Jacobson progressive muscle relaxation

This relaxation method has been around for a long time and has therefore already been scientifically validated many times. You can use it with your patients with all anxiety disorders, with all phobias, in particular agoraphobia, generalized anxiety disorder (chronically stressed people who need relaxation). But nothing prevents you from using them in all mental pathologies. For example, it can be useful for patients who are addicts, who are smokers or alcoholics, because it gives them an opportunity to take an action rather than smoking. So you can even teach it for addictions.

There are three relaxation methods: vagal, Schultz autogenic training and Jacobson progressive muscle relaxation. But then which one to choose? Sometimes your patients will ask you which one to favor. In this case, the best thing is to ask them how they feel. If for one the main problem is that he feels tense, that his shoulders hurt, that his neck is stiff, that his legs hurt, then the Jacobson method is the most appropriate. If, on the other hand, if someone else tells you that they feel sensations of heat when they are anxious, strange sensations of unease, then, at that moment, Schultz's autogenic training is the most appropriate method. As for vagal relaxation, it is very quick to teach and apply and must therefore be automatic.

As part of a relaxation session, ask your patient to sit or lie down, take off their handbag, their jacket: to make themselves comfortable. Nothing prevents you from putting on background music if you wish. Doctor Malbos advises in particular to use music called “Space Music”, a type of electronic music which allows for a very calm musical background and therefore conducive to relaxation or meditation. The temperature of the room is also important. It should be pleasant, so don't hesitate to turn on a fan or the heater. In addition, when you speak, you should remember to speak slowly and with a deep, calm and warm voice, this encourages the relaxation process.

Let's start the Jacobson method. Start by telling your patient to clench their right fist 80%, so quite hard. Ask him to focus on the feeling of pressure, the burning sensation, the feeling of tension in the fist. This is very important, only the fist must be clenched. The forearm, biceps, shoulder, and the rest of the body should be completely relaxed. Initially, your patient will have difficulty contracting only the required muscle components in isolation, but this is normal. Practice will make this exercise easier to perform.

The second phase of this method is the relaxation phase.

Tell your patient to very slowly, very slowly, relax their right hand. He needs to focus on this pain disappearing and the pressure easing. He must realize that this tension is disappearing. His palm then opens, still very gently. His fingers will spread apart until a state of total relaxation.

These two phases are a summary of the whole idea behind the Jacobson relaxation method. This method boils down to doing an 80% contraction phase, strong and slightly painful followed by a relaxation phase. This is why it is called “Jacobson progressive muscle relaxation”, because it allows patients to have better knowledge of their state of contraction of their muscles. Learning this method will allow them to detect when they are too tense and, above all, to be able to relax them.

Everything else will consist of doing exactly the same thing for each muscle group. However, a muscular order must be followed and is recommended by Doctor Malbos:

• 1. fist
• 2. biceps
• 3. forehead (orbicularis, frown)
• 3. maxilla (masseter muscles, clench teeth)
• 4. lips (pout)
• 5. blow (stermocleidomastoid muscles, ask your patient to put his hand on his forehead and at the same time the forehead pushes against this hand)
• 6. trapezius muscles (shoulder shrug)
• 7. diaphragm muscle and accessory muscles of respiration (take a deep breath and remain in apnea)
• 8. abdominal muscles gluteal muscles
• 10. quadriceps muscles (moving the leg or not)
• 11. calves (levator muscles of the feet, raise the front of the foot)
• 12. toes (levator muscles, raise the toes)

You can specify to your patient the following method: one day, one side and one day, another. Non-athlete patients who often have low awareness of their body can sometimes suffer from slight aches and pains as if they had just completed a sports session. At the start of the relaxation exercise, you must make it clear to them that you should only contract 80% of the muscles and following the session, reassure them and tell them that aches and pains are possible in the days to follow and are completely normal. Training will reduce them.

Speaking of training, how often should you do the Jacobson progressive muscle relaxation method? 2 times a week according to Doctor Malbos.

The Jacobson relaxation method is to be carried out with your patients so that they become aware of this difference in state between the state of contraction and relaxation so that they can relax their body at any time.