Herbert Benson Mind Body ProgramsExercising to relax - Harvard Health. Rest and relaxation. It's such a common expression that it has become a clich. And although rest really can be relaxing, the pat phrase causes many men to overlook the fact that exercise can also be relaxing. It's true for most forms of physical activity as well as for specific relaxation exercises. Exercise is a form of physical stress. ![]() ![]() Ordnungstherapie und Mind-Body Medizin. Ordnungstherapie und Mind-Body Medizin wollen den Menschen darin unterst For over 40 years, at the forefront of Mind Body Medicine research, clinical practice and education. Early life and career Boyhood and Civil War. Joseph Benson Foraker was born on July 5, 1846, on a farm about 1 mile (1.6 km) north of Rainsboro, Ohio, in Highland County. Herbert Benson, M.D., is the founding President of the Mind/Body Medical Institute; Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; and Chief of the. These modalities include a wide variety of approaches, from acupuncture to nutrition to meditation to chiropractic. Some holistic nurses specialize in one or more. If this was any other random life advice article. Herbert Benson is the founding president of the Mind/Body Medical Institute at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. His three decades of pioneering. ![]() Can physical stress relieve mental stress? Alexander Pope thought so: . You may not agree at first; indeed, the first steps are the hardest, and in the beginning, exercise will be more work than fun. But as you get into shape, you'll begin to tolerate exercise, then enjoy it, and finally depend on it. Regular aerobic exercise will bring remarkable changes to your body, your metabolism, your heart, and your spirits. ![]() It has a unique capacity to exhilarate and relax, to provide stimulation and calm, to counter depression and dissipate stress. It's a common experience among endurance athletes and has been verified in clinical trials that have successfully used exercise to treat anxiety disorders and clinical depression. If athletes and patients can derive psychological benefits from exercise, so can you. How can exercise contend with problems as difficult as anxiety and depression? There are several explanations, some chemical, others behavioral. The mental benefits of aerobic exercise have a neurochemical basis. Herbert Benson - some of which may include references to the Relaxation Response. Costas R Jr, Garcia-Palmieri MR, Feliberti M, Benson H. Exercise reduces levels of the body's stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. It also stimulates the production of endorphins, chemicals in the brain that are the body's natural painkillers and mood elevators. Endorphins are responsible for the . As your waistline shrinks and your strength and stamina increase, your self- image will improve. You'll earn a sense of mastery and control, of pride and self- confidence. Your renewed vigor and energy will help you succeed in many tasks, and the discipline of regular exercise will help you achieve other important lifestyle goals. Exercise and sports also provide opportunities to get away from it all and to either enjoy some solitude or to make friends and build networks. Many people find that using large muscle groups in a rhythmic, repetitive fashion works best; call it . Walking and jogging are prime examples. Even a simple 2. 0- minute stroll can clear the mind and reduce stress. But some people prefer vigorous workouts that burn stress along with calories. That's one reason ellipticals are so popular. And the same stretching exercises that help relax your muscles after a hard workout will help relax your mind as well. Autoregulation exercises.
Regular physical activity keeps you healthy as it reduces stress. But another special sort of exercise known as autoregulation exercises can also reduce stress. Stress comes in many forms and produces many symptoms. Mental symptoms range from worry and irritability to restlessness and insomnia, anger and hostility, or sensations of dread, foreboding, and even panic. Mental stress can also produce physical symptoms. Muscles are tense, resulting in fidgetiness, taut facial expressions, headaches, or neck and back pain. The mouth is dry, producing unquenchable thirst or perhaps the sensation of a lump in the throat that makes swallowing difficult. Clenched jaw muscles can produce jaw pain and headaches. The skin can be pale, sweaty, and clammy. Intestinal symptoms range from . Frequent urination may be a bother. A pounding pulse is common, as is chest tightness. Rapid breathing is also typical, and may be accompanied by sighing or repetitive coughing. In extreme cases, hyperventilation can lead to tingling of the face and fingers, muscle cramps, lightheadedness, and even fainting. The physical symptoms of stress are themselves distressing. ![]() In fact, the body's response to stress can feel so bad that it produces additional mental stress. During the stress response, then, mind and body can amplify each other's distress signals, creating a vicious cycle of tension and anxiety. Because the root cause of stress is emotional, it is best controlled by gaining insight, reducing life problems that trigger stress, and modifying behavior. But stress control can . Aerobic exercise is one approach; physical fitness will help promote mental fitness. But there is another approach: you can learn to use your mind to relax your body. The relaxed body will, in turn, send signals of calm and control that help reduce mental tension. Autoregulation exercises are a group of techniques designed to replace the spiral of stress with a cycle of repose. Several approaches are available. Breathing exercises. Even without formal meditation and controlled breathing, the gentle muscle stretching of yoga can reduce stress. But if that's not your thing, simple breathing exercises can help by themselves. Rapid, shallow, erratic breathing is a common response to stress. Slow, deep, regular breathing is a sign of relaxation. You can learn to control your respirations so they mimic relaxation; the effect, in fact, will be relaxing. Here's how deep breathing exercises work: Breathe in slowly and deeply, pushing your stomach out so that your diaphragm is put to maximal use. Hold your breath briefly. Exhale slowly, thinking . You can do it at any time, in any place. You can use deep breathing to help dissipate stress as it occurs. Practice the routine in advance; then use it when you need it most. If you find it helpful, consider repeating the exercise four to six times a day . Most often, that means talking out problems with a supportive listener, who can be a friend, a chaplain, or a trained counselor or psychotherapist. But you can also do it yourself, harnessing the power of your own mind to reduce stress. Simply writing down your thoughts and feelings can be very beneficial, and formal meditation exercises have helped many people reduce stress and gain perspective. Meditation is a prime example of the unity of mind and body. Mental stress can speed the heart and raise the blood pressure; meditation can actually reverse the physiological signs of stress. Scientific studies of Indian yoga masters demonstrate that meditation can, in fact, slow the heart rate, lower the blood pressure, reduce the breathing rate, diminish the body's oxygen consumption, reduce blood adrenaline levels, and change skin temperature. Although meditation is an ancient Eastern religious technique, you don't have to become a pilgrim or convert to put it to work for you. In fact, your best guide to meditation is not an Indian spiritualist but a Harvard physician, Dr. Here's an outline of what Dr. Benson has termed as the relaxation response: 1. Select a time and place that will be free of distractions and interruption. A semi- darkened room is often best; it should be quiet and private. If possible, wait two hours after you eat before you meditate and empty your bladder before you get started. Find a body position that will allow your body to relax so that physical signals of discomfort will not intrude on your mental processes. Breathe slowly and deeply, allowing your mind to become aware of your rhythmic respirations. Achieve a relaxed, passive mental attitude. Close your eyes to block out visual stimuli. Try to let your mind go blank, blocking out thoughts and worries. Concentrate on a mental device. Most people use a mantra, a simple word or syllable that is repeated over and over again in a rhythmic, chant- like fashion. You can repeat your mantra silently or say it aloud. It's the act of repetition that counts, not the content of the phrase; even the word . Some meditators prefer to stare at a fixed object instead of repeating a mantra. In either case, the goal is to focus your attention on a neutral object, thus blocking out ordinary thoughts and sensations. Meditation is the most demanding of the autoregulation techniques, but it's also the most beneficial and rewarding. Once you've mastered meditation, you'll probably look forward to devoting 2. Progressive muscular relaxation. Stressed muscles are tight, tense muscles. By learning to relax your muscles, you will be able to use your body to dissipate stress. Muscle relaxation takes a bit longer to learn than deep breathing. It also takes more time. But even if this form of relaxation takes a little effort, it can be a useful part of your stress control program. Here's how it works: Progressive muscle relaxation is best performed in a quiet, secluded place. You should be comfortably seated or stretched out on a firm mattress or mat. Until you learn the routine, have a friend recite the directions or listen to them on a tape, which you can prerecord yourself. Progressive muscle relaxation focuses sequentially on the major muscle groups. Tighten each muscle and maintain the contraction 2. As the muscle relaxes, concentrate on the release of tension and the sensation of relaxation. Start with your facial muscles, then work down the body. Forehead. Wrinkle your forehead and arch your eyebrows. Hold; then relax. Eyes. Close your eyes tightly. Hold; then relax. Nose. Wrinkle your nose and flare your nostrils. Hold; then relax. Tongue. Push your tongue firmly against the roof of your mouth. Hold; then relax. Face. Grimace. Hold; then relax. Jaws. Clench your jaws tightly. Hold; then relax. Neck. Tense your neck by pulling your chin down to your chest. Hold; then relax. Back. Arch your back. Hold; then relax. Chest. Breathe in as deeply as you can. Hold; then relax. Stomach. Tense your stomach muscles. Hold; then relax. Buttocks and thighs. Tense your buttocks and thigh muscles. Hold; then relax. Arms. Tense your biceps. Hold; then relax. Forearms and hands. Tense your arms and clench your fists. Hold; then relax. Calves. Press your feet down. Hold; then relax. Ankles and feet. Pull your toes up. Hold; then relax. The entire routine should take 1. Practice it twice daily, expecting to master the technique and experience some relief of stress in about two weeks. Exercise, health, and stress. Few things are more stressful than illness. How To Use Your Mind To Control Your Heart Rate. You may be familiar with research showing that highly trained Tibetan monks are able to control their body temperature by using the power of their mind, even to the point they are able to dry wet blankets with their body heat. This was first recorded by Dr. Herbert Benson, one of the world. Benson showed that meditating monks could increase the temperature of their fingers and toes by as much as 8. It indicates that the systems we think of as automatic in our body such as the heart beating or our lungs breathing may be able to be influenced by conscious thought. Benson talking about his early research into meditation, the physiological changes that occur and his discovery of the Relaxation Response. But this week, I was stunned to come across research showing that untrained people are also able to consciously influence physical functions thought to be operating in the automatic, unconscious systems of the body. It turns out that it’s not that hard. Professor Ellen Langer from Harvard wondered if people could consciously control their heart rate after simply measuring it regularly for one week without any instruction, training, or prior experience in mindfulness or heart rate moderation techniques. Participants were assigned to one of four groups: (1) High Attention group. These people recorded their heart rate every three hours during waking hours.(2) Moderate Attention group. These people recorded their heart rate twice per day at a variety of times during the day.(3) Stability group. These people recorded their heart rate in the morning upon waking and at night before bed when their heart rate was expected to be relatively stable.(4) No Monitoring group. These people only recorded their activity during the day and did not measure their heart rate. After a week the participants were brought into a lab and told to not to intentionally change muscle tension or breathing and asked to . Both the Stability group and the Moderate Attention group weren. But the High Attention group did significantly better. It. Those who scored the highest on the mindfulness scale were better at raising their heart rate and had greater control of their heart rate regulation. Langer points out in her book Counter Clockwise, that her research doesn. By having them regularly measure their heart rate, the participants were learning focused attention, which lead to an intuitive ability to influence their body.
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