The Insomnia Workbook by Stephanie A. Silberman

Author:Stephanie A. Silberman [Stephanie A. Silberman, PhD, DABSM]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781608825790
Publisher: New Harbinger Publications
Published: 2014-04-16T04:00:00+00:00

Muscle Relaxation

Now let’s move on to exercises that help relax your muscles. Progressive muscle relaxation involves tightening and releasing, or tensing and relaxing, various muscles in your body. This technique was developed by Dr. Edmund Jacobson in the early 1920s based on his belief that, because anxiety and muscular tension often go hand in hand, we can decrease anxiety by learning how to relax our muscles. Dr. Joseph Wolpe, one of the founders of behavior therapy, took Jacobson’s idea a step further (Poppen 1998) and developed a method for treating certain types of anxiety. Called systematic desensitization, this technique involves imaginary or real exposure to a feared stimulus while simultaneously relaxing the muscles. Dr. Wolpe found that anxiety was incompatible with a fully relaxed state, explaining why this technique is useful for helping people overcome fears, phobias, and anxiety.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Before beginning progressive muscle relaxation, be sure you’re wearing comfortable, loose-fitting clothing. Find a quiet place where you can get comfortable. This may be inside your house, or even outside in a quiet spot in your backyard or the park. It’s important to minimize distractions, so be sure to turn off your computer, cell phone, pager, radio, television, or anything else that may disturb you.

Next, sit or lie down in a comfortable position in which your entire body is supported. For a seated position, sitting in a recliner or on a sofa propped up with pillows works well. If you’d like to lie down, try your bed, the sofa, the floor, or even a blanket on the grass. Just remember that, like the other relaxation exercises you’ve learned so far, progressive muscle relaxation is meant to help you relax, not make you fall asleep.

During this exercise, you’ll tighten and then release sixteen different groups of muscles. Each time you tighten, or tense, a muscle group, try to do so for ten seconds. Each time you release, or relax, a muscle group, try to do so for fifteen seconds. If you feel pain in any muscles as you’re tensing them, decrease the level of tension slightly until you’re more comfortable. If you continue to have pain there, skip that muscle group. If you have an injury, such as a pulled muscle, or any other medical condition that might make it inadvisable to tense your muscles, consult with your doctor before you try this exercise.

Take a few deep breaths before beginning this exercise. Although you can progress through your muscles in a different order if you prefer, this exercise will start with your toes and gradually work up to your head and face:

Toes. Curl your toes, digging them into the floor. Try not to tense your legs while you do this. Hold your toes in this position for ten seconds, counting to ten slowly. Then release your toes upward and relax. Count slowly to fifteen, keeping your toes relaxed.

Feet and calves. Point your toes and hold for ten seconds. Relax your feet for fifteen seconds.

Shins. Contract your shin muscles by flexing your feet upward.

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