Predicting interindividual differences in blood-pressure response to relaxation training in normotensives

In groups of hypertensives blood-pressure (BP) reductions after relaxation training (RT) are generally moderate. One possibility to explain this relative weakness of RT follows from the observation of large interindividual differences in BP response after RT. In a first study we observed this same variability of BP response after RT in normotensives. Subsequently a method was developed to predict individual BP response after RT. The validity of this method was then established in three samples of normotensives: both systolic and diastolic BP changes appear to be predictable after progressive relaxation as well as after autogenic training.