{"id":5225,"date":"2020-05-13T23:02:07","date_gmt":"2020-05-14T04:02:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.kidtao.com\/?p=5225"},"modified":"2020-05-13T23:03:06","modified_gmt":"2020-05-14T04:03:06","slug":"the-relaxation-response-by-herbert-benson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kidtao.com\/?p=5225","title":{"rendered":"The Relaxation Response by Herbert Benson"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<ul>\n  <li>It was widely known that, when measured in a doctor&rsquo;s\n    office, a patient&rsquo;s blood pressure was often higher than when it was measured\n    by the patient himself or herself at home or in other settings. <\/li>\n  <li>They&mdash;the trained monkeys&mdash;regulated their blood pressure\n    levels with brainpower alone. <\/li>\n  <li>A passive attitude&mdash;not worrying about how well one is\n    performing the technique and simply putting aside distracting thoughts to\n    return to one&rsquo;s focus. <\/li>\n  <li>&hellip;to maintain a mental focus and be able to return to her\n    focus when distracting thoughts interfered. <\/li>\n  <li>&hellip;the Relaxation Response could be evoked with any number of techniques&mdash;Yoga\n    or <span style=\"font-style: italic;\">qigong<\/span>, walking or swimming, even knitting or rowing. The person\n    evoking it could sit or stand, sing or remain silent. <\/li>\n  <li>1. Repetition of a word, sound, phrase, prayer, or muscular\n    activity.<br>\n    2. Passively disregarding everyday thoughts that inevitably come to mind and\n    returning to your repetition. <\/li>\n  <li>When other thoughts come to mind, simply say to yourself, &ldquo;Oh\n    well,&rdquo; and <span style=\"background-color:yellow;\">gently<\/span> return to your\n    repetition. <\/li>\n  <li>&hellip;the three-legged stool model would be incorporated; drugs,\n    surgeries, and self-care would be used equally and appropriately. <\/li>\n  <li>&hellip;when a person focused his or her mind and returned to the\n    focus when interrupting thoughts occurred, a set of measurable, reproducible,\n    and predictable changes occurred in the body, meeting the standards of\n    scientific medicine. <\/li>\n  <li>Guilt is not necessary. <\/li>\n  <li><span style=\"font-style: italic;\">&hellip;when not used appropriately, which is most of the time,\n    the fight-or-flight response repeatedly elicited may ultimately lead to the\n    dire diseases of heart attack and stroke. <\/span><\/li>\n  <li>&hellip;(1) a quiet environment; (2) a mental device such as a word\n    or a phrase which should be repeated in a specific fashion over and over again;\n    (3) the adoption of a passive attitude, which is perhaps the most important of\n    the elements; and (4) a comfortable position. <\/li>\n  <li>Atherosclerosis is the deposition of blood clots, fats, and\n    calcium within the walls of the arteries, causing the normally soft, elastic,\n    open arteries to become hard, inelastic, and partly or completely blocked&hellip;<\/li>\n  <li>Tissues are simply a specialized group of cells with a\n    common function. Different groups of tissues with a special function are\n    organs. <\/li>\n  <li>Our blood is part of that hypothetical sea. The circulation\n    of the blood carries food particles from the digestive organs, such as the\n    small intestines, and oxygen from the lungs to the cells. Special organs such\n    as the kidneys developed to eliminate waste products, carried to them by the\n    blood, which could no longer be eliminated by diffusion directly into the sea.\n    In this circulatory system, the vessels that carry the nutrients from the heart\n    to the tissue are the arteries; the veins, on the other hand, return the blood\n    to the heart and lungs. The tiny vessels connecting the arteries and veins are\n    the capillaries&hellip;The capillaries are very thin-walled. It is through the\n    thin-walled capillaries that the blood and the cells exchange nutrients and\n    waste products&hellip;The capillaries and the rest of the circulatory system transmit\n    the &ldquo;sea&rdquo; to the cells so that they can maintain life. <\/li>\n  <li>&hellip;it is believed that the lower the blood pressure, provided\n    there are no adverse symptoms such as marked dizziness and fainting, the better\n    off and the more protected you are from the ultimate development of\n    atherosclerosis. <br>\n    <span style=\"font-style: italic;\">The risk of developing atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries is\n    directly related to the level of blood pressure.<\/span> <\/li>\n  <li>&hellip;there remains the well-established direct relation between\n    high blood pressure and atherosclerosis. <\/li>\n  <li>&hellip;the lower your cholesterol, the lower the risk of\n    developing atherosclerosis&hellip;as the amount of cholesterol increases, the risk of\n    developing atherosclerosis is also greater. <\/li>\n  <li>With high cholesterol levels, there tends to be more\n    movement in than out of the arteries. Since atherosclerosis is in part the\n    deposition of fat and blood clots within the arteries, and cholesterol is one\n    of these fats, the ground is laid for the development of atherosclerosis. <\/li>\n  <li>&hellip;one should avoid foods such as eggs, because the yolk has\n    exceedingly high cholesterol; fatty steaks, which contain saturated animal\n    fats, help raise cholesterol. Butter and rich desserts also have relatively high\n    cholesterol levels or too much saturated fat. <\/li>\n  <li>It also required the heart to pump blood at higher\n    pressures, thus making the heart work harder. Pumping at higher pressures\n    places an excessive strain on the heart and the heart grows larger, as would\n    any muscle that is worked excessively. <\/li>\n  <li>The enlarged heart is then more prone to have a heart\n    attack, where heart muscle cells die because the nutrient demands of the heart\n    are not met. \u00a0Why did it not get sufficient nutrients? At the same time that\n    the heart, because of high blood pressure, enlarges and needs more blood flow\n    to bring nutrients, the coronary arteries become progressively less able to\n    carry larger quantities of blood, because of their inability to enlarge and\n    also because of the increased development of atherosclerosis within these\n    arteries. <br>\n    High blood pressure affects the brain either directly, through high pressure\n    that leads to bursting of blood vessels, a brain hemorrhage&hellip;of indirectly,\n    through the blockage of arteries by atherosclerosis. These events lead to\n    temporary or permanent damage of brain functions called stroke or shock. \u00a0<\/li>\n  <li>In the normal kidney, if blood pressure decreases to very\n    low levels the kidneys secrete hormone substances that increase blood pressure.\n    The kidneys therefore act as sensors to maintain adequate blood pressure. If a\n    minimal amount of atherosclerosis develops in the blood vessels of the kidney,\n    it will decrease the amount of blood flow to these organs, and the kidney will\n    become shrunken&hellip;The blocked kidney vessel leads to lower pressure within the\n    kidney, and this organ responds in turn by secreting hormones that raise blood\n    pressure through the body.<\/li>\n  <li>Borderline high blood pressure is considered to be either\n    between 140 and 159 systolic or between 90 and 94 diastolic. Normal blood\n    pressure is defined at lower than 140 systolic and 90 diastolic. <\/li>\n  <li>The degree of high blood pressure among blacks is not simply\n    genetic but probably is related to the living standards and stress under which\n    black people exist. <\/li>\n  <li>&hellip;hypertensive individuals are persons who do not deal with\n    their emotions well or who cannot let out their emotions. <\/li>\n  <li>&hellip;the chronic elicitation of the fight-or-flight response\n    leads from the transient elevations in blood pressure to a permanent state of\n    hypertension. <\/li>\n  <li>When the fight-or-flight response is evoked, it brings into\n    play the sympathetic nervous system, which is part of the autonomic, or\n    involuntary, nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system acts by secreting\n    specific hormones: adrenalin or epinephrine and noradrenalin or norepinephrine.\n    These hormones, epinephrine and its related substances, bring about the\n    physiologic changes of increased blood pressure, heart rate, and body\n    metabolism. <\/li>\n  <li>Since we cannot easily change the nature of modern life,\n    perhaps better prevention and therapy of hypertension and other diseases\n    related to the fight-or-flight response might be achieved by actively bringing\n    forth the Relaxation Response. <\/li>\n  <li>&hellip;he was able to slow his oxygen consumption, or metabolism,\n    an involuntary mechanism partly related to the sympathetic nervous system. <\/li>\n  <li>&hellip;Zen monks who meditated with their eyes half open developed\n    a predominance of alpha waves, brain waves usually associated with feelings of\n    well-being. <\/li>\n  <li>Meditators are told to assume a passive attitude and if\n    other thoughts come into mind to disregard them, going back to the mantra. Practitioners\n    are advised to meditate twenty minutes in the morning, usually before\n    breakfast, and twenty minutes in the evening, usually before dinner. <\/li>\n  <li>&hellip;each cell makers use of the energy in foods by slowly &ldquo;burning&rdquo;\n    the nutrients. In order to &ldquo;burn&rdquo; the nutrients the cell usually utilizes\n    oxygen brought to it through the bloodstream. The sum of the individual metabolism\n    of each of the cells utilizing oxygen constitutes the total oxygen consumption,\n    or metabolism, of the body. The major physiologic change associated with\n    meditation is a <span style=\"font-style: italic;\">decrease in the rate of metabolism<\/span>&hellip;<\/li>\n  <li>&hellip;if you hold your breath, your tissues will continue to\n    utilize the available oxygen at the same rate and there will be no change in\n    the amount of oxygen you consume. <\/li>\n  <li>Alpha waves, slow brain waves, increase in intensity and\n    frequency during the practice of meditation but are not commonly found in\n    sleep. <\/li>\n  <li>Meditation is&hellip;not a form of sleep, nor can it be used as a substitute\n    for sleep. Meditation evokes <span style=\"font-style: italic;\">some<\/span> of the physiologic changes that are found\n    in sleep, but the two are not in any way interchangeable, nor is one a substitute\n    for the other. <\/li>\n  <li>If increased lactate is instrumental in producing regular\n    attacks of anxiety, the finding of low levels of lactate in meditators is consistent\n    with their reports of significantly more relaxed, less anxious feelings. <\/li>\n  <li>The subject&rsquo;s attitude toward the exercise, and this is\n    absolutely essential, must not be intense and compulsive, but of a &ldquo;let it\n    happen&rdquo; nature called &ldquo;passive concentration.&rdquo;<\/li>\n  <li>The first element is <span style=\"font-style: italic;\">a quiet environment<\/span>. One must &ldquo;turn\n    off&rdquo; not only internal stimuli but also external distractions&hellip;<br>\n    The second element is <span style=\"font-style: italic;\">an object to dwell upon<\/span>. This object may be a word\n    or sound repetition; gazing at a symbol; concentrating on a particular feeling.\n    For example, directing one&rsquo;s attention to the repetition of a syllable will\n    help clear the mind. When distracting thoughts do occur, one can return to this\n    repetition of the syllable to help eliminate other thoughts. <br>\n    The third element is <span style=\"font-style: italic;\">a passive attitude<\/span>. It is an emptying of all thoughts\n    and distractions from one&rsquo;s mind. <span style=\"font-style: italic;\">A passive attitude appears to be the most\n    essential factor in eliciting the Relaxation Response.<\/span> Thoughts, imagery,\n    and feelings may drift into one&rsquo;s awareness. One should not concentrate on\n    these perceptions but allow them to pass one. A person should not be concerned with\n    how well he or she is doing. <br>\n    The fourth element is <span style=\"font-style: italic;\">a comfortable position<\/span>. One should be in a\n    comfortable posture that will allow an individual to remain in the same position\n    for at least twenty minutes. Usually a sitting position is recommended. <\/li>\n  <li><span style=\"font-style: italic;\">Because the mind is a wanderer, you know. Thoughts never\n    stop following each other through your head, buzzing, preventing concentration,\n    while in order to pray you need a great emptiness in your mind. <\/span><\/li>\n  <li>The essence of Yoga meditation is concentration on a single\n    point&mdash;for example, a physical object of a thought. By dwelling upon an object\n    one may cancel out all distractions that are associated with one&rsquo;s everyday life\n    and thus achieve a passive attitude. <\/li>\n  <li>The practice of checking vain thoughts is accomplished through\n    a quite environment, a proper posture, and a passive attitude. <\/li>\n  <li><span style=\"font-style: italic;\">Nor must one follow the mind in its excursions to\n    everything outside itself and then chase that thought away. If the mind wanders\n    far away, it must be brought back into its proper state. <\/span><\/li>\n  <li>In sum, there appear to be certain common elements in almost\n    all cultures which enable individuals to periodically change their everyday\n    mode of thinking. We believe this mental process is accompanied by the previously\n    described physiologic change of the Relaxation Response. Our usual thinking is\n    concerned with events outside ourselves. Through our emotional attachments, our\n    social feelings, our ideological beliefs, our sensory contracts, we are\n    constantly diverting our thinking toward external factors. Any attempt to\n    redirect this outwardly directed consciousness requires a different mental\n    process. <\/li>\n  <li>&hellip;the meditation had not <span style=\"font-style: italic;\">cured<\/span> them. The subjects&rsquo;\n    lower blood pressure readings lasted only as long as they practiced the\n    Relaxation Response regularly. <\/li>\n  <li>\u00a0&hellip;the Relaxation Response <span style=\"font-style: italic;\">decreases<\/span> and <span style=\"font-style: italic;\">counteracts<\/span> the increased sympathetic nervous system activity that accompanies the arousal\n    of the fight-or-flight response. This sympathetic nervous system activity is\n    reflected in the measures&hellip;of oxygen consumption, heart rate, respiratory rate,\n    and blood pressure, which increase with the fight-or-flight response and\n    decrease with the elicitation of the Relaxation Response. <\/li>\n  <li>It is unlikely that the regular elicitation of the\n    Relaxation Response by itself will prove to be adequate therapy for severe or\n    moderate high blood pressure. Probably it would act to enhance the lowering of\n    blood pressure along with antihypertensive drugs, and thus lead to the use of\n    fewer drugs or a lesser dosage. In the case of mild hypertension, the regular evocation\n    of the Relaxation Response may be of great value, since it has none of the\n    pharmacologic side effects often present with drugs and might possibly supplant\n    their use.<\/li>\n  <li>If high blood pressure can be alleviated by behavioral means\n    alone, its cause may also lie in a behavioral mechanism. <\/li>\n  <li>(2) A Mental Device<br>\n    To shift the mind from logical, externally oriented thought, there should be a\n    constant stimulus: a sound, word, or phrase repeated silently or aloud; or\n    fixed gazing at an object. Since one of the major difficulties in the\n    elicitation of the Relaxation Response is &ldquo;mind wandering,&rdquo; the repetition of\n    the word or phrase is a way to help break the train of distracting thoughts.\n    Your eyes are usually closed if you are using a repeated sound or word; of\n    course, your eyes are open if you are gazing. Attention to the normal rhythm of\n    breathing is also useful and enhances the repetition of the sound or the word. <br>\n    (3) A Passive Attitude<br>\n    When distracting thoughts occur, they are to be disregarded and attention redirected\n    to the repetition or gazing; <span style=\"font-style: italic;\">you should not worry about how well you are\n    performing the technique<\/span>, because this may well prevent the Relaxation\n    Response from occurring. Adopt a &ldquo;let it happen&rdquo; attitude. <span style=\"font-style: italic;\">The passive\n    attitude is perhaps the most important element in eliciting the Relaxation\n    Response. Distracting thoughts will occur. Do not worry about them. When these thoughts\n    do present themselves and you become aware of them, simply return to the\n    repetition of the mental device. These other thoughts do not mean you are\n    performing the technique incorrectly. They are to be expected. <\/span><br>\n    (4)&hellip; If you are lying down, there is a tendency to fall asleep. <\/li>\n  <li>Practice the technique once or twice daily, but not within\n    two hours after any meal, since the digestive processes seem to interface with\n    the elicitation of the Relaxation Response. <\/li>\n  <li>&hellip;when you fall asleep using the technique, you are not\n    experiencing the Relaxation Response, you are asleep. <\/li>\n  <li>From our personal observations, many people who meditate for\n    several hours every day for weeks at a time tend to hallucinate. <\/li>\n  <li><span style=\"font-style: italic;\">The fight-or-flight response is often appropriate and\n    should not be thought of as always harmful. It is a necessary part of our\n    physiologic and psychological makeup, a useful reaction to many situations in\n    our current world.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It was widely known that, when measured in a doctor&rsquo;s office, a patient&rsquo;s blood pressure was often higher than when it was measured by the patient himself or herself at home or in other settings. They&mdash;the trained monkeys&mdash;regulated their blood pressure levels with brainpower alone. A passive attitude&mdash;not worrying about how well one is performing [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5225","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-alternative-medicine"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kidtao.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5225","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kidtao.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kidtao.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidtao.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidtao.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5225"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidtao.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5225\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5226,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidtao.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5225\/revisions\/5226"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kidtao.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5225"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidtao.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5225"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidtao.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5225"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}