Beyond drug therapy and psychotherapy, whose effectiveness has been demonstrated, there are many simple remedies that anyone can practice at home. Among these relaxation techniques , which require a limited effort and may be used at any time. These techniques represent a natural response and physiological stress; They can also occur when you are not aware of these reactions in our body. The relaxation is defined as a physical or mental condition in which the individual is relieved from the tension. Achieve a state of relaxation means then being able to control the level of physiological activation, so as to create the prerequisites for free from tension.
When stress and anxiety affect the normal functioning of the body relaxation it can be useful in order to restore the balance. In the East relaxation techniques are known and followed for centuries: the masters of yoga practiced them as a fundamental aspect of their discipline; in the West instead interest in these techniques has been scarce until the last decades, when it began to consider the body as a complex system made up by the interaction between mind and body. A major contribution to the study of relaxation and its therapeutic practice was made by Professor JH Schultz , who developed a method called biofeedback. It is a state of self-induced trance light through techniques of auto-suggestion, which leads to a state of physical and mental relaxation.
After studying Schultz, many psychologists and doctors began to use relaxation techniques in addition to conventional therapies. Thanks to the growing interest in this field of study we now know that different techniques can be adapted to different personality types ( see psychotherapies ). The techniques proposed in this section is not intended as an alternative to psychotherapy , rather as a supplement to it , or simply as a relaxation exercise that you can use in your own home when you have a little ‘time to devote to themselves. Anyone can perform these simple exercises and benefit, there is no contraindication or danger.