Stress Headache: How Bioenergy Helps Calm the Mind and Relax the Body

How to recognise a stress headache

A stress headache usually feels like pressure or tightness, as if there were a band around your head. It is usually not throbbing and does not get worse with movement. Common signs are:

• pressure in the forehead, temples or back of the head
• a stiff neck and sore, tight shoulders
• a headache that grows stronger as the day goes on
• a clenched jaw and tired eyes
• difficulty concentrating and irritability

This kind of headache often follows long hours at the computer, tense conversations or a sleepless night.

Why tension gathers in the neck and shoulders

When we are under stress, the body unconsciously prepares to defend itself: the shoulders rise, the neck stiffens and breathing becomes shallow. If the stress lasts for days, the muscles stop relaxing and the tension becomes constant. From the neck and shoulders it spreads to the back of the head and the head itself.

In bioenergy this state is described as energy that has become held in the upper body and no longer flows freely. That is why many people feel as if they are “carrying a weight on their shoulders”. Read more about how stress affects the body in the articles how stress affects the flow of energy in the body and back pain and energy imbalance.

How bioenergy can help

Bioenergy works with a person’s energy field and helps held tension start moving again and spread evenly. With a stress headache, the aim is to break the cycle in which stress tightens the body and a tense body creates even more pressure in the head.

How bioenergy has a positive effect

• Releases tension in the body. Helps ease the tightness in the head, neck and shoulders that has built up over days of stress.
• Calms the mind. Thoughts slow down and the feeling of constant alertness gives way to calm.
• Deepens breathing. As the body relaxes, breathing becomes calmer and deeper and the head feels lighter.
• Restores energy balance. Energy held in the upper body flows freely through the whole body again.
• Supports restful sleep. A relaxed body falls asleep more easily and rests better, and good sleep itself reduces headaches.
• Restores strength and motivation. Many people feel more energy after a treatment and cope more easily with everyday tasks.

What people feel

Many people already feel during the treatment how their shoulders drop, their breathing deepens and the pressure in their head eases. After the treatment they often describe a lighter, clearer head, warmth in the neck and a sense of having “put down a weight”. Everyone’s experience is different, but for many this feeling stays with them after the treatment.

Why it helps in the long run

When the body has been under stress for a long time, it forgets what relaxation feels like. Bioenergy helps it feel that state again, and a body that knows how to relax copes more easily with everyday stress. That is why people whose stress headaches keep returning come for bioenergy from time to time, when they feel the tension building up again, and many notice over time that the tension returns more and more slowly.

Crystal therapy for tension

Crystal therapy is a separate treatment that complements bioenergy very well. It is carried out separately: the person lies down calmly while the therapist places selected crystals around them. For people who sit tense all day, simply lying still with a relaxed neck and shoulders brings great relief.

For tension and stress headaches, the crystals used most often are those traditionally associated with calm and clarity:

• Amethyst: associated with calm and relaxation, and traditionally placed near the head.
• Clear quartz: associated with clarity of mind and balance.
• Black tourmaline: associated with grounding and releasing tension.

Which crystals are used is decided individually, after a conversation. With Vlasta Jašćur, crystal therapy is provided by a team of certified crystal therapists. Read more in the article crystal therapy and bioenergy: how they complement each other.

What the treatments look like

Both treatments begin with a conversation about when the headache appears, where you feel the tension and what your day usually brings. During a bioenergy treatment you sit or stand comfortably, fully clothed, while Vlasta works with your energy field without physical contact. During crystal therapy you lie comfortably while the therapist places selected crystals around you. At the end there is time for a short conversation and questions.

Treatments take place in a calm space in Zagreb, and for those who cannot come in person there is also remote bioenergy therapy. Read more about the method on the page Bioenergy: what it is, how it works and what a treatment looks like.

Small habits for a relaxed neck and shoulders

The calm the body feels during a treatment is easier to hold on to with a few simple habits:

• Every hour, get up from the computer, drop your shoulders and slowly turn your head left and right.
• When you feel tension, breathe in counting to 4 and out counting to 6, and let your shoulders fall as you breathe out.
• Drink enough water and do not skip meals, as this can also make headaches worse.

When to see a doctor

See a doctor if the headache is sudden and very severe, if it is different from usual, if it follows a blow to the head, if it comes with fever, a stiff neck with a high temperature, problems with vision or speech, or weakness in the arms or legs, or if headaches are becoming more frequent. If you take medication, do not stop it without talking to your doctor.

Bioenergy complements medical care but does not replace it. Read more in the article bioenergy and conventional medicine.