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You'll remember that we said the autonomic system was responsible for carrying out the body's involuntary functions such as heartbeat, blood pressure, and digestion. That would suggest that these functions are not subject to voluntary control. Apparently, this is not the case. In the laboratory, both animal and human subjects have learned to speed up or slow down their heart rate, raise or lower their blood pressure, and produce particular brain-wave patterns.
The individual learns to control certain "involuntary" processes by watching an instrument that records such things as brain waves, blood pressure, and heartbeat. By seeing the changes recorded as they occur, the individual is able to influence both the rate and direction of change. Exactly how this is done is not fully understood. Apparently, one's ability to concentrate on the particular bodily function is an important factor. Using this method, people have been able to change skin temperature as much as nine degrees Fahrenheit, reduce blood pressure 15 percent, relax tense muscles, and alter brain waves on command.
Much the same result is claimed by various meditation techniques. There is some indication that training in simple relaxation can also lower blood pressure and thus reduce symptoms of stress. People who are hospitalized with dangerously high blood pressure have been able to lower the pressure when it rises by thinking relaxing thoughts or making their muscles go limp. Feedback from the machine— knowing their efforts are successful seems to help.
Despite the promise of bio-feedback, much remains to be discovered before it becomes a cure-all for stress. But who knows? In a few years, people may be preventing their own heart attacks.
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