Progressive Muscle Relaxation

For me, part of agoraphobia was the fear of losing control of my body in public. The more I became afraid that I might lose control of my body, the more I tightened my muscles to try to maintain control. Tightening my muscles only made me more likely to start shaking or trembling uncontrollably.

To overcome the fear of losing control of my body, I had to learn to let go of my muscles through progressive muscle relaxation (tensing and releasing muscle groups). By not trying so hard to control my muscles, I was actually more likely to stay in control because I wouldn’t be tense enough to start shaking.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation was originally developed over fifty years ago by Dr. Edmund Jacobsen, a physician in Chicago. Now it is one of the most widely used relaxation techniques in the United States and easy to learn. It is used by many people with agoraphobia and is something you can practice by yourself at home.

When practicing progressive muscle relaxation for agoraphobia, you relax your muscles in a simple, two-step process. First you tense a certain muscle group and hold it for a count of about eight. Second, you release the tension in the muscle group and let he tension flow away.  You follow this procedure, going through all of the body’s major muscle groups.

Article Source: http://www.agoraphobia.net

Stephen Price is a recovered agoraphobic with a master's degree in psychology. To read more on this topic and to learn more about his recovery from agoraphobia, check out his new e-book at: www.agoraphobia.ws/goodbyeanxiety.htm

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