Having trouble Relaxing?
Try This Anxiety Reduction Meditation
Anxiety plays tricks. It tells you that everything you feel is serious and skews our perception of reality.
Anxiety is a slow to evolve trait left over from our prehistoric ancestors. (Apparently our brains haven’t figured out that the lions are no longer lurking in the bushes.)
We experience many issues as making us excessively anxious, giving us panic attacks, giving us those butterflies in the stomach, making our heart race and experiencing cold sweats. Our fears make us think we may need to run to the nearest hospital’s emergency room to have ourselves checked out for a possible heart attack. You may be smoking, using drugs or alcohol, overeating, internet surfing, TV watching, or just busyness, anyway to stop those very uncomfortable feelings from coming to the fore. Your doctor may have put you on anti anxiety drugs which help in some ways, but may be giving you side effects. Or you feel that you may have to stay on medication for the rest of your life because you do not know how to get to the core of the issue. You wonder how to change your perspective in order to see your situation with fresh eyes and acquire inner peace. One of the tools that I have found helpful with many of my patients is the Relaxation Response.
One of my first meditation teachers was Herbert Benson, MD at Harvard University. He is presently Director Emeritus of the Benson-Henry Mind-Body Institute of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital. I would like to share with you this exercise which Dr. Benson researched and devel0ped in the 1970’s. It allows us to rely on our incredible internal mind body resources rather than external fixes for self healing. The Relaxation Response exercise described below and in his classic bestselling book, The Relaxation Response, counteracts the fight or flight response and calms the mind and body.
What is particularly important in the eliciting of the Relation Response that Benson found fascinating is that studies have shown that when patients elicit this response in ways that are meaningful to them it creates a very powerful association with their belief system. In this breathing meditation, the instructions are to mentally say a word that is meaningful to you in your particular belief system. This is seen as a powerful dynamic in bringing about change through the use of this exercise.
Although for some people it is better to use a word or sound that has no meaning like the word “one”, I find in my practice that some clients are more apt to use this meditation technique if they use words that are personally impactful to them. Some of my clients like using words from their faith tradition. Others find words like Serenity, Peace, Calm, and Love, to be very soothing. Some people feel that the energy or vibrations of certain words are more powerful to them. Whereas others find they prefer words with no meaning or association in order to avoid stimulation of unnecessary thoughts.
Relaxation Response Technique:
Please click on : Steps to Elicit the Relaxation Response to view Benson’s guide to practicing The Relaxation Response.
An important role in the Relaxation Response is the role that the activation of a person’s belief system plays in healing. In addition people are far more apt to adhere to a regular meditation practice if the approach they select is meaningful and compelling to them personally. Another advantage of this type of meditation is that when a word or phrase is recited along with the out breath, it becomes much easier to stay focused on the meditation and breathing without extraneous thoughts becoming prominent. Thereby the ability to stay mindfully in the Now is enhanced.
For a free 15 minute phone consultation to learn more about these Relaxation Techniques for Stress Relief, or to schedule an appointment I invite you to contact me at 314-644-3339
Learn More :
What is Mindfulness Therapy?
Workshop: Breathe Your Way to Better Health
Integrating Spirituality with Psychology
www.claytontherapy.com