Happy Chemicals

When was the last time you had a really good laugh? You do remember don’t you?

Take a few moments and think about it now; where were you, who were you with and how good did you felt at the time, go on, it’s OK, I’ll wait.

So how good do you feel now? Regardless of whether you now have a smile on your face or are rolling around in fits of laughter, you have just managed to change your physiological state and in the process, have altered the level of chemicals in your brain and body.

You see, as you laugh or enjoy yourself in any way (and I mean in any way), your brain produces more chemicals, and in particular, a neurotransmitter called Serotonin. It’s this increase in Serotonin that gives you the good feelings when you enjoy a laugh, take exercise, and relax. It’s also why Serotonin is known as the brain’s happy chemical.

When all is well, healthy people regulate their levels of Serotonin and other brain/body chemicals perfectly. You might not be aware of this but just like when you heal a cut, repair a broken bone or fight infection; your unconscious mind (the part of you that’s there for your protection) knows what to do and makes it all happen, effortlessly, even while you sleep.

Note: This is how hypnosis works; someone communicates with your unconscious mind to request certain changes. (The results can be amazing!)

Sadly, if things go wrong in a person’s health and life, at times, they’ll try to cope with the symptoms of the problem rather than resolving the cause. This may help in the short term by covering-up the problem however in the long term it does very little. This is what can happen with conditions such as depression, the most common psychological disorder in the western world.

In the past the most frequent treatment for coping with depression was drug therapy, the pills and potions. Of the various drugs used, the one’s with the least known side-effects (I won’t list them all here) are the antidepressants known as Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors. Basically what they do is help increase levels of serotonin in the brain (not as effectively as you can:-)) which may sound good, but they are only effective in a third of all cases. Also it has been reported that sufferer’s treated solely with antidepressants have an 80% chance of experiencing a second major episode. Could this be because the cause has not been resolved?

In his brilliant book ‘The Power of Intension, Dr. Wayne Dyer writes about a study that measured Serotonin levels in people during acts of kindness. It was discovered that people who performed an act of kindness received an increase in their Serotonin levels. Further more, the receiver of the good act also enjoyed an increase in their Serotonin levels. What was most amazing was that people who had only witnessed the act of kindness also had an increase in their Serotonin levels. In each of these cases the performer, the receiver and the witness all had similar increases in this happy chemical. 

There are many other ways to naturally increase your Serotonin levels, beat depression and feel good. Like the above, you can do many of them all by yourself; others may require a little more help and that’s what we’re here for. Much can be done!

Now at times people who experience major depression will need more than what you have read above. In all cases you should consult your doctor and together make an informed decision as to the best way forward for you.

Just so you know, the techniques we use are effective on their own and can also complement any other course of treatment you may have.

Contact Infinite Mind for more information and even better health >>

The following book may be of interest to you:

The Power of Intension by Dr. Wayne Dyer >>