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HOW
TO RELAX
In
learning to relax, you must cultivate sensitive observation
of your internal sensory world. In Progressive Relaxation,
for instance, you first learn to recognize a state of tension
in a localized region of the body; and second, you learn
to contrast the tension signal with the state of elimination
of tension, which is relaxation. You systematically tense
each major muscle group so that you can learn to identify
the tension sensation for that muscle group. You study that
particular tension signal and then eliminate it by relaxing
the muscle group.
In
addition to relaxing the localized tensions in the various
muscle groups, you learn to release a more generalized,
low-level of tension that you chronically carry throughout
the limbs and large muscles of your body. This generalized,
widespread tension is a residual one which is that of fine,
continuous contraction of muscle fibers, along with some
slight localized movements. Localized relaxation of muscle
groups allows one to relax a particular, limited group of
muscles. A different technique is required to reduce these
widespread, generalized tensions. In Progressive Relaxation,
control comes from tensing an entire limb very gradually,
then gradually relaxing it over a period of time. This procedure,
with sufficient practice, can allow you to relax generalized
residual tension down to zero, thus helping to really relax
your whole body.
In
Progressive Relaxation, then, two types of relaxation
are practiced - tensing and relaxing of various localized
muscle groups, and tensing and relaxing of a whole limb
or the trunk. By thereby judiciously manipulating the skeletal
muscles you can often control bodily activities and bring
them back to normal, provided there are no irreversible
maladies that have progressed too far to be reversed.
WHAT
RELAXATION CAN DO FOR YOU
Here
is a look at some of the problems that may be partially
or totally relieved through sensitive application of principles
of clinical relaxation.
Gastrointestinal
problems such as spastic colon, colitis, diarrhea, constipation,
hemorrhoids, ulcer active colitis, spastic esophagus can
often be helped. As there is progress in learning to relax
the entire body, with concentration on the abdomen, many
of these conditions may gradually improve. If you can develop
a state of tranquility throughout the gastrointestinal tract,
the resultant reduced activity may even help heal a ulcer.
Relaxation during eating, and eating slowly, is of critical
importance.
Cardiovascular
disorders may also be relieved, since tension often
contributes to their development. We believe that high blood
pressure results from skeletal muscle tension in the following
way: If one over-tenses as a reaction to facing ever-present
stress, increased cardiovascular activity can become relatively
permanent. Initially the skeletal muscle tension produces
excessive contraction throughout the body of small blood
vessels, called arterioles. Arterioles contain smooth (involuntary)
muscle. When the skeletal musculature causes the smooth
musculature to constrict, an increase in pressure within
the arterioles results. In turn, there is an increase in
blood pressure throughout the body.
Momentary
stress can temporarily increase blood pressure. Continued
contraction of the skeletal musculature can produce chronic
constriction of the arterioles, resulting in consistent
high blood pressure. If an individual seeks proper treatment
before there is permanent organic damage to the cardiovascular
system, the process can be reversed. Not only can one lower
blood pressure, but heart rate too can be lowered by relaxing
the skeletal muscles. At least a partial answer to high
blood pressure and coronary heart disease can result from
effective tension control.
Relaxation can also diminish or eliminate pain. Tension
apparently exacerbates pain and such subjective distress
can often be reduced when you relax. The more you try to
fight it, the worse pain seems to get. Relaxing the eye
musculature is often especially helpful in the reduction
of pain.
There
are many types of headache, common ones being tension
headaches and migraines. Some migraines can be helped by
controlling tension. Tension headaches are susceptible (by
definition) to treatment by relaxation. Pains are often
primarily in the brow or back of the head. The primary controlling
muscles for tension headaches are usually the eyes. Therefore
you can practice controlling your headache by controlling
the tension in your eyes. The neck muscles, as physiologists
know, are the extensions of the eyes, so you should learn
to relax your neck muscles too. You can also practice wrinkling
your forehead, frowning, and systematically tensing and
relaxing the eyes themselves. Diligent instructed practice
can most assuredly relieve tension headache and can at least
help with other variations.
Arthritis
in some forms can also be helped by relaxation techniques.
Inflammation of joints can be aggravated with tight muscles
and bracing habits.
Chronic
fatigue is another problem that often responds to relaxation
therapy. In an advanced stage of practice you may be able
to learn to sleep in a truly relaxed state. But sleep and
relaxation are not synonymous. Mental processes, for instance,
continue during sleep, but they diminish during relaxation.
MENTAL
PROCESSES
 Since
we are talking about mental processes, let us turn to psychological
and emotional problems that may be helped by relaxation.
First, a word about how you use your muscles during mental
processes. The most important muscles for controlling mental
activity are the skeletal muscles of the eyes and of the
speech region - the lips, tongue, jaws, cheeks and throat.
During the silent speech of thought there are slight movements
of the speech muscles, just as there are large movements
during overt speech. When you think to yourself that you
want to perform a given overt act, the muscles of the lips,
tongue, cheeks, jaws and throat tense to a very slight degree.
You usually do not normally see these muscle patterns in
yourself or others, but laboratory equipment allows us to
extend the scope of our senses to actually observe them.
Many experiments lead to the sound conclusion that covert
muscle activity occurs during all functions of the mind.
A
list of functions of the mind wherein systems of the body
interact would include thoughts, dreams, hallucinations,
fears and anxieties. The principal bodily systems involved
are those of the receptors (eyes, ears, etc.), the brain,
the skeletal muscles and the autonomic system.
Any
interruption in the neuromuscular circuits that connect
these systems will eliminate thoughts, preventing them from
occurring. The simplest, most natural way to interrupt these
circuits and thereby to cause your mind to be tranquil is
to relax your muscles.
If
you relax the muscles of your tongue, lips, jaws, throat
and cheeks, thought components having to do with verbal
mental activity can be reduced or eliminated. By relaxing
the complete set of muscles around the eyes, visual components
of your thoughts can be relaxed away. By relaxing all the
muscles of the body, mental processes can actually be brought
to zero. This ultimate state of relaxation, which is straight
physiology having nothing to do with mysticism, has been
achieved many times by experts in Progressive Relaxation.
In
controlling undesired mental phenomena, one first must develop
a highly cultivated ability to observe internal sensory
signals. Those with complaints of a mental nature may learn
to observe small muscle tensions present when they experience
their particular complaint. These tensions are the ones
in control of neuromuscular circuits that are activated
when unwanted mental acts are generated. Neuroses, fears,
phobias, worries, insomnia, and depression may all be minimized
or even eliminated with clinical relaxation training.
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