Volume 29, Issue 3
DOI: 10.24205/03276716.2020.748
An Overview of Jacobson’s Progressive Muscle Relaxation in Managing Anxiety
Abstract
Anxiety is an adaptive emotional reaction to the environment that becomes pathological when it becomes more somatic and disproportionate to the stimulus and/or when it persists above the adaptive limits, leading to impairment or disability in academic, work, social, or interpersonal functioning. Currently, anxiety (as a disorder or as a symptom of another mental disorder or organic disorder) can be managed through psychotropics, psychotherapy, and, as adjuvants, physical therapy and relaxation techniques. Included among the latter is Jacobson’s progressive muscle relaxation, which is effective for multiple health conditions. The aim of this review article is to provide general guidance to psychiatrists, psychologists, and physiotherapists regarding the evidence supporting the usefulness of progressive muscle relaxation on the management of anxiety.
Keywords
Anxiety, Mental Disorders, Relaxation Techniques, Progressive Muscle Relaxation