Relaxation and Meditation Techniques

By David Rakal
~ 2 min read

A variety of stress management techniques are available that involve learning

how to control your bodys responses to stress or anxiety. These techniques
involve learning to consciously relax your body through a variety of techniques,
such as meditation or guided imagery. As with any new skill you are trying to
learn, daily practice is important to acquiring mastery of these techniques.

Meditation
The beauty of practicing meditation is that it allows you to let go of every day
worries and literally live in the moment. People who meditate regularly report
improvements physically, mentally, and spiritually. To begin a meditation
practice, you will need to find a quiet spot, away from the phone, television,
friends, family, and other distractions. There are several different ways to
meditate. Meditation practices often involve learning chanting, breathing, or
mantra techniques. Initially, your mind may wander when you first start
meditating. by training your mind to focus on the moment, you will eventually
find yourself transformed and feel very peaceful and content. Most experts
recommend mediating for about 20 to 30 minutes at a time. Beginners may find
it difficult to meditate for this length at first, but dont despair. It will become
easier once you are meditating regularly.

Biofeedback
This method involves attaching surface electromyography electrodes (SEMG) to
your skin. The SEMG measures your blood pressure, muscle tension level,
breathing, and heart rate. A biofeedback therapist will meet with you and show
you the ways in which your body reacts on a computer screen. The therapist will
then teach you new skills for decreasing the level of stress you are experiencing.
The results are shown on the screen.
Biofeedback is taught by a psychologist or specialized therapist who has been
trained in biofeedback techniques. Most insurance plans cover biofeedback
treatment for recognized anxiety problems. Avoid any consumer-level

biofeedback devices that claim to give you the same information as a

professional device. The device itself isnt as important as what the
professionals helps you learn through repeated training sessions.

Yoga
Yoga combines meditation and physical exercise to achieve improved health and
sense of well-being. Yoga has been practiced in India for over 5,000 years. Yoga
involves repeating movements that can help improve strength and flexibility as
well as promote mental and physical health and greater self-understanding. The
movements are very graceful and have spiritual significance. Paying careful
attention to breathing is also part of practicing yoga.
Yoga is best learned in a local class that teaches yoga techniques. After you
learn yoga, you can do it in the privacy and comfort of your own home.

Guided Imagery
Guided Imagery is a wonderful stress reduction tool which uses visualization
and mental imagery techniques to improve health. It has been used
effectively for cancer patients who literally imagine themselves without the
cancerous cells. Other creative visualization techniques include transporting the
individual to a quiet place in their mind (perhaps a favorite lake, river, or forest).
You can either create your own special place or listen to a guided imagery tape
or CD. According to the Guided Imagery Resource Center, guided imagery can
reduce blood pressure, lower cholesterol and glucose levels in the blood and
heighten short-term immune cell activity.
You can learn some basic guided imagery techniques here.

Deep Breathing
Deep breathing exercises are also known as diaphragmatic breathing. In these
exercises, you are learning not to engage in the typical shallow breathing, but
breathing through your diaphragm a technique learned and practiced by
singers and actors for centuries to produce uninterrupted song or dialogue.

(Rakal, 2016)

Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy

What is hypnotherapy?
Hypnotherapy, or trance work, is a group of techniques that allow practitioners and patients to take advantage of the
mind-body connection to foster healing. Essentially, trance is an altered state of consciousness marked by decreased
breadth and increased intensity of awareness. What distinguishes hypnotherapy is that it involves a deliberate choice
to enter this state of consciousness for a goal beyond relaxation: to focus concentration and use suggestion to
promote health and healing. Individuals can not only experience hypnosis from a licensed practitioner, they can also
become comfortable practicing and eventually mastering the techniques themselves. While the practitioner serves as
a teacher or guide, the only person who can hypnotize you is you, since trance is a latent potential of your own mind.
Therefore, all hypnosis is really self-hypnosis.
What conditions is hypnotherapy used for?
Hypnotherapy can be used effectively to treat a remarkable range of health conditions. Dr. Weil's colleague, Steven
Gurgevich, Ph.D., a psychologist affiliated with the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine who specializes in clinical
hypnosis, says he's seen the most dramatic results with dermatological and gastrointestinal problems, as the skin
and gut are areas of the body where stress is commonly expressed. He has seen hypnotherapy be effective in
dealing with weight loss, as mind-body techniques can often help reinforce motivation, self-discipline and willpower.
They can also help people change their behavior and attitudes about eating, physical activity, shopping for food and
restaurant dining.
Suggestions offered to your subconscious mind during a hypnotic trance can remove psychological obstacles and
strengthen the ego, as well as encourage changes in body image, metabolism and the body-mass set point (the
weight at which a person tends to remain).
In addition to these uses, Dr. Weil has recommended hypnotherapy to help ease chronic pain, lessen the side effects
of chemotherapy, alleviate symptoms of autoimmune disease, and counteract anxiety and sleep disorders.
Hypnotherapy can also be used to improve performance, as a form of analgesia or sedation for medical and dental
procedures, and even to help stop bleeding in accident victims.
The American Society for Clinical Hypnosis also recommends hypnosis for burn therapy (to reduce inflammation and
promote healing in addition to pain control), pregnancy-associated nausea and vomiting, childbirth, allergies
and asthma, high blood pressure and Raynaud's disease.

What should one expect on a visit to a practitioner of hypnotherapy?

Typically, your first session will begin with a great deal of talking. A good therapist will ask you questions to get some
insight into what motivates you and what your beliefs and expectations might be. When that's done, you'll be taught
some type of "induction technique." This is the use of a focal point, either internal or external, to concentrate your
attention (Hollywood's version is the swinging pendant). The technique often used by Dr. Gurgevich is to have you
close your eyes while sitting upright in a chair, pressing your thumb and forefinger together, holding your breath for a
count of five, then releasing your breath and fingers while letting your mind drift, developing pictures and images to
accompany the words you hear him speaking. Some 20 percent of the population may go into trance very easily,
while an equal percentage show great resistance. The therapist may need to work extensively with the latter group to
develop trust that allows them to drop their psychological defenses.
Once you're in a state of trance (but still fully aware of where you are and what you're doing), the therapist offers
suggestions specifically geared to the goal of the therapy. For example, he may suggest that a person with irritable
bowel syndrome picture the wave-like motions of her digestive system slowing down and becoming smoother, or
have a patient with disfiguring warts imagine traveling inside his body to the roots of the offending growths and
depriving them of nourishment. Your unconscious mind can then transmit these thoughts and images throughout your
mind and body, setting the healing process in motion.
A typical course of hypnotherapy may require from one to five visits (lasting 45 minutes to an hour each), depending
on your individual response to hypnosis, the medical condition involved, and your response to treatment. The
therapist's role is to teach you how to access the trance state on your own. Once you've learned how to do this, you
can start using self-hypnosis on a regular basis to maximize your healing potential.
Your insurance may cover hypnotherapy if it is performed by an M.D., a Ph.D., a dentist, or a licensed social worker.
To learn more, Dr. Weil suggests reading the works of Dr. Gurgevich, including his most recent book, "Hypnosis
House Call: A Complete Course in Mind-Body Healing" (Sterling Ethos, 2011).
Are there any side effects or conditions for which hypnotherapy should be avoided?
Hypnotherapy should never be used when the client is opposed to using it for personal reasons - when it is contrary
to their spiritual beliefs, for instance. Mind-body techniques, including hypnosis, should never be used alone but as
adjuncts to other therapies that are clinically indicated.
While hypnotherapy has proved an invaluable technique when used properly, it has also drawn its fair share of critics
over the years, many of whom claim it has produced results that are artifactual - complete creations of the therapist.
Two of the areas in which this has been suspected are multiple personality disorder and repressed memory
syndrome. These can be areas of potential abuse, in which the hypnotherapist may be primarily responsible for
eliciting his or her own desired responses and planting them into susceptible individuals. Dr. Weil suggests taking
care to find licensed, credentialed hypnotherapists to avoid such circumstances. He also recommends that individuals
who are actively abusing drugs or alcohol, or who are delusional or hallucinatory, seek other kinds of care to address
and alleviate their conditions before beginning hypnotherapy.
Is there a governing body that oversees or credentials practitioners in hypnotherapy?
Members of The American Society of Clinical Hypnosis (ASCH) are licensed healthcare workers with at least a
master's degree in their respective field. They also must be eligible for their clinical organization, such as the
American Medical Association, National Association of Social Workers, American Dental Association, etc. All of these
healthcare workers are licensed, credentialed and trained in an accredited field of study. The ASCH offers two levels
of certification in clinical hypnosis: "Certification" (CE) and "Approved Consultant" (AP). Those at the "Approved
Consultant" level have extensive training in clinical hypnosis and are qualified to instruct those seeking "Certification."
Though there are other institutions that offer certification in hypnosis, certification through the ASCH ensures that the
practitioner is a licensed and trained advanced level healthcare professional.

(Weil, 2016)

Biofeedback

What is biofeedback?
Biofeedback is a mind-body technique that helps teach patients how to influence their autonomic nervous systems the part of the body that controls involuntary physical functions such as blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension,
and brainwave frequency. This is done by attaching an electronic "cue" (usually a "beep," tone or visual image on a
screen) to a measurable physiologic process. A person can thus monitor his or her internal responses and develop a
sense of how to move them in positive ways. Biofeedback machines can detect internal bodily functions with
sensitivity and precision, and allow involuntary physical functions to be translated in ways that can be understood.
The information, or "feedback," that the "cue" provides is used to monitor these functions and facilitate treatment for a
variety of disorders, while moving the patient toward a more balanced internal state.
What health concerns is biofeedback used for?
Disorders effectively treated by biofeedback include:

Migraines and other types of headaches

High and low blood pressure

Cardiac arrhythmias

Urinary incontinence and interstitial cystitis (IC), also called irritable bladder syndrome

Chronic gastrointestinal problems such as ulcers, IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) and Crohn's disease

Unconscious grinding of the teeth

TMJ (temporomandibular joint)

Epilepsy

Paralysis and other movement disorders

Hot flashes

Nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy

Stress

Anxiety

For information on the effectiveness of biofeedback for specific health problems, visit the Association for Applied
Psychophysiology and Biofeedback at www.aapb.org.
What should one expect on a visit to a practitioner of biofeedback?
During a biofeedback session, a therapist attaches one or several electrical sensors to parts of the body that yield
information about the nervous system and convert the information into sound, pictures or a flashing light - something
that can be perceived directly. For example, a temperature sensor on the finger can translate skin temperature into a
beep tone that can be heard - the higher the skin temperature, the faster the rate of beeping. With that kind of
"feedback" from the body, people can learn to warm their hands by raising the skin temperature. In doing this, they
learn to consciously relax the pathways of the sympathetic nervous system that controls the fight or flight response
which constricts blood vessels when stress levels are high. The same pathways can also be used to control changes
in the body that accompany any high-stress condition or response, ultimately resulting in an improved state of
relaxation, calmness or clarity.
Computerized software and portable devices are available that can offer biofeedback techniques to an individual with
little-to-no professional training. Individuals can be taught or learn by self-instruction on the computer. Electrical
sensors usually detect changes in pulse or heart rate variability and offer feedback by way of audio or visual cues,
even in the form of a game experience.
Are there any side effects or indications where biofeedback should be avoided?
Biofeedback (like many relaxation techniques) can even out cortisol levels, which in turn can stabilize insulin and
optimally affect blood sugar. According to the Mayo Clinic, diabetics should discuss this treatment with their doctor
and keep a careful watch over their blood sugar if they use biofeedback for an extended period of time, as this
therapy may interfere with other therapies used in their treatment. Also, it is not recommended for those with major
mental health disorders such as psychosis and severe depression or any acute psychiatric emergency. Otherwise,
biofeedback is considered a safe form of treatment.
Is there a governing body that oversees or credentials practitioners in biofeedback?
Approved by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for complementary treatment of chronic pain and insomnia,
biofeedback should be administered by therapists who identify themselves as certified by the BCIA (Biofeedback
Certification Institute of America). Formed in 1981, the BCIA set strict credentialing standards that are consistent with
the Department of Health and Human Services Guidelines.
In addition, various companies that use portable computerized biofeedback equipment also offer training programs
for licensed professionals to teach individual clients how to better use the technology.
How does one get in touch with a practitioner of biofeedback?
For information on the effectiveness of biofeedback for specific health problems or to find a certified practitioner, visit
the Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback at www.aapb.org. or the BCIA (Biofeedback
Certification Institute of America).
Are there other therapies that might work well in conjunction with biofeedback?
Biofeedback, like other mind-body medicine techniques can work well with other therapies that help induce the
relaxation response. Acupuncture, body manipulation, massage and other touch therapies can all work synergistically
with it. Biofeedback is especially advantageous with other modalities since it can be used with little need for training
or it can be self-taught with minimal guidance - via listening to a tape or guided CD, DVD, or computer program.

(Weil, 2016)

References:
Rakal, D. (2016). Relaxation and Meditation Techniques. Retrieved from:
http://psychcentral.com/lib/relaxation-and-meditation-techniques/

Weil, A. (2016). Biofeedback. Retrieved from:

http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART00466/Biofeedback-Dr-Weil-Wellness-Therapies.html

Weil, A. (2016). Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy. Retrieved from:

http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART00572/Hypnosis-Hypnotherapy-WellnessTherapies.html