly adopts and experience this perspective, the stressors of life can be met with resilience rather than reactivity.
This process has been exquisitely described by Drs Alona Pulde and Matthew Lederman in their inspirational substack blog, The Safest Man I Met Had Every Reason Not to Feel Safe (Pulde & Ledereman, 2026). Their blog is reproduced with their permission from, https://connectiondocs.substack.com/p/the-safest-man-i-met-had-every-reason?r=4scjd0&utm_medium=ios
The Safest Man I Met Had Every Reason Not to Feel Safe
Dr. Alona Pulde and Dr. Matthew Lederman
What a chance encounter at an LAX rental car counter taught me about the difference between trying to control what happens and trusting myself to meet whatever does.
Sep 08, 2026
It was late when I pulled into the rental car return at LAX, probably 10 or 11 at night. I was tired, ready to be done with the day, and there was some kind of problem with my return. The woman helping me clicked around on her computer for a while before finally looking up and calling over to someone nearby.
“Hey, Moose. Can you help this man? I can’t figure out what’s going on with his return.”
I looked over and saw this massive man walking toward me. Not heavy, just big. Tall, broad, the kind of person who has a commanding presence without needing to do anything to command it. But what I noticed almost immediately was his smile. There was something warm about him, something easy.
As he started working on my problem, I asked, “Is your name really Moose?”
He laughed and told me his actual name, which seemed to contain about sixteen more syllables than I was prepared for.
“My friends just call me Moose,” he said.
I smiled. “I’m going to call you Moose, too.”
I asked where his name came from, and he told me he was from a country in Africa. I didn’t recognize the name of the place. I sort of laughed and said, “Maybe I should visit. I’ve always wanted to go to Africa.”
His expression changed.
“No. Never go there.”
I wasn’t expecting that.
“Why not?”
He told me it was dangerous. Then, standing there at a rental car counter at LAX, while he was trying to figure out whatever was wrong with my paperwork, this man began telling me his story.
When he was a child, he said, he was kidnapped from his family and forced into labor connected to the conflict diamond trade. Eventually he was rescued and placed in an orphanage. Then the orphanage was bombed and destroyed.
There was more, one impossible thing after another.
I remember looking at him as he told me all of this and thinking about the person standing in front of me. He wasn’t telling the story with bitterness. He wasn’t collapsed under the weight of it. He still had that enormous smile.
Finally, I asked him the question that had been forming in my mind.
“How are you still smiling?”
His answer has stayed with me.
He told me, essentially, that after everything he had lived through, he wasn’t very afraid of what life could throw at him anymore. He had already been through things most of us couldn’t imagine. And he had made it through them.
He trusted himself.
Whatever happened next, he believed he would find a way through that, too.
I stood there listening to him and realized he was describing something I have spent a lot of time trying to find in myself.
Safety.
I think about safety a lot. I notice what happens inside me when I feel safe and what happens when I don’t. When I feel safe, connection comes more easily. I listen better, I’m more present. My body feels different. When fear takes over, everything starts to narrow. I can feel myself wanting to manage, anticipate, fix, prepare.
And like a lot of people, one of the ways I have tried to create safety is through control.
If I can know what’s coming, I can prepare for it. If I can anticipate what might go wrong, maybe I can prevent it. If I make the right decisions, say the right thing, watch closely enough, think far enough ahead, maybe I can keep the people I love from getting hurt.
I feel this especially as a father.
There is a part of me that wants to make sure nothing bad happens to my kids. Of course there is. I love them. I want to protect them. I want to see the danger before they see it. I want to know that they’ll be okay.
But there is something exhausting about trying to get safety that way. Because life refuses to make that promise. There is always another thing I haven’t considered. Another possibility. Another what if. Another way something could go wrong.
I’m beginning to wonder whether some of what I’ve called my pursuit of safety has actually been a pursuit of certainty. And certainty is a brutal thing to require from life.
Because if safety depends on certainty, the conditions for relaxing are almost impossible to meet. If everything goes according to plan, I can relax. If everyone I love is okay, I can relax. If I know what is going to happen next, I can relax.
Except life never signs that contract.
And here was Moose. A man whose life had given him almost none of the certainty I keep trying to create.
Terrible things had happened to him. Things he couldn’t predict or control or prevent. Yet somehow the evidence of his survival had become stronger than his fear of what might happen next.
I don’t want to romanticize that. What happened to him was horrific. Trauma doesn’t automatically make people stronger, and suffering isn’t something we need to be grateful for. But there was something in the way he had made meaning of his own survival that I couldn’t stop thinking about.
He didn’t seem to feel safe because he believed the world was safe. He clearly knew it wasn’t.
He seemed to feel safe because he trusted himself to meet the world as it was.
That turned something upside down for me.
Maybe safety isn’t knowing that nothing bad is going to happen. Maybe safety is knowing that if something does, I won’t abandon myself in it.
I’ll hurt. I’ll grieve. I’ll get scared. I might be overwhelmed for a while. I might need help. Trusting myself doesn’t mean believing I’ll handle everything gracefully. Maybe it means trusting that even when I don’t handle something gracefully, I can still find my way back.
That feels different from control.
Control says, “I need life to go a certain way so I can be okay.”
Trust says, “I don’t know how life is going to go, but I believe I can meet it.”
As Moose and I were talking, another manager called out sick. Moose had told me earlier that he was at the end of his eight-hour shift. Now someone needed to cover another eight hours overnight.
I watched him hear the news.
There was no visible outrage. No “You’ve got to be kidding me.” No sense that the night had suddenly become something that shouldn’t be happening to him.
He smiled.
Basically: Okay. I guess I’m working tonight.
He even seemed determined to enjoy it.
And I remember thinking, He’s doing it right in front of me.
This wasn’t a philosophy he had developed for an inspirational quote. It was how he was moving through his life. Something happened that he hadn’t planned. He adjusted. Life changed. He moved with it.
And somehow, because he wasn’t spending all of his energy demanding that the moment be different, he was still there to experience the moment he actually had.
I’ve thought about that a lot since. Because when safety depends on control, we don’t only suffer when things are bad. Sometimes we have trouble fully enjoying when things are good.
Things are going well and some part of the mind starts whispering, How long is this going to last? Someone you love is happy, and you imagine what could happen to them. Life feels good, and instead of settling into the goodness, you start preparing for its disappearance.
And maybe that is one of the hidden costs of trying to protect ourselves from the future: we make the present pay for something that hasn’t happened yet.
Maybe trust gives us another option.
Maybe I don’t have to use the good times to prepare myself for the bad ones. Maybe I can actually be here. Because when the hard thing comes, I can meet it then.
I still want to protect my kids. I still want to make good decisions. I still want to anticipate real risks and take care of the people I love. Trust isn’t passivity, and it isn’t pretending bad things don’t happen.
Maybe it’s simply loosening my grip on the belief that I need to prevent every painful thing in order for us to be okay.
And maybe there is something else I want my kids to learn from me. Not only that I will try to protect them from hard things, but that I believe in their ability to meet hard things too.
Because perhaps one of the greatest forms of safety we can give the people we love isn’t the promise that nothing will happen to them. It’s helping them discover, If something does, I won’t be alone. And I can find my way through.
There is a strange kind of freedom in that.
I don’t need every person I love to be okay every second in order to experience this second. I don’t need life to promise me that nothing painful is coming.
Maybe safety isn’t a promise life makes to me at all.
Maybe it’s a relationship I’m building with myself.
Eventually, whatever problem I’d had with the rental car got resolved. I barely remember what it was now. I do remember shaking Moose’s hand. I told him there was something about him I found incredibly inspiring. I told him I felt drawn to his energy and his way of looking at life. I wished him well.
And then I laughed and told him that I don’t get inspired all that often, and I definitely hadn’t expected it to happen while returning a rental car at LAX late at night.
I walked away thinking about this man who had experienced so many reasons not to trust life, yet somehow had developed an extraordinary trust in himself.
I’m still working on that. I still catch myself reaching for certainty. I still try to think far enough ahead that I can protect myself and the people I love from whatever might be coming.
But now, sometimes, I think about Moose.
And I wonder if the question isn’t, How do I make sure nothing bad happens?
Maybe it’s, Can I trust myself even when I don’t know what happens next?
The article was reproduced with permission from the blog by Dr. Alona & Dr. Matt’s Substack which is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. https://connectiondocs.substack.com/p/the-safest-man-i-met-had-every-reason?r=4scjd0&utm_medium=ios
References
Budhiraja, A., Mehta, A., Alhamo, M. A., Swedarsky, R., Dahle, S., & Isseroff, R. R. (2024). Vagus nerve stimulation: Potential for treating chronic wounds. Wound Repair and Regeneration, 32(1), 108–117. https://doi.org/10.1111/wrr.13151
Fuhs, M., & Peper, E. (2005). The limits of your beliefs are the limits of your reality. Psychophysiology Today, 2(1), 9–13. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/414300494_Limits_of_your_belief
Kakigi, R., Nakata, H., Inui, K., Hiroe, N., Nagata, O., Honda, M., Tanaka, S., Sadato, N., & Kawakami, M. (2005). Intracerebral pain processing in a yoga master who claims not to feel pain during meditation. European Journal of Pain, 9(5), 581–589. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejpain.2004.12.006
Levy, G., Fishman, J. E., Xu, D., Chandler, B. T. J., Feketova, E., Dong, W., Qin, Y., Alli, V., Ulloa, L., & Deitch, E. A. (2013). Parasympathetic stimulation via the vagus nerve prevents systemic organ dysfunction by abrogating gut injury and lymph toxicity in trauma and hemorrhagic shock. Shock, 39(1), 39–44. https://doi.org/10.1097/shk.0b013e31827b450d
Peper, E. (2015). Pain as a contextual experience. Townsend Letter, 388, 63–66.
Peper, E., Booiman, A. & Harvey, R. (2025). Pain-There is Hope. Biofeedback, 53(1), 1-9. http://doi.org/10.5298/1081-5937-53.01.16
Peper, E., Gibney, K. H., & Wilson, V. E. (2005a). Enhancing therapeutic success — Some observations from Mr. Kawakami: Yogi, teacher, mentor and healer. Somatics, 14(4), 18–21. https://biofeedbackhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/edited-enhancing-therapeutic-success-8-23-05.pdf
Peper, E., Wilson, V. E., Gunkelman, J., Kawakami, M., Sata, M., Barton, W., & Johnston, J. (2006). Tongue piercing by a Yogi: QEEG observations. Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, 31(4), 331–338. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10484-006-9025-3
Pulde, A. & Lederman, M. (2026). The safest man I met had every reason not to feel safe. Connection Docs. https://connectiondocs.substack.com/p/the-safest-man-i-met-had-every-reason
Can Your Daily Choices Influence Cancer Risk and Recovery?
Posted: June 27, 2026 Filed under: behavior, Breathing/respiration, cancer, emotions, healing, health, lifestyle, Nutrition/diet, Pain/discomfort, self-healing, stress management, Uncategorized | Tags: diet, endocrine disregulators, environmental toxins, glucose monitors, health, Immune function, mental-health, nutrition, pollution, Quality of life, regeneration, resilience, social support, wellness 1 CommentWhat if the way you eat, move, sleep, manage stress, and connect with others could influence your body’s ability to prevent disease and support healing?
Most of us have been taught to think of cancer primarily as a genetic disease. Yet an expanding body of scientific research tells a more hopeful story: while genes matter, they are only part of the picture. Our environment, lifestyle, immune system, and even the quality of our relationships can profoundly influence health.
These are the questions explored in the newly published book Cancer Reconsidered: Why Environment, Lifestyle, and Immunity Matter More than We Thought, by Erik Peper, Robert Gorter, and Nancy Faass.
Written for people living with cancer, their families, healthcare professionals, and anyone interested in optimizing health, the book translates decades of scientific research into practical, evidence-based strategies that readers can use in everyday life.
Rather than viewing cancer through a single lens, Cancer Reconsidered brings together insights from conventional medicine with evidence-based complementary approaches. The authors explore how nutrition, physical activity, stress, sleep, environmental exposures, immune function, and social support interact to influence both cancer risk and the body’s remarkable capacity for repair and resilience.
One of the book’s central messages is both simple and empowering: although we cannot change our genes, we can often change the conditions in which our genes are expressed. Daily choices matter. Healthy habits can strengthen the body’s natural defenses, reduce inflammation, support immune function, and improve quality of life.
A particularly practical chapter explores blood sugar regulation and metabolism. Using continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) together with smartphone apps, readers can observe in real time how different foods, exercise, stress, and sleep affect their glucose levels. Instead of following one-size-fits-all advice, they become active investigators of their own health, discovering what works best for their unique physiology.
Throughout the book, the emphasis is not on fear, but on possibility. Scientific evidence increasingly shows that hope, meaningful social connections, regular movement, nourishing food, restorative sleep, effective stress management, and resilience are not simply “nice ideas”—they are biological factors that can significantly influence health and well-being.
Cancer Reconsidered invites readers to move beyond the question, “What causes cancer?” and instead ask, “What can I do today to create the best possible conditions for health?” It offers a thoughtful, scientifically grounded roadmap for anyone seeking to answer that question.
Cancer Reconsidered: Why Environment, Lifestyle, and Immunity Matter More than We Thought is now available on Amazon in paperback and and affordable ebook Kindle editions. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=cancer+reconsidered
Breathing for Health: Four Part Audio Series for Regeneration and Well-Being
Posted: March 12, 2026 Filed under: attention, behavior, Breathing/respiration, CBT, emotions, healing, health, meditation, mindfulness, Pain/discomfort, relaxation, self-healing, stress management, Uncategorized | Tags: audio files, health, meditation, mental-health, mindfulness, wellness 1 CommentAdapted from Peper, E. (1990). Breathing for Health with Biofeedback. Montreal: Thought Technology Ltd and produced by Larry Klein.
Breathing is the most intimate rhythm of life. From the moment we are born until our last breath, our breath is always there—quietly sustaining us. And yet, most of the time, we are unaware of how we breathe or how profoundly it shapes our health. Learn how to use your breath to optimize your health and enhance your well-being.
Dysfunctional breathing patterns contribute significantly to a range of illnesses, ranging from chronic pain and anxiety to fatigue and stress-related disorders. For example, when anxious, breathing often becomes rapid and shallow; when calm, breathing tends to slow and deepen. Symptoms can often be reduced, and health, resilience, and a deep sense of well-being can be enhanced after mastering and implementing effortless breathing. Breathing affects the mind, body, emotions, and spirit; when you change your breathing, you change your state of being.
The audio series by Erik Peper was conceived and produced by Larry Klein co-founder of Thought Technology, Ltd in 1990 to make the science and practice of breathing with biofeedback accessible to everyone. Although it was recorded more than 35 years ago, the principles and instructions remain as relevant and evidence-based today as they were then.
It was designed to help you observe your own breathing patterns and cultivate the foundational skill of effortless diaphragmatic breathing. Even more importantly, it guides you in integrating this breathing pattern into daily activities so that it becomes your default—whether you are working, speaking, exercising, or resting.
The discussion and guided practices are both simple and profound. When you change how you breathe, you change how you regulate yourself. Breathing both reflects and influences your physiology, emotions, and cognitions—often outside of conscious awareness.
As you listen to and practice the techniques in this four-part audio series, you will develop greater awareness, appreciation, and mastery of effortless breathing. Enjoy applying these practices in everyday life until they become automatic. Like any skill, effortless breathing is learned through gentle, consistent practice—practice makes permanent.
Part 1: Background Information on Breathing
Listen once to understand the scientific foundations and underlying rationale
Part 2: Learning Slow Diaphragmatic Breathing
Listen repeatedly and practice consistently until the skill becomes natural, effortless, and reliable.
Part 3: Integrating Breathing in All Conditions
Alternate between Parts 2 and 3. Practice during everyday activities so the skill generalizes beyond formal sessions and becomes your default way of breathing.
Part 4: Integrating Breathing, Imagery and Meditation for Health
Experience how guided imagery and meditative awareness deepen and amplify the benefits of effortless breathing.
Additional Recommended Blogs to Support the Learning and Generalization of Effortless Breathing
Additional Recommended Blogs: How Breathing Can Help Relieve Pain
Hope for dry eyes and eye strain
Posted: March 2, 2026 Filed under: attention, behavior, Breathing/respiration, computer, digital devices, emotions, health, Pain/discomfort, relaxation, screen fatigue, self-healing, stress management, techstress, Uncategorized, vision, zoom fatigue | Tags: behavioral optometry, blinking, digital eye strain, dry eyes, eyes, ophthalmology, optometry, prarasympathetic regulation 1 CommentAdapted from: Peper, E., Yoshino, A., & Harvey, R. (2026). Hope for dry eyes and eye strain: How breathing-blinking patterns Influence dry eye experience. Biofeedback. 54(1), 25-30. https://doi.org/10.5298/1081-5937-54.01.25
Many times during the day, I let my shoulders and face relax, and with each exhalation I feel the upper eyelids slightly dropping down at the same time as I am relaxing my jaw and mouth while sitting tall. I sense my tongue and throat sinking and feeling an increase in the space between my upper and lower molars. At the same time, I sense my eyes becoming soft and sinking down as my face muscle relax and are pulled down by gravity while sensing a gentle smile. My eyes are not trying to focus on anything. I continue to breathe slowly allowing a pause before inhaling and feel totally safe and at peace. While doing this, I sense moisture at the lower eyelids. After I have inhaled and as I exhale, I slowly open my eyes, and return to my work. My eyes feel slightly moist and as I blink, the eyelids glide smoothly over the corneal surface.
Background
Dry eyes and eye strain are far more common than most people realize. More than 50% of adults in the United States and Europe experience irritated or burning eyes, dryness, eye strain, headaches, tired or heavy eyes, sensitivity to bright light, and general eye discomfort (Wozniak et al., 2025). The prevalence increases with age and is higher among people who smoke, wear contact lenses, or spend excessive time looking at screens—typically more than six hours per day (Uchino et al,, 2013).
Prolonged, intense screen use—often referred to as digital eye strain or computer vision syndrome—occurs when people focus and concentrate, and the muscles involved with near vision contract and do not relax (Chu et al., 2014). During near vision, the ciliary muscles tighten around the lens to allow near focus, and the medial rectus muscles contract to converge the eyes. These muscles stay contracted and only relax when looking into the distance. This ongoing tension and increased sympathetic activation combined with reduced blinking decrease tearing, and contribute to dry eye symptoms because the tears are not able to provide adequate moisture. As a result, the eyes may become irritated, red and inflamed, which increases eye discomfort (Sheppard & Wolffsohn, 2018; Portello et al., 2012; Sheedy et al., 2003).
When someone is vigilant, fearful, or anticipates a threat, sympathetic activation increases (Ranti et al., 2020) and “eye blink are inhibited at precise moments in time so as to minimize the loss of visual information that occurs during a blink. The more important the visual information is to the viewer, the more likely he or she will be to inhibit blinking” (Ranti et al., 2020).
Without being aware, many people are in a chronic state of vigilance and unknowingly are scanning the world for threats to which they must react. Clinically, I often observe this when guiding clients in relaxation. For example, when I give the instruction, “Let me lift your hand,” some clients immediately lift their hand towards me. This nonverbal response suggests that they are constantly vigilant and are monitoring the world around them—always ready to act instead of trusting that they do not have to act and that the world is safe. In most cases, their breathing pattern tends to be shallow and thoracic.
Would it be possible that this ongoing vigilance,which increases sympathetic arousal contributes to the experience of dry eye syndrome? It could be one factor explaining why women have a higher incidence of dry eye disease as well as anxiety than men since the world is often less safe for women, and they breathe more thoracically and less diaphragmatically (abdominally) than men. Shallow chest breathing is also associated with increased in anxiety (Fugl-Meyer, 1974; Mendes et al., 2020; Wilhelm et al., 2001; Banushi eat al., 2023; McLean et al., 2011; Jalnapurkar, et al., 2018).
Note: The risk of dry eye can also be further increased by a wide range of medical conditions and medications, such as diabetes; glaucoma and glaucoma medications; allergies; autoimmune diseases; arthritis; thyroid disease; high cholesterol; acne treatments; antihistamines; antidepressants; and a history of refractive surgery, conjunctival infections, or corneal abrasions. Dry eye also occurs more frequently in women (Mohamed et al., 2024).
What is usually recommended to resolve dry eyes
The primary and effective first-line treatment to reduce the symptoms of dry eye disease is the use of artificial tears (lubricating eye drops) to provide relief (Maity et al., 2025). Another recommendation to reduce eye strain associated with computer use is to implement the 20/20/20 rule developed by the American Optometric Association–take a 20-second break every 20 minutes and look at something 20 feet away (AOA, 2026). Although the 20/20/20 practice can reduce eye strain and momentarily reduce some of the symptoms associated with dry eye disease especially if the eyes are closed, how we orient, breathe and look may contribute to the experience of dry eye discomfort.
Experience how to evoke dry eyes
Sit comfortably, look around, and observe how your eyes feel. Close your eyes. Now imagine there is a threat. Take a very quick gasp through an open mouth by inhaling into your upper chest and keep breathing very shallowly and irregularly. At the same time, open your eyes wide while being vigilant and looking for danger. Simultaneously, tense your body, inclining it slightly backward as if trying to avoid something. Do not blink, as you may miss the potential threat approaching you (adapted from Lemeignan et al., 1990; Bloch, 2017). A sample physiological recording of this pattern is shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Breathing pattern in response to a threat; a rapid gasp into the chest and pulling the abdomen in to protect while breathing shallowly and rapidly.
Most participants report that almost immediately they feel their eyes getting cooler and after 15 seconds, drier. This facial, breathing, and posture pattern is an exaggeration of the somatic expression of fear that is evoked when we are vigilant and feel unsafe, and it increases sympathetic arousal (Kalawski, 2020).
In most cases, this pattern is automatic, and occurs without awareness, and increases sympathetic activity (Narkiewicz et al., 2006). On the other hand, slow diaphragmatic breathing tends to reduce sympathetic activity (Harada et al., 2014; Lehrer & Gevirtz, 2014). Clinically, the vigilance pattern can often be observed as a person slightly lifts and expands their chest during inhalation and drops and constricts it during exhalation, while breathing shallowly and rapidly without any abdomen expansion or constriction. It is often punctuated with brief breath holding and a reduced blinking rate during concentration.
To investigate these observations more systematically, we compared the practice of gasping while opening the eyes with gentle exhalation while opening the eyes—a pattern that may reduce sympathetic activation and alter the subjective sensation of eye dryness.
Participants: 13 males and 13 females; average age, 39 years
Procedure: While sitting comfortably with their eyes closed, participants were guided through the following two practices:
1.Gasp while opening the eyes
Sit comfortably and look around and observe how your eyes feel. Now close your eyes. Now imagine there is a threat. Take a very quick gasp through an open mouth by inhaling into your upper chest and keep breathing very shallowly and irregularly. At the same time, open your eyes wide while being vigilant and looking for danger. Simultaneously, tense your body, inclining it slightly backward as if trying to avoid something. Do not blink, as you may miss the potential threat approaching you. Repeat three times.
2. Gentle exhalation while opening the eyes
Sit comfortably and look around and observe how your eyes feel. Now close your eyes. Breathe comfortably and inhale by allowing your abdomen to extend and widen while feeling your eyes sinking in their sockets and becoming softer as you gently start exhaling. While gently exhaling, begin to open your eyes very slowly, looking down through your eyelashes without caring what you see, allowing your jaw and face muscles to relax and feeling a slight smile. When you feel the urge to inhale, allow your eyes to close and let your abdomen expand as you inhale slowly. Repeat three times.
After these two practices, the participants filled out a short assessment questionnaire in which they rated how their eyes felt on a scale from -5 (dry), 0 (normal), to 5 (moist/tearing), and rated which eye-opening procedure allowed their eyes to be more relaxed and moist.
Results
92.3% of the participants reported that opening their eyes during exhalation significantly increased eye relaxation and moisture, as shown in Figure 2. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed a significant difference between the inhale condition (M = −0.19, n = 26) and the exhale condition (M = 1.00, n = 25), F(1, 49) = 9.65, p = .003. The experience of eye irritation was correlated (r = 0.64) with the self-rating of experiencing anxiety and fear during the last three months.
Figure 2. Gently opening the eyes during exhalation increases the experience of moisture and relaxation in the eyes.
Discussion
The results suggest that increased moisture and eye relaxation could be evoked by changing breathing-blinking patterns. Nearly all participants experienced an increase in tearing and eye relaxation; however, long-term benefits most likely occur if the person implements this practice many times during the day. By changing the breathingg-blink pattern and peacefully looking at the world with a smile, one would decrease sympathetic arousal and increase parasympathetic activity. This approach should be taught as the first self-care intervention to reduce eye irritation.
Recommendations to decrease dry eye and improve eye health
- Experience how the two different breathing and eye-opening practices described above affect your eye dryness or moistness.
- When you sense the first onset of minimal eye discomfort or when looking at screens on your computer or cellphone, implement the following practice for about 10 to 15 seconds. Allow your eyelids to close. Be aware of the sensations in your eyes, let your face and jaw relax as if they are being pulled down by gravity while sensing the eyes becoming soft and sinking into their sockets. Breathe diaphragmatically by allowing the abdomen to expand when you inhale. While gently exhaling, slowly open your eyes slightly while looking down with a gentle smile and sensing the moisture beginning to occur in the eyes. Repeat twice.
- During the day, implement the 20/20/20 vision-regeneration practice (every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break and look at something 20 feet away without caring what you see), as shown in Figure 3.
- Read and incorporated the many practices described in the superb book, Vision for Life; Ten Steps to Natural Eye Improvement, by Meir Schneider (2012).
Figure 3. The 20/20/20 rule poster to prevent eye strain (AOA, 2026).
Do these practices many times and be aware of the sensations in your eyes and face. This passive awareness, in conjunction with slower breathing, tends to reduce sympathetic arousal and increase parasympathetic activity, which facilitates increased tearing. As one participant reported when she practiced this:
What a surprise it was when I closed my eyes and breathed slowly and diaphragmatically, and then, as I began to exhale, I very slowly began to open my eyes while looking down and through my eyelashes, while feeling my eyes sink into their sockets. Tearing occurred spontaneously, and my eyes felt lubricated. What a relief. It provided hope that I could help myself instead of only depending on lubricating eye drops whenever my eyes felt dry and irritated.
Two books to maintain and improve vision and reduce techstress
Vision for Life: Ten Steps to Natural Eye Improvement by Meir Schneider (2016) offers many strategies you can immediately incorporate into your daily life to improve and restore your vision. It provides guidelines on how to reverse developing vision issues before they cause damage and how to remedy existing problems, including near- and far-sightedness, lazy eye, as well as more serious conditions such as cataracts, glaucoma, optic neuritis, detached retinas and retinal tears, macular degeneration, and retinitis pigmentosa.
TechStress: How Technology is Hijacking our Lives, Strategies for Coping, and Pragmatic Ergonomics by Erik Peper, Richard Harvey, and Nancy Faass (2020) offers practical tools to avoid the evolutionary traps that trip us up and address the problems associated with technological overuse. It includse effective strategies and practices that individuals can use to optimize their workspace, reduce physical strain, correct posture, and improve vision. It provides fresh insights on reducing stress and enhancing health.
Listen to the expanded podcast based on this blog produced with Google Notebook LM.
Additional blogs that offer strategies to improve vision
References
AOA. (2026). 20/20/20/ to prevent digital eyes strain. American Optometric Association. https://www.aoa.org/AOA/Images/Patients/Eye%20Conditions/20-20-20-rule.pdf
Banushi, B., Brendle, M., Ragnhildstveit, A., Murphy, T., Moore, C., Egberts, J., & Robison, R. (2023). Breathwork interventions for adults with clinically diagnosed anxiety disorders: A scoping review. Brain Sciences, 13(2), 256. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci13020256
Bloch, S. (2017). Alba Emoting: A scientific method for emotional induction. Scotts Valley, CA: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. https://www.amazon.com/Alba-Emoting-Scientific-Emotional-Induction/dp/154254884
Chu, C.A., Rosenfield, M., Portello, J.K. (2014). Blink patterns: reading from a computer screen versus hard copy. Optom Vis Sci., 91(3),297-302. https://doi.org/10.1097/OPX.0000000000000157
Craig, J. P., Nichols, K. K., Akpek, E. K., et al. (2017). TFOS DEWS II definition and classification report. The Ocular Surface, 15(3), 276–283. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtos.2017.05.008
Dartt, D. A. (2009). Neural regulation of lacrimal gland secretory processes: Relevance in dry eye diseases. Progress in Retinal and Eye Research, 28(3), 155–177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.preteyeres.2009.04.003
Fugi-Meyer, A.R. (1974). Relative respiratory contribution of the rib cage and the abdomen in males and females with special regard to posture. Respiration, 31(3), 240–251. https://doi.org/10.1159/000193113
Harada, D., Asanoi, H., Takagawa, J., Ishise, H., Ueno, H., Oda, Y., Goso, Y., Joho, S., & Inoue, H. (2014). Slow and deep respiration suppresses steady-state sympathetic nerve activity in patients with chronic heart failure: from modeling to clinical application. American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology, 307(8), H1159–H1168. https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpheart.00109.2014
Jalnapurkar, I., Allen, M., & Pigott, T. (2018). Sex differences in anxiety disorders: A review. Journal of Psychiatry, Depression & Anxiety, 4, 011. https://doi.org/10.24966/PDA-0150/100011
Kalawski, J.P. (2020) The Alba Method and the Science of Emotions. Integr. Psych. Behav. 54, 903–919. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12124-020-09525-4
Lehrer, P. M., & Gevirtz, R. (2014). Heart rate variability biofeedback: How and why does it work? Frontiers in Psychology, 5, Article 756. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4104929/
Lemeignan, M., Guitart, L., & Bloch, S. (1990). Autonomic differentiation of emotional effector pattern of 6 basic emotions. Proceedings of the Fifth International Congress of Psychophysiology, Budapest, July 9–14, 199
Maity, M., Allay, M. B., Ali, M. H., Basu, S., & Singh, S. (2025). Effect of different artificial tears on tear film parameters in dry eye disease. Optometry and Vision Science, 102(1), 37–43. https://doi.org/10.1097/OPX.0000000000002206
McLean, C. P., Asnaani, A., Litz, B. T., & Hofmann, S. G. (2011). Gender differences in anxiety disorders: Prevalence, course of illness, comorbidity and burden of illness. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 45(8), 1027–1035. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2011.03.006
Mendes, L. P. S., Vieira, D. S. R., Gabriel, L. S., Ribeiro-Samora, G. A., Dornelas de Andrade, A., Brandão, D. C., Goes, M. C., Fregonezi, G. A. F., Britto, R. R., & Parreira, V. F. (2020). Influence of posture, sex, and age on breathing pattern and chest wall motion in healthy subjects. Brazilian Journal of Physical Therapy, 24(3), 240–248. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bjpt.2019.02.007
Mohamed, Z., Alrasheed, S., Abdu, M., & Allinjawi, K. (2024). Dry eye disease prevalence and associated risk factors among the Middle East population: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Cureus, 16(9), e70522. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.70522
Narkiewicz, K., van de Borne, P., Montano, N., Hering, D., Kara, T., & Somers, V. K. (2006). Sympathetic neural outflow and chemoreflex sensitivity are related to spontaneous breathing rate in normal men. Hypertension, 47(1), 51–55. https://doi.org/10.1161/01.HYP.0000197613.47649.0
Peper, E., Harvey, R., & Faass, N. (2020). TechStress: How Technology is Hijacking our Lives, Strategies for Coping, and Pragmatic Ergonomics, North Atlantic Books. https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Ergonomics-Prevent-Fatigue-Burnout/dp/158394768X
Portello, J.K., Rosenfield, M., Bababekova, Y., et al. (2012). Computer-related visual symptoms in office workers. Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics, 32, 375–82. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-1313.2012.00925.x
Ranti, C., Jones, W., Klin, A. et al. Blink Rate Patterns Provide a Reliable Measure of Individual Engagement with Scene Content. Sci Rep 10, 8267 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-64999-x
Schneider, M. (2016). Vision for Life: Ten Steps to Natural Eye Improvement. North Atlantic Books. https://www.amazon.com/Vision-Life-Revised-Eyesight-Improvement/dp/1623170087
Sheedy, J.E., Hayes, J.N., & Engle, J.(2003). Is all asthenopia the same? Optom Vis Sci, 80, 732–9. https://doi.org/10.1097/00006324-200311000-00008
Sheppard, A. L., & Wolffsohn, J. S. (2018). Digital eye strain: prevalence, measurement and amelioration. BMJ open Ophthalmology, 3(1), e000146. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjophth-2018-000146
Stern, M. E., Gao, J., Siemasko, K. F., Beuerman, R. W., & Pflugfelder, S. C. (2004). The role of the lacrimal functional unit in the pathophysiology of dry eye. Experimental Eye Research, 78(3), 409–416. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exer.2003.09.003
Swamynathan, S. K., & Wells, A. (2020). Conjunctival goblet cells: Ocular surface functions, disorders that affect them, and the potential for their regeneration. The Ocular Surface, 18(1), 19–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtos.2019.11.005
Uchino, M., Yokoi, N., Uchino, Y., Dogru, M., Kawashima, M., Komuro, A., Sonomura, Y., Kato, H., Kinoshita, S., Schaumberg, D.A., & Tsubota, K. (2013). Prevalence of Dry Eye Disease and its Risk Factors in Visual Display Terminal Users: The Osaka Study. American Journal of Ophthalmology, 156(4), 759-766.e1, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajo.2013.05.040
The epidemiology of dry eye disease: report of the Epidemiology Subcommittee of the International Dry Eye WorkShop (2007). Ocul Surf. , 5(2), 93-107. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1542-0124(12)70082-4
Wilhelm, F. H., Gevirtz, R., & Roth, W. T. (2001). Respiratory dysregulation in anxiety, functional cardiac, and pain disorders: Assessment, phenomenology, and treatment. Behavior Modification, 25(4), 513–545. https://doi.org/10.1177/0145445501254003
Wozniak, P., et al. (2025, September 12–16). Dry eye symptoms, severity, treatment and unmet needs: An analysis of the United States of America and a multinational snapshot (NESTS Study) [Poster presentation]. 43rd Congress of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS), Copenhagen, Denmark. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/09/250914205829.htm
Ziemssen, F., & Ruprecht, K. W. (2005).Autonomic dysfunction in dry eye syndrome. Ophthalmologe, 102(8), 744–749. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00347-005-1169-1
Reduce Interpersonal Stress*
Posted: December 4, 2025 Filed under: attention, behavior, Breathing/respiration, CBT, emotions, Exercise/movement, healing, health, meditation, mindfulness, Pain/discomfort, stress management | Tags: health, mental-health, nutrition, wellness 4 CommentsAdapted from: Peper, E. & Harvey, R. Adjunctive techniques to reduce interpersonal stress at home. Biofeedback. 53(3), 54-57. https://rdcu.be/eMJqt
Stress often triggers defensive reactions—manifesting as anger, frustration, or anxiety that may mirror fight-or-flight responses. These reactions can reduce rational thinking, increase long-term health risks, and contribute to psychological and physiological disorders. and complicate the management of specific symptoms. Outlined are some pragmatic techniques that can be implemented during the day to interrupt and reduce stress.
After we had been living in our house for a few years, a new neighbor moved in next door. Within months, she accused us of moving things in her yard, blamed us when there was a leak in her house, claimed we were blowing leaves from her property onto other neighbors’ properties, and even screamed at her tenants to the extent that the police were called numerous times. Just looking at her house through the window was enough to make my shoulders tighten and leave me feeling upset.
When I drove home and saw her standing in front of her house, I would drive around the block one more time to avoid her while . . . feeling my body contract. Often, when I woke up in the morning, I would already anticipate conflict with my neighbor. I would share stories of my disturbing neighbor and her antics with my friends. They were very supportive and agreed with me that she was crazy. However, the acknowledgment and validation from my friends did not resolve my anger or indignation or the anxiety that was triggered whenever I saw my neighbor or thought of her. I spent far too much time anticipating and thinking about her, which resulted in tension in my own body—my heart rate would increase, and my neck and shoulders would tighten.
I decided to change. I knew I could not change her; however, I could change my reactivity and perspective. Thus, I practiced a “pause and recenter” technique. At the first moment of awareness that I was thinking about her or her actions, I would change my posture by sitting up straight, begin looking upward, breathe lower and slower, and then, in my mind’s eye, send a thought of goodwill streaming to her like an ocean wave flowing through and around her in the distance. I chose to do this series of steps because I believe that within every person, no matter how crazy or cruel, there is a part that is good, and it is that part I want to support.
I repeated this pause and recenter technique many times, especially whenever I looked in the direction of her house or saw her in her yard. I also reframed and reappraised her aggressive, negative behavior as her way of coping with her own demons. Three months later, I no longer reacted defensively. When I see her, I can say hello and discuss the weather without triggering my defensive reaction. I feel so much more at peace living where I am.
When stressed, angry, rejected, frustrated, or hurt, we so often blame the other person (Leary, 2015). The moment we think about that person or event, our anger, indignation, resentment, and frustration are triggered. We keep rehashing what happened. As we relive the experiences in our mind, we are unaware that we are also reliving bodily reactions to past events.
We are often unaware of the harm we are doing to ourselves until we experience physical symptoms such as high blood pressure, gastrointestinal distress, and muscle tightness along with behavioral and psychological symptoms such as insomnia, anxiety, or depression (Carney et al., 2006; Gerin et al., 2012). As we think of past events or interact again with a person involved in those past events, our body automatically responds with a defense reaction as if we were being threatened again in the present moment.
This defense reaction to memory of past threats from a “crazy” neighbor activates our fight-or-flight responses and increases sympathetic activation so that we can run faster and fight more ferociously to survive; however, this reaction also reduces blood flow through the frontal cortex—a process that reduces our ability to think rationally (van Dinther et al., 2024; Willeumier, et al., 2011). When we become so upset and stressed that our mind is captured by the other person, this reaction contributes to symptoms of chronic stress such as an increase in hypertension, myofascial pain, depression, insomnia, cardiovascular disease, and other chronic disorders (Duan et al., 2022; Russell et al., 2015; Suls, 2013).
Sharing our frustrations with friends and others is normal. It feels good to blame people for their personal limitations or mental illness; however, over time, blaming others avoids building adaptive capacity in strengthening skills that reduce chronic stress reactions (Fast & Tiedens, 2010; Lou et al., 2023). The time spent rehashing and justifying our feelings diminishes the time we spend in the present moment and our focus on upcoming opportunities.
In the moment of an encounter with a difficult neighbor, we may not realize that we have a choice. Some people keep living and reacting to past hurts or losses perpetually. Some people can learn to let go and/or forgive and make space in favor of considering new opportunities for learning and growth. Although the choice is ours, it is often very challenging to implement—even with the best intentions—because we react automatically when reminded of past hurts (seeing that person, anticipating meeting or actually meeting that person who caused the hurt, or being triggered by other events that evoke memories of the pain).
What Can You Do
Choose to change your response. Choose to reduce reactivity. Choosing adaptive reactions does not mean you condone what happened or agree that the other person was right. You are just choosing to live your life and not continue to be captured by nor react to the previous triggers. Many people report that after implementing some of the practices described below along with many other stress management techniques, their automatic reactivity was noticeably decreased. They report that their chronic stress symptoms were reduced and they have the freedom to live in present instead of being captured by the painful past.
Pause and Recenter by Sending Goodwill
Our automatic reaction to the trigger elicits a defense reaction that reduces our ability to think rationally. Therefore, the moment you anticipate or begin to react, take three very slow diaphragmatic breaths, inhaling for approximately 4–5 seconds and exhaling for about 5–6 seconds, where one in-and-out breath takes about 10 seconds to complete. As you inhale, allow your abdomen to expand; then as you exhale, slowly make yourself tall and look up. Looking up allows easier access to empowering and positive memories (Peper et al., 2017).
Continue looking up, inhaling slowly to allow the abdomen to expand. Repeat this slow breath again. On the third long, slow breath, while looking up, evoke a memory of someone in whose presence you felt at peace and who loves you, such as your grandmother, aunt, uncle, or even a pet. Reawaken positive feelings associated with memories of being loved. Allow a smile inwardly or outwardly and soften your eyes as you experience the loving memory.
Next, put your hands on your chest, take another long slow breath as your abdomen expands, and as you exhale bring your hands away from your chest and stretch them out in front of you. At the same time in your mind’s eye, imagine sending goodwill to that person involved in the interpersonal conflict that previously evoked your stress response. As if you are sending an ocean wave that is streaming outward to the person.
As you do the pause and recenter technique, remember you are not condoning what happened; instead, you are sending goodwill to that person’s positive aspect. From this perspective, everyone has an intrinsic component—however small—that some label as the individual’s human potential, Christ nature or Buddha nature.
Why would this be effective? This practice short-circuits the automatic stress response and provides time to recenter, interrupting ongoing rumination by shifting the mind away from thoughts about the person or event that induced stress toward a positive memory. By evoking a loving memory from the past, we facilitate a reduction in arousal, evoke a positive mood, and decrease sympathetic nervous system activation (Speer & Delgado, 2017). Slower diaphragmatic breathing also reduces sympathetic activation (Birdee et al., 2023; Siedlecki et al., 2022). By combining body-centered and mind-centered techniques, we can pause and create the opportunity to respond positively rather than reacting with anger and hurt.
Practice Sending Goodwill the Moment You Wake Up
So often when we wake up, we anticipate the challenges, and even the prospect of interacting with a person or event heightens our defense reaction. Therefore, as soon as you wake up, sit at the edge of the bed, repeat the previous practice, pause, and center. Then, as you sit at the edge of the bed, slightly smile with soft eyes, look up, and inhale as your abdomen expands. Then, stamp a foot into the floor while saying, “Today is a new day.” Next, inhale, allowing your abdomen to expand; as you look up, stamp the opposite foot on the floor while saying, “Today is a new day.” Finally, send goodwill to the person who previously triggered your defensive reaction.
Why would this be effective? Looking up makes it easier to access positive memories and thoughts. Stamping your foot on the ground is a nonverbal expression of determination and anchors the thought of a new day, thereby focusing on new opportunities (Feldman, 2022).
Interrupt the Stress Response with the ABCs
The moment you notice discomfort, pain, stress, or negative thoughts, interrupt the cycle with a simple ABC strategy (Peper, 2025):
- Adjust posture and look up
- Breathe by allowing your abdomen to relax and expand while inhaling
- Change your internal dialogue, smile and focus on what you want to do
Why would this be effective? By shifting your posture and gently looking upward, you make it easier to access positive and empowering memories and thoughts (Peper et al., 2019). This simple change in body position can interrupt habitual stress responses and open the doorway to more constructive states.
Slow, diaphragmatic breathing further supports this process by reducing sympathetic arousal and restoring a sense of calm. As your breathing deepens, clarity of mind increases, allowing you to respond rather than react (Peper et al, 2024b; Matto et al, 2025).
Equally important is transforming critical, judgmental, or negative self-talk into affirmative, supportive statements. Describe what you want to do—rather than what you want to avoid. This reframing creates a clear internal guide and significantly increases the likelihood that you will achieve your desired goals.
Complete the Alarm Reaction a Burst of Physical Activity
When you feel overwhelmed and fully captured by a stress reaction, one of the most effective strategies is to complete the fight-flight response with a brief burst of intense physical activity. This momentary action such as running in place, vigorously shaking your arms, or doing a few rapid push-offs from a wall (Peper et al., 2024a). After completing the physical activity implement your stress management strategies such as breathing, cognitive reframing, meditation, etc.
Why would this be effective? The intense physical activity discharges the excessive physiological arousal and interrupts the cycle of rumination. For practical examples and step-by-step guidance, see the article Quick Rescue Techniques When Stressed (Peper et al., 2024a) or the accompanying blog post: https://peperperspective.com/2024/02/04/quick-rescue-techniques-when-stressed/
Discuss Your Issue from the Third-Person Perspective
When thinking, ruminating, talking, texting, or writing about the event, discuss it from the third-person perspective. Replace the first-person pronoun “I” with “she” or “he.” For example, instead of saying “I was really pissed off when my boss criticized my work without giving any positive suggestions for improvement,” say “He was really pissed off when his boss criticized his work without offering any positive suggestions for improvement.”
Why would this be effective? The act of substituting the third-person pronoun for the first-person pronoun interrupts our automatic reactivity because it requires us to observe and change our language, which activates parts of the frontal cortex. This third-person/first-person process creates a psychological distance from our feelings, allowing for a more objective and calmer perspective on the situation, effectively reducing stress by stepping back from the immediate emotional response (Moser et al., 2017). This process can be interpreted as meaning that you are no longer fully captured by the emotions, as you are simultaneously the observer of your own inner language and speech.
Compare Yourself with Others Who are less Fortunate
When you feel sorry for yourself or hurt, take a breath, look upward, and compare yourself with others who are suffering much more. In that moment, consider yourself incredibly lucky compared with people enduring extreme poverty, bombings, or severe disfigurement. Be grateful for what you have.
Why would this be effective? Research shows that when we compare ourselves with people who are more successful, we tend to feel worse—especially when we have low self-esteem. However, when we compare ourselves with others who are suffering more, we tend to feel better (Aspinwall, & Taylor, 1993). This comparison relativizes our perspective on suffering, making our own hardships and suffering seem less significant compared with the severe suffering of others.
Conclusion
It is much easier to write and talk about these practices than to implement them. Reminding yourself to implement them can be very challenging. It requires significant effort and commitment. In some cases, the benefits are not experienced immediately; however, when practiced many times during the day for six to eight weeks, many people report feeling less resentment and experience a reduction in symptoms and improvements in health and relationships.
*This blog was inspired by the podcast “No Hard Feelings,” an episode on Hidden Brain produced by Shankar Vedantam (2025) that featured psychologist Fred Luskin, and the wisdom taught by Dora Kunz (Kunz & Peper, 1983, 1984a, 1984b, 1987).
See the following posts for more relevant information
References
Aspinwall, L. G., & Taylor, S. E. (1993). Effects of social comparison direction, threat, and self-esteem on affect, self-evaluation, and expected success. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 64(5), 708–722. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.64.5.708
Birdee, G., Nelson, K.,Wallston, K., Nian, H., Diedrich, A., Paranjape, S., Abraham, R., & Gamboa, A. (2023). Slow breathing for reducing stress: The effect of extending exhale. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 73. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2023.102937
Carney, C. E., Edinger, J. D., Meyer, B., Lindman, L., & Istre, T. (2006). Symptom-focused rumination and sleep disturbance. Behavioral Sleep Medicine, 4(4), 228–241. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15402010bsm0404_3
Defayette, A. B., Esposito-Smythers, C., Cero, I., Harris, K. M.,Whitmyre, E. D., & López, R. (2023). Interpersonal stress and proinflammatory activity in emerging adults with a history of suicide risk: A pilot study. Journal of Mood and Anxiety Disorders, 2. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xjmad.2023.100016
Dienstbier, R. A. (1989). Arousal and physiological toughness: Implications for mental and physical health. Psychological Review, 96(1), 84. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-95x.96.1.84
Duan, S., Lawrence, A., Valmaggia, L., Moll, J., & Zahn, R. (2022). Maladaptive blame-related action tendencies are associated with vulnerability to major depressive disorder. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 145, 70–76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.11.043
Fast, N. J., & Tiedens, L. Z. (2010). Blame contagion: The automatic transmission of self-serving attributions. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 46(1), 97–106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2009.10.007
Feldman, Y. (2022). The dialogical dance–A relational embodied approach to supervision. In C. Butte & T. Colbert (Eds.), Embodied approaches to supervision: The listening body (chap. 2). Routledge. https://www.amazon.com/Embodied-Approaches-Supervision-C%C3%A9line-Butt%C3%A9/dp/0367473348
Gerin,W., Zawadzki,M. J., Brosschot, J. F., Thayer, J. F., Christenfeld, N. J., Campbell, T. S., & Smyth, J. M. (2012). Rumination as a mediator of chronic stress effects on hypertension: A causal model. International Journal of Hypertension, 2012, 453465. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/453465
Hase, A., O’Brien, J., Moore, L. J., & Freeman, P. (2019). The relationship between challenge and threat states and performance: A systematic review. Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology, 8(2), 123. https://doi.org/10.1037/spy0000132
Hassamal, S. (2023). Chronic stress, neuroinflammation, and depression: An overview of pathophysiological mechanisms and emerging anti-inflammatories. Frontiers in Psychiatry,
14, 1130989. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1130989
Kunz, D., & Peper, E. (1983). Fields and their clinical implications—Part III: Anger and how it affects human interactions. The American Theosophist, 71(6), 199–203. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/280777019_Fields_and_their_clinical_implications-Part_III_Anger_and_how_it_affects_human_interactions
Kunz, D., & Peper, E. (1984a). Fields and their clinical implications IV: Depression from the energetic perspective: Etiological underpinnings. The American Theosophist, 72(8), 268–275. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/280884054_Fields_and_their_clinical_implications_Part_IV_Depression_from_the_energetic_perspective-Etiological_underpinnings
Kunz, D., & Peper, E. (1984b). Fields and their clinical implications V: Depression from the energetic perspective: Treatment strategies. The American Theosophist, 72(9), 299–306. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/280884158_Fields_and_their_clinical_implications_Part_V_Depression_from_the_energetic_perspective-Treatment_strategies
Kunz, D., & Peper, E. (1987). Resentment: A poisonous undercurrent. The Theosophical Research Journal, IV(3), 54–59. Also in: Cooperative Connection, IX(1), 1–5. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/387030905_Resentment_Continued_from_page_4
Leary, M. R. (2015). Emotional responses to interpersonal rejection. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 17(4), 435–441. https://doi.org/10.31887/DCNS.2015.17.4/mleary
Lou, Y., Wang, T., Li, H., Hu, T. Y., & Xie, X. (2023). Blame others but hurt yourself: Blaming or sympathetic attitudes toward victims of COVID-19 and how it alters one’s health status. Psychology & Health, 39(13), 1877–1898. https://doi.org/10.1080/08870446.2023.2269400
Matto, D., Peper, E., & Harvey, R. (2025). Monitoring and coaching breathing patterns and rate. Townsend Letter-Innovative Health Perspectives. https://townsendletter.com/monitoring-and-coaching-breathing-patterns-and-rate/
Moser, J. S., Dougherty, A., Mattson, W. I., Katz, B., Moran, T. P.,Guevarra, D., Shablack, H.,Ayduk,O., Jonides, J., Berman, M. G., & Kross, E. (2017). Third-person self-talk facilitates emotion regulation without engaging cognitive control: Converging evidence from ERP and fMRI. Scientific Reports, 7(1), 4519. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-04047-3
Peper, E. (2025). Breathe Away Menstrual Pain- A Simple Practice That Brings Relief. the peper perspective-ideas on illness, health and well-being from Erik Peper. https://peperperspective.com/2025/11/22/6825/
Peper, E., Harvey, R., & Hamiel, D. (2019). Transforming thoughts with postural awareness to increase therapeutic and teaching efficacy. NeuroRegulation, 6(3), 153-169. https://doi.org/10.15540/nr.6.3.1533-1
Peper, E., Lin, I.-M., Harvey, R., & Perez, J. (2017). How posture affects memory recall and mood. Biofeedback, 45(2), 36–41. https://doi.org/10.5298/1081-5937-45.2.01
Peper, E., Oded, Y., & Harvey, R. (2024a). Quick somatic rescue techniques when stressed. Biofeedback, 52(1), 18–26. https://doi.org/10.5298/982312
Peper, E., Oded, Y., Harvey, R., Hughes, P., Ingram, H., & Martinez, E. (2024b). Breathing for health: Mastering and generalizing breathing skills. Townsend Letter-Innovative Health Perspectives. November 15, 2024. https://townsendletter.com/suggestions-for-mastering-and-generalizing-breathing-skills/
Russell, M. A., Smith, T. W., & Smyth, J. M. (2015). Anger expression, momentary anger, and symptom severity in patients with chronic disease. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 50(2), 259–271. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-015-9747-7
Siedlecki, P., Ivanova, T. D., Shoemaker, J. K., & Garland, S. J. (2022). The effects of slow breathing on postural muscles during standing perturbations in young adults. Experimental Brain Research, 240, 2623–2631. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-022-06437-0
Speer, M. E., & Delgado, M. R. (2017). Reminiscing about positive memories buffers acute stress responses. Nature Human Behaviour, 1, 0093. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-017-0093
Suls, J. (2013). Anger and the heart: Perspectives on cardiac risk, mechanisms and interventions. Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases, 55(6), 538–547. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcad.2013.03.002
van Dinther, M., Hooghiemstra, A. M., Bron, E. E., Versteeg, A., et al. (2024). Lower cerebral blood flow predicts cognitive decline in patients with vascular cognitive impairment. Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, 20(1), 136–144. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.13408
Vedantam, S. (2025). No hard feelings. Hidden brain. Accessed February 5, 2025. https://hiddenbrain.org/podcast/no-hard-feelings/
Willeumier, K., Taylor, D. V., & Amen, D. G. (2011). Decreased cerebral blood flow in the limbic and prefrontal cortex using SPECT imaging in a cohort of completed suicides. Translational Psychiatry, 1(8), e28. https://doi.org/10.1038/tp.2011.28
Zannas, A. S., & West, A. E. (2014). Epigenetics and the regulation of stress vulnerability and resilience. Neuroscience, 264, 157–170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2013.12.003
Breathe Away Menstrual Pain- A Simple Practice That Brings Relief *
Posted: November 22, 2025 Filed under: attention, behavior, biofeedback, Breathing/respiration, cognitive behavior therapy, education, emotions, Neck and shoulder discomfort, Pain/discomfort, posture, relaxation, self-healing, stress management, Uncategorized | Tags: dysmenorrhea, health, meditation, menstrual cramps, mental-health, mindfulness, wellness 3 CommentsAdapted from: Peper, E. Harvey, R., Chen, & Heinz, N. (2025). Practicing diaphragmatic breathing reduces menstrual symptoms both during in-person and synchronous online teaching. Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, Published online: 25 October 2025. https://rdcu.be/eMJqt https://doi.org/10.1007/s10484-025-09745-7
“Once again, the pain starts—sharp, deep, and overwhelming—until all I can do is curl up and wait for it to pass. There’s no way I can function like this, so I call in sick. The meds take the edge off, but they don’t really fix anything—they just mask it for a little while. I usually don’t tell anyone it’s menstrual pain; I just say I’m not feeling well. For the next couple of days, I’m completely drained, struggling just to make it through.
Many women experience discomfort during menstruation, from mild cramps to intense, even disabling pain. When the pain becomes severe, the body instinctively responds by slowing down—encouraging rest, curling up to protect the abdomen, and often reaching for medication in hopes of relief. For most, the symptoms ease within a day or two, occasionally stretching into three, before the body gradually returns to balance.
Another helpful approach is to practice slow abdominal breathing, guided by a breathing app FlowMD. In our study led by Mattia Nesse, PhD, in Italy, the response of one 22-year-old woman illustrated the power of this simple practice.
“Last night my period started, so I was a bit discouraged because I knew I’d get stomach pain, etc. On the other hand, I said, “Okay, let’s see if the breathing works,” and it was like magic — incredible. I’ll need to try it more times to understand whether it consistently has the same effect, but right now it truly felt magical. Just 3 minutes of deep breathing with the app were enough, and I’m not saying I don’t feel any pain anymore, but it has decreased a lot, so thank you! Thank you again for this tool… I’m really happy!”
The Silent Burden of Menstrual Pain
Menstrual pain, or dysmenorrhea, affects most women at some point in their lives — often silently. For many, the monthly cycle brings not only physical discomfort but also shame, fatigue, and interruptions to work or school. It is one of the leading causes of absenteeism and reduced productivity worldwide (Itani et al., 2022; Thakur & Pathania, 2022). In addition, the estimated health cost ranged from US $1367 to US$ 7043 per year (Huang et al., 2021). Yet, despite its prevalence, most women are never taught how to use their own physiology to ease these symptoms.
The Study (Peper et al, 2025)
Seventy-five university women participated across two upper-division Holistic Health courses. Forty-nine practiced 30 minutes per day of breathing and relaxation over five weeks as well as practicing the moment they anticipated or felt discomfort; twenty-six served as a comparison group without a specific daily self-care routine. Students rated change in menstrual symptoms on a scale from –5 (“much worse”) to +5 (“much better”). For the detailed steps in training, see the blog: https://peperperspective.com/2023/04/22/hope-for-menstrual-cramps-dysmenorrhea-with-breathing/ (Peper et al., 2023).
What changed
The results were striking. Women who practiced breathing and relaxation showed significant decrease in menstrual symptoms compared to the non-intervention group (p = 0.0008) as shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Decrease in menstrual symptoms as compared to the control group after implementing slow diaphragmatic breathing.
Why does breathing and posture change have a beneficial effect?
When you stay curled up, your abdomen becomes compressed, leaving little room for the lower belly to relax or for the diaphragm to move freely. The result? Tension builds, and pain often increases.
To reverse this, create space for relaxation. Gently loosen your waist and let your abdomen expand as you inhale. Uncurl your body—lengthen your spine and open your chest, as shown in Figure 2. With each easy breath, you invite calm and allow your body to shift from tension to ease.
Figure 2. Curling up compresses the abdomen and prevents relaxation of the lower belly. In contrast, lying flat with the body gently expanded allows the abdomen to move freely with each breath, which can help reduce menstrual discomfort.
In contrast, slow abdominal or diaphragmatic breathing activates the body’s natural relaxation response. It quiets the stress-driven sympathetic nervous system, calms the mind, and improves circulation in the abdominal area. With each slow breath in, the abdomen gently expands while the pelvic floor and abdominal muscles relax. As you exhale, these muscles naturally tighten slightly, helping to massage and move blood and lymph through the abdominal region. This rhythmic movement supports healing and ease, as illustrated in Figure 3.
Figure 3. The dynamic process of diaphragmatic breathing.
The process of slower, lower diaphragmatic breathing
When lying down, rest comfortably on your back with your legs slightly apart. Allow your abdomen to rise naturally as you inhale and fall as you exhale. As you breathe out, imagine the air flowing through your abdomen, down your legs, and out through your feet. To deepen this sensation, you can ask a partner to gently stroke from your abdomen down your legs as you exhale—helping you sense the flow of release through your body.
Gently focus on slow, effortless diaphragmatic breathing. With each inhalation, your abdomen expands, and the lower belly softens. As you exhale, the abdomen gently goes down pushing the diaphragm upward and allowing the air to leave easily. Breathing slowly—about six breaths per minute—helps engage the body’s natural relaxation response.
If you notice that your breath is staying high in your chest instead of expanding through the abdomen, your symptoms may not improve and can even increase. One participant experienced this at first. After learning to let her abdomen expand with each inhalation while keeping her shoulders and chest relaxed, her next menstrual cycle was markedly easier and far less uncomfortable. The lesson is clear: technique matters.
“During times of pain, I practiced lying down and breathing through my stomach… and my cramps went away within ten minutes. It was awesome.” — 22-year-old college student
“Whenever I felt my cramps worsening, I practiced slow deep breathing for five to ten minutes. The pain became less debilitating, and I didn’t need as many painkillers.” — 18-year-old college student
These successes point out that it’s not just breathing — it’s how you breathe by providing space for the abdomen to expand during inhalation.
Practice: How to Do Diaphragmatic Breathing
- Find a quiet space. Lie on your back or sit comfortably erect with your shoulders relaxed.
- Place one hand on your chest and one on your abdomen.
- Inhale slowly through your nose for about 3–4 seconds. Let your abdomen expand as you breathe in — your chest should remain relaxed.
- Exhale gently through your mouth for 4—6 seconds, allowing the abdomen to fall or constrict naturally.
- As you exhale imagine the air moving down your arms, through your abdomen, down your legs, and out your feet
- Practice daily for 20 minutes and also for 5–10 minutes during the day when menstrual discomfort begins.
- Add warmth. Placing a warm towel or heating pad over your abdomen can enhance relaxation while lying on your back and breathing slowly.
With regular practice and implementing it during the day when stressed, this simple method can reduce cramps, promote calm, and reconnect you with your body’s natural rhythm.
Implement the ABCs during the day
The ABC sequence—adapted from the work of Dr. Charles Stroebel, who developed The Quieting Reflex (Stroebel, 1982)—teaches a simple way to interrupt stress reactions in real time. The moment you notice discomfort, pain, stress, or negative thoughts, interrupt the cycle with a simple ABC strategy:
A — Adjust your posture
Sit or stand tall, slightly arch your lower back and allowing the abdomen to expand while you inhale and look up. This immediately shifts your body out of the collapsed “defense posture’ and increases access to positive thoughts (Tsai et all, 2016; Peper et al., 2019)
B — Breathe
Allow your abdomen to expand as you inhale slowly and deeply. Let it get smaller as you exhale. Gently make a soft hissing sound as you exhale while helps the abdomen and pelvic floor to tighten. Then allow the abdomen to relax and widen which without effort draws the air in during inhalation. As you exhale, stay tall and imagine the air flowing through you and down your legs and out your feet.
C — Concentrate
Refocus your attention on what you want to do and add a gentle smile. This engages positive emotions, the smile helps downshift tension.
The video clip guides you through the ABCs process.
Integrate the breathing during the day by implementing your ABCs
When students practice relaxation technique and this method, they reported greater reductions in symptoms compared with a control group. By learning to notice tension and apply the ABC steps as soon as stress arises, they could shift their bodies and minds toward calm more quickly, as shown in Figure 4.
Figure 4. Change in symptoms after practicing a sequential relaxation and breathing techniques for four weeks.
Takeaway
Menstrual pain doesn’t have to be endured in silence or masked by medication alone. By practicing 30 minutes of slow diaphragmatic breathing daily and many times during the day, women may be able to reduce pain, stress, and discomfort — while building self-awareness and confidence in their body’s natural rhythms thereby having the opportunity to be more productive.
We recommend that schools and universities include self-care education—especially breathing and relaxation practices—as part of basic health curricula as this approach is scalable. Teaching young women to understand their bodies, manage stress, and talk openly about menstruation can profoundly improve well-being. It not only reduces physical discomfort but also helps dissolve the stigma that still surrounds this natural process,
Remember: Breathing is free—available anytime, anywhere and is helpful in reducing pain and discomfort. (Peper et al., 2025; Joseph et al., 2022)
See the following blogs for more in-depth information and practical tips on how to learn and apply diaphragmatic breathing:
REFERENCES
Itani, R., Soubra, L., Karout, S., Rahme, D., Karout, L., & Khojah, H.M.J. (2022). Primary Dysmenorrhea: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment Updates. Korean J Fam Med, 43(2), 101-108. https://doi.org/10.4082/kjfm.21.0103
Huang, G., Le, A. L., Goddard, Y., James, D., Thavorn, K., Payne, M., & Chen, I. (2022). A systematic review of the cost of chronic pelvic pain in women. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada, 44(3), 286–293.e3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jogc.2021.08.011
Joseph, A. E., Moman, R. N., Barman, R. A., Kleppel, D. J., Eberhart, N. D., Gerberi, D. J., Murad, M. H., & Hooten, W. M. (2022). Effects of slow deep breathing on acute clinical pain in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine, 27, 2515690X221078006. https://doi.org/10.1177/2515690X221078006
Peper, E., Booiman, A. & Harvey, R. (2025). Pain-There is Hope. Biofeedback, 53(1), 1-9. http://doi.org/10.5298/1081-5937-53.01.16
Peper, E., Chen, S., Heinz, N., & Harvey, R. (2023). Hope for menstrual cramps (dysmenorrhea) with breathing. Biofeedback, 51(2), 44–51. https://doi.org/10.5298/1081-5937-51.2.04
Peper, E., Harvey, R., Chen, S., & Heinz, N. (2025). Practicing diaphragmatic breathing reduces menstrual symptoms both during in-person and synchronous online teaching. Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback. Published online: 25 October 2025. https://rdcu.be/eMJqt https://doi.org/10.1007/s10484-025-09745-7
Peper, E., Harvey, R., & Hamiel, D. (2019). Transforming thoughts with postural awareness to increase therapeutic and teaching efficacy. NeuroRegulation, 6(3),153-169. https://doi.org/10.15540/nr.6.3.1533-1
Stroebel, C. (1982). The Quieting Reflex. New York: Putnam Pub Group. https://www.amazon.com/Qr-Quieting-Charles-M-D-Stroebel/dp/0399126570/
Thakur, P. & Pathania, A.R. (2022). Relief of dysmenorrhea – A review of different types of pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments. MaterialsToday: Proceedings.18, Part 5, 1157-1162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2021.08.207
Tsai, H. Y., Peper, E., & Lin, I. M. (2016). EEG patterns under positive/negative body postures and emotion recall tasks. NeuroRegulation, 3(1), 23-27. https://doi.org/10.15540/nr.3.1.23
*Edited with the help of ChatGPT 5
Addicted to Your Phone? How to Separate from Your Phone for a Healthy Lifestyle
Posted: April 15, 2025 Filed under: ADHD, attention, cellphone, computer, digital devices, educationj, Evolutionary perspective, health, laptops, posture, screen fatigue, self-healing, stress management, techstress, zoom fatigue | Tags: cognitive function, digital detox, health, internet, mental-health, mindfulness, multi-tasking, social isolation, social media, technology 1 CommentFrom: Peper, E. (2025 April 15). Addicted to your phone? How to separate you’re your phone for a healthy lifestyle. Townsend Letter-Innovative Health Perspectives. https://townsendletter.com/addicted-to-your-phone-how-to-separate-from-your-phone-for-a-healthy-lifestyle/; Adapted from the book by Erik Peper, Richard Harvey and Nancy Faass, TechStress-How Technology is Hijacking our Lives, Strategies for Coping and Pragmatic Ergonomics, North Atlantic Press. https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Ergonomics-Prevent-Fatigue-Burnout/dp/158394768X/
Abstract
In today’s hyper-connected world, technology has subtly ensnared us in evolutionary traps, exploiting innate survival instincts to capture and fragment our attention. Although digital devices offer unprecedented convenience, they simultaneously may harm our mental, physical, and emotional well-being through prolonged screen exposure, digital distraction, and sedentary behavior. The unintended consequences of constant connectivity may increase anxiety, loneliness, and cognitive overload. Social media, Zoom fatigue, and media multitasking reinforce a cycle of passivity and diminished memory retention and attention span, while also reshaping our posture, behavior, and social interactions. The evidence suggests a growing mental health crisis. Yet, with conscious interventions such as digital detoxes, posture awareness, scheduled breaks, and sleep hygiene, we can reclaim our well-being. Rather than reject technology, we must learn to engage with it mindfully, respecting both our evolutionary design and the need for balance in a digital age.
Our Evolutionary Traps with Technology
Maintaining and optimizing health at the computer means re-envisioning our relationship with technology—and reclaiming health, happiness, and sanity in a plugged-in world. We have the ability to control everything from our mobile phones without needing to get up from our seat. Work, social life, and online learning all involve the mobile phone or some type of smart devices.
A convenient little device that is supposed to simplify our lives has actually trapped us into a vicious cycle of relying on it for every single thing we must do. We spend most of our day being exposed to digital displays on our smartphones, computers, gaming consoles, and other digital devices, immersing ourselves in the content we are viewing. From work related emails or tasks, to spending our free time looking at the screen for texting, playing games, and updating social media sites on a play-by-play of what we are eating, wearing, and doing. We click on one hyperlink after the other and create a vicious cycle trapped for hours until we realize we need to move. We are unaware how much time has frittered away without actually doing anything productive and then, we realize we have wasted another day.
Below are some recent estimates of ‘daily active user’ minutes per day that use a screen
• Facebook about an hour per day
• Instagram just under an hour per day
• Texting about 45 minutes per day
• Internet browsing, about 45 minutes per day
• Snapchat, about 30 minutes per day
• Twitter, about 25 minutes per day
Adolescents and college students interact with media for over 40 hours per week, or around six hours per day. That is a lot of hours spent on staring at the screen, which makes it almost impossible not to be distracted by the digital screen. In time, we rehearse a variety of physical body postures as well as a variety of cognitive and behavioral states that impact our physical, mental, emotional, and social health. The powerful audiovisual formats override our desires to do something different, that some of us become enslaved to streaming videos, playing virtual games, or texting. We then tell ourselves that the task that needs to be done, will be finished later. That later becomes never by the end of the day, since the ongoing visual and auditory notifications from our apps interrupt and/or capture our attention. This difficulty to turn away from visual or auditory stimuli roots in our survival instincts.
Each time visual or auditory stimuli occur, we automatically check it out and see if it is a friend or foe, safety or danger. It is such an automatic response that we are unaware we are reacting. The good news is that we all have experienced this compelling effect. Even when we are waiting for a response and the notification has not arrived, we may anticipate or project that there may be new information on our social media accounts, and sometimes we become disappointed when the interval between notifications is long. As one student said, “Don’t worry, they’ll respond. It’s only been 30 seconds.” Anticipating responses from the media can interrupt what we are otherwise doing. Rather than finishing our work or task, we continuously check for updates on social media, even though we probably know that there are no new important messages to which we would have to respond right away. As a result our attention span has decreased from 150 seconds in 2004 to 44 seconds in 2021 (Mark, 2023).
Unfortunately, some forms of social media interactions also lead to a form of social isolation, loneliness–sometimes called phoneliness (Christodoulou, G., Majmundar, A., Chou, C-P, & Pentz, M.A., 2020; Kardaras, 2017). Digital content requires the individual to respond to the digital stimuli, without being aware of the many verbal and nonverbal communication cues (facial expressions, gestures, tone of voice, eye contact, body language, posture, touch, etc.) that are part of social communication (Remland, 2016).
It is no wonder that more and more adolescents are experiencing anxiety, depression, loneliness, and attention deficit disorders due to a constant “digital diet,” which some have argued includes not only media but also junk food. Mental health trends have significantly worsened, particularly since 2013. Pediatric mental health–related emergency department visits increased by 70% from 2011 to 2020, rising from 4.8 million to 7.5 million—a shift from 7.7% to 13.1% of all pediatric emergency visits. The greatest increases were observed among adolescents and across all sexes, races, and ethnicities. Suicide-related visits nearly quintupled from 2011 to 2023, increasing from 0.9% to 4.2% of all pediatric emergency department visits (Bommersbach et al., 2023).
In my class survey of 99 college students, 85% reported experiencing anxiety, 48% neck and shoulder tension, and 41% abdominal discomfort.
For the age groups 18–23 and 24–29—but not for those over 30—the rates of serious psychological distress and major depressive episodes nearly doubled from 2013 to 2019 (Braghieri et al, 2022). During this same period, there was also a significant decline in academic performance, with math scores for 8th graders and reading scores for 4th graders dropping from around 2013 to 2024, except among top-performing students (Mervosh, 2025).
We are not saying to avoid the beneficial parts of the digital age. Instead, it should be used in moderation and to be aware of how some material and digital platforms prey upon our evolutionary survival mechanisms. Unfortunately, most people – especially children – have not evolved skills to counter the negative impacts of some types of media exposure. Parental control and societal policies may be needed to mitigate the damage and enhance the benefits of the digital age.
Zoom Fatigue – How to Reduce it and Configure your Brain for Better Learning
Zoom became the preferred platform for academic teaching and learning for synchronous education during the pandemic. Thus, students and faculty have been sitting and looking at the screen for hours on end. While looking at the screen, the viewers were often distracted by events in their environment, notifications from their mobile phones, social media triggers, and emails; which promoted multitasking (Solis, 2019). These digital distractions cause people to respond to twice as many devices with half of our attention – a process labeled semi-tasking’– meaning getting twice as much done and half as well.
We now check our phones an average of 96 times a day – that is once every 10 minutes and an increase of 20% as compared to two years ago (Asurion Research, 2019). Those who do media multitasking such as texting while doing a task perform significantly worse on memory tasks than those who are not multitasking (Madore et al., 2020). Multitasking is negatively correlated with school performance (Giunchiglia et al, 2018). The best way to reduce multitasking is to turn off all notifications (e.g., email, texts, and social media) and let people know that you will look at the notifications and then respond in a predetermined time, so that you will not be interrupted while working or studying.
When students in my class chose to implement a behavior change to monitor mobile phone and media use and reduce the addictive behavior during a five-week self-healing project, many reported a significant improvement of health and performance. For example one student reported that when she reduced her mobile phone use, her stress level equally decreased as shown in Figure 1 (Peper et al, 2021).
Figure 1. Example of student changing mobile phone use and corresponding decrease in subjective stress level. Reproduced by permission from Peper et al. (2021).
During this class project, many students observed that the continuous responding to notifications and social media affected their health and productivity. As one student reported: The discovery of the time I wasted giving into distractions was increasing my anxiety, increasing my depression and making me feel completely inadequate. In the five-week period, I cut my cell phone usage by over half, from 32.5 hours to exactly 15 hours and used some of the time to do an early morning run in the park. Rediscovering this time makes me feel like my possibilities are endless. I can go to work full time, take online night courses reaching towards my goal of a higher degree, plus complete all my homework, take care of the house and chores, cook all my meals, and add reading a book for fun! –22-year-old College Student
Numerous students reported that it was much easier to be distracted and multitask, check social media accounts or respond to emails and texts than during face-to-face classroom sessions as illustrated by two student comments from San Francisco State University.
“Now that we are forced to stay at home, it’s hard to find time by myself/for myself, time to study, and or time to get away. It’s easy to get distracted and go a bit stir-crazy.”
“I find that online learning is more difficult for me because it’s harder for me to stay concentrated all day just looking at the screen.”
Students often reported that they had more difficulty remembering the material presented during synchronous presentations. Most likely, the passivity while watching Zoom presentations affected the encoding and consolidation of new material into retrievable long-term memory. The presented material was rapidly forgotten when the next screen image or advertisement appeared and competed with the course instructor for the student’s attention. We hypothesize that the many hours of watching TV and streaming videos have conditioned people to sit and take in information passively, while discouraging them to respond or initiate action (Mander, 1978; Mărchidan, 2019).
To reduce the deleterious impact of media use, China has placed time limits on cellphone use, gaming, and social media use for children. On February 2021 Chinese children were banned from taking their mobile phones into school (Wakefield, 2021), on August 2021 Children under 18 were banned from playing video games during the week and their play was restricted to just one hour on Fridays, weekends and holidays (McDonell, 2021) and beginning on September 20, 2021 children under 14 who have been authenticated using their real name can access Douyin, the Chinese version of Tik Tok, for maximum of 40 minutes a day between the hours of 6:00 and 22:00 (BBC, 2021).
Ways to Avoid Zoom
Say goodnight to your phone: It is common for people to use their mobile phone before going to bed, and then end up having difficulty falling asleep. The screen emits blue light that sends a signal to your brain that says it is daytime instead of night. This causes your body to suppress the production of the melatonin hormone, which tells your body that it is time to sleep. Reading or watching content also contributes, since it stimulates your mind and emotions and thereby promotes wakefulness (Hartley et al., 2022). Implement sleep hygiene and stop using your phone or watching screens 30-minutes before going to bed for a better night’s sleep.
Maintaining a healthy vision: We increase near visual stress and the risk of developing myopia when we predominantly look at nearby surfaces. We do not realize that eye muscles can only relax when looking at the far distance. For young children, the constant near vision remodels the shape of the eye and the child will likely develop near sightedness. The solutions are remarkably simple. Respect your evolutionary background and allow your eyes to spontaneously alternate between looking at near and far objects while being upright (Schneider, 2016; Peper, 2021; Peper, Harvey & Faass, 2020).
Interrupt sitting disease: We sit for the majority of the day while looking at screens that is a significant risk factor for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, depression and anxiety (Matthews et al., 2012; Smith et al., 2020). Interrupt sitting by getting up every 30 minutes and do a few stretches. You will tend to feel less sleepy, less discomfort and more productive. As one of our participants reported that when he got up, moved and exercised every 30 minutes at the end of the day he felt less tired. As he stated, “There is life after five,” which meant he had energy to do other activities after working at the computer the whole day. While working time flies and it is challenging to get up every 30 minutes. Thus, install a free app on your computer that reminds you to get up and move such as StretchBreak (www.stretchbreak.com).
Use slouching as a cue to change: Posture affects thoughts and emotions as well as, vice versa. When stressed or worried (e.g., school performance, job security, family conflict, undefined symptoms, or financial insecurity), our bodies tend to respond by slightly collapsing and shifting into a protective position.
When we collapse/slouch, we are more at risk to:
• Feel helpless (Riskind & Gotay, 1982).
• Feel powerless (Westfeld & Beresford, 1982; Cuddy, 2012).
• Recall and being more captured by negative memories (Peper, Lin, Harvey, & Perez, 2017; Tsai, Peper, & Lin, 2016).
• Experience cognitive difficulty (Peper, Harvey, Mason, & Lin, 2018).
When stressed, anxious or depressed, it is challenging to change. The negative feelings, thoughts and worries continue to undermine the practice of reframing the experience more positively. Our recent study found that a simple technique, that integrates posture with breathing and reframing, rapidly reduces anxiety, stress, and negative self-talk (Peper, Harvey, Hamiel, 2019). When you are captured by helpless defeated thoughts and slouch, use the thought or posture as the trigger to take change. The moment you are aware of the thoughts or slouched posture, sit up straight, look up, take a slow large diaphragmatic breath and only then think about reframing the problem positively (Peper, Harvey, Hamiel, 2019).
When we are upright and look up, we are more likely to:
• Have more energy (Peper & Lin, 2012).
• Feel stronger (Peper, Booiman, Lin, & Harvey, 2016).
• Find it easier to do cognitive activity (Peper, Harvey, Mason, & Lin, 2018).
• Feel more confident and empowered (Cuddy, 2012).
• Recall more positive autobiographical memories (Michalak, Mischnat,& Teismann, 2014).
The challenge is that we are usually unaware we have begun to slouch. A very useful solution is to use a posture feedback device to remind us, such as the UpRight Go (https://www.uprightpose.com/). This simple device and app signals you when you slouch. The device attaches to your neck and connects with blue tooth to your cellphone. After calibrating, it provides vibrational feedback on your neck each time you slouch. When participants use the vibration feedback to become aware of what is going on and interrupt their slouch by stretching and sitting up, they report a significant decrease in symptoms and an increase in productivity. As one student reported: “Having immediate feedback on my posture helped me to be more aware of my body and helped me to link my posture to my emotions. Before using the tracker, doing this was very difficult for me. It not only helped my posture but my awareness of my mental state as well.”
https://peperperspective.com/2023/08/30/techstress-building-healthier-computer-habits/
https://peperperspective.com/2024/09/04/cellphones-affects-social-communication-vision-breathing-and-health-what-to-do/
References
Asurion Research (November 19, 2019). Americans Check Their Phones 96 Times a Day. https://www.asurion.com/about/press-releases/americans-check-their-phones-96-times-a-day/#:~:text=Despite%20our%20attempts%20to%20curb,tech%20care%20company%20Asurion1.
BBC (2021, September 20). China: Children given daily time limit on Douyin – its version of TikTok. BBC. Accessed April 12, 2025. https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-58625934
Bommersbach, T.J., McKean, A.J., Olfson, M., & Rhee, T.G. (2023). National Trends in Mental Health-Related Emergency Department Visits Among Youth, 2011-2020. JAMA, (2), 329(17), 1469-1477. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2023.4809
Braghieri, Land and Levy, Ro’ee and Makarin, Alexey, Social Media and Mental Health (July 28, 2022). http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3919760
Christodoulou, G. Majmundar, A., Chou, C-P., & Pentz, M.A. (2020). Anhedonia, screen time, and substance use in early adolescents: A longitudinal mediation analysis, Journal of Adolescence, (78), 24-32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2019.11.007
Cuddy, A. (2012). Your body language shapes who you are. Technology, Entertainment, and Design (TED) Talk. Accessed April 12, 2025. www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are
Giunchiglia, F. Zeni, M., Gobbi, E., Bignotti,E., & Bison, I. (2018). Mobile social media usage and academic performance, Computers in Human Behavior, 82, 177-185. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.12.04
Hartley, S., Royant-Parola, S., Zayoud, A., Gremy, I., & Matulonga, B. (2022). Do both timing and duration of screen use affect sleep patterns in adolescents?. PloS one, 17(10), e0276226. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0276226
Kardaras, N. (2017). Glow Kids: How Screen Addiction Is Hijacking Our Kids – and How to Break the Trance. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin. https://www.amazon.com/Glow-Kids-Screen-Addiction-Hijacking/dp/1250146550/
Madore, K.P., Khazenzon, A.M., Backes, C.W. et al. (2020). Memory failure predicted by attention lapsing and media multitasking. Nature, 587, 87–91. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2870-z
Mander, J. (1978). Four arguments for elimination of television. New York: William Morrow Paperbacks. https://www.amazon.com/Arguments-Elimination-Television-Jerry-Mander/dp/0688082742/
Mărchidan, A. (2019). More technologized is not more educated,” 2019 11th International Conference on Electronics, Computers and Artificial Intelligence (ECAI), Pitesti, Romania, pp. 1-4, https://doi.org/10.1109/ECAI46879.2019.9041993
Mark, G. (2023). Attention Span: A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness and Productivity. Toronto, Canada: Hanover Square Press. https://www.amazon.com/Attention-Span-Finding-Fighting-Distraction/dp/1335449418
Matthews, C.E., George, S.M., Moore, S.C., Bowles, H.R. Blair, A.,. Park, I., Troiano, R.P., Hollenbeck, A., & Schatzkin, A. (2012). Amount of time spent in sedentary behaviors and cause-specific mortality in US adults. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, (92)@, 437-445. https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.111.019620
McDonell, S. (2021, August 30). China to limit children’s online gaming time. BBC World Business Report. Accessed April 12, 2025. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w172y48xs9s5l56
Mervosh, S. (2025, April 7). The Pandemic is not the only reason U.S. Students are losing ground. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/07/us/low-performing-students-reasons.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
Michalak, J., Mischnat, J., & Teismann, T. (2014). Sitting Posture Makes a Difference—Embodiment Effects on Depressive Memory Bias. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, (21),6, 519-524. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.1890
Peper, E. (2021). Resolve Eyestrain and Screen Fatigue. Well Being Journal, (30), Wintger, 24-28. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/345123096_Resolve_Eyestrain_and_Screen_Fatigue
Peper, E., Booiman, A., Lin, I.M., & Harvey, R. (2016). Increase strength and mood with
posture. Biofeedback. 44(2), 66–72. https://doi.org/10.5298/1081-5937-44.2.04
Peper, E., Harvey, R. & Faass, N. (2020). TechStress: How Technology is Hijacking Our Lives, Strategies for Coping, and Pragmatic Ergonomics. Berkeley: North Atlantic Books. https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Ergonomics-Prevent-Fatigue-Burnout/dp/158394768X
Peper, E., Harvey, R., & Hamiel, D. (2019). Transforming thoughts with postural awareness to increase therapeutic and teaching efficacy. NeuroRegulation, 6(3), 153-169. https://doi.org/10.15540/nr.6.3.1533-1
Peper, E., Harvey, R., Mason, L., & Lin, I.-M. (2018). Do better in math: How your body posture may change stereotype threat response. NeuroRegulation, 5(2), 67–74. http://dx.doi.org/10.15540/nr.5.2.67
Peper, E. & Lin, I-M. (2012). Increase or decrease depression-How body postures influence your energy level. Biofeedback, 40 (3), 126-130. https://doi.org/10.5298/1081-5937-40.3.01
Peper, E., Lin, I-M., Harvey, R., & Perez, J. (2017). How posture affects memory recall and mood. Biofeedback. 45 (2), 36-41. https://doi.org/10.5298/1081-5937-45.2.01
Peper, E., Wilson, V., Martin, M., Rosegard, E., & Harvey, R. (2021). Avoid Zoom fatigue, be present and learn. NeuroRegulation, 8(1), 47–56. https://doi.org/10.15540/nr.8.1.47
Remland, M.S. Nonverbal Communication in Everyday Life 4th Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. https://www.amazon.com/Nonverbal-Communication-Everyday-Martin-Remland/dp/1483370259
Riskind, J.H., Gotay, C.C. Physical posture: Could it have regulatory or feedback effects on motivation and emotion?. Motiv Emot 6, 273–298 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00992249
Schneider, M. (2016). Vision for Life. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books. https://www.amazon.com/Vision-Life-Revised-Eyesight-Improvement/dp/1623170087
Smith, L., Jacob, L., Trott, M., Yakkundi, A., Butler, L., Barnett, Y., Armstrong, N.C., McDermott, D., Schuch, F., Meyer, J., López-Bueno, R., Sánchez, G.F.L., Bradley, D., Tully, M.A. (2020). The association between screen time and mental health during COVID-19: A cross sectional study, Psychiatry Research, (292). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.11333
Solis, B. (2019). How Managers Can Help Workers Tackle Digital Distractions. MIT Sloan Management Review, 60(4), 1-3. https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/how-managers-can-help-workers-tackle-digital-distractions/
Tsai, H. Y., Peper, E., & Lin, I. M.* (2016). EEG patterns under positive/negative body postures and emotion recall tasks. NeuroRegulation, 3(1), 23-27. https://doi.org/10.15540/nr.3.1.23
Wakefield, J. (2021), February 2). China bans children from using mobile phones at school. BBC. Accessed April 12, 2025. https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-55902778
Weisfeld, G.E., Beresford, J.M. Erectness of posture as an indicator of dominance or success in humans. Motiv Emot 6, 113–131 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00992459
The Power of No
Posted: March 6, 2025 Filed under: behavior, Breathing/respiration, CBT, cognitive behavior therapy, emotions, healing, health, self-healing, stress management, Uncategorized | Tags: assertiveness, emotional awareness, HIV, immune resilence, surviaval 1 CommentBrenda Stockdale, PhD and Erik Peper, PhD
Adapted from: Stockdale, B. & Peper, E. (2025). How the Power of No Supports Health and Healing. Townsend Letter-Innovative Health Perspectives, March15, 2025 https://townsendletter.com/the-power-of-no/
I felt exhausted and just wanted to withdraw to recharge. Just then, my partner asked me to go to the store to get some olive oil. I paused, took a deep breath, and checked in with myself. I realized that I needed to take care of myself. After a few seconds, I responded, “No, I cannot do it at this time.”
It was challenging to say this because, in the past, I would have automatically said “yes” to avoid disappointing my partner. However, by saying “yes” and ignoring my own needs, I would have become even more exhausted, hindering my recovery. I felt proud that I had said “no.” By listening to myself, I took charge and prioritized my own healing.
For many people, saying “no” feels unkind, and we want to be kind while avoiding burdening others. Nevertheless, how you answer this question may have implications for your health! Consider the following question and rate it on a scale from 1 (never) to 5 (always):
How often do you do favors for people when you really don’t want to? Namely, things you really don’t want to do but do anyway because someone asks you to and you don’t want to or can’t say “No.“
In analysis of numerous studies, Prof. George Solomon and Dr. Lydia Temoshok reported that a low score on this question (indicating the ability to say No) was the best predictor of related outcomes across studies, such as survivorship with AIDS as well as more favorable HIV immune measures (Solomon, et al, 1987). This aligns with research suggesting that excessive compliance, self-sacrifice, and conflict avoidance (i.e., people-pleasing) in individuals with cancer and chronic illness may weaken, rather than strengthen, their immune systems (Temoshok, & Dreher, 1992).
Unconsciously avoiding or suppressing distressing thoughts, emotions, or memories instead of dealing with them––a process known as repressive coping–– may even contribute to an increased risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease (Mund & Mitte, 2012). Avoiding emotional cues or dismissing feelings may seem self-protective but can lead to reflexive or automatic behavior such as saying “yes” when individuals would rather say “no.” Although the conflict may not be consciously recognized, it can manifest physiologically (Mund & Mitte, 2012). Paying attention to states of tension, or symptoms such as headache or loss of appetite can serve as a doorway to exploring unacknowledged feelings.
Automatically saying “yes” and sacrificing yourself may contribute to poor boundaries, leading to chronic stress which is linked to numerous health issues, including hypertension and immune dysfunction (Dai et al., 2020; Segerstrom et al., 2004; Deci & Ryan, 2008). Conversely, research indicates that individuals who assertively manage stress—rather than suppress emotions and avoid conflict—demonstrate stronger immune resilience (Ironson et al., 2005; Dantzer et al, 2018) and are better protected against burnout and prolonged emotional distress (Deci & Ryan, 2018).
When faced with illness––or even the possibly death––ask yourself: “Do I really want to do this, or am I doing it just to please my partner, children, parents, doctors, or society? By doing what truly brings me joy and meaning, what do I have to lose?” Altruism is valuable and an important part of maintaining health. At the same time boundaries and assertiveness are essential.
Psychologist Lawrence LeShan (1994) reported that when cancer patients began to seek and start singing their “own song,” their cancer regressed in numerous cases, and some experienced total remission. Living your own song means doing what you truly desire rather than following the expectations of parents, society, or economic pressures. It is important to keep in mind that while psychological factors can influence overall health, the development of cancer is a multifaceted process involving genetic, lifestyle and environmental factors.
The Key Question: When and How to Say “No”?
The answer lies in emotional awareness and acting on it. One woman with cancer confided, “I’ve operated in the realm of expected behavior for so long that I no longer know what I want or feel” (Stockdale, 2009). Teasing out our true feelings—hour by hour, as Bernie Siegel, M.D., recommends—helps us recognize where we stand (Siegel, 1986; Siegel & August, 2004). This practice fosters a sense of agency, a cornerstone of resilience that directly contributes to well-being.
For those accustomed to prioritizing others’ needs over their own, learning to say “No” takes practice. Although one may have feelings of vulnerability and even guilt by disappointing someone, one person shared that only after he stopped exclusively prioritizing others–and instead learned to love himself as well as his neighbor–did he realize how much people genuinely cared for him. Authentic connection is essential for well-being, but trust cannot develop without agency and the freedom to say “no.”
What to Do Before Automatically Saying Yes
When someone asks you for help or a favor, pause. Look up, take a slow, diaphragmatic breath, and ask yourself, “Do I want to do this? What would I recommend to another person to do in this situation?”
(In cases where you are asked or ordered to harm another person or do something illegally, ask yourself, “What would a moral person do?”)
If you feel that you would rather not—whether because you are tired or it interferes with your own priorities—say “No.” Saying “No” does not mean you are unwilling to help; it simply means that, at this moment, you are listening to yourself. When we listen to ourselves and act accordingly, we enhance our immune competence and self-healing.
Obviously, if saying “No” would put another person in danger or in crisis, then say “Yes,” if possible. However, true crises are rare. If emergencies happen frequently, they are not true crises or emergencies but rather a result of poor planning.
Saying “No” can be challenging, but if you constantly say “Yes,” you may eventually become resentful and exhausted, increasing your stress and decreasing your ability to heal. You may even notice that when your own well-being is appropriately prioritized you will be in a better position to show up for others in a whole-hearted way, when it is right for them and for you.
Saying “No” Can Be Life-Saving
Beyond personal relationships, saying “No” can be crucial in medical settings. Anthony Kaveh, M.D., a Stanford- and Harvard-trained anesthesiologist and integrative medicine specialist, asserts, “Nice patients come out last” (Kaveh, 2024). Kaveh emphasizes that trusting our instincts is crucial, as the fear of displeasing others can lead to dangerous “fake nice” behavior.
See the YouTube video #1 Mistake You Make with Doctors: Medical Secrets (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-E3CHHX05c)
A case example is illustrated by Tracy who was hospitalized with complex fractures of the tibia and fibula. After five surgeries, she felt something was terribly wrong–she knew she was dying. However, the nurses dismissed her concerns. Taking control, she infuriated the staff by calling 911, which prompted a doctor to check on her. It was discovered that excessive negative pressure applied to the drain caused five pints of her blood to flow into her leg causing compartment syndrome.
She was bleeding to death. Tracy’s intuition, resilience, and refusal to comply saved her life. Kaveh argues that those who don’t trust their instincts are more likely to err on the side of “nice” and suffer as a result.
Learning to say “No” is empowering as illustrated by one woman who discovered its importance in a cancer educational group she attended. She shared her success in saying “No” with humor, explaining, “I just tell people it’s this group’s fault because I used to be a nice person.”
Learning to listen to yourself before agreeing or disagreeing to do something, may also help you maintain your integrity when faced with pressure to follow an immoral suggestion or order. So often due to social, economic, corporate, or political pressure, people may be asked to do something they later regret (Sah, 2025). The courage to disagree and act according to your moral consciousness is the bases of the Nuremberg Code, established by the American judges in 1947 at the Nuremberg trials for Nazi doctors (Shuster, 1997).
Finally, learning to say “No” and listen to your needs takes practice and time. Explore the following Body Dialogue technique to tap into your intuitive wisdom. You can use it anytime you need clarity about your feelings and responses to life’s challenges.
Breathe in deeply and engage all your senses. When you are ready, focus on the sensation of breathing. You don’t have to make anything happen, just feel the air moving in and out. Your lungs, vital to energy production, obtain oxygen from the atmosphere and bring it to millions of specialized cells. All without your conscious awareness, your breath moves in and out, removing toxins and waste from your body and bringing oxygen in.
The beautiful filtering process even protects your heart. That great organ, pumping rhythmically, picks up the oxygen and delivers it to all the vessels of your body, contracting more than two billion times during a normal lifespan. With deep appreciation for this magnificent pump, move your attention down into your abdomen. On the right side is the largest organ in your body, your liver. This amazing organ filters toxins and chemicals, and aids in digestion. This powerhouse of function can even regenerate itself after losing as much as three quarters of its tissue. With a sense of admiration, imagine all that these great and vital organs accomplish. With gratitude, slowly move on to your spleen, your pancreas and all the other organs and systems of your body, taking your time to appreciate and acknowledge all that they do for you.
Consider the multitude of vital functions that take place every minute of every day and thank your body for all that is right with you. All of these complex functions take place without effort or even awareness on your behalf––they just happen. Ask now if there something you can do for your body to help it heal, repair or regenerate more completely. Listen closely to your own intuitive awareness. Is there anything you can do to make your body’s job easier or reduce a burden of some kind? Gently notice if there are any thoughts or behaviors that make some symptoms worse or better. What feels heavy or burdensome? Who or what in your life feels supportive? As you review the past few days or weeks what would you like to adjust? When might saying ‘no’ would bring a sense of relief? Imagine what it would be like to operate in your own best interest. What might that include?
Are there positive feelings you would like to experience more often? If you had to choose just one, what would it be? In what way could you bring more of that quality into your life? In your mind’s eye, see that happening now. Feel the peace or the joy or whatever it is you have chosen radiate throughout your being. And if it seems good to you, carry it with you, back to the present moment and enjoy the fullness of that sensation. When it seems right to you, again focus gently on your body, bringing your attention back to the chair or the place you happen to be. And filled with gratitude, stretch your arms wide with appreciation for all that is right with you.
Additional useful blogs
References
Dai, S., Mo, Y., Wang, Y., Xiang, B., Liao, Q., Zhou, M., Li, X., Li, Y., Xiong, W., Li, G., Guo, C., & Zeng, Z. (2020). Chronic Stress Promotes Cancer Development. Frontiers in oncology, 10, 1492. https://doi.org/10.3389/fonc.2020.01492
Dantzer, R., Cohen, S., Russo, S. J., & Dinan, T. G. (2018). Resilience and immunity. Brain, behavior, and immunity, 74, 28–42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2018.08.010
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2008). Self-determination theory: A macrotheory of human motivation, development, and health. Canadian Psychology / Psychologie canadienne, 49(3), 182–185. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0012801
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2018). Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness. New York: Guilford Publications. https://www.amazon.com/Self-Determination-Theory-Psychological-Motivation-Development/dp/1462538967
Ironson, G., O’Cleirigh, C., Fletcher, M. A., Laurenceau, J. P., Balbin, E., Klimas, N., Schneiderman, N., & Solomon, G. (2005). Psychosocial factors predict CD4 and viral load change in men and women with human immunodeficiency virus in the era of highly active antiretroviral treatment. Psychosomatic medicine, 67(6), 1013–1021. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.psy.0000188569.58998.c8
Kaveh, A. (2024). #1 Mistake You Make With Doctors. Medical Secrets, YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-E3CHHX05c
LeShan, L. (1994). Cancer As a Turning Point: A Handbook for People with Cancer, Their Families, and Health Professionals – Revised Edition. New York: Penguin Publishing Group. https://www.amazon.com/Cancer-As-Turning-Point-Professionals/dp/0452271371
Mund, M., & Mitte, K. (2012). The costs of repression: a meta-analysis on the relation between repressive coping and somatic diseases. Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association, 31(5), 640–649. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0026257
Sah, S. (2025. Defy: The power of no in a world that demands yes. London: One World Publications. https://www.amazon.com/Defy-Power-World-That-Demands/dp/0593445775
Shuster, E. (1997). Fifty years later: The significance of the Nuremberg code. The New England Journal of Medicine, 337(20), 1436-1440. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJM199711133372006
Segerstrom, S. C., & Miller, G. E. (2004). Psychological stress and the human immune system: a meta-analytic study of 30 years of inquiry. Psychological bulletin, 130(4), 601–630. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.130.4.601
Siegel, B. (1986). Love, medicine & miracles. New York: William Morrow Paperbacks; https://www.amazon.com/Love-Medicine-Miracles-Bernie-Siegel-dp-B00A2KKOBI
Siegel, B. & August, Y. (2004). Help Me Heal. Hay House. https://www.amazon.com/Help-Heal-Bernie-Siegel-M-D/dp/1401900607/
Solomon, G. F., Temoshok, L., O’Leary, A., & Zich, J. (1987). An intensive psychoimmunologic study of long-surviving persons with AIDS. Pilot work, background studies, hypotheses, and methods. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 496, 647–655. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-6632.1987.tb35825.x
Stockdale, B. (2009). You can beat the odds: Surprising factors behind chronic illness and cancer––the 6-week program for Optimal Immunity. Boulder, CO: Sentient Publications. https://www.amazon.com/You-Can-Beat-Odds-Surprising-ebook/dp/B00KMDKOVA
Temoshok L. (1987). Personality, coping style, emotion and cancer: towards an integrative model. Cancer surveys, 6(3), 545–567. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3326661/
Temoshok, L., & Dreher, H. (1992). The type C connection: The behavioral links to cancer and immune dysfunction. New York: Random House. https://www.amazon.com/Type-Connection-Behavioral-Cancer-Health/dp/0394575237
Use the power of your mind to transform health and aging
Posted: February 18, 2025 Filed under: attention, behavior, cancer, CBT, cognitive behavior therapy, COVID, education, health, meditation, mindfulness, Pain/discomfort, placebo, stress management, Uncategorized | Tags: health, imimune function, longevity, mental-health, mind-body, nutrition, Reframing, wellness Leave a commentMost of the time when I drive or commute by BART, I listen to podcasts (e.g., Freakonomics, Hidden Brain, this podcast will kill you, Science VS, Huberman Lab). although many of the podcasts are highly informative; , rarely do I think that everyone could benefit from it. The recent podcast, Using your mind to control your health and longevity, is an exception. In this podcast, neuroscientist Andrew Huberman interviews Professor Ellen Langer. Although it is three hours and twenty-two minute long, every minute is worth it (just skip the advertisements by Huberman which interrupts the flow). Dr. Langer delves into how our thoughts, perceptions, and mindfulness practices can profoundly influence our physical well-being.
She presents compelling evidence that our mental states are intricately linked to our physical health. She discusses how our perceptions of time and control can significantly impact healing rates, hormonal balance, immune function, and overall longevity. By reframing our understanding of mindfulness—not merely as a meditative practice but as an active, moment-to-moment engagement with our environment—we can harness our mental faculties to foster better health outcomes. The episode also highlights practical applications of Dr. Langer’s research, offering insights into how adopting a mindful approach to daily life can lead to remarkable health benefits. By noticing new things and embracing uncertainty, individuals can break free from mindless routines, reduce stress, and enhance their overall quality of life. This podcast is a must-listen for anyone interested in the profound connection between mind and body. It provides valuable tools and perspectives for those seeking to take an active role in their health and well-being through the power of mindful thinking. It will change your perspective and improve your health. Listen to or watch the interview:
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYAgf_lfio4
Useful blogs to reduce stress