Title: The Rhythm of Health
Subtitle: Post-Traumatic Stress Education and Relaxation Training Program: Module 2
Description: We begin module two with an introduction and overview of this module’s material. Then, starting with a solid foundation of good health, you are asked to visualize your self-image in a state of achievable good health. A Handbook exercise asks you to write personal recovery goals. And you encounter the three pillars of good health, which are good nutrition, good sleep habits, and healthy regular exercise that are specific to each person. Next, in a story about a power plant in Tampa Bay, we recognize that our bodies have immense power in their ability to change their rhythms. This empowering experience is demonstrated through an indirect hypnotic process. In this track, it should become apparent that Rhythm has been systematically training calm and stable breathing rhythms through an indirect process since the beginning of module one. Aha!

Breathing is the primary way that we can consciously change our body rhythms. Becoming aware of breathing, then, becomes a focal point. A Handbook exercise asks us to assess our breathing health. Healthy breathing feeds all of our bodies’ tissues the proper nutrients that they need. Therefore, it is vital to good health and is something that we have the capacity to teach to others. Next, we learn about breathing physiology and are introduced to the State Journal. The State Journal is a daily journal for inner experiences, personal success, commitment with new habits, and success with re-framing experiences.

Then, two abdominal breathing exercises re-train slow regular diaphragmic breathing. (Rapid irregular high thoracic breathing is a common symptom of post-traumatic stress.) The Handbook illustrates this process of abdominal breathing. Rhythm then shows how we can advance with these exercises and how we have already created a positive trigger that will enable us to relax our breathing at any time and in any circumstance. Next, we encounter two relaxation training exercises, Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) and autogenic training. These exercises relax chronic tension out of the body. Therefore, chronic tension symptomatic of post-traumatic stress is able to effortlessly leave our bodies as our bodies learn to relax. You experience this directly, as a progressive muscle relaxation exercise relaxes your body, part by part. Following this, an autogenic training exercise guides awareness through your body. You receive positive healing messages throughout this process. Your experiences of relaxing the body’s regions are transformed into positive triggers for health, recovery, and personal happiness. These two exercises are designed to roll over into each other, so that you can listen to one or the other, or both, if time permits, for a long session of deep relaxation training.
Subjects: relaxation training, Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR), autogenic training, abdominal breathing, diaphragmic breathing