Relaxation and Progressive Muscle Relaxation
The aim of this intervention is to achieve control over skeletal muscles and subsequently reduce a patient’s emotional distress. Before a relaxation and progressive muscle relaxation session, the patient is instructed to maintain a special relationship with the space, chair and surroundings and to capture the silence of the place. The patient is also instructed to recognize every muscle contraction in order to avoid tension and achieve the deepest degree of relaxation. Progressive muscle relaxation involves systematic tensing and relaxing of various parts of the body. The therapist describes comfortable sensations in different muscle groups, progressing from feet to head and returning to different body parts (abdomen, face, eyes). After being thus trained, the patient is encouraged to use the technique at home and is often given an audio recording of the therapist’s instructions.
Ref: Tatsuo Akechi, Psychotherapy for Depression Among Patients with Advanced Cancer, Japanese Journal of Clinical Oncology, Volume 42, Issue 12, 1 December 2012, Pages 1113–1119