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Concept
Progressive muscle relaxation
Summary
Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) is a method of deep muscle relaxation that does not involve any medications, meaning it is a non-pharmacological intervention. The idea behind progressive muscle relaxation is that there is a relationship between a person's mind and body. The body responds to its environment by creating certain mind or body states such as anxiety, stress, and fear. When the body is in these states, the muscles tense up. Progressive muscle relaxation aims to reverse these body states back to more neutral, relaxed states.
The technique is a two-step process. It involves learning to relieve the tension in specific muscle groups by first tensing and then relaxing each muscle group. When the muscle tension is released, attention is directed towards the differences felt during tension and relaxation so that the patient learns to recognize the contrast between the states.
Progressive muscle relaxation is used in many ways. It can influence conditions like anxiety, insomnia, stress, depression, and pain and may have beneficial long term effects. It is also effective for many populations, including both children and adults. People in many different situations can learn to perform progressive muscle relaxation. It is simple to learn and is used in hospital and non-hospital settings.
Progressive muscle relaxation was initially developed by American physician Edmund Jacobson. He first presented the technique at Harvard University in 1908. Jacobson continued to work on this topic throughout his life and wrote several books about it.
In 1929, Jacobson published the book Progressive Relaxation, which included a detailed procedure for removing tension in the muscles. Relaxation is the opposite of tension, so his work led to the use of the word "relax" to describe the act of becoming less tense, anxious, or stressed. Jacobson believed that rest and relaxation were different concepts. He explained that people can be tense when they are resting, but they cannot be tense when they are relaxed.
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