BY: HERBERT BENSON, MD AND WILLIAM PROCTOR, JD
Listen or Download Podcast Version
4 THOUGHTS
1. What is the Relaxation Response and Why Is It So Powerful?
“Briefly stated, the relaxation response is defined as the response that is the opposite of the ‘fight-or-flight’ or stress response. It is characterized by the following:
· decreased metabolism, heart rate, blood pressure, and rate of breathing;
· a decrease or “calming” in brain activity;
· an increase in attention and decision-making functions of the brain; and
· changes in gene activity that are the opposite of those associated with stress.”
That’s the relaxation response (RR) in a nutshell. It’s the opposite of the stress response. For our purposes, the RR is critical because it provides a framework for understanding all the benefits of slow breathing practices:
Slow breathing elicits the RR, which induces the physiological changes listed above.
What’s more, the RR also increases nitric oxide, which does many wonderful things: “These actions include a healthful influence on the body’s antibacterial, antiviral, and stress responses. … this release of NO can protect the body from microbes, cardiovascular disorders such as hypertension, and immune problems.”
So, if the RR counteracts stress physiologically, mentally, and even genetically, it’s easy to understand why it’s so powerful in many health conditions (which we’ll cover more in Thought #4).
But for now, let’s look at how we can get these benefits using the two-phase approach described in the book: the Benson-Henry Protocol.
2. Phase One: Eliciting the Relaxation Response (and the RR+ technique I use)
“Your objective in Phase One is to create the distinctive physiologic and genetic conditions associated with the relaxation response. These include such anti-stress changes as a healthier metabolism, lower blood pressure, slower heart and breathing rates, an overall calming of the brain, and a sense of relaxation and well-being. When these changes occur, you can assume that the beneficial changes in gene expression are also taking place.”
Phase One of the Benson-Henry Protocol is the elicitation of the RR. There are two critical elements to this phase:
#1. A Focus Word or Phrase
“Pick a focus word, phrase, image, or short prayer for your relaxation response session. Or choose just to focus on your breathing.
Any word or phrase with neutral or positive connotations—such as one or peace—will be fine for this purpose. …
If possible, the word, phrase, or prayer you select should be emotionally soothing and should conform to your deepest beliefs or worldview. For example, a Christian might pick Lord Jesus; a Jew, Echod; a Hindu or Buddhist, Om; or a Muslim, Insha’Allah.”
Once you have your word or phrase, the second ingredient is letting go.
#2. A Passive “Oh Well” Attitude
This is critical. You do not want to judge yourself or have any kind of expectations for each RR session. Just let go and do it. As Dr. Benson says, “Physiologically, ‘letting go’ breaks the connection of the body and mind with unproductive, stressful thought patterns and responses and opens the door to the relaxation response and all the healing potential that it can provide.”
Now that you have your word/phrase and a passive attitude, here’s what to do:
Sit or lie down in a quiet place.
With each breath, silently say your focus word/phrase during exhalation. Extend the word/phrase to match the length of your exhale. For example, peace might become “peeeeaaacceee.”
When thoughts intrude, say, “oh well,” and return to your word/phrase.
Continue for 12-15 minutes.
Here’s a short YouTube clip of Dr. Benson guiding you through this process.
***
P.S. A crucial aspect of the RR is that there is no one “right way” to do it. You can focus on your breath, do yoga, do Tai Chi, etc. Personally, I like combining it with slow breathing to create what I call the “relaxation response plus” (RR+).
Specifically, I use an app to pace my breathing at ~4 breaths/min with a slightly longer exhale (the exact rate will be unique for each person). This alone will trigger the RR. I add the focus word during exhalation to increase the benefits and allow deeper relaxation. I have been doing this for the first 12 minutes of my practice for several months and love it. Give it a try and see how you feel.
3. Phase Two: Visualization and the Power of the Mind
“Just as an antibiotic drug may stop an infection or surgery may eliminate a malignancy, so the mind—your mind—has the capacity to treat or even cure many of your serious physical and emotional complaints.”
Once we have spent 12-15 minutes eliciting the RR, our body is ready to harness the power of our minds. Dr. Benson provides an enormous amount of research on the power of our minds to heal our bodies. Rather than go through them all here, this statement (and the one highlighted above) summarizes it nicely:
“These well-designed scientific studies make it clear that it is at least as reasonable to believe in the healing power of the mind as it is to believe in the healing power of a given drug or surgical procedure.”
To harness the power of the mind, Phase Two of the Benson-Henry Protocol is visualization. We’re going to cover the “Why” in the 1 Life-Changing Idea, but for now, here is the “How:”
Sit quietly with your eyes closed.
Visualize what it was like when you didn’t have the disease or symptom(s) you’re currently experiencing.
Picture yourself engaging in a physical activity without pain/symptoms.
Alternatively, you can simply picture a peaceful scene (the beach, a river) where you are free of symptoms.
Play these images in your head for 8-10 minutes.
Putting Phase One and Two together, we see that the entire protocol takes 20-25 minutes. That’s not much to ask for, given the tremendous benefits we learned in Thought #1.
4. The Holistic Healing Power of the Relaxation Response
“A certain mind body treatment may help hypertension, depression, or insomnia. At the same time, this treatment will counter the overall physical and mental manifestations of stress through the calming of brain activity and altering hormones and gene expression. The mind body treatment performs particular, reductionistic functions on specific health complaints and at the same time tends to the health of the entire biological system.”
This is a powerful statement on why the RR can help with basically every health condition. Because of the physiological changes listed in Thought #1, it will explicitly address many problems, like anxiety and depression, hypertension, some heart conditions, insomnia, hot flashes, and nausea.
But simultaneously, the RR will also tend “to the health of the entire biological organism.” So even if you don’t have a particular problem you’re trying to heal, the RR will still optimize your overall health and wellness.
And for this exact reason, you can also use the RR as a preventative measure: “Every treatment suggested … can be used as part of a prevention plan to head off diseases for which you feel you may be at risk, either because of your personal medical examinations or your family medical history.”
And the absolute best part? Back to Dr. Benson: “at the very least, this approach is safe and could make you feel better.”
That sounds like a no-brainer to me 👏 Here’s to using our bodies, minds, and breath to prevent, heal, and optimize all aspects of our health and well-being.
1 LIFE-CHANGING IDEA
Remembered Wellness for Visualization
“To help patients access their full potential to be healed through expectation and belief, I have developed a memory-related concept that encompasses, but also moves beyond, the healing power of the placebo effect. This concept, which I have introduced in the medical literature, is called ‘remembered wellness.’”
Remembered wellness. I love that term. And I love it more when it’s applied to visualization, as suggested for Phase Two of their protocol.
Before we get into why I love it so much, here’s Dr. Benson’s definition of remembered wellness:
“[T]his term refers to the utilization in the healing process of one or more memories of a past state of wellness. Typically, these memories can be accessed and employed for medical treatment through a process of visualization, or the use of mental images and pictures, which may be built around actual memories of being healthy, strong, and resilient.”
The part I underscored is so critical. The visualization Dr. Benson suggests isn’t wishful thinking. You do not imagine you’re a millionaire or magically healed. Instead, you remember a time you were healthy and vibrant, which puts your nervous system into that state:
“[R]emembered wellness is rooted in the patient's memories of good health. These recollections may arise from the patient's actual experiences of being symptom free, or they may be associated mainly with the patient's ideas of what complete good health and wellness might be like.”
So remembered wellness is how we truly utilize the power of the mind. Thus, when you practice phase-two visualization, don’t use wishful thinking. Use remembered wellness. It’s been life-changing for me; I hope it is for you too.
1 STACK OF MEMORABLE QUOTES
“In fact, we believe that mind body science has now reached a stage where it should be accepted as the third major treatment and prevention option, standing as an equal alongside drugs and surgery in the clinical medical pantheon.”
“You may not be able to change your genes per se, but you can use your mind to change your genetic activity. And with that altered activity, you can enhance your potential for healing and good health.”
“We now have scientific proof that the mind can heal the body. … This means that you have the innate ability to self-heal diseases, prevent life-threatening conditions, and supplement established drug and surgical procedures with mind body techniques that can improve your physiology, biochemistry, brain functioning, and genetic activity.”
“An important lesson to take away from such differences is this: There is no single, correct approach for triggering the relaxation response or employing any other mind body technique.”
“We found that our minds and bodies, all the way down to the genetic level, are built to experience a common relaxation response state, regardless of the technique used to elicit it.”
“Your mind can actually alter your genetic activity—in ways that may significantly improve your health and heal you of a number of diseases.”
“Many ancient practices and rituals have been rejected by modern science, only to be resurrected from the grave by that same science!”
“Gradually, study after mind body study, carried out with the most careful scientific protocols, produced incontrovertible evidence that the mind can indeed influence—and heal—the body.”
“Science—the same reductionistic science that is used to evaluate various drugs and medical procedures—has proven that your mind can heal your body.”
“Another difference from the placebo effect is that remembered wellness is based on a positive, wellness-based medical model rather than on the typical disease-based model followed by most physicians and researchers.”
“In these ways, mind body healing can merge with—or be bolstered by—religious faith as the patient’s faith enhances the power of the patient’s expectation-belief.”
“As for you personally, you have the capacity to change your physiology, biochemistry, brain activity, and genetic expression for the better. Isn't it time for you to invest a short period each day to capitalize on your innate and underutilized gifts of healing?”