Steps toward a cognitive-behavioral model of relaxation

The prevailing model of relaxation posits a generalized state of reduced arousal, a position inconsistent with much relaxation research and clinical practice. This paper proposes an alternative model based on cognitive-behavioral principles. It hypothesizes that relaxation training has three effects: (a) reduced arousal, (b) development of cognitive skills of focusing, passivity, and receptivity, and (c) acquisition of increasingly abstract and differentiated cognitive structures supportive of relaxation. According to this perspective, different approaches to relaxation are not interchangeable but have quite different effects. Clinical implications are discussed.