Synopsis
You have the power within you to transform the quality of your daily life experience, through learning simple relaxation skills, so that you can enjoy the world around you as much as possible!
You have much more control over your body than you realise, and if you learn to relax your muscles for just a few minutes every day, this will have a really beneficial effect on your health and sense of well-being.
How does this relaxation technique work?
When you face the challenges of daily life, each single day, there is a slow build-up of tension in your muscles, and unless you take time out to relax fully, at the end of your day, then this accumulated tension will begin to affect your sleep, your anxiety level, your digestion, and to create hypertension in your body, leading to heart problems.
What happens is that the build-up of daily tension in your body activates your nervous system’s response (your body’s protective ‘Fight or flight’ mechanism) and your body releases stress hormones to help you handle what it sees as a threatening situation.
But when you relax your muscles, each day, you switch on a different part of your nervous system. It’s called the “Rest and digest” system, and if you rest and relax your body muscles for a few minutes, then you stop the build-up of tension in your body.
Dr Jacobson, who created this system of Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) gives the example of how animals totally relax, several times during each day, helping them maintain their energy so they can survive and thrive.
And the result for us humans?
More energy, better, deeper sleep, less anxiety and depression, and a reduction in the pain we experience. For example, consider the anticipation and reality of the pain of childbirth: Dr Jacobson, who created this technique, which he called scientific relaxation, started using it in the 1930’s with pregnant women, and as a result the effectiveness of the relaxation technique inspired Dr. Grantly Dick-Read to create the Natural Childbirth movement in the UK in the 1930’s.
The Case studies in this book show very strong evidence that the more relaxed you are, the more you will experience these results: a) Diminished pain. b) Reduced anxiety and phobias. c) Increased self-confidence and skill in performing sports and public performance including job interviews, and d) calm and relaxed dental visits.
Many tranquilisers or artificial relaxants, like alcohol, heroin, marijuana, tobacco, and other drugs, are on sale in societies so that people can escape the discomfort of the tension they experience around other people; and the accumulated stress and fatigue they experience because of their demanding jobs and lifestyles. But not only are they expensive, and in some cases illegal - they slowly destroy your body at the same time!
Dr Jacobson’s brilliant technique – which is based on research conducted over 70 years of his professional life – is used all over the world. It’s a real gift to humanity. This book could change your life, if you have the courage to experiment with this simple, daily technique.
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