Relaxation Training

In the modern age, stress and anxiety are on the rise. Job insecurity, political instability, and a seemingly constant flow of bad news have combined to make the current moment fraught with fear and anxiety. Fortunately, there are a number of cognitive behavioral techniques for reducing stress and anxiety, making peace of mind an attainable goal. Relaxation training is one of these CBT tools that can help reduce stress and anxiety. Relaxation training is most effectively used in conjunction with cognitive restructuring and exposure therapy. However, it can be used on its own as a short-term coping skill. Relaxation training has numerous potential benefits, including decreased sleep problems, lowered blood pressure, reduced worry, and decreased impulsive behavior. It is most often used in CBT as a part of a more comprehensive anxiety reduction treatment. 

Relaxation training includes a number of CBT skills aimed at bringing about immediate stress relief. Some use the body’s own physiology to induce relaxation, activating the autonomic nervous system to reduce physiological anxiety. Progressive muscle relaxation, diaphragmatic breathing, and parasympathetic breathing are examples of these. These more physical relaxation training techniques work by sending physical messages to the central nervous system, effectively telling the brain that there is no danger, and everything is alright.

Brain imaging studies have found that people with higher anxiety levels generally have decreased responsiveness and function of the parasympathetic nervous system. This part of the central nervous system is responsible for feelings of calm and relaxation. Normally, this system kicks in after the sympathetic nervous system (the fight-or-flight response system) has been engaged for a while. Unfortunately, this does not happen as much in anxious people, prolonging the fight-or-flight response and maintaining feelings of anxiety. Relaxation training can remedy this deficit by helping people learn to jump-start their parasympathetic nervous system. Studies have shown that over time, people who regularly engage in relaxation exercises are able to recover normal parasympathetic nervous system functioning. 

Relaxation training fits into CBT as it is an intervention to change the physiological components of anxiety. Because physiological anxiety has an impact on thoughts, feelings, and behavior, many people trained in relaxation techniques notice a decrease in worry, fewer urges to avoid difficult situations, and an overall drop in feelings of anxiety. In fact, in CBT for anxiety, relaxation training is often the first intervention, as people often find they are better able to engage in the rest of the treatment more fully once they feel less muscle tension and tightness. 

It is important to note that these techniques, when practiced without being part of a full CBT treatment regimen, have the potential to actually worsen anxiety in the long term. This is because without the use of exposure strategies, relaxation techniques can serve as ways of avoiding feared situations, and avoidance is what maintains and escalates anxiety. When used with other CBT interventions, relaxation therapy techniques can help speed along the process, helping clients more confidently engage in exposure-based treatment. Click here to learn more about CBT for anxiety. 

For more information about what CBT is, what it is used to treat, and the methods we use, explore our site using the navigation menu at the top of this page or visit our cognitive behavioral therapy exercises pages.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Los Angeles is a therapy practice of expert psychologists with the highest level of training and experience in providing evidence-based treatment. Click the button below to ask a question or schedule a consultation to determine whether CBT is right for you.