The neck may become stressed as a result of jarring or jerking the neck in a fall or in whiplash, or by working or reading with the head tilted downwards for long periods of time; or even twisting the neck at odd angles.
Furthermore, emotional stress like anger, anxiety and shock cause the person to hunch their shoulders and tighten the neck muscles. Another possible cause of neck stress could be exposure to chemicals and toxins, which can result in neck stress, headaches and even nausea.
As the nerves to the arm, face, as well as the internal organs of the chest and abdomen radiate out from the neck vertebra, stress in this area can have some dramatic effects on the body – sometimes even affecting our sense of sight, smell or hearing.
Neck tension may have far reaching negative effects on the body as a whole as every single spinal nerve arises from nerve tracts which first pass through the cervical (neck) area of the spinal cord.
Chemical Headache:
When a client presents with dizziness and nausea along with persistent neck tension or severe headaches, the practitioner will test for sites of tension in the neck that could indicate a reaction to a chemical irritant.
A woman of 28 had been experiencing almost constant headaches for 6 months, as well as a stiff and painful neck. She had 2 sessions of BSR. After each one, the pain withdrew but returned within a day. Detailed questioning revealed that she had started using a new skin cream about 6 months before. She stopped using it, and after one further session of BSR her neck stabilised and the headaches ceased.
Numb arms and fingers:
A man of 42 complained of numbness in his arms, pins and needles in his fingers, and weakness of the hands. Body stress was released in his neck over 3 sessions. He reported that full sensation and strength had returned to his arms a week later.
Asthma:
A woman in her thirties had suffered from frequent attacks of asthma since a neck whiplash in a car accident, four months previously. After three sessions of BSR full movement was restored to her neck and all symptoms of asthma had ceased.
Ear pain:
A student of 19 had ear pain for 9 months. An ENT specialist could find no cause and prescribed pain medication. The BSR practitioner released body stress in the neck and the lower back. After the first session the neck felt more mobile, and the ear pain withdrew entirely after the second session.
Improved Vision:
A man in his fifties had been wearing glasses for decades. After several sessions of BSR he was startled to find they were distorting his vision. Another man in his sixties found that during the year after he’d had 6 sessions of BSR his vision gradually improved to the point that he could dispense of his thick, bifocal spectacles.
Neck immobility:
A man in his early twenties had been diagnosed with neuralgia of the neck. He had constant pain on both sides with limited movement. He also felt unrelenting pins and needles in his arms and complained of lower back stiffness.
He realised that his problems dated back to a car accident seven years prior, as well as several concussions he’d suffered playing rugby.
A variety of medical and alternative treatments hadn’t helped and he felt despondent as he could no longer do sport or exercise.
Body stress was released throughout his spine as well as his chest. Initially his neck pain increased and he had several headaches, although the arm sensations diminished.
The next few sessions were a roller coaster ride of ups and downs, as the neck pain and rigidity lessened then worsened.
This takes place as the body progressively unlocks layers of tension, and sensation is restored to the compressed nerves.
By the fifth appointment the young man struggled to hold back tears of relief when he showed the practitioner that he could turn his head from side to side. He was amazed that this process had only taken 2 weeks.
