Selected relaxation techniques and possibilities of their use in the context of stress-related psychophysical disorders and diseases

Abstract

Stress-related diseases present an ever-increasing burden to health care systems and to society, and thus have become a target of numerous innovative, safe, and effective clinical interventions, in order to fulfil these unmet needs. Such interventions include, among others, relaxation techniques. In particular, two such techniques: transcendental meditation (TM) and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), which according to evidence from numerous clinical studies, have demonstrated effectiveness in reducing negative consequences of chronic stress. This article presents the theoretical foundation of relaxation, lists the main types of relaxation techniques, and analyses in detail some documented results of using the TM and MBSR techniques in different research and clinical (e.g. depression and cardiovascular diseases) as well as prophylactic contexts (e.g. reduction of perceived stress level among individuals, such as medical professionals, who are at a particularly high risk of exposure to multiple external stressors). In addition, some clinical implications of MBSR on reduction of adverse psychophysical impact of chronic stress on the human body, as well as disease prevention and support of some therapies for common psychosomatic diseases have briefly been discussed.