Stress has become one of the main points of discussion in regards to health in American culture today. Indeed, stress takes much the blame for what ails the general population (Lehrer, Woolfolk, & Sime, 2007). There are several forms of adaptation and techniques for management of stress responses. Many of these techniques fall under the heading of complementary and alternative medicine in that they are designed to help the body heal, recover, and be at its best (Freeman, 2009).
The Six Families of Relaxation
Many caregivers recognize six groups, or families, of relaxation techniques (Lehrer, et. al., 2007). These families are autogenic training, meditation or mindfulness, yoga stretching, positive imagery or self-statements, breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation (Lehrer, et. al., 2007).
Autogenic training is the practice of the subject becoming more aware of their body. The hope is that as a person is able to focus on the ability to sense their own body that they will be able to then regulate some of the processes of the nervous system. This training will often focus the subject’s concentration on their breathing, temperature, and heartbeat (Morgan & Jorm, 2009).
Meditation or mindfulness is similar to autogenic training in that it is designed to help the subject become more self-aware and to seek to regulate their own thoughts (Morgan & Jorm, 2009). The technique for meditation is simple in concept but can be difficult for some in practice. The different forms of meditation use different tools in order to focus and relax the mind. This could be as simple as a mental picture or rocking back and forth, or as pre-planned as requiring an external sound or visual aid (Lehrer, et. al., 2007).
Yoga, and specifically, yoga stretching is designed to help loosen and relax muscles. Typically, yoga and stretching involves deep breathing as well as physically pausing from other labor. A proven technique for applying yoga and yoga stretching to a relaxation plan is to begin with simple stretches based on yoga positions. The patient can learn and begin to practice the stretches quickly. They can then build upon their mastery of these movements and continue to add the application of yoga to their lifestyle if they choose (Lehrer, et. al., 2007).
Positive imagery or self-statements is a technique that seeks to address either the clients’ perception of who they are as it relates to the stressor, or helps them to imagine a mental scene that is relaxing for them. A simple technique for applying self-statements is to first recognize the internal voice that is either limiting or encouraging (Chohan, 2010). The client must then review the statements that they are already speaking to themselves and change the ones that are not encouraging or positive (Chohan, 2010).
Imagery is similar in that it is internal, however, instead of words; the subject visualizes a scene that helps them to relax (Lehrer, et. al., 2007). It does not necessarily need to be a specific place, or even somewhere that the client has visited previously. The goal is that the focus of the mind is on this mental picture as opposed to the stressor.
Caregivers will often use breathing exercises and progressive muscle relaxation together (Morgan & Jorm, 2009). Breathing exercises, or mindful-breathing, is more than just controlled breathing. The goal is to gain a sense of all of what the body is doing, but to specifically focus on the act of breathing (Feldman, Greeson, & Senville, 2010).
Progressive muscle relaxation is a practice designed to help participants fully relax their muscles. Often a client will not even realize how tense some muscle groups have been until they process through releasing that tension (Feldman, et. al., 2010). One technique for this form of relaxation is to guide the client into slow, relaxed breathing and to then help them process through specific muscle groups, relaxing each group as they go.
Conclusion
As previously noted, stress may be a greater source of negative health issues than many recognize. Because of the impact that stress ultimately has on so many systems within the human body, the potential is present for the impact to be widespread.
Although there is a variety of relaxation techniques, many caregivers recognize six groups or families that encompass most of the different techniques. If a simple relaxation technique can have a powerful influence on human health, then that may speak equally to the negative hold that unresolved stress may have.
References
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