In stress studies focusing on the immune system, the emerging science of psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) demonstrates how stress alters the immune response. Studies have shown that for the first time in history, the major causes of death and disease are stress-related disorders. Ailments such as arteriosclerosis, hypertension, migraine, cancer, arthritis, emphysema, bronchitis and asthma have been linked to the negative effects of prolonged stress.

Stress reduction techniques provide information about stress reactions and include ways to reduce the negative physiological and emotional reactions to prolonged stress. PNI verifies the efficacy of stress reduction techniques to control negative emotions & thoughts.

The graph above the impact of one 5-minute episode of recalled anger on the immune antibody IgA over a 6-hour period. The initial slight increase in IgA was followed by a dramatic drop which persisted for six hours. When the subjects used the Freeze-Frame technique and focused on feeling sincere care for five minutes there was a significant increase in IgA, which returned to baseline an hour later and then slowly increased throughout the rest of the day.

The graph above how Anger/frustration produces sympathetically dominated system. Anger/frustration creates a disordered HRV waveform pattern. In contrast, appreciation/compassion produces increased parasympathetic activity. It is clear that appreciation/compassion creates an ordered sine wavelike HRV waveform indicative of the relaxation response.

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