Mind-body medicine and mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques

Relaxation Engine

Most of mainstream medical Western medicine overlooks the mind and body connection and treats these two separate systems independently. However, most ancient healing practices, such as Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurvedic medicine, emphasize the links between the mind and the body (Ehrlich, 2011). It may have taken a considerable amount of time but Western medicine has begun to appreciate the wisdom found in these approaches.

In 1964 psychologist George Solomon was one of the first to recognize that the mind in the body influence in a concrete way when he noticed that some people with rheumatoid arthritis suffered worse symptoms when they were also depressed (Ehrlich, 2011). After this discovery there have been countless more examples that have sprung from psychologist and physicians that have made the same connection between the mind and the body. Studies have clearly illustrated that meditation can affect the blood pressure, mental states, and emotional cues could affect the immune system and its response to illness (Ehrlich, 2011).

There are six general forms of relaxation that account for hundreds of different techniques. The six families of relaxation exercise include (The Six Access Skills of Relaxation):

Yoga Stretching

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Breathing Exercises

Autogenic Training

Imagery/self-statements

Meditation/mindfulness

These techniques can work to combat the bodies "stress engine" which sets of a series of different reactions in the body's endocrine system in the presence of stress. The autonomic stress response is stimulated by the hypothalamus which pumps different chemicals into the blood stream that triggers changes throughout the body.

There has been a lot of attention devoted to cognitive behavioral coaching as one technique that can help reduce stress. Using mindfulness as a cognitive behavioral therapy for coaching to lessen stress and improve performance, then this can be considered an asset. One way to try to combat the issue of stress and depression in individuals is to take a proactive approach. There are different cognitive behavior treatments that can help offset the pressures that this demographic faces.