N212: Health Differences Across the Life Span 2

Health Differences Across the Lifespan 2 Study Guide Relaxation training: This is first step of systematic desensitization. Relaxation produces physiological effects opposite to those of anxiety: The signs of relaxation are: • Physiological signs: slow heart rate; increased peripheral blood flow and neuromuscular stability; pupil constriction; increased peripheral temperature; decreased oxygen consumption • Cognitive signs: altered state of consciousness; heightened concentration on a single mental image • Behavior changes: lack of attention and concern for the environmental stimuli; no verbal interaction; no voluntary change in theposition Techniques used for relaxation: The Jacobson progressive muscle relaxation is a common relaxation technique. It was developed by the psychiatrist Edmund Jacobson. The patient learns to relax through deep muscle relaxation training. Patients relax major muscle groups in a fixed order, beginning with the small muscle group of the feet and working up to the head or vice versa. The procedure includes: • Putting the patient in a comfortable position • Providing light or soft music/pleasant visual cues • Giving a brief explanation about the progressive musclerelaxation • Instructing the client to tense each muscle group for approximately 10seconds • Explaining the tension of the muscle and how uncomfortable the body part feels • Asking the patient to relax eachmuscle • Making the patient feel the difference in the situation Other aspects of relaxation therapy include: • Hypnosis: Some clinicians use hypnosis to facilitaterelaxation. • Mental imaginary: A relaxation method in which patients are instructed to imagine themselves in a place associated with pleasant relaxed memories. Such images allow the patients to enter a relaxed state or experience therelaxation responses. • Meditation or yoga: Present day meditation and yoga are practiced and taught by the clinician to relax the patients. It is an immerging trend in relaxation therapy. • Adjunctive use of drugs: Various drugs are used to hasten the relaxation. The drugs commonly used are barbiturate sodium methohexital and diazepam. Hierarchy construction: When constructing a hierarchy, clinicians determine the conditions that elicit anxiety. Patients create a hierarchy list consisting of 12 to 19 scenes in order of increasing anxiety. An example of a hierarchy of events associated with a fear of elevators would be as follows: • Discuss riding in an elevator with the therapist • Look at a picture of an elevator • Walk into the lobby of a building and see theelevators • Push the button for the elevator ©2017 Achieve Test Prep Page 23 of 140

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