Bipolar Disorder - Deep Muscle Relaxation

Excerpted from
Coping with Bipolar Disorder
By Steven Jones, Ph.D., Peter Hayward, Ph.D., Dominic Lam, Ph.D.

This appendix describes deep muscle relaxation, a technique that is often used by clinical psychologists. If you wish to use it, you need a comfortable chair and a quiet room. You can record these words onto an audiotape or ask a friend with a soothing voice to do it for you. The person recording should speak in a slow, calming tone, and can repeat parts of the tape several times in a relaxing manner if you find this helpful. Relaxation is a skill; if you find that the tape is not that relaxing at first, we suggest that you practice it several times. The goal is to pay attention to the feelings of tension and relaxation in the varying muscle groups and gradually learn how relaxation feels, which can then help you learn how to make your muscles more and more relaxed. Finally, we provide a tranquil scene for you to visualize at the end of the tape, but if you don't like it, you can imagine and describe another one that you personally find most relaxing. Now follows the relaxation technique.

I'd like you to close your eyes, sit comfortably, and relax. If there's any tension anywhere in your body, just let it relax away. Your body should be very loose and limp and relaxed, very loose and limp and relaxed, just relax. Good. Now I'd like you to tense your right hand. Just make a fist with your right hand. I'd like you to feel all the feelings of tension in your right hand. Just feel how that feels. Good. Now, relax, relax. Just let your right hand relax. Just feel the feelings of relaxation in your right hand. Just feel how that feels. Your right hand is very loose, and limp, and relaxed. Good.

Now I'd like you to tense your left hand. Just make a fist with your left hand. I'd like you to feel all the feelings of tension in your left hand. Just feel how that feels. Good! Now, relax, relax. Just let your left hand relax. Just feel the feelings of relaxation in your left hand. Just feel how that feels. Your left hand is very loose, and limp, and relaxed. Good.

Now I'd like you to tense up your right upper arm. You can do this by touching your right shoulder with your right hand and making your arm very tense. Try to feel all the feelings of tension in your right arm. Try to feel how that feels. Now, relax, relax. Just let your right arm relax. Just feel the feelings of relaxation in your right arm. Just feel how that feels. Your right arm and right hand are very loose, and limp, and relaxed, very loose and limp and relaxed. Good.

Now I'd like you to tense up your left upper arm. You can do this by touching your left shoulder with your left hand and making your arm very tense. Try to feel all the feelings of tension in you left arm. Try to feel how that feels. Now, relax, relax. Just let your left arm relax. Just feel the feelings of relaxation in your left arm. Just feel how that feels. Your left arm and left hand are very loose, and limp, and relaxed, very loose and limp and relaxed. Good.

Now I'd like you to tense up your shoulders. Shrug up your shoulders towards your ears. Your shoulders are very tense, try to feel all the feelings of tension in your shoulders. Try to feel how that feels. Good. Now, relax, relax. Just let your shoulders relax. Your shoulders should be very loose and limp and relaxed, very loose and limp and relaxed, your shoulders and arms should be very loose and limp and relaxed. Good.

Now I'd like you to relax your neck. Just gently let your head roll from side to side. Don't do this too vigorously, but just

gently rotate your neck back and forth and let all those muscles relax. Just let your whole upper body relax. You should feel very loose and limp and relaxed. Good.

Now take a deep breath. Hold it (pause about 1 second) and now let it out. And as you let it out, you feel all the tension leaving your body. You feel very loose and limp and relaxed. Good.

Now tense up your right foot. You can do this by curling up your toes. Just feel all the tension in your right foot. Try to feel how that feels. And now, relax, relax. Just let your right foot relax. Your right foot should be very loose and limp and relaxed. Very loose and limp and relaxed. Try to feel how that feels. Good.

Now tense up your left foot. You can do this by curling up your toes. Just feel all the tension in your left foot. Try to feel how that feels. And now, relax, relax. Just let your left foot relax. Your left foot should be very loose and limp and relaxed. Very loose and limp and relaxed. Try to feel how that feels. Good.

Now tense up your right leg. Just press down hard with your right heel and tense up your right leg. Try to feel all the tension in you right leg. Try to feel how that feels. And now, relax. Just let your right leg relax. Your right leg and your right foot should be very loose and limp and relaxed. Very loose and limp and relaxed. Try to feel how that feels. Good.

Now tense up your left leg. Just press down hard with your left heel and tense up your left leg. Try to feel all the tension in you left leg. Try to feel how that feels. And now, relax. Just let your left leg relax. Your left leg and your left foot should be very loose and limp and relaxed. Both your legs and both your feet should be very loose and limp and relaxed. Try to feel how that feels. Good.

Now tense up your stomach. Tighten up all the muscles in your stomach. Try to feel all the tension in your stomach, try to feel how that feels. Now, relax, relax. Just let your stomach relax. Your stomach should be very loose and limp and relaxed.

Your whole lower body should be very loose and limp and relaxed. Try to feel all the feelings of relaxation in your lower body, try to feel how that feels. Good.

Now take a deep breath. Hold it (pause about 1 second) and now let it out. And as you let it out, you feel all the tension leaving your body. You feel very loose and limp and relaxed. Good.

Now tense up all the muscles of your forehead. Just wrinkle up your forehead, try to feel all the tension in your forehead, try to feel how that feels. And now, relax, relax. Just let your forehead relax. Your forehead should be very loose and limp and relaxed, very loose and limp and relaxed. Good.

Now tense up your eyes. Squeeze your eyes tight shut, try to feel all the tension in your eyes. And now, relax, relax. Just let your eyes relax. Your eyes should feel very loose and limp and relaxed, very loose and limp and relaxed. Try to feel how that feels. Good.

Now tense up your nose. Wrinkle up your nose, try to feel all the tension in your nose. And now, relax, relax. Just let your nose relax. Your nose should feel very loose and limp and relaxed, very loose and limp and relaxed. Try to feel how that feels. Good.

Now tense up your cheeks. Pull back your cheeks in a wide grin, try to feel all the tension in your cheeks. And now, relax, relax. Just let your cheeks relax. Your cheeks should feel very loose and limp and relaxed, very loose and limp and relaxed. Try to feel how that feels. Good.

Now finally, tense up your jaw. Clench your teeth, and try to feel all the tension in your jaw. And now, relax, relax. Just let your jaw relax. Your jaw should feel very loose and limp and relaxed, very loose and limp and relaxed. Try to feel how that feels. Good.

Now take a deep breath. Hold it (pause about 1 second) and now let it out. And as you let it out, you feel all the tension leaving your body. You feel very loose and limp and relaxed. Good.