Basic mental training

 

Mental rest and relaxation aims at conscious regulation and control over mental and muscular tension. Three degrees of lowered tension can be distinguished: mental rest, relaxation and mental dissociation.

 

Mental rest

means lowering inner tension in waking, active everyday life.

 

Relaxation

means an alternative state of consciousness which differs from the state of wakefulness and from sleep and dreams. With help of EEG measurements of brain waves one can distinguish between these different states of consciousness. In a deep state of relaxation the EEG shows that the electrical voltage of the brain waves varies with a frequency of 10-12 peaks per second, which is called the alpha rhythm. In deep sleep the frequency is lower and when we are awake it is higher. Muscles relax and blood vessels open in the alpha state  and we get a better oxygenation of the tissues.

 

Mental dissociation

is the ability to exclude thoughts and emotions which prevent us from going down into the alpha state.

 

Concentration training

is necessary to achieve mental dissociation. Concentration thus means that you can both disconnect irrelevant thoughts and feelings and that you are able to keep your attention on what you want the mind to do.

 

Hemisphere change

means to consciously increase the functions of the right half of the brain, which are considered important in relaxation, meditation and other alpha states. This theory is based on Roger Sperry’s research on the different functions of the two hemispheres of the brain. Today, however, it is considered that this concept is much more complicated. 

The left hemisphere stands, according to Sperry, for logical linear thinking. It stands for detailed analyzes, for language and for perception of time. What also distinguishes the left hemisphere from the right is that it is responsible for examining what our senses receive. Thus, it is  the left hemisphere that determines whether a sensory impression is consistent with our ideas and experiences (frame of reference) and is credible. If the sensory impression does not match the persons frame of reference, the left hemisphere assesses that the impression is not credible or real (the reality test) and it will not be anchored very deeply in our mind. It can then not function as a strong source of motivation for us.

The right hemisphere stands for feeling and intuition as well as for understanding of overview and wholeness. It also stands for imagination, flashes of genius, creativity, dreams and unconditional thinking. According to Roger Sperry, the right hemisphere is the seat of body perception and body awareness as well as the sense of touch. It is also the right hemisphere that creates those mental functions and images that are important for emotional life and for mental influence on body organs. A person who is strongly controlled by the functions of the left brain is often less observant on body signals, which means that she, among other things, has difficulties in feeling the degree of everyday muscle tension. Of course, this is important if she is also exposed to increased stress in her everyday life.

 

The science and social structures of modern society are mostly built on logical linear thinking. We are trained in this from childhood. This means that many people may have underdeveloped functions of their right brain. We have learned that intuition and emotion are not especially important for our roles in an orderly society. In Nordic countries touching each other was not always socially acceptable, except in carefully specified situations. But if we want to function harmoniously, logic and straightforward thinking must be balanced by intuition and feeling. This personal transformation is possible to do with techniques for reaching alternative states of consciousness. It is a way to train the functions of the right brain and achieve greater balance in our minds through better integration between reason and emotions.

 

The purpose of relaxation training is therefore not to become more emotionally driven but to achieve a better mental balance. Thus, the practical benefit of regularly putting ourselves in a state of relaxation or meditation is instead to give ourselves physical and mental rest and recovery. Stress-triggered mental and muscular tension will always decrease. But what in the long run becomes most important is the fact that regular relaxation and meditation create better inner balance by achieving greater self-insight over time. Imperceptibly, we widen the mind by becoming more aware of our subconscious dimension. Everything that is hidden there will of course also affect our thoughts and feelings, our body and our actions. The great advantage of increased self-insight is thus that it helps us to see our difficulties and problems more clearly and with a certain distance. This in turn is the prerequisite for being able to tackle these problems successfully. None of this, however, will we experience if we do not put ourselves in a state of relaxation or meditation at least once every day for a fairly long time.