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Essay on Mind/Body Technique: The Relaxation Response
Mind/Body Technique of Biofeedback
Biofeedback is a practice, which helps a person become more responsive to learn and to manage the body's response to pain. It gives emphasis to relaxation and stress-reduction techniques.
Mind-body medicine developed in the early 1970s from the Humanistic Psychology Movement; the earliest biofeedback work of Dr. Elmer Green and his wife, Alyce; the meditation and relaxation studies of Dr. Herb Benson; and the psycho-neuroimmunology work of Dr. George Solomon and Dr. Candace Pert.
History Of Biofeedback
In the late 18th century, Anton Mesmer began the development to re-examine the connection of body and mind. While rejected by most of his contemporaries, Mesmer’s work initiated the concept of hypnosis.
In the meantime, Dr. J.H. Schultz of Germany had begun a particular form of self-hypnosis called autogenic training. By 1969, six volumes on autogenic therapy were published by Schultz and Luthe.
In 1954, the American Society of Psychosomatic Medicine was founded. Unfortunately, the term psychosomatic, which could be called mind-body, has been considered by most patients and physicians to mean “all in the head.” In addition placebo, which has been the standard since the beginning of modern scientific medicine, has been both used and abused and is poorly understood by both physicians and the public. (Interestingly, the vast majority of drugs are only a few percent better than placebo, which in most controlled studies averages 35% efficacy. Almost no drugs are 70% efficacious.)
In the 1960s, Dr. Abraham Maslow and Dr. Carl Rogers began the reintegration of spirit and mind, founding Humanistic Psychology. In the meantime, Dr. Roberto Assagioli had integrated all of his concepts, as well as Carl Jung’s concepts of symbology, into his technique of psychosynthesis.
In 1970, Dr. Elmer and Alyce Green introduced the concept of autogenic feedback training, which became biofeedback..............
