There is stress when an individual sees danger. A flight-or-fight response is triggered when the perceived stressor is real or imagined. Blood flow is diverted to the most critical organs whenCortisol floods the body. The biggest muscles needed to flee the danger are the essential organs. The survival mechanism has been around for a long time. It is an important part of how we deal with stressors. The sympathetic nervous system is involved in this state of alertness. The parasympathetic system takes over when the nervous system rests. The body can regenerate when it is calm.

There are two types of stress. Chronic stress can last months and years while acute stress can last a few minutes to hours. Short-term stress helps us gather resources in the body. Chronic stress has the most dramatic effects on health.

Stress can lead to elevated levels of cortisol in the body, which can cause more inflammation and accelerate biological aging. Increased susceptibility to some types of infections can be caused by the depressed immune system. Long-term stress can affect brain function and lead to burnout, where an individual feels emotionally drained, exhausted or overwhelmed.

It is possible for hypnotism to help an individual develop physical and emotional resilience to be able to function better under chronic stress. By allowing a person to adopt more useful and better habits and thoughts, he or she can see the world as half full instead of half empty. The stress response is caused by the perception of a danger. Under a brighter light, hypnotism can help reexamine the event.