Mental relaxation techniques

Meditation is a widely recognised activity but our concern in this context is purely its relevance to relaxation. Some relaxation techniques, based on the meditative approach, have been specifically designed for use in the clinical setting. Benson's regime, the 'relaxation response', is probably the most well known and widely used example. Certain factors common to such activities as prayer and meditation produced a phenomenon which he termed the 'relaxation response'. Reductions in physiological arousal e.g. oxygen metabolism, heart rate, blood pressure and muscle tension. Based on these studies, he developed a simple technique with which he achieved similar results in non-meditators.T he technique involves four main elements:

sitting in a quiet, comfortable environment

preliminary muscle relaxation with closed eyes, cultivating an easy, natural breathing rhythm

a passive attitude to mental distractions or worries

using a neutral focal device to engage the attention, usually the silent repetition of a word such as 'one'.

Practice sessions should be carried out twice daily for 10-20 minutes.

The technique is comparatively easy and convenient to learn and teach in the clinical situation. Once learned, the technique can be applied to a variety of everyday situations, e.g. travelling on public transport. However, there are two main disadvantages in using the technique with severely anxious clients. Firstly, clients with acute symptoms of anxiety are likely to find difficulty in adopting a passive attitude. Secondly, such clients may also be unable to concentrate on the focal device, finding themselves overwhelmed by distracting cognitive activity during relaxation practice. Clearly, the autonomous use of a focal device and the adoption of a passive attitude are essential components of the technique. Because of this, clients should be selected carefully for training in this method. Alternatively, the technique may be more useful in the later stages of an anxiety management course, once some basic relaxation skills have already been mastered. However, a great advantage of this method is that client dependence on the therapist is avoided from the start because practice is client-controlled throughout.