Relaxation through acupressure - that is our goal with the ShaktiMat. Letting go, coping with pain and feelings and actively doing something for yourself. Our blog is filled with practical examples, exercises and topics. But we know: There is so much more out there and would like to give you a few exciting insights into other topics today.
In order to think outside the box, we got the author and psychologist Klaus G. Lieg for an expert interview. He knows a lot about exciting and relaxing topics and has countless experiences to share: We talked to him about helpful approaches to mental and physical health such as Flourishing, Resilience, Competence Conviction and TEK Training, in addition to the acupressure mat.
Flourishing, what is that actually?
Borrowed from English, the term Flourishing means a multi-layered construct: the big goal is a happy and satisfied person. In positive psychology, from which Flourishing comes, it is about improving a person's overall quality of life. For this purpose, various relevant factors of a person's daily life are examined more closely and optimized:
- Happiness and life satisfaction
- Mental and physical health
- Sense and purpose
- Character and virtue
- Close social relationships
- Financial and material stability
The goal of Flourishing is to live a fulfilling, healthy life. An improved quality of life in the above-mentioned points ensures that we feel good in our everyday life - and this independently of other influences.
Interview with Dipl. Psych. Klaus G. Lieg
He holds a degree in psychology and examines the complex topic of psychological stress from many different professional angles. In the interview, Klaus G. Lieg reveals to us, among other things, which negative beliefs many people carry within themselves and shows us in which direction we can go to let go of them. Klaus has written two books: "Relaxation to the Point" and "The Seven Pillars of Resilience" I Photo: Klaus G. Lieg
Dear Klaus, you are not only a qualified psychologist, but also a coach and you also know a lot about acupressure mats. Can you tell me how you came to this exciting combination?
That was in 2009 during an impulse lecture of mine at a health fair. I was aware that our brain evokes different reaction patterns to stimulus. For example, when we are in love, touch has an activating effect and the pulse increases. In contrast, when we are sad, touch can calm us down, lower our heart rate and give us comfort.
When I lie on an acupressure mat, stimuli are triggered in the body - due to the high number of small spikes - which, among other things, stimulate blood circulation, relieve back pain and muscle tension or have a positive effect on sleep when used for a longer period of time. The stimulation by the mat triggers neurophysiological reactions on the nervous system, which lead to the release of endorphins and/or neurotransmitters that can naturally reduce pain and positively influence mood.
In your book "Relaxation to the point with the acupressure mat" you give many practical tips. Would you say that acupressure mats are a health tool that belongs in every household? If so, why?
Yes an acupressure mat should be in every household. Especially in today's ever-changing times, it is important to let go in between and consciously switch off. But not everyone can easily relax next to work, family, Corona, etc. or knows a relaxation technique that does him personally good and works quickly.
But "lying around" is something everyone can do. Simply lie on the mat and so charge his energy account, tension and stress cope. Through this simple and effective way of relaxation, everyone can recharge energy for the next phase of tension and with enough energy, everyone can approach and cope with stress with more peace and serenity.
You offer TEK training (emotional skills training) for your clients. What is this and does acupressure play a role here as well?
TEK training according to Prof. Dr. Matthias Berking is about improving stress, self-esteem and emotion regulation by learning how to deal constructively with stressful feelings. Which also means that we should and must sometimes endure negative feelings. Another important step is to learn to observe thoughts, sensations and feelings neutrally, without reacting to them immediately. In this way, we can prevent them from building up. However, a prerequisite for the successful use of TEK is regular and intensive practice. And these exercises can be learned much better in combination with an acupressure mat.
Flourishing is a brand new term for many people, who are reading it here in the article for the first time. How did you become aware of it and why did you decide to include it in your work?
I became aware of this through an article by the US psychologist Martin E. P. Seligman on the subject of depression and his contributions to the field of positive psychology.
I became aware of this through an article by US psychologist Martin E. P. Seligman on the subject of depression and his contributions to the field of positive psychology. We tend to think that we have to look outside ourselves for happiness, when in fact we have everything we need within ourselves to be happy. The prerequisite for this is that we take the time to look for it with a curious and open attitude - within ourselves. We should have the courage to be uncomfortable, to question more and to have plenty of discussions.
In order to "flourish," we must begin to stop leaving control of our health to chance, luck, or "fate," and instead take control of our mental and physical health. An acupressure mat is a great start.
If you want to read more about how to build healthy routines and take better care of your personal needs, we have just the article for you: Self-Care - from the art of taking care of yourself.
Resilience is currently on everyone's lips. Would you say that there is both psychological and physical resilience? Besides coaching, is there also a possibility to work on my resilience with exercises at home?
Yes, there are both: While psychological resilience deals with psychological stresses and their reactions to them (for example: constructive vs. destructive thought patterns), physical resilience is about the body's ability to adapt to new challenges, to maintain stamina and strength in the face of demands, and to recover efficiently and effectively when the body is acutely damaged. This includes exercise as well as a conscious diet. If health is the body's natural state, "resilience" simply refers to the body's ability to recognize and express its true strength. Thus, one can always return to that state, both mentally and physically.
There are many good and free exercises on the net on the subject of resilience, which everyone can and should use at home, so that the psyche and body are strengthened and remain so. You don't have to inevitably buy my book ("The 7 Pillars of Resilience" from Silberschnurverlag). But basically, for physical resilience, exercise, exercise, exercise is still the most effective thing, along with spending time with loved ones. And taking time for yourself. For psychological resilience, the phrase "Do I want this?" still applies as the first commandment!
A positive mental and physical state is a goal that many strive for but still fail to achieve. Why is that in your experience?
This is usually due to destructive beliefs. Beliefs often originate in childhood - their potentially destructive effect unfolds primarily in adulthood.
We humans tend to place more weight on things that go wrong than things that go right. This goes so far that a single negative event can take over and direct our thoughts in ways that are detrimental to our work, relationships, health and happiness.
Overthinking and excessive worrying create feelings of stress and anxiety that can lead to anxiety or depression if left untreated. Regaining control over one's thoughts is the key to feeling better again. Our task should therefore be to get to the bottom of our "destructive beliefs", to unmask and expose them so that we can look at them and challenge them.
Whatever beliefs are destructive to you, change them. Correct them. Disprove them. Prove to yourself that these beliefs are not (anymore) current, so that you can let them go with conviction.
As a psychologist and coach, you also deal with competence persuasion and optimism. In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges many people face in these two areas and what are the causes?
That makes me think directly of Helmut Schmidt, who said this apt phrase: "That's the whole pity: the stupid are so sure and the clever are so full of doubt."
Well, optimism is the stable belief that one will generally experience good outcomes in life. We believe that things will turn out for the best. And competence belief is our expectation that we can interact effectively with our environment. We believe that we know what to do and can do what it takes to be successful. Both psychological constructs are expectations of achieving good outcomes in life. Both are related to increased well-being, better stress management, and more effective self-regulation.
A key difference is that perceived competence focuses on the person's behavior to succeed, whereas with optimism, the expected positive outcome may not depend on behavior - other factors could contribute to achieving the favorable outcome. Competence beliefs are also always related to self-efficacy. High self-efficacy is related to better well-being, and low self-efficacy is related to lower well-being. The causes often lie in childhood.
For children to grow up healthily, they need above all attention and a genuine interest in the feelings and unfulfilled basic needs that lie behind their behavior. A constructive relationship, and one that is unconditional. This also includes arguing properly and respectfully time and again and thus making an effort to find compromises.
So support your children in building their resilience. Because that's how you raise them not only to be a strong adult, but a happy one at the same time.
Finally, a thought game: Can you tell me five typical beliefs people have that promote a negative emotional and physical state? What alternative beliefs could I choose instead to pave the way for a positive state?
Yes, very much so. As mentioned above, this is due to our destructive beliefs, which are quite comparable to self-fulfilling prophecies that have a detrimental effect on our emotional as well as physical health.
Example: "I am not enough", "I am not good enough", "I will never be happy" or "Others are better" "Nothing succeeds for me", "I am always unlucky", "I am unattractive" or "I am worthless" etc....
And just because we have grown up does not mean that we automatically free ourselves from old thought patterns. Destructive beliefs often have a lifelong effect. But only if they remain unrecognized and unchanged.
To remedy this, we must recognize these beliefs, find the origin of the beliefs and then dissolve them. Thus, the sentence "I don't succeed at anything", can be changed into "Sometimes I succeed at something well" and can best be supported with examples from the biography.
There are a lot of exercises from behavioral therapy for this, with the quickest help being bifocal multisensory intervention techniques like PEP or EMDR. For these and the behavioral therapy interventions, there are well-trained colleagues who can help quickly in a brief intervention in just 4-6 hours.
The practice of overcoming self-criticism or destructive beliefs is a gradual process and requires practice. We have probably all spent many decades thinking these thoughts and it will take some time to change them.
Fortunately, what we practice gets easier with time. So remember to be gentle with yourself, especially during these challenging times. Just lie down, preferably on the acupressure mat.
We would like to thank Dipl. Psych. Klaus G. Lieg for the interview and all his information and tips on mental health and acupressure. You can find more specific acupressure exercises for relaxation, pain and many specific complaints in our blog.
We wish you a fulfilling journey on your path towards flourishing and inner and outer well-being. If you would like to share your thoughts on the topics Klaus touched on in the interview and give your own tips or ask questions, please leave us a comment or visit us on Facebook.
Your ShaktiMat Team
About the author
Antje Wickboldt is a freelance writer from Berlin. She has been working with the body's self-healing powers for over 10 years and, as a lecturer, explains in interactive presentations for companies and offices how tension can be released with the help of acupressure and massage.
Sources for this article:
- VanderWeele, Tyler J.: On the promotion of human flourishing. In: PNAS 114, no. 31, p. 8151, 2017.
- http://www.beratung-coaching-koblenz.de/ (Einsicht am: 10.03.2022)
- https://positivepsychology.com/flourishing/ (Einsicht am: 13.03.2022)
- http://tek-training.de/ (Einsicht am 11.03.2022)