Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)

An anxious mind cannot exist in a relaxed body.
— Edmund Jacobson

Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) is a systematic technique for releasing muscular tension and achieving true relaxation. When practiced regularly, PMR can have a significant positive effect on a host of physical and mental conditions. The exercise is easy and enjoyable, and anyone can learn it.

PMR was developed in the 1920s by Dr. Edmund Jacobson, the American physician who founded biofeedback and whose work was the basis of natural childbirth. Jacobson found that a muscle can be relaxed effectively by first tensing it and then releasing it, and that the release of muscular contraction decreased the stress response of the central nervous system. 

Jacobson also found a connection between excess muscular tension and various disorders of body and mind. Like other natural, mind-body techniques, such as autohypnosis (self hypnosis), autogenic training, Dr. Herbert Benson’s “Relaxation Response,” and meditation, Jacobson’s PMR is an excellent way to maintain general health of body and mind. In fact, published medical studies have shown that PMR, on its own and in combination with other interventions, has helped patients with:

  • Anxiety

  • Depression

  • Weight loss

  • Insomnia

  • Sleep quality

  • Cognitive function

  • Anxiety with elective surgery

  • Test anxiety

  • Cigarette craving

  • Cardiac disease

  • Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes

  • Asthma during pregnancy

  • Erectile dysfunction

  • Irritable bowel syndrome

  • Shortness of breath in COPD

  • Seizures

  • Dermatitis

  • Chronic pain

  • Arthritic pain

  • Phantom limb pain

  • Low back pain during pregnancy

  • Chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome.

  • Chronic facial pain associated with chewing.

  • Quality of life and state anxiety for patients with cardiac disease, cancer, schizophrenia, multiple sclerosis, and undergoing dialysis.

  • Anxiety and other adverse reactions to chemotherapy, including nausea and vomiting.

  • Repetitive thoughts

  • Aggressive behaviors

  • Emotional distress and attention in school children

  • Night eating syndrome

    Read published studies on the effectiveness of PM.


The Technique

Jacobson’s books and articles suggest hundreds of exercises and sequences that take months to complete, but the following basic PMR exercise can be effective:

  • Recline (preferably) or sit comfortably.

  • Close your eyes.

  • Contract each muscle group hard (but not so much that you hurt yourself), for about 8 seconds. Keep the rest of your body relaxed. As you contract each muscle group, focus your attention on the physical sensations of muscular tension.

  • Release the tension suddenly. As you relax each muscle group, focus your attention on the physical sensations of relaxation flowing into the muscles.

  • Relax for about 10 seconds in between each muscle group. Breathe comfortably as you practice this exercise. Most people find it natural to release the muscle tension and exhale simultaneously. The most important aspect of this exercise is to pay attention to the difference between the physical sensations of tension and relaxation.


Breathe comfortably as you practice this exercise. Most people find it natural to release the muscle tension and exhale simultaneously. The most important aspect of this exercise is to pay attention to the difference between the physical sensations of tension and relaxation.

IMPORTANT: If you have a history of injury, muscle spasms, or any other musculoskeletal problem, consult with a medical professional before practicing PMR. PMR is not meant as a replacement for medical advice or attention. 

Sequence

Here is a sequence to follow, and some tips for contracting the muscles. With practice you can discover what works best for you:

• Right hand (first making a fist, then stretching your fingers).
• Right bicep (flex your bicep by bringing your forearm to your shoulder).
• Right tricep (flex your tricep by holding your arm out stiff).
• Right tricep and hand.• Left hand
• Left bicep
• Left tricep
• Left tricep and hand.
• Forehead (raise your eyebrows).
• Eyelids (squeeze your eyes shut tightly).
• Jaw (first clenching the jaw lightly, then stretching your mouth open as wide as you can)
• Neck (back and front)
• Shoulders (raise your shoulders)
• Shoulder blades (push them back as if touching them together)
• Chest
• Abdomen (either by sucking in, or clenching)
• Lower back
• Buttocks (squeeze them together)
• Right thigh
• Right calf (pointing your toes up toward your knee)
• Right foot (first curling the toes, then stretching them)
• Entire right thigh, calf, and foot
• Left thigh
• Left calf
• Left foot
• Entire left thigh, calf, and foot


This sequence takes about 15 minutes. Ideally, PMR is practiced twice daily for 20 minutes per sitting (40 minutes total daily). Establish a consistent routine. Daily practice can train your mind to notice when you are tensing your muscles for no reason and to release tension throughout the day, consciously and unconsciously. You might be even be surprised to find yourself stretching and taking a deep breath more often.

This Guided Progressive Muscle Relaxation will take you through this sequence:

Jacobson’s book You Must Relax was written in 1934 and became a best-seller. You can read it here.

 

Sources:
Jacobson, E. (1938). Progressive relaxation. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

U.S. National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 May 2015.