The 6 Main Types Of Relaxation Techniques, And How To Use Them
Relaxation techniques help us cope with stress and the frenetic pace of life that we often have to lead due to our work and the circumstances that we have had to live through. Learning to relax better prepares us to face the challenges of each day, and to do this we only need to choose one of the available methods and start practicing it.
In this article we explain what relaxation techniques are and what they are for, What are the main types of techniques that exist and their benefits?
What are relaxation techniques and what are they for?
Relaxation techniques are an essential and widely used resource in psychological treatments that involve the need to address and cope with stress or anxiety and situations in which the person experiences psychophysiological overactivation that prevents them from carrying out their daily activities normally.
These types of techniques facilitate the reduction of body tension levels and mental load that, many times, we suffer in different areas of our lives (work, family, etc.). Therefore, they are useful tools, not only for patients who have psychological problems or emotional disturbances, but also for all those people who need to improve their quality of life and well-being.
Learning to relax allows us to carry out activities that we would otherwise avoid due to the high levels of activation that we currently suffer from in our modern societies. Rush, stress, stress… are factors that fuel discomfort and worsen our physical and cognitive performance.
By using relaxation techniques, we promote the proper functioning of our stress management system ensuring optimal hormonal balance and reducing excessive cortisol levels that, in the long run, can be harmful to our body.
There are different types of relaxation techniques, so we can choose the one that best suits us or satisfies us. Below, we present some of them:
1. Jacobson’s progressive muscle relaxation
The progressive muscle relaxation technique, developed in the 1930s by the American doctor Edmund Jacobson is probably one of the best-known types of relaxation techniques.
This practice It is based on the physiological principle of tension-distension which postulates that when we tense a muscle (for a few seconds) and then stop tensing it (distension), it will be more relaxed than before performing the exercise.
In progressive muscle relaxation, the person can lie down (or find a comfortable position) in a quiet, pleasant place. Afterwards, the following phases must be followed:
First phase of tension and relaxation
In this first phase Different muscles are tensed and relaxed, holding them tightly for 10 or 15 seconds, and focusing on how they relax and unwind. It can be done following an order of muscle groups (head, trunk, arms and legs).
For example, if you start with the head you can start with the face, frowning and then relaxing it; closing your eyes tightly and then opening them; and tightening the lips and relaxing them. And so on with the rest of the muscle groups.
Second stage
In this second phase Mentally review all the muscle groups that have been tensed and relaxed to check if they are really relaxed after the exercises, and if it is necessary to do them again.
Third phase
This last phase is relaxation and The person must become aware of the state of calm after having performed the exercises To facilitate this, you can visualize pleasant scenes or different positive sensations through your imagination (imagining yourself lying on the beach or eating a good plate of food).
2. Schultz autogenic training
This relaxation technique is based, according to Schultz, on a method that consists of producing a transformation of the individual by performing certain physiological and rational exercises, which allow you to obtain results similar to those achieved through states of authentic suggestion
Autogenic training consists of concentrating on physical sensations by executing 6 exercises that must be learned progressively.
With some simple instructions (autosuggestion), the person gets their extremities, and the rest of the body, to relax through sensations of heat, weight, etc. Thus, It is the individual’s own internal conviction that makes it easier to achieve a feeling of relaxation general.
The exercises are the following:
3. Paul’s Conditioned Relaxation
Paul’s conditioned relaxation technique is a procedure in which autosuggestion is also used as a method to relax. It consists of associating relaxing and pleasant sensations with a word or concept that the person says to themselves during the exercise.
To do this, the subject must find a quiet and comfortable place to relax, and is instructed to focus attention on his or her own breathing, while at the same time the concept is repeated internally and auto-suggestively (e.g. the word “calm”) that will be associated with the relaxing sensation.
A variant of this type of technique is the imagination of relaxing scenes, in which the person is guided and asked to imagine certain situations that generate positive feelings and pleasant sensations.
This tool is widely used in therapy and the improved version can be done through the use of virtual and augmented reality, two tools that generate more realistic situations.
4. Schwartz and Haynes passive relaxation
The passive relaxation technique, unlike progressive muscle relaxation, does not use muscle tension-relaxation methods. With this relaxation method, the person receives verbal instructions that urge you to relax each muscle group progressively
For example, the clinician could suggest the following: “you are sitting calmly on the couch with your eyes closed, notice how your arms relax, they are less and less tense…now look at your right forearm, notice how it relaxes more and more. further…”.
These types of instructions work best if the environment in which this technique is performed is a quiet and pleasant place, and the clinician who dictates the cognitive instructions uses a slow and deliberate tone of voice
5. Differential relaxation of Bernstein and Borcovek
The differential relaxation technique is considered a variant of Jacobson’s progressive muscle relaxation. The difference is that With this method you learn to tense only the muscles related to a specific activity, keeping those that are not necessary for it relaxed. For example, in everyday and specific situations (such as sleeping or studying for an exam).
It usually combines three types of dichotomous variables, which give rise to 8 situations with increasing complexity:
6. Benson Relaxation
The Benson technique is a method that combines relaxation and transcendental meditation. First of all, the person must be placed in a comfortable and pleasant place; Afterwards, a word is chosen and repeated continuously (like a mantra), with a constant rhythm and a soft tone of voice. This exercise can last from 5 to 20 minutes, without getting bored or feeling tired
Benefits
Practicing relaxation exercises daily has a series of benefits for the person who performs them:
On the one hand, it improves the quality of life: relaxation reduces stress and feelings of nervousness, improving quality and well-being.
Also leads to a reduction in cardiovascular problems: Being relaxed reduces blood pressure, lowers heart rate and, therefore, in the long run reduces the risk of suffering from cardiovascular disorders.
In addition, using these techniques contributes to muscle relaxation. It is a fact that stress and anxiety generate muscle tension, which decreases or disappears with the practice of relaxation.
On the other hand, it improves physical and cognitive performance. Relaxation helps us be calmer, more attentive and confident, and this has an impact on both a physical and cognitive level, improving our performance in all areas of life.
Finally, improved sleep and mood: Being relaxed helps us sleep better at night and be in a better mood.
