A cognitive behavioral analysis of relaxation training in drug abusers

The process of autogenic training, a form of relaxation training, was studied in a sample of 23 drug abusers in outpatient treatment. Different theories of drug abuse and treatment generate different predictions of perceived emotional effects of treatment. The relationships among symptomatology and affect as assessed by the three-factor emotionality constructs of pleasure, arousal and dominance were examined to provide information on the relative importance of perceptions of tension-reduction, sense of control and hedonic state to the treatment process. Symptomatology and affect were significantly related and improved over the course of treatment. The euphoria-dysphoria dimension was more salient than perceptions of arousal reduction or increased sense of control. Results suggested the importance of further investigation of patients' perceptions of the desired effects of drug taking on mood in order to optimize the impact of treatment interventions such as relaxation training.