Mindbody relaxation

The goal of mindbody relaxation is to relax both the body and mind. The basic idea is that it's easier to relax your mind if you first relax your body.^[1] There are a variety of mindbody relaxation techniques including yoga and meditation.^[2] Mindbody meditation goes by many different names, including mindfulness-based stress reduction and mindful meditation. The term "mindbody" is spelled either as "mind-body" or as "mindbody", to emphasize the connection between the body and mind.

Why is mindbody relaxation important? Tension has been proven to have many negative consequences. Tension causes premature aging of DNA. A study at the University of California at San Francisco showed that mothers who are under high stress have more damage to their DNA than mothers under low stress.^[3] Tension and stress cost American businesses $300 billion a year. The total cost includes increased health costs, accidents, absenteeism, employee turnover, and reduced productivity, according to The American Institute of Stress

Benefits

Mindbody relaxation reduces the risk of heart disease by 30%, and reduces deaths due to heart disease by 23% according to a study in the American Journal of Cardiology, which also showed that relaxation increases life expectancy.^[4] Furthermore mindbody relaxation techniques significantly reduce the risk of high blood pressure, heart attacks, and fatal heart attacks according to a study in the British Medical Journal.^[5]

Mindbody relaxation reverses hardening of the arteries. Not only does mindbody relaxation reduce the risk of heart disease, it actually reverses hardening of the arteries according to a study published in the American Heart Association journal, Stroke.^[6]

Mindbody relaxation reduces the risk of a depression recurrence by 50%. Approximately 10-30% of people will suffer at least one episode of depression in their life. Relaxation techniques in conjunction with medication reduce the risk of recurrence of depression significantly more than medication alone.^[7]

Mindbody relaxation is effective in treating and preventing substance abuse and addiction. Approximately 10% of people suffer from drug and alcohol addiction. Numerous studies have shown that relaxation provides long-term improvements in self-esteem and psychological health, and significantly reduces the risk of substance abuse.^[8]

Mindbody relaxation helps treat anxiety and panic attacks. A study at the University of Massachusetts showed that patients who suffered from generalized anxiety or panic disorder felt significantly better after learning relaxation techniques, and continued to use those techniques over the long-term.^[9]

Mindbody relaxation can strengthen the immune system. One study showed that after just eight weeks of learning how to relax, participants had a stronger immune system.^[10]

Mindbody relaxation relieves chronic pain, and relieves chronic low-back pain. In one study, after a ten-week mindbody relaxation course many patients needed less pain medication. After fifteen months, not only did they suffer less pain, but because they suffered less pain they also suffered less from depression and anxiety.^[11]

Mindbody relaxation reduces the symptoms of fibromyalgia. In one study, 51% of the patients experienced moderate to marked improvement in their fibromyalgia symptoms. That is rare in most treatments of fibromyalgia.^[12]

History

The history of mindbody relaxation goes back two and a half thousand years to the origins of yoga. But the modern history of mindbody relaxation begins with Dr. Edmund Jacobson of the University of Chicago. In the 1920s he developed a technique called progressive relaxation, in which patients were taught to progressively relax their muscles. Dr. Jacobson explicitly stated that by relaxing the muscles of the body an individual would feel more relaxed in general.^[13]

In the 1960s Dr. Hans Selye, an endocrinologist at the University of Montreal, was the first to document the physical consequences of stress on the immune system.^[14] Dr. Selye coined the word stressor, which has become part of the vocabulary.

Also in the 1960s Dr. Herbert Benson, a cardiologist at Harvard, began to study the medical benefits of relaxation. Dr. Benson conclusively proved the mindbody connection by showing that simple relaxation techniques could lower people's blood pressure, slow their heart rate, and calm their brain waves. He called that effect "the relaxation response". In 1975 Dr. Benson wrote a popular book called The Relaxation Response.^[15]

Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, a molecular biologist at the University of Massachusetts, took these ideas and is largely responsible for the adoption of meditation by hospitals and health care.^[2]

References

1. ^ S.M. Melemis (2008). Make Room for Happiness: 12 Ways to Improve Your Life By Letting Go of Tension. Chapter 4: Use Your Body to Relax Your Mind. Modern Therapies. ISBN 978-1897572177
2. ^ ^{a b} J. Kabat-Zinn (1990). Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain and Illness. Delta ISBN 978-0385303125
3. ^ E.S. Epel, E.H. Blackburn, J. Lin, F.S. Dhabhar, N.E. Adler, J.D. Morrow, and R.M. Cawthon. Accelerated telomere shortening in response to life stress. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2004 Dec 7;101(49):17312–15.
4. ^ R.H. Schneider, C.N. Alexander, F. Staggers, M. Rainforth, J.W. Salerno, A. Hartz, S. Arndt, V.A. Barnes, and S.I. Nidich. Long-term effects of stress reduction on mortality in persons >/=55 years of age with systemic hypertension. Am J Cardiol 2005 May 1;95(9):1060–64.
5. ^ C. Patel, M.G. Marmot, D.J. Terry, M. Carruthers, B. Hunt, and M. Patel. Trial of relaxation in reducing coronary risk: four year follow up. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1985 Apr 13; 290(6475):1103–6.
6. ^ A. Castillo-Richmond, R.H. Schneider, C.N. Alexander, R. Cook, H. Myers, S. Nidich, C. Haney, M. Rainforth, and J. Salerno. Effects of Stress Reduction on Carotid Atherosclerosis in Hypertensive African Americans. Stroke 2000 Mar; 31(3):568–73.
7. ^ S.H. Ma and J.D. Teasdale. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression: replication and exploration of differential relapse prevention effects. J Consult Clin Psychol 2004 Feb; 72(1):31–40.
8. ^ P. Gelderloos, K.G. Walton, D.W. Orme-Johnson, and C.N. Alexander. Effectiveness of the Transcendental Meditation program in preventing and treating substance misuse: a review. Int J Addict 1991 Mar; 26(3):293-325.
9. ^ J. Kabat-Zinn, A.O. Massion, J. Kristeller, L.G. Peterson, K.E. Fletcher, L. Pbert, W.R. Lenderking, and S.F. Santorelli. Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders. Am J Psychiatry 1992 Jul;149(7):936–43.
10. ^ R.J. Davidson, J. Kabat-Zinn, J. Schumacher, M. Rosenkranz, D. Muller, S.F. Santorelli, F. Urbanowski, A. Harrington, K. Bonus, and J.F. Sheridan. Alterations in brain and immune function produced by mindfulness meditation. Psychosom Med 2003 Jul–Aug; 65(4):564–70.
11. ^ W.E. Mehling, K.A. Hamel, M. Acree, N. Byl, and F.M. Hecht. Randomized, controlled trial of breath therapy for patients with chronic low-back pain. Altern Ther Health Med 2005 Jul–Aug; 11(4):44–52.
12. ^ K.H. Kaplan, D.L. Goldenberg, and M. Galvin-Nadeau. The impact of a meditation-based stress reduction program on fibromyalgia. Gen Hosp Psychiatry 1993 Sep; 15(5):284–89.
13. ^ E. Jacobson (1974). Progressive Relaxation: A Physiological and Clinical Investigation of Muscular States and Their Significance in Psychology and Medical Practice, 3rd ed. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0226390598
14. ^ H. Selye (1978). The Stress of Life. McGraw-Hill. ISBN 978-0070562127
15. ^ H. Benson (1975). The Relaxation Response Whole Care. ISBN 978-0380815951.