Do not be alarmed at the thought of regression. Remember that it is a completely normal phenomenon which all normal people experience in moments of reverie. In fact, it would seem that periods of reverie, like sleep, are necessary for the normal healthy functioning of our mind. In moments of reverie we are no longer concerned with our immediate surroundings, and our mind is left to wander from topic to topic. These moments are extremely relaxing, and the relaxation of the mind remains with us for some time after we have abandoned our reverie, and have returned to our normal way of alert thinking. It seems that in reverie,, just as in sleep, there is an integration of nervous impulses so that we lose some of our tension and anxiety, and as a result feel calmer and more relaxed. In this respect it is interesting to note that the person who suffers from severe tension and anxiety no longer has this normal tendency to moments of reverie. He is alert and on the lookout all the time. He cannot relax and let himself go off guard into a state of reverie. As a result he is without this normal mechanism which helps to save us from anxiety, so his tension is still further increased. The exercises with their consciously induced regression help to make up for the loss of spontaneous reverie, and so work to relieve tension and anxiety.

The common difficulty in allowing ourselves to regress concerns the letting go which is such an important part of it. There is a biological reason for this. Over countless generations we have been conditioned to be on guard. Those that were not on guard fell by the wayside and did not survive. True, we have some reverie, but reverie is characteristically a momentary affair. Now, to regress we have to let go and let ourselves be off guard. But now we can do it because we are safe. We know that we are safe and that nothing will befall us.

We are really rather afraid to let go. This applies to all of us, but especially to those who are tense and anxious. When we suffer from tension we are all the time holding ourselves in, as it were. We keep a hold on ourselves. We keep ourselves in check. We feel that if we did not do this our tension would somehow get out of control, and anything might happen. The difficulty is that the anxious person is continually holding himself in, while in the exercises he is asked to let himself go.

There are two things which help us to overcome this difficulty. The first is that we know that we are completely safe. This simple idea is of the utmost importance. You are safe. It is perfectly safe for you to let yourself relax and go off guard, so that your mind can wander where it will. It is safe because it is the normal thing that all healthy people do in reverie. We must feel safe and secure, because if we feel unsafe and insecure we are automatically on guard, which is the exact opposite of what we are aiming to achieve.

The other way that we get help in allowing ourselves to drift into regression is to become more and more familiar with the sensation of letting go.

I feel the muscles of my legs let go.—The thighs and the calves, they really let go.—My arms let go so that they are just flopped on the sides of the chair.—And the muscles of my face, they let go.—My jaw has let go, I feel it loose.—And my face lets go so that I can feel it smooth out.—I let go my whole body.—I let myself go.—I just drift with it.

Some people experience difficulty in that they remain too alert to everything that is going on around them. Their eyes are closed, but they are still conscious of the furniture and the things around them. If someone in the next room moves, they think that is so-and-so getting ready to prepare the meal. This is not what we want. We aim to let ourselves be oblivious of our immediate surroundings, and if we hear a noise from the next room, it is just a noise, and it has no particular significance for us. We can help ourselves like this:

I am just sitting here relaxing.—While I am doing it nothing else matters, nothing else matters.—I am just here, easy, comfortable, relaxed.—There is just me relaxing.—Me relaxing, that is all that there is.

Occasionally sleep may be a difficulty. Some people, as they start to relax, go straight to sleep. This is to be avoided. Sleep is some help in relieving tension, but it is very, very much less help than this relaxed state of mind. If you have a tendency to fall asleep when you start your exercises, use a more uncomfortable posture, and concentrate on keeping awake. Then when you have finished the exercises, just let yourself drift off to sleep to have a rest.

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The latest scientific research shows that the single most important health and longevity factor is a scanty diet or underfeeding. Statistics collected from the several thousands of centenarians in Russia show that one common characteristic of all people who lived 100 years or longer is that throughout their lives they were all moderate eaters. Extensive animal studies reveal that moderate underfeeding increases longevity and decreases incidence of degenerative diseases.2 The eminent scientist, Dr. C. M. McCays of Cornell University, has shown by his research that overeating is the major cause of premature aging in civilized countries. To prolong life and assure good health he recommends a scanty diet of nutritionally superior natural foods.

As Benjamin Franklin said, “A full belly is the mother of all evil.” Obesity is, perhaps, the biggest American health problem and a contributing cause in the contraction of many diseases, including arthritis. As Thomas Edison suggested, “People gorge themselves with rich foods, use their time, ruin their digestion, and poison themselves…”

Food eaten in excess of the actual bodily need acts in the system as a poison; interferes with digestion; causes internal sluggishness, gas, incomplete assimilation, and other metabolic disturbances. It causes fermentation and putrefaction and actually poisons your system.

Leave your table when the food tastes its best. Several smaller meals or snacks are better than a few huge meals. Train yourself to systematically undereat and you will give yourself the best—and the cheapest—health insurance possible.

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