Relaxation Response
In the first unit of this module, you were introduced to the Relaxation response (RR) technique. Herbert Benson, M.D., at Harvard Medical School, developed this technique to simulate the practice of transcendental meditation (TM), only instead of using a mantra as a focal point, Benson encouraged patients to use as their point of focus a word or phrase that had pleasant or neutral meaning to them. Given the similarity in practice parameters between the RR and TM, we would expect the RR technique to be helpful for patients with hypertension.
(Sandy Chase, Sungazing, Wikimedia Commons.
GNU Free Documentation License.)
Review the components of Practice of Relaxation Response.
Research on RR
Controlled studies or RCTs evaluating the long term impact of the RR technique on psychological or physiological measures in either healthy or non-healthy populations are few in number. The evidence for the use of RR for patients with hypertension comes primarily from the laboratory studies conducted in the 1970s that showed decreased blood pressure, heart rate, respiration and many other metabolic changes in persons after practicing this technique.
Instruction in RR
Repeat the instructions below to teach your patients the RR. You may download this audio file of these instructions to better familiarize yourself with the pacing and tone for your delivery, or to just experience the practice yourself. (The audio file, "rb_audio_6.mp3," © Rita Benn, used here with permission.)
Sit quietly in a comfortable position.
Close your eyes.
Deeply relax all your muscles, beginning at your feet and progressing up to your face, and try to keep them relaxed.
Breathe through your nose. Become aware of your breathing. As you breathe out, say the word, "ONE", silently to yourself. For example, breathe IN ... OUT, "ONE",- IN .. OUT, "ONE", etc. Breathe easily and naturally. Continue for 10 to 20 minutes.
You may open your eyes to check the time, but do not use an alarm. When you finish, sit quietly for several minutes, at first with your eyes closed and later with your eyes opened. Do not stand up for a few minutes.
Do not worry about whether you are successful in achieving a deep level of relaxation. Maintain a passive attitude and permit relaxation to occur at its own pace. When distracting thoughts occur, try to ignore them by not dwelling upon them and return to repeating "ONE." With practice, the response should come with little effort.
Treatment Issues with RR
Treatment Cost
Learning RR is easy and inexpensive. Patients typically learn RR through instruction by a health professional individually or in a group format, by buying a CD that guides them through the practice or by reading instructions found in a book and practicing on their own. There are no standard recommendations for the number of instruction sessions needed to become proficient in learning the RR. If learning RR in a group format, typically the interventions occur over 12 weeks.
Professional Training
Dr. Benson, through the Mind-Body Medical Institute, offers two-day trainings to professionals to learn this practice. There is no formal certification program.
Accessibility
Most health professionals who offer stress management services or who are in the behavioral medicine field will have RR in the repertoire of their skills.