MetaRelaxation MP3s

What is an audiotherapy tool?

With peaceful background music playing, several voices guide you into a state of deep relaxation, almost to sleep. Sometimes in your left ear, sometimes in the right and sometimes in both, you hear symbolic stories which are both amusing and soothing, and which get right through to your subconscious, whilst your attention is placed in a state of rest.

These CDs, which are based on Dr. Milton Erickson’s suggestion techniques, are the result of fifteen years of research in psychoacoustics and psychosomatic medicine (a considerable number of hospitals in Belgium and France use them currently: sleep laboratory, observation ward, loco-regional anaesthesia, preventive medicine, etc.).

The CDs also include "alpha" visual impulses which can be decoded by a small device called the Mind Booster® (available as an option), which is equipped with goggles equipped with LEDs. This is an effective complementary tool for putting the patient into a state of deep receptiveness.

Principle

Today everybody accepts that the subconscious exists as a kind of "black box" which records all our life, and we have all felt the extent to which music can influence our emotions and modify our moods.

Furthermore, the part of the brain related to the emotions, which is also designed to react immediately in the case of danger, and hence prepare the body for rapid action, regulates all the automatic functions of our organs (heartbeat, gastric secretion, breathing, intestinal peristalsis, dimensions of the blood vessels, sleep, erections, etc.). It is closely connected to these functions by the nervous and glandular systems. In the case of stress or an emotional disorder, depending on the subjects’ profiles, nervous tensions which cannot be released through action and reaction sometimes affect the behaviour of certain organs and cause them to function abnormally.

The relaxation and suggestion which are used by audiotherapy tools hence make it possible to bring these nervous tensions under control in your own home. These tools are hence a useful complementary solution to individual psychological treatment and/or medication.

Given the experience that we have acquired in the hospital and medical environments over the past 10 years and the substantial relaxing effects observed in loco-regional anaesthesia, observation wards and sleep laboratories, we can consider the content of these recordings as genuine auditory active ingredients.

A complement to treatment by medication

Medicines are a physiological means of dealing with physiological symptoms. Audiotherapy tools are emotional tools to deal with emotional problems. This is where the complementary nature of audiotherapy with respect to general medical treatment comes into play. When a doctor analyses the emotional state of a patient, he or she first listens to what the patient has to say and then gives appropriate advice and prescribes suitable medication.

The medication has an effect at the physiological level, and listening to the audiotherapy tool becomes the continuation at home of the emotional treatment started in the doctor’s surgery. The advantage of the audiotherapy tool is thus to enable the patient to obtain emotional support in his own home. The audiotherapy tool does not replace either a medical treatment or a medical specialist, but complements and extends the effect of these.

Produce an impact on the subconscious

Repeated listening to messages which have been specially coded to get through to the subconscious has a profound influence on the listener’s behaviour. This is proved by the sometimes unexpected influence on our behaviour of television advertising. The indirect suggestion used by this recording is undoubtedly currently the most effective method for getting these powerful subconscious resources to come into play to help us change behaviour patterns which we consider as not being good for us. It operates in such a way that, without any conscious effort on your part, you develop the type of behaviour pattern that you are seeking.

This is a genuine conditioned relaxation reflex related to the theme being treated, which will gradually work its way into your being and you may also find that you may be able to take a step back from your anxieties or the source of your stress. It seems that it is not events in themselves that are a source of stress, but, above all, the way in which we interpret them with respect to our way of life.

What is indirect suggestion?

Dr. Milton H. Erickson

Dr. Milton H. Erickson Based on the pioneering work of Dr. Milton H. Erickson, this technique has the distinctive characteristics of being non-aggressive, flexible and indirect, whilst making standardized suggestions. At the end of his life, Dr. Erickson spent most of his time taking therapists into his garden. He did this while telling them stories and working with his students while they studied his technique. And, working intuitively, he found out how to propose a theory which was applicable for the whole group. Dr. Erickson’s own daughter, who is herself a psychologist, has designed recordings which go along with the tradition of her father’s work: "My father told the same stories over and over again. He used metaphors in their widest sense. In this way, they gave a range of possible positive choices, thus enabling a series of different people to identify with them in different ways, depending on their character. He proposed a universal message, but more than one person took the message as something that seemed to be addressed to him or her personally" (Carol Erickson – an interview with Magical Blend 07/1991)
How to talk to your body and why?

The body and its organs are closely linked to the brain, and more specifically to the emotional centre in the brain, which, in particular, regulates all the "automatic" functions. When stress or depression occurs, and depending on the person’s characteristics, certain organs are undeniably used to express the accumulated tension. By listening to the relaxing recordings and by means of the powerful technologies used by these "audiotherapy tools", the emotional centre in the brain can be accessed, thus allowing for a degree of re-balancing of the tensions with respect to the organs that it regulates.

On the one hand, there are the psychoacoustic technologies implemented in these audiotherapy tools (audio frequencies between 3 and 8 hertz, guided relaxation and breathing exercises) which act as a powerful relaxing agent and make the anti-stress safety valve operate, and on the other hand, the suggestions included have a soothing effect on the targeted organs. Several studies published in international magazines (for example, in "Nature") have proved the influence of suggestion on human organs. But to reach the objectives of these techniques, it is important that the rational part of the brain, that of active thinking, be "put to sleep". This is what is called "letting go" or getting to the stage of "hearing without listening to" the messages contained in the recording; without this "switching off" the receptiveness of the subconscious would be very significantly limited.

Induction and suggestion

Marc François
Studio BSB

Several different methods are used in our recordings to get people to "switch off" their attention, such as:

• metaphors, "multiple recalls",
• "sound effects",
• "rhythmic beats in both ears",
• specific stimuli by means of sounds, and visual stimuli at certain frequencies, which, used together, are really effective in getting the subject into a state of receptiveness!

Once the subject has reached the state where his or her attention is "switched off", access to the resources of their subconscious resources is much easier. This is why most of the message is conveyed by the therapist in the form of stories, fairy tales, legends, texts coming from other types of therapy and stories taken from everyday life... All items which have, of course, been chosen because of their suggestive power, whilst using Dr Erickson’s confusion technique for overcoming conscious resistance to the suggestions of changes

More than one voice at a time.

 

Joao Diaz - Speaker (Brazil)

Carla Diaz - Speaker (Brazil)

At certain specific points in the recording, two stories are told simultaneously. This is a method which prevents the subject’s critical and analytical faculties from concentrating on the suggestions, which are audible (and not subliminal). As a general rule, the subject’s conscious "gives up" and stops paying attention to the two stories. Furthermore, in order to avoid any attempt by the conscious to listen or to link the stories to the problem to be solved, the technique of using metaphorical language is used. Research has shown that the language of the subconscious is basically metaphorical.

Audiotherapy tools are in no way intended to be used as a substitute for appropriate medical or psychological treatment; they are a complement to any prescribed treatment, which provides psychological help, which has not been specifically adapted to their case, to be used in the person’s own home. Audiotherapy tools are available from your local chemist’s shop.

Using

Recommended frequency
 

You can listen to these recordings as often as you like.

• You can listen to these recordings as often as you like.
• To start with, we recommend that you listen to your CD every day for 3 weeks, at bedtime or during your siesta.
• Then come down to 3 times per week for 2 months.
• Then once a week for a further month.
• After that, don’t hesitate to listen to any of the CDs when you feel the need.
• At bedtime, these recordings are an ideal preparation for a good night’s rest and pleasant and useful dreams.

Use this recording regularly. In order to get the modification in your behaviour patterns "worked in", repetition will improve and reinforce the changes which will take place automatically. This small investment of some of your time will have an influence on your well-being which you will feel during your sleep and all through the following day. And, as you listen repeatedly to the recording, the suggestions will have a more and more profound effect, your behaviour will be able to change and you will be able to take a step (or several steps!) back from your problems.

Suggestions on how to listen to the titels

As soon as voices start "talking" at the same time, allow yourself to hear without listening. After a while, the only thing you will want to do is set your mind free. If you do not listen directly but allow your ears to simply hear the sound in a relaxed state, it will be easier for the messages, metaphors and images to reach the part of your subconscious that needs them most.

Advice as regards listening to audiotherapy tools

You must use a pair of stereo headphones and a disc-man (which you can easily take to bed with you). The effectiveness of the technologies used is only at its best if you use headphones. When the voices start "talking" simultaneously, let yourself hear them without trying to listen. After a while, all you will want to do is let your mind go its own way. If you don’t listen directly, or rather, if you let yourself hear, in a relaxed state, the messages, metaphors and pictures can reach the part of your subconscious that needs them the most more easily.

Most of the people who use this type of recording either get into a state of deep relaxation or fall into a deep and refreshing sleep. Afterwards, it may happen that their conscious only remembers part of the suggested messages, whereas they feel the benefits of the recording in their daily lives.

Our recordings have been designed for regular use. We have taken care to design them in such a way that they are not only effective, but also interesting, and, above all, pleasant enough that you will want to listen to them frequently. Each recording includes several levels of metaphors and of complex special effects. A large proportion of the pleasure that they may give you comes from the fact that each person will find his or her own specific levels and dimensions of meaning in them.

Medical

Our technologies can be used to replace or reduce painkillers and sedatives that are normally administered alongside local or loco-regional anaesthesia to counter stress during surgery. The AUDIO-MEDECINE® series is ideally suited for people about to undergo painful examinations with uncertain diagnosis, expectant mothers, people suffering from anxiety-driven sleep disorders and people with heart, gastric or respiratory problems. And this list is by no means exhaustive!
Preventive medicine clinics in Belgian Ministries have already added our techniques to their therapeutic protocol.

Since 1990, AUDIO-MEDECINE® has been widely used in hospitals in Europe and abroad (Asia, U.S., Latin America, etc.).

Examples of results in hospital settings:

Recovery Rooms In July 1994, our technologies were used in the recovery room of a university hospital in Brussels. 94% of the patients asked for more! Given the excellent results, spending on relaxation equipment doubled in December 1994, only six months after the initial purchase. "Some of the postoperative pain and complications are directly caused by anxiety," reports the head doctor! The rate of vomiting, which used to be 35% to 40% on average, fell to 12%! Heart-related complications went from 14.4% to 2.3% and respiratory complications dropped from 6% to 0.3%! All things considered, 25% of the patients suffer less!" (Le Vif l'Express, 4 November 1994 issue)   Sleep Laboratory AUDIO-MEDECINE® has been used to treat sleep disorders. It is an excellent tool for sleep laboratories because it allows patients to empty their minds and gently fall asleep. (Sleep Laboratory, Dr. H., Brussels University's Hospital)     Locoregional Anaesthesia "In 1989, Dr. Diebold (surgeon) and Dr. Litchinko (anaesthetist) were the very first to introduce our anti-stress technologies in surgery. Their experience covers over 10,000 operations where 96% of the patients enthusiastically embraced the technique. As a result, lower doses of analgesics and sedatives were needed alongside anaesthesia. In some cases, they were not needed at all!" (RTL TOP SANTE February 1994). Dr. Lisoir and Dr. Litchinko have designed three AUDIO-MEDECINE® recordings to be listened to before, during and after the operation. "There has been a general level of satisfaction:   Patients feel good before, during and after the operation. Surgeons can operate without being disturbed by sudden movements caused by patient discomfort. The anaesthetist contributes to patient well-being by reducing the doses of toxic drugs. He enriches the therapeutic relationship before and during the operation. Hospital stays are shorter because patients experience fewer postoperative complications. (Dr. Litchinko "SAVOIR PLUS SANTE", a T.V. program by André Decloset, France2, 1995)   Dentistry "With AUDIO-MEDECINE® technologies, the patient's attention is distracted from the dental act. Time seems to go by faster and there is less anxiety and pain. The dentist can also work without worrying about patient scrutiny." (Dentist L., Brussels (Report on 55 patients, May 1995)     Preventive Medicine "AUDIO-MEDECINE® is an excellent anti-stress tool. Patients are satisfied and regularly practice this type of relaxation to defuse chronic stress." (Dr. G. head of the preventive medicine clinic of a Belgian Ministry, Portuguese Radio Television, April 1995)

 

Author

Stéphane Dumonceau-Krsmanovic

He qualified as a teacher of physiotherapy and physical at the Free University of Brussels (1983) and is a specialist in relaxation and mental preparation for competition and has carried out research (sensorial isolation chamber, variable-frequency audiovisual stimulation, alpha biofeedback, etc.) since 1984 as a scientific assistant and doctoral student in the Department of Applied Psychology (ISEPK-ULB). He has also written an explanatory book on the subject, entitled: "Faites chanter vos neurones" ("Make your neurons sing"), published by Souffle d'Or.

The texts of the audiotherapy tools developed on the basis of the research work done by Dr. Erickson in the USA are the result of the collaboration between several doctors who are specialists in this field, the main contributors being Dr. Jean-Jacques Lisoir, based in Brussels, Belgium and Dr. Patrick Van Alphen, based in Paris, France together with Stéphane Krsmanovic, a qualified teacher of physiotherapy and physical education (the designer of the Mind Booster®), who has specialized in relaxation technologies (sophrology, sensorial isolation chamber, biofeedback, hemisync, variable-frequency audiovisual stimulation, etc.) since 1984. For certain cases, such as the specific use during dental surgery and other surgical operations, the texts were prepared with the collaboration of Dr. Michaël Litchinko, an anaesthetist based in Nancy, France and Dr. Jean-Charles Goris, a qualified dental surgeon based in Brussels, Belgium.

 

In collaboration with some specialists:

		Dr Patrick Van Alphen He has a doctorate in general medicine from the Université Libre de Bruxelles (Free university of Brussels), and has received training in Ericksonian suggestion (training in the anaesthesia and intensive care department of the Sart Tilman hospital centre in Liège by Dr. Faimonville and at the Institute of New Suggestion Therapy by Dr. Eric Mairlot, a neuro-psychiatrist). He is responsible for psychosomatic care in several hospital departments (pre and post-operative pain problems, chemotherapy support, risks of premature births, etc.)
		Dr Jean-Jacques Lisoir He has a doctorate in general medicine from the Catholic University of Louvain (1979), and has specialized in general practice; he has used acupuncture as part of his treatments since 1983. He has taken an interest in various relaxation techniques, especially Ericksonian suggestion, in the context of research into stress-related illnesses (he has an IMHEB certificate).

FAQ

Frequently asked questions:

1. What exactly is an audiotherapy tool?
An audiotherapy tool is a stereo recording with therapeutic properties which uses several psycho-acoustic techniques. It always uses several voices, sound and visual stimuli, sound effects and music. It is usually sold on either a CD or an audio DVD. The message texts have been designed by doctors and specialists in psychosomatics.

2. Are audiotherapy tools a form of medication?
No, an audiotherapy tool is a complement to medication. It is the psychological answer to a stress-related problem, whereas the medication is the physiological answer. The active ingredient in a medicine is a substance to be absorbed by the body, whereas the active ingredients of an audiotherapy tool are audio and visual stimuli. It is administered through the ears of the patient. Some audiotherapy tools nevertheless have an effect which as powerful as that of certain medicines. This is born out by the fact that for some operations under loco-regional anaesthesia, they have totally replaced intravenous injections of sedatives and analgesics. Nevertheless, for any use outside the hospital environment, that is, any use without supervision by medical personnel, and any preventive use in your own home, we strongly advise you to ALWAYS use the audiotherapy tool as a COMPLEMENT to your medical treatment. An audiotherapy tool never replaces medication or psychotherapy treatment, but it is a useful complement to these. It is the psychological answer to your problem for use at home.

3. Are there audiotherapy tools for treating all types of illness?
No, only for stress-related illnesses.

4. How are audiotherapy tools to be used?
Stereo headphones must be used, as some stimuli are only sent to the right ear, and others only to the left ear and the sound effects created play an active part in the "letting go" which is indispensable for optimal contact with the subconscious. Even so, if you listen to an audiotherapy tool on a normal hi-hi system without using headphones, there will nevertheless be some relaxing effect. But the effect of the suggestions will be limited, as the listener will not be hearing in stereo, the signals sent to the left and right ears being mixed simultaneously in each ear.

5. What are the components of the coded stimuli in the audiotherapy tools?
The auditory stimuli are made up of soothing voices, guided sophronical-type relaxation, suggestions aimed at the subconscious, extracts from pleasant sounds heard in the countryside, peaceful background music and repetitive sound stimuli adjusted to specific frequencies which are able to reduce the cerebral rhythm (from 5 to 10 hertz or cycles per second). Together with the auditory stimuli, visual stimuli are also included, which ensure that the subject reaches a state of relaxation which implies optimal receptiveness. In order to be able to see these visual stimuli, you must purchase a pair of goggles equipped with LEDs and an electronic decoder which, when connected to your disc-man, will transmit the visual stimuli to the goggles.

6. How do audiotherapy tools work?
The seat of the emotions in the brain is linked via the nervous system to all parts of the body. As soon as the human body is subjected to any type of stress, and more specifically to emotional stress, the whole nervous system is affected, which has an immediate impact on all the body’s organs. If the stress continues over a long period of time, these organs can start behaving abnormally (abnormal increase in gastric secretions, heart rhythm problems, spastic colon, hormonal problems, sexual problems, breathing difficulties, tension headaches, difficulties in getting to sleep and, in general, a pre-depressive condition). By using an audiotherapy tool regularly at home, you will maximize the possibilities of getting over stress-related problems. However, before you use these tools, you must consult your general practitioner, so that you will be using the audiotherapy tool in the context of an overall medical treatment, and never on its own. In this way, you will avoid the errors and excesses which are the inherent risks of self-medication.

7. What are the strategy and context for using audiotherapy tools?
There are very precise instructions for use. The listening conditions must be complied with, otherwise the overall effect will be cancelled out: you must be alone and not be disturbed by other people, you must use the tool regularly during your siesta or before going to sleep at night and listen to it repeatedly as stipulated in the instructions supplied with each audiotherapy tool so as to get into the habit of relaxing.

8. Is an audiotherapy tool an expensive product?
No, an audiotherapy tool costs 24.20 Euros including taxes in France. It can be used for many years by several people in the same family. It will not wear out, and can, to all intents and purposes, be used indefinitely.

9. Can I copy an audiotherapy tool?
The copyright laws forbid the making of copies to be supplied to third parties. So it would be illegal to make a copy for a friend. But for your own personal use you may make a copy and keep the original “unused”. In fact a CD does get slightly worn over a number of years. Please note however that the coding system producing the visual stimuli cannot be copied using MP3 or any other digital compression system. Only a complete digital copy will enable you to save all the coded data.

10. Are audiotherapy tools reliable products?
Yes, these products have been developed by fully-qualified medical staff (doctors who are specialists, physiotherapist, psychologists etc). Furthermore, the technology used in each audiotherapy tool has first of all been tested in a hospital context during more than ten years and the results obtained are such that we can guarantee that these tools will have some degree of effectiveness, which is, however, variable from person to person and with respect to the problem to be treated. The hospital departments in which audiotherapy tools have been tested are: sleep laboratory, antenatal clinic, post-operational observation ward, loco-regional anaesthesia, preventive medicine, dental surgery.

11. Why is it that stress affects some specific organs for some people and not for others?
Some people have weaknesses in certain organs and some in other organs. Also, some problems are correlated to certain specific psychological profiles.

12. Is stress always a negative thing?
NNo, moments of acute stress are positive and produce a dynamic reaction on the part of the person concerned. Negative stresses are stress that is to some degree chronic and which does not allow for any response or reaction on the part of the sufferer, and stress which is described as "chronic", which somatize in the body.

13. Are there remedies other than audiotherapy tools for treating negative stress?
Audiotherapy tools have not yet been developed for treating all the types of stress-related problem. Besides this, there are many other ways of fighting against negative stress: sporting activities, a healthy diet, food complements, yoga, relaxation, etc.

14. What are the problems which can be addressed by the audiotherapy tools which are currently available?
General depressive states, tendency to bulimia, sleeping difficulties, generalized stress, tension headaches, smoking, heavy drinking, drug abuse, angina, palpitations, states of anguish, psychogenic hyperventilation, asthma, sexual problems (erection problems, occasional frigidity, etc.), stress related to childbirth.