Relaxation training is a set of procedures used in clinical practice to alter an individual's physiological, behavioral, cognitive, and emotional functioning. Relaxation is often incorporated into treatment to allow clients to respond to life events with increased physical and emotional self-control and with a more positive phenomenal experience. Although several variations of relaxation training exist, the most commonly used approach is progressive relaxation that involves learning how to regulate muscle tension through the systematic tensing and releasing of major muscle groups throughout the body.

Progressive relaxation training originated in the early part of the century, when Edmund Jacobsen applied relaxation skills with his clients suffering from tension disorders. He conceptualized relaxation as a way to limit the amount of ...