Progressive Relaxation
A progressive relaxation activates the parasympathetic
nervous system and the relaxation response. Practice is
important. Not to worry if your attention wanders, just practice
bringing your attention back to the process and eventually
you can learn to attain very deep states of relaxation and/or
self-hypnosis. Incorporate your own personally meaningful
imagery and create a ritual that is uniquely right for you. As
your relaxation ritual becomes a conditioned response, you
be able to relax deeply and fairly quickly. However, it takes
time for tension to unwind. Spent at least twenty minutes on
this exercise.
Include six important steps:
1. Sit or recline in a comfortable position
2. Focus on the breath
3. Use imagery to engage all the senses
4. Count backwards to deepen the state
5. Notice actual changes that occur in the body
6. Notice the changes that occur in your thoughts,
perceptions, and perspectives.
Sit or recline in a comfortable position
Choose a location that is as free of distractions as
possible. Use lots of pillows and blankets to support your
head and limbs to become as comfortable as possible. Close
your eyes.
Focus on the breath
Begin with a deep, cleansing breath. Become aware of air
as it enters the nostrils, feeling each molecule of oxygen
brush against the inside of your nose. Feel the oxygen gently
moving into your trachea and your lungs. Inhale through your
nose, and exhale through your mouth, parting the lips slightly
and touching the roof of your mouth gently with your tongue.
As you inhale, allow the belly to expand. This is
counterintuitive at first and takes some practice. Notice the
diaphragm as it rises and falls. As you exhale, allow air to be
released through your mouth as your belly falls and relaxes.
Become aware of both your lungs. Imagine the right and the
left side filling equally with air, from the top of the lung down
into the bottom, letting the lungs and the belly expand and
contract gently. Take five long slow breaths this way. The
eyes may begin to roll upward as you do this, and you’ll be
surprised how quickly you relax.
Engage all the senses with imagery
This is important to fully activate the brain and bodymind
circuitry. Bring an experience to mind of something that for
you represents profound peace, calm, comfort and safety.
You can use an image that arises spontaneously, or choose
an experience that is alive with sensory information like a
thunderstorm in a eucalyptus forest, relaxing on a raft in a
warm lagoon, a snow flurry in spring, water falling over a
hundred foot cascade, or eating a peach. I like to imagine
that I’m walking down the switchbacks below Mt. Whitney in
the late afternoon, watching the shadows of the granite spires
move across the lake below, with a friend waiting for me at the
bottom with a cozy tent and a hot cup of tea, or a favorite
childhood experience; sitting under a tarp hung in my
grandmother’s apple trees during a summer thunderstorm.
Once you’ve chosen your image, let it become sharper,
brighter and more “real” by noticing 1.) Colors 2) Sounds; 2)
Movement; 3) Fragrance 4) Sunlight or shadow; 5) Textures;
6) Tastes. Keep the image in mind with all the senses
engaged and continue to focus on the breath. As you relax, if
any disturbing or negative images arise, just take another
breath and notice as they disappear. Return to your apple
trees and waterfalls, or whatever images you’ve chosen.
A progressive relaxation activates the parasympathetic
nervous system and the relaxation response. Practice is
important. Not to worry if your attention wanders, just practice
bringing your attention back to the process and eventually
you can learn to attain very deep states of relaxation and/or
self-hypnosis. Incorporate your own personally meaningful
imagery and create a ritual that is uniquely right for you. As
your relaxation ritual becomes a conditioned response, you
be able to relax deeply and fairly quickly. However, it takes
time for tension to unwind. Spent at least twenty minutes on
this exercise.
Include six important steps:
1. Sit or recline in a comfortable position
2. Focus on the breath
3. Use imagery to engage all the senses
4. Count backwards to deepen the state
5. Notice actual changes that occur in the body
6. Notice the changes that occur in your thoughts,
perceptions, and perspectives.
Sit or recline in a comfortable position
Choose a location that is as free of distractions as
possible. Use lots of pillows and blankets to support your
head and limbs to become as comfortable as possible. Close
your eyes.
Focus on the breath
Begin with a deep, cleansing breath. Become aware of air
as it enters the nostrils, feeling each molecule of oxygen
brush against the inside of your nose. Feel the oxygen gently
moving into your trachea and your lungs. Inhale through your
nose, and exhale through your mouth, parting the lips slightly
and touching the roof of your mouth gently with your tongue.
As you inhale, allow the belly to expand. This is
counterintuitive at first and takes some practice. Notice the
diaphragm as it rises and falls. As you exhale, allow air to be
released through your mouth as your belly falls and relaxes.
Become aware of both your lungs. Imagine the right and the
left side filling equally with air, from the top of the lung down
into the bottom, letting the lungs and the belly expand and
contract gently. Take five long slow breaths this way. The
eyes may begin to roll upward as you do this, and you’ll be
surprised how quickly you relax.
Engage all the senses with imagery
This is important to fully activate the brain and bodymind
circuitry. Bring an experience to mind of something that for
you represents profound peace, calm, comfort and safety.
You can use an image that arises spontaneously, or choose
an experience that is alive with sensory information like a
thunderstorm in a eucalyptus forest, relaxing on a raft in a
warm lagoon, a snow flurry in spring, water falling over a
hundred foot cascade, or eating a peach. I like to imagine
that I’m walking down the switchbacks below Mt. Whitney in
the late afternoon, watching the shadows of the granite spires
move across the lake below, with a friend waiting for me at the
bottom with a cozy tent and a hot cup of tea, or a favorite
childhood experience; sitting under a tarp hung in my
grandmother’s apple trees during a summer thunderstorm.
Once you’ve chosen your image, let it become sharper,
brighter and more “real” by noticing 1.) Colors 2) Sounds; 2)
Movement; 3) Fragrance 4) Sunlight or shadow; 5) Textures;
6) Tastes. Keep the image in mind with all the senses
engaged and continue to focus on the breath. As you relax, if
any disturbing or negative images arise, just take another
breath and notice as they disappear. Return to your apple
trees and waterfalls, or whatever images you’ve chosen.
Count backwards to deepen the state
With your image and mind and your breath rhythmic and
even, begin to count each breath, going backwards from
21 down to 0. Let a staircase appear in your scene of
calm and comfort, feel your hands on the sturdy rails, the
top step is number 21, and take a step down with each
breath.
Notice the changes that occur in the body
Once you’ve counted back to zero, at the bottom of the
stairs, continue to focus on the breath and keep your
sensory experience of calm and comfort in mind. As you
breathe, begin at the top of your head, and notice that with
each breath, tension is released in an area of the body.
Start with the top of your head, and notice the scalp
smoothing out and becoming loose and soft. Now the
forehead, feel any tension that remains, breathe in,
exhale, and feel the forehead softening and loosening.
Now the space between the eyes, breathe in, exhale, and
the space widens slightly as the muscle and the skin
loosens and softens. Now the jaw, breath in, exhale, and
the jaw starts to hang loose as it softens. Now the base of
the neck, breathe in, exhale and the space between the
vertebrae expands, as the muscles of the shoulders
release. Soft, calm, loose, surrendering. Joints will
loosen, skin will soften, muscles will lengthen and spread
out as tension disappears. Keep going through the right
shoulder, the left shoulder, the arms, elbows, and hands.
Then travel down the spine, breathing in, releasing as you
go, noticing the space between the vertebrae expanding
as the muscles of the back release and surrender. Pay
special attention to the internal organs, the heart, the
stomach, the intestinal tract, the abdominal muscles. Go
to each one, breath in, exhale and let it go. Then the right
hip, the left hip, the thighs, knees, calves and feet.
Notice the changes that occur in your thoughts and
perceptions
If you have followed this process even partially, by now,
your body is jello and your mind may be surging with
sensations of joy and bliss. In this state of deep relaxation,
feel free to bring any life issue, problem, health issue, or
physical pain into your awareness. They cannot disturb
you now. Breath in, exhale, notice the thoughts that come
to mind, and continue to breath gently. The pain, problem
or issue may seem quite different. Keep breathing as new
thoughts and perceptions unravel old problems. Stay
awhile and enjoy while pain and problems are
transformed.
With your image and mind and your breath rhythmic and
even, begin to count each breath, going backwards from
21 down to 0. Let a staircase appear in your scene of
calm and comfort, feel your hands on the sturdy rails, the
top step is number 21, and take a step down with each
breath.
Notice the changes that occur in the body
Once you’ve counted back to zero, at the bottom of the
stairs, continue to focus on the breath and keep your
sensory experience of calm and comfort in mind. As you
breathe, begin at the top of your head, and notice that with
each breath, tension is released in an area of the body.
Start with the top of your head, and notice the scalp
smoothing out and becoming loose and soft. Now the
forehead, feel any tension that remains, breathe in,
exhale, and feel the forehead softening and loosening.
Now the space between the eyes, breathe in, exhale, and
the space widens slightly as the muscle and the skin
loosens and softens. Now the jaw, breath in, exhale, and
the jaw starts to hang loose as it softens. Now the base of
the neck, breathe in, exhale and the space between the
vertebrae expands, as the muscles of the shoulders
release. Soft, calm, loose, surrendering. Joints will
loosen, skin will soften, muscles will lengthen and spread
out as tension disappears. Keep going through the right
shoulder, the left shoulder, the arms, elbows, and hands.
Then travel down the spine, breathing in, releasing as you
go, noticing the space between the vertebrae expanding
as the muscles of the back release and surrender. Pay
special attention to the internal organs, the heart, the
stomach, the intestinal tract, the abdominal muscles. Go
to each one, breath in, exhale and let it go. Then the right
hip, the left hip, the thighs, knees, calves and feet.
Notice the changes that occur in your thoughts and
perceptions
If you have followed this process even partially, by now,
your body is jello and your mind may be surging with
sensations of joy and bliss. In this state of deep relaxation,
feel free to bring any life issue, problem, health issue, or
physical pain into your awareness. They cannot disturb
you now. Breath in, exhale, notice the thoughts that come
to mind, and continue to breath gently. The pain, problem
or issue may seem quite different. Keep breathing as new
thoughts and perceptions unravel old problems. Stay
awhile and enjoy while pain and problems are
transformed.
| Susan Shaw, MSW Certified Hypnotherapist Certification ID#AL961253 susanshaw@socal.rr.com Home |
