I was talking with my brother and sister this morning, and the topic of progressive muscle relaxation came up. It is based on early work by Edmund Jacobson, who first wrote about it in Progressive Relaxation in 1929, and the premise is that one can't simultaneously experience warm well-being and psychological stress. There are innumerable ways of accomplishing the relaxation response, and there are times when it helps to use the body and/or breath - when the mind is so uneasy that it can't be used to calm itself. Duh!
Anyway, you can find the instructions, including an audio-file here. I also recommend the book The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook by Martha Davis, PhD, et. al. which includes information about PMR and a number of other related topics.
About Me
- Dr. Jeff Ryan
- Albany, NY, United States
- I’m a family physician and a fellow in Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona Program in Integrative Medicine. My family practice is at Clifton Park Family Medicine in Clifton Park, New York. I have a smaller separate practice with a focus on medical acupuncture and osteopathic manipulation, in Albany. I’m working with Josefina Marin, MD, on the development of Innerweave, an affiliate of Harvard’s Benson-Henry Mind Body Medical Institute.