Quick Overview: What happens in the body during a relaxation response? The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) describes it as involving slower breathing, lower blood pressure, and a reduced heart rate. NCCIH describes the relaxation response as the opposite of the stress response. Relaxation techniques are practices intended to help bring about this response. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) lists mindfulness and relaxation techniques, including meditation and breathing exercises, as possible elements of psychotherapy. That general information does not establish whether a particular individual therapy service includes these techniques.
Understanding the Relaxation Response
Bodily Changes Named by NCCIH
NCCIH uses the term relaxation response to describe a pattern that can involve slower breathing, lower blood pressure, and a reduced heart rate. It describes this response as the opposite of the stress response.
This is a general description of the response, not a way to determine personal fit with a relaxation technique or predict an outcome for an individual person. The description also does not establish that these changes will occur in every situation or with every practice.
What NCCIH Calls Relaxation Techniques
NCCIH describes relaxation techniques as practices that help bring about the relaxation response. The organization names several types of techniques:
- Progressive relaxation, also called progressive muscle relaxation, involves tensing different muscles and then releasing the tension.
- Autogenic training uses mental exercises and autosuggestion that focus the mind on the body’s experience of relaxation.
- Guided imagery, or visualization, involves picturing objects, scenes, or events associated with relaxation or calmness and attempting to produce a similar feeling in the body.
- Biofeedback-assisted relaxation uses feedback, usually provided through an electronic device, to help a person recognize and manage bodily responses. The device may display changes in heart rate, blood pressure, or muscle tension in response to stress or relaxation.
- Self-hypnosis programs teach people to produce the relaxation response when prompted by a phrase or nonverbal cue of their own.
- Breathing exercises may involve focusing on slow, deep breaths, also called diaphragmatic breathing.
These are descriptions of practices named by NCCIH. They do not show which techniques a particular therapist uses or whether a particular service includes them.
Relaxation Techniques and Psychotherapy
What NIMH Says About Psychotherapy
NIMH defines psychotherapy, also called talk therapy, as a variety of treatments that aim to help a person identify and change troubling emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. NIMH states that elements of psychotherapy can include mindfulness and relaxation techniques, such as meditation and breathing exercises.
NIMH also states that therapists may use one primary approach or incorporate elements from multiple approaches. According to NIMH, the approach used can depend on the therapist’s training, the disorder being treated, and the needs of the person receiving treatment.
This information concerns psychotherapy generally. It does not describe individual therapy specifically, and it does not establish that relaxation techniques are part of every psychotherapy approach or every individual therapy service.
Questions That Keep the Scope Clear
A preliminary conversation with a prospective therapist can help a person understand how treatment may proceed and whether they feel comfortable with the therapist, according to NIMH. NIMH suggests asking about the approach used, the rationale and evidence base for that approach, goals of therapy, how progress may be assessed, and what may happen if improvement is not occurring.
Questions about relaxation techniques can remain equally specific: Is a technique part of the therapist’s approach? What is its purpose? What would participation involve? A general description of the relaxation response cannot answer those practice-specific questions on its own.
Reflection Questions for a Consultation
| Reflection question | Question to bring forward |
|---|---|
| What do I want to understand about the relaxation response? | How do you describe relaxation-related ideas in your approach? |
| What questions do I have about breathing exercises, meditation, or guided imagery? | Do you use any relaxation techniques in your work? |
| What would help me understand a suggested practice? | What is the purpose of this technique, and what would it involve? |
| What do I want to know about psychotherapy approaches? | What approach do you use, and what is the rationale for it? |
| What would I like to know before requesting an appointment? | What are the next steps for connecting with the practice? |
Questions to Bring to a Consultation
- What approach do you use in individual therapy?
- Do relaxation techniques or mindfulness have a place in that approach?
- What is the rationale and evidence base for the approach you use?
- What are the goals of therapy?
- How will progress be assessed?
Practice Note: Rooted Integrative Therapy
Rooted Integrative Therapy lists individual therapy, couples therapy, group therapy, and therapy intensives among its services. Alina Hovsoyan, LCSW, is listed by the practice as its therapist.
The practice offers in-person services near Orem and Provo, with virtual therapy across Utah. Its FAQs describe scheduling a consultation call as the first step, with an opportunity to ask questions and consider fit. The practice’s Connect page invites inquiries and appointment requests using its contact details or form.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens in the body during a relaxation response?
NCCIH describes the relaxation response as involving slower breathing, lower blood pressure, and a reduced heart rate. NCCIH describes it as the opposite of the stress response.
What are relaxation techniques?
NCCIH describes relaxation techniques as practices intended to help bring about the relaxation response. Examples it names include progressive relaxation, guided imagery, biofeedback-assisted relaxation, self-hypnosis, and breathing exercises.
Is slow breathing the same as the relaxation response?
NCCIH includes slower breathing in its description of the relaxation response. It also describes breathing exercises as practices that may focus on slow, deep breaths. The source does not say that slow breathing alone answers every question about an individual experience.
Are relaxation techniques part of individual therapy?
NIMH lists mindfulness and relaxation techniques among possible elements of psychotherapy. Its general description does not establish whether a particular individual therapy service includes them.
Can I ask questions before requesting an appointment?
Rooted Integrative Therapy describes a consultation call as a first step that provides an opportunity to ask questions and consider fit. Its Connect page also invites inquiries and appointment requests.
Sources and Further Reading
Sources used for this article:
- nccih.nih.gov: Relaxation Techniques What You Need To Know
- National Institute of Mental Health: Psychotherapies
A Grounded Next Step
If you would like to learn more about individual therapy at Rooted Integrative Therapy, you can request a consultation. The practice describes a consultation call as an opportunity to ask questions and consider fit.
Please do not include urgent or highly sensitive clinical information in a general inquiry.
This article is for general education only. It is not a diagnosis, treatment plan, or substitute for individualized mental-health care. A qualified mental-health professional can help you consider what fits your circumstances.