Stress can be reduced with an enormously powerful force-the imagination. The practice of positive thinking for the treatment of physical symptoms was popularized by Emil Coue, a French pharmacist, around the turn of the nineteenth century. He believed that the power of the imagination far exceeds that of the will. Most people cannot will themselves into a relaxed state if they are already stressed, but they can imagine relaxation spreading through their bodies, and they can visualize themselves in a safe and beautiful refuge. Coue asserted that thoughts become reality-you are what you think you are. For example, if you think sad thoughts, you feel unhappy. If you think anxious thoughts, you become tense. Stress Reduction, a voice-guided Relaxation and Stress Reduction Audio Series program based on chapter 6 of The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook, will guide listeners to use the power of their imaginations to ease stress and achieve relaxation.
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