02/12/2018
This is a book review I did as part of my CPD.
It's well worth a read. Or of course you could just read my review.
Title: The Stress Test.
Author: Ian Robertson. (Professor of Psychology in Trinity)
Publisher: Bloomsbury.
Year of publication: 2016
Number of pages: 222
This book is written in a very accessible way with the authors sense of humour coming through what is otherwise serious subject matter.
Essentially the book examines the premise that what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. This idea was originally posited by Nietzsche. Robertson asks why it is that some people can deal with stress, while others collapse under the weight.
Robertson uses his personal experience as a Clinical Psychologist and later studies as a neuroscientist to explain how we can interpret stress in a positive way. Not all stress is bad, and the distinction is made between useful stress (eustress) and unhelpful stress (distress)
Robertson’s eureka moment came while reading a study published in early 1984 that showed that contrary to previously accepted belief, the adult brain is not fixed but in fact malleable and changed by experience. Since this discovery there has been an avalanche of research in the field. Neuroscience research is now showing us that the brain is constantly changing, regardless of our age, which effectively means that we can rewire our brains. How our brain is wired is dictated by our life’s experiences, or to be precise our interpretation of our life’s experiences. Research in 1990 showed that while the basic structure of genes can’t be changed by external events, the way they work can be changed. This showed that environment and experiences can turn on and turn off genes’ activity. At this point Robertson realised the importance of challenging previously accepted beliefs, and changed from being a practising clinical psychologist to becoming a research neuroscientist.
Robertson realises that his fixed-brain thinking very much limited his ability to achieve desired results with his early patients, with his own fatalism no doubt at times influencing others. Nietzsche’s maxim recognizes in a philosophical sense the human ability to shape our own destiny. With this in mind Robertson moved forward with his research, trying to comprehend the communications of the mind and the brain in order to determine how we can use stress to our advantage. His research shows that by choosing how we interpret our body’s stress response we can control how we feel. If for example we take two people on a roller-coaster, same reaction (muscles tensing, hearth racing, rapid breathing etc.) different interpretation - one as excitement and the other fear. One vows never to go on again (fear) the other can’t wait to repeat the experience (excitement) The more we choose to think in a particular way, the more the neurons strengthen their connections. As in the neuroscience mantra “cells that fire together wire together”. In other words the more you do something, the more likely it is that you will repeat it in the future.
Repeating rewires the brain, which in turn forms new habits. Therefore it is so important that what we say to ourselves, and the language we use is positive and not negative. As this will define our beliefs and therefore, ultimately how we feel.
Robertson clearly understands the importance of presenting information in an accessible manner that engages the reader/ listener. He achieves this very well in “the stress test” by incorporating his own work life experiences with anecdotes and scientific research an empirical evidence.
As with any book I read, I try to take something positive from it, something I can use.
I have found that there is always something I can learn or relearn in any situation, with any experience. With “The stress test” the overall message is that we can learn to deal with stress, and even use it to our benefit. We no longer need to accept stress as something external and outside our control. By changing how we think about an external event/situation/person, we ultimately change how we feel.
Through reading this book I have become yet more self aware and now have a better insight into what is going on with my own thoughts, feelings, behaviour and beliefs. This helps me gain a better understanding of my tipping point and how to achieve that “sweet spot”. This of course helps me become a better Therapist. When I am better able to deal with my own stress, I am in a better place to help others. Also I can more readily explain the process of overcoming anxiety and dealing with stress, when I have used the tools myself.
As a therapist I incorporate everything that I learn regarding mental health and wellness into my sessions. I am also constantly learning from my clients. I feel that if I ever get to a point, that I don’t think that I need to learn any more, well then that will be the time to stop practising as a Therapist. I realised from reading “The Stress Test” that I can help my clients best, leading by example, using the tools myself. I have to believe in the techniques myself, if I am to expect my clients to do so.
