2017 Volume 57 Issue 10 Pages 1025-1031
In stress-related or psychosomatic diseases, negative emotions and physical strain persist because of psychosocial factors. Relaxation methods are techniques that ease and buffer the psychological and physiological reactions to stressful stimuli. Although psychotherapies used at large in psychosomatic medicine include relaxation techniques in a broad sense, I primarily focused on a technique used to improve physical tension in this lecture. Progressive muscle relaxation, autogenic training, biofeedback training, and breathing technique are among the main techniques used in psychosomatic medicine. A relaxed state is acquired when such techniques are used for the treatment of stress-related diseases. Furthermore, practicing relaxation methods in daily life raises awareness about the state of mind and body, helps learn self-control power, and prevents the recurrence of stress-related diseases (Matsuoka, 2006). In this lecture, I outlined a typical technique of relaxation and explained how I have used it in my psychotherapy.
