The
Relaxation Response by Herbert Benson, M.D. This is the book that first sparked my interest in mind/body medicine. It is a must read for the effects of mind on body. This book came about from a fascinating series of events. Dr. Benson tells the story of how he was initially doing his research in cardiology at the Thorndike Memorial Laboratory of Harvard Medical School when he was approached by practitioners of the Mararishi Mahesh Yogi of Transcendental Meditation fame. The TMers believed that they could control the blood pressure by their meditative thoughts alone. In the midst of a very conservative Harvard medical community, Dr. Benson was remiss to study something as "far out there" as transcendental mediation. After repeated and persuasive meetings, Dr. Benson finally acquiesced to study the TMers under one condition: that whatever he found would be published as the evidence dictated. From his studies with the TMers were indeed able to lower their blood pressure voluntarily. This may sound like a small issue, but at the time, the cardiovascular system was felt to be completely autonomic (functioning automatically on its own). To realize that we could exert voluntary control over an autonomic bodily function was big news. The bad news for the TMers was that the ability to control the blood pressure seemed related only to certain key factors in the meditative process and did not require a specific mantra to work. From this information, Dr. Benson discovered what he calls "The Relaxation Response" which is the distilled essence of what works in the TM process. This response is a built in physiologic antidote to the stressful events of our daily lives. We can learn to trigger this response by following four simple instructions: 1) sit down or lie down in a comfortable position 2) close your eyes 3) repeat a single word or phrase mentally over and over again 4) when distracting thoughts enter into your mind, simple let them pass through and refocus on your word or phrase. By doing these four things every day for 15 to 20 minutes, we can refresh our bodies physically and emotionally. The Relaxation Response if MUST reading. Enjoy. |