The Relaxation Response

Dr. Herbert Benson – The Relaxation Response
There are three legs necessary to insure stability in the healing process: pharmaceuticals, surgery, and self-care. Of the three legs, the one that has been much overlooked but is now gaining recognition is self care. Several recent studies have shown that most people practice some form of  spiritual or alternative medical practice for their healing. Dr. Benson has been studying the connections between mind, body and spirituality in health since the 1960’s. In the first portion of his talk, he detailed his early research and his (and others) discovery of the “Relaxation Response.” We will not go in to detail about the studies or the physiology, but generally, according to Dr. Benson, this Relaxation Response (RR) has two steps in its practice:
1. The repetition of a word, sound, prayer, thought, phrase or muscular activity, and
2. The passive return to the repetition when other thoughts intrude.
The effects of the process include:
lowering of  oxygen consumption, breathing, metabolism and heart rates, changes in breathing & brain wave patterns, lowering of blood pressure and CO2 production.
As is widely known, the body has a fight or flight mechanism which involves the autonomic nervoussystem and which is evoked by any change that requires a behavioral adjustment, or stress. Western society today is characterized by an epidemic of stress related illnesses. But there is one important fact that is now accepted byt the medical community and has been proven by numerous studies. The stress response, or fight or flight mechanism is caused by a cascade of internal secretions, generally hormones  (catecholamines) which can be overridden by the cerebral cortex! The cerebral cortex can override the fight or flight and generally this is what the relaxation response does…it takes the body out of a stress response mode and puts it in a different mode which is, in the end, healthier. In fact, stress has been implicated in causing or aggravating heart disease, diabetes, cerebral vascular disease, chronic pain, hypertension, sleep disorders and many other conditions that are endemic to western society. Dr. Benson cited correspondences of the relaxation response with ancient teachings and practices. References to the benefits of the meditative state are found in such sources as the Hindu Upanishads, the Christian prayers of the Desert fathers, the practices of the Jewish mystic Kabbalists, Islamic Sufis and others.  In addition, the universality of the RR has been scientifically verified in laboratory experiments. In one of these a group of healthy students did either a short practice of an instruction from Zen Buddhism or a concentration exercise, (number counting ), and had similar physiological changes. The findings replicated those of a group of healthy individuals who practiced transcendental meditation. When the experiment was repeated with different groups – people who prayed regularly, with Rosary, Lord’s prayer, 23 rd psalm, or Om Mani Padme Hum, the same changes (as mentioned above) occurred.
For an informal practice of the RR, instructions might go something as follows:
“Choose a word, a sound, a prayer, or a phrase in your own belief system to repeat. Even a simple word will do: “one,” “peace,” “calm,” “ om,” “shalom,” any word will do, it’s your choice. Or you can do a simple movement or exercise, such as tai chi. Always start with quick relaxation of all muscles: feet, calves, knees, chest, back, shrug shoulders, roll neck, relax face. Close your eyes. On the out breath say your repetition…when you notice a different thought has come to mind, don’t get angry or stressed about it but let it go and gently come back to your repetition. Repeat for 3 to 5 minutes.”
Now let the person practice and follow up by gently telling them that the time is up and ask for any follow up, ie:
“Do you feel more wide awake now?” or “Is there within you a sense of well being?”
Emphasize the fact that the person who is practicing need not feel deep relaxation every time he/she does the practice. Also note that the RR should not be practiced within 2 hours after eating a meal. Ideally it is practiced twice daily for 20 minutes. See http://www.mbmi.org/pages/mbb_rr2.asp for complete instructions.
Decreased oxygen consumption, rate of breathing and heart rate have led to the associated beneficial physiological changes. A relative quietude in the brain opens the door to realization of other aspects of selfcare and hence can carry forward to other possibilities of what the person can do for him or herself.