Relaxation techniques are used by people who wish to relax, for a wide variety of reasons. Since the 1960's, research has indicated strong correlations between stress levels and physical and emotional health. Meditation was among the first relaxation techniques shown to have a measurable effect on stress reduction. In the 1970's, self-help books teaching relaxation techniques began to appear on bestsellers lists. [1] In 1975, The Relaxation Response by Harvard Medical School professor Herbert Benson, MD and Miriam Z. Klipper was published. Their book has been credited with popularizing meditation in the United States. [2] For other senses of this word, see Meditation (disambiguation). ... Best Sellers can refer to: Best Seller - article about book best sellers. ... Shield of Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is one of the graduate schools of Harvard University. ...

Research released in the 1980's indicated stronger ties between stress and health and showed benefits from a wider range of relaxation techniques than had been previously known. This research received national media attention, including a New York Times article in 1986. [3] Public awareness about the health benefits of relaxation techniques grew, and so did the numbers of people who practiced them. Conventional medical philosophy adopted the concept and its early Twenty-first Century practitioners recommend using relaxation techniques to improve patient outcomes in many situations. Relaxation techniques are also a mainstay of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Six out of ten of the most commonly used CAM therapies are relaxation techniques. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Alternative medicine. ...

Used for

People use relaxation techniques for the following reasons, among others:

• Anger management
• Anxiety attacks
• Cardiac health
• Depression
• General well-being
• Headache
• High blood pressure
• Immune system support
• Insomnia
• Pain management
• Stress management

Techniques

Some techniques include:

• Biofeedback
• Deep breathing
• Exercise
• Homeopathy
• Humor
• Listening to music
• Massage
• Meditation
• Prayer
• Reflexology
• Self-hypnosis
• Visualization
• Yoga

Biofeedback mechanism. ... Diaphragmatic breathing, or deep breathing is the act of breathing deep into your lungs by flexing your diaphragm rather than breathing shallowly by flexing your rib cage. ... Exercise redirects here. ... It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles. ... Look up humor in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Allegory of Music on the Opéra Garnier Music is an art form that involves organized and audible sounds and silence. ... Massage is the practice of applying structured or unstructured pressure, tension, motion, or vibration — manually or with mechanical aids — to the soft tissues of the body, including muscles, connective tissue, tendons, ligaments, joints and lymphatic vessels, to achieve a beneficial response. ... For other senses of this word, see Meditation (disambiguation). ... Mary Magdalene in prayer. ... This is an example of a reflexology chart, correlating areas of the feet with organs in the zones of the body. ... Professor Charcot was well-known for showing, during his lessons at the Salpêtrière hospital, hysterical woman patients – here, his favorite patient, Blanche (Marie) Wittman, supported by Joseph Babiński. ... A mental image is the representation of an idea in a persons mind. ... Yoga (Devanagari: योग) is one of the six schools of Hindu philosophy which originated in India, where it is seen as a means to spiritual mastery. ...

See also

• Stress management
• Jacobson's Progressive Muscle Relaxation
• Autogenic training

A cluttered environment with too many tasks can lead to stress. ... Progressive muscle relaxation is a technique of stress management developed by American physician Edmund Jacobson in the early 1920s. ... Autogenic training is a term for a relaxation technique developed by the German psychiatrist Johannes Schultz first published in 1932. ...

External links

• Relaxation Techniques, Releasing Tension Techniques.
• Mind Body Medical Institute
• Can stress kill?
• Quick and Long-Term Relaxation Techniques
• Relaxation Techniques for Relief of Anxiety and Stress

References

• 1970s Bestsellers URL accessed on May 23, 2006.
• eBay synopsis of The Relaxation Response - shown under "More information" URL accessed on May 23, 2006.
• Relaxation: surprising benefits detected by Daniel Goleman, The New York Times, May 13, 1986, retrieved May 23, 2006.