Stress is thought to be an important contributor to many problems.

According to Stensrud and Stensrud, early stress researchers found that regardless of the environmental stressor, a generalized physiological response was activated in the organism.

This "fight or flight", or stress response was termed the General Adaptation Syndrome by Hans Selye.

When an individual encounters a stressor, the body part that first notes the stimulus passes the signal to the brain.

The message passes through the reticular activating system to the hypothalamus and thalamus.

When the hypothalamus experiences the stressor signal, it simultaneously activates the two major stress pathways: the autonomic nervous system and the endocrine system.

When the sympathetic part of the autonomic nervous system is activated by the hypothalamus, involuntary functions such as heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, and body fluid regulation are affected.

At the same time, the pituitary gland is stimulated, which in turn orders the release of several chemical hormones.

The chemical cortisol provides fuel for the "fight or flight" response by increasing blood sugar so that there is energy for action. Aldosterone increases the blood pressure.

Epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine are also produced, along with thyroxine. These substances in turn cause the following to occur:

1. Acceleration of heart rate
2. Dilation of coronary arteries
3. Dilation of bronchial tubes
4. Increase in force of heart contractions
5. Increase in rate of metabolism
6. Increase in anxiety
7. Increase in gastrointestinal motility
8. Increase in rate and depth of respiration
9. Decrease in feeling of tiredness
10. Decrease in Salvation
11. Dilation of pupils

The physical problems related to chronic stress include the lowering of the immune response, chronic muscle tension, and increased blood pressure. These problems can eventually lead to serious life-threatening illnesses such as heart attacks, kidney disease, and cancer.

Holmes and Rahe and others have found that individuals who have undergone several stressful life events over a year's time have a much higher probability of developing these types of serious illness, within a few years of the events, than non-stressed individuals.

During the middle 1970s, research by Mason et al. And Lazarus demonstrated that vast individual differences exist in how individuals respond to stress-producing stimuli. Some individuals react with the "fight or flight" response, whereas other individuals either suppress the response or do not react to it at all.

To accommodate the individual differences in the activation of the stress response, the concept of cognition was proposed.

In other words, the thought process of the individual in response to the stressor is considered important. What might be perceived as a stressor by one person might not be seen as a stressor by another.

As an example, if a professor announces a surprise quiz, student "A" might then experience extreme anxiety and the fight-flight response. Student "B" may experience no activation. This could occur because student "A" had never reviewed the notes from the class while student "B" had.

This concept of selectively responding to a stress stimulus was coined by Lazarus, Stensrud and Stensrud, and others as the coping theory of stress. An individual being stimulated by a stressor appraises the stimulus to determine if it is a source of (a) threat, (b) loss or harm, © challenge, or (d) irrelevancy.

If upon appraisal it is determined that the stimulus is irrelevant or harmless, no stress response is activated.

However, if the stressor is seen as harmful and the stress response is activated, a coping response occurs. If the coping response, such as taking three deep breaths before beginning the speech before the large group of people, is successful, normal physiological functioning will soon resume.

According to Stensrud and Stensrud, if the coping response is not successful and/or the person experiences chronic stressful arousal from a variety of stimuli, unhealthy results, including physical and psychological health problems, can occur.

According to various authors in the book The Addictive Behaviors, individuals with compulsive disorders, including alcoholism, gambling, overeating, or smoking, often increase negative behavior, or undergo a relapse, after they have been through a stressful time period.

Herman and Polivy feel that emotional stress leads to increases in binge eating. Hooker and Convisser believe that anger resulting from stressful situations also plays a part in some addictive disorders.

As an example, individuals who do not express anger outwardly often turn it inward. When this occurs, it may lead to depression. To relieve the discomfort they feel because they have not expressed their anger, these individuals begin to overeat or engage in other addictive behaviors.

Some researchers feel that stress contributes to addictive behaviors. Individuals begin to use the drugs as a way of relieving the anxiety and tension associated with the stress response and to feel good.

However, getting involved with substances, or any other addictive behavior, only increases the anxiety and stress, thus perpetuating a vicious circle.

Why some individuals engage in an addictive behavior or develop an illness while others do not is not known at this time. Perhaps an individual inherits a "trait" to develop a health or an addictive behavior problem.

Depending upon early family and environmental influences, including ways of coping with everyday stressors, the person either learns to cope with stress in a positive manner or develops physical, emotional or addictive behavior problems.

STRESS REDUCTION

Andrew Weil suggests that we have a basic need to achieve "altered states of consciousness."

He alludes to the fact that individuals from many cultures throughout history have engaged in behaviors that have produced a "natural high" and have reduced stress and tension.

These activities usually involved physical exertion, quiet meditation, breathing exercises and/or risky and exciting ventures or pastimes. Herbert Benson likewise feels that many of these activities activate the "relaxation response," which is opposite to the "fight-flight" response.

He suggests that activities that elicited the relaxation response became part of a society's religious and spiritual tradition, passed down from generation to generation.

ACTIVATING THE RELAXATION RESPONSE

The activation of the "relaxation response," in opposition to the activation of the "fight-flight" response, lies in the stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system.

When this system is stimulated by a rhythmical activity in meditative activities such as chanting, breathing in a pattern, or saying prayers over and over, the individual begins to feel calm, relaxed, and anxiety free.

When the parasympathetic part of the autonomic nervous system is activated by any of these activities, the following physiological reactions occur:

1. Slowing of heart rate
2. Decrease in respiration
3. Decrease in metabolism
4. Increase in salivation and digestion
5. Decrease in blood pressure
6. Increase in alpha brain waves
7. Feeling of relaxation
8. Feeling of warmth and heaviness

In 1970, R.K. Wallace published results concerning the physiological effects of meditation, which are similar to the effects of parasympathetic nervous system stimulation. He showed that during meditation, oxygen consumption of the body was decreased.

The production of lactic acid was also decreased, thus indicating a slowing down of metabolism. A decrease in heart rate and cardiac output indicated a reduction in the workload of the heart. The skin had an increased resistance to the passage of an electrical current, indicating decreased arousal of the sympathetic nervous system.

An increase in slow theta and alpha brain waves indicated a more restful state. Wallace found that meditators he studied were in a restful and relaxed state after meditation. They were awake, alert, and exhibited increased reaction time, improved coordination, and improved hearing ability. Some meditators indicated that meditation resulted in a "natural high."

These effects of meditation appear to result from the activation of the parasympathetic system and perhaps even the creation of natural opiates in the brain.

As has been previously mentioned, "natural opiates" and their receptor sites have been found in the brain. These brain chemicals-endorphins- have been found to block pain and to create a feeling of euphoria or a "high' much like opiates.

It is thought that the "high" or euphoria from vigorous physical exertion, risky activities, gambling, meditation, and starvation may be due to the production of these brain chemicals.

In theory, the endorphins, and probably other brain-manufactured "drugs," are released in response to both physical and psychological stress and/or other physiological states.

This release may be induced by stimulation of the autonomic nervous system; however, research is not yet conclusive as to the mechanism of this phenomenon.

The Altered State or "Flow" Experience

Csikszentmihalyi discusses similar states that are described by individuals who become absorbed in various creative and recreational activities. A person who is completely involved in an activity, whether it be chess, rock climbing, the arts, dance, or anything else, often experiences certain subjective feelings called the "flow state."

The flow state is a feeling of unified flowing from one moment to the next in which the person is in control of his/her actions and in which there is little distinction between self and environment, past, present, and future, stimulus or response.

While in the flow state, the person usually does not think of him/herself as being separate from what he/she is doing.

Individuals in the flow state are usually oblivious to their surroundings and describe what they experience in the following ways:

in control of their actions, even if it is a potentially dangerous activity
a general feeling of well-being
an altered sense of time
a merging of action and awareness
clarity and manageability of limits happiness, health, vision
integration of mind and body
understanding of true self and self integration
sense of place in the universe and oneness of nature

This sense of flow, or altered state, according to Csikszentmihalyi, is what causes certain individuals to sacrifice power, fame, and money for such things as artistic creativity, hobbies, and other recreational and sports activities.

He implies that this flow or altered state experience can be a strong motivator for many individuals and can be an alternative to drug use.