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". . . we keep suffering from stress not because life itself is so stressful, but because we misunderstand what stress really is, what causes it to occur, and what we can do about it." (p. v.)
"We have not been taught to identify the real causes of our stress--many of which are hidden from our view--nor have we been trained to deal with these causes once they are identified. In my experience, once people learn to do these two things--identify the hidden causes of their stress and deal with these causes successfully--they can reduce or eliminate most of the stress they normally experience." (p. xiv.)
"This book will also introduce you to a whole new way of understanding yourself as a human being. It will provide you with a new way of comprehending your thoughts, feelings, moods, and emotions that is very different from currently accepted mind-body theories. This new viewpoint--called Biolinguistics--is already beginning to change our understanding not only of stress, but of many human problems such as obesity, drug addiction, relationship conflicts, among others." (p. xvii.)
". . . 'stress' is a word that stands for problems and conflicts that occur either outside or inside our bodies (p. 5.) Thus, whenever we say we are 'suffering from stress,' we are really suffering from problems or conflicts that are painful or troubling to us." (p. 7.)
"Each specific problem or conflict we experience has specific underlying causes. Knowing how to 'win' against stress means knowing how to identify and deal with these causes effectively." (p. 9.)
"Events, situations, and other external pressures are rarely the primary cause of any 'stress' we experience." (p. 18.)
"In the final analysis, all of the causes of human stress proposed to date arise from two--and only two--types of internal factors--conversations and action patterns--which are usually not obvious to us unless we know how to look for them. THE MAJOR PURPOSE OF THIS BOOK IS TO SHOW YOU HOW TO IDENTIFY AND DEAL WITH THESE INTERNAL CONVERSATIONS AND ACTION PATTERNS SUCCESSFULLY." (p. 23.)
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"I do not mean to imply that stress is caused only by internal factors. External factors, social factors, cultural factors, and situational factors also play a role. It is very useful, however, to focus on our internal causes, since these are the causes we don't normally 'see' and because they are also the ones we can do the most about." (p. 23.)
"Most of our stress-producing conversations and action patterns are not part of our conscious awareness or 'self-talk.' They are not conversations we say to ourselves, nor are they behavior patterns we consciously adopt . . . These hidden patterns exist in the background of our awareness. They become triggered automatically, like 'knee-jerk' reflexes, and as we will see in later discussions, they are equally difficult to change or control." (p. 29.)
"The idea that internal conversations and action patterns contribute to our stress is not new. What is new is the realization that these hidden causes exist in our bodies, not our minds." (p. 35.)
"I believe we have reached a similar 'turning point' in our knowledge of human stress, where old, outdated theories continue to dominate our thinking, even though a new, more accurate model has clearly emerged. This new model--which I call 'Biolinguistics'--has been developing for many years." (pp. 37-38.)
"According to Biolinguistics, human beings do not consist of 'a mind and a body.' We consist of only one thing--a body--which has unique and remarkable capacities for language." (p. 38.)
". . . while certain events in life can truly be tragic, the amount of stress you experience from them will often be determined by the hidden conversations and action patterns that become triggered within you." (p. 42.)
"When we are born, our bodies are literally 'dropped' into a sea of already-existing cultural and historical conversations, discourses, and customs. As we grow and develop, these social conversations and customs become 'programmed' into our bodies." (p. 43.)
". . . human conversations not only arise from our bodies, but they can have profound effects upon our bodies as well." (p. 47.)
"According to Biolinguistics, 'thoughts' are not ideas in our minds--they are conversations that take place within our bodies." (p. 48.)
"Each mood or emotion is produced by specific internal conversations and action patterns that are essentially the same for all human beings." (p. 50.)
"As you begin to identify the internal causes of your stress, always remember that they exist in your body, not your mind. This will keep you from feeling guilty, frustrated, angry, or depressed for repeatedly responding in such automatic ways." (pp. 60-61.)
"The truth about human beings is that we almost always contribute--in one way or another--to the 'stress' we experience. This doesn't mean that external situations and events play no role at all. Clearly they do. But usually we can recognize these external factors without too much difficulty. In contrast, we often fail to recognize how our own internal conversations and action patterns also play a role." (p. 70.)
"If all you want to do is deal with the symptoms of your problems, then stress management is an excellent way to go. But if you want to make your stress disappear naturally--and possibly learn to keep it from reoccurring--you must understand that stress management won't do this for you." (pp. 70-71.)
"When you deal only with the symptoms of your stress, you guarantee that many of your problems will continue to occur." (p. 78.)
"Once the internal causes of your stress have been brought to your attention, you can then do something about them. As long as they remain hidden from your view, there is little you can do to deal with them effectively." (p. 80.)
". . . when I first started my medical practice, I frequently became angry with my patients whenever they refused to follow my medical advice. . . One evening, an event took place that helped me realize how one of my own internal patterns contributed to this problem." (pp. 84-85.)
"Learning to identify the hidden causes of your stress is not a skill you develop overnight. It can be acquired, however, with practice, patience, and persistence." (p. 89.)
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