JPMR by Dr. Sherin V George

 Jacobson’s Progressive Muscle Relaxation (J.P.M.R.)

Progressive muscle relaxation was first described by an American physician Edmund Jacobson in the 1920s. He observed that many of his patients were suffering from stress and tension, apart from other diseases. Their stress had a direct connection with their physical tension. But it was not easy for them to release the tension of muscles, all at a time. Based on these observations, he designed a sequence of steps, for tightening and then relaxing groups of muscles. Through this procedure, his patients became more aware about the tension in different areas of their body. Later, Jacobson’s procedure for relaxation was modified by different professionals. Here is my variation of J.P.M.R.

Find a comfortable position, either sitting or lying down in a place that has no distractions. Focus only on your muscle groups. You can close your eyes if needed. Take a deep breath into your abdomen, hold it for a few seconds, and exhale slowly. When you exhale, imagine that the tension in your body is getting released and flowing out of your body.  

I observed that it will be better to start from your fist. Squeeze your fists as hard as you can. Notice how tight your fingers are. Hold it tight for 10 seconds and release it quickly. Allow your hands to relax completely and let the stiffness go down. Observe how much relaxed now your hands are, compared to the previous state.

Now repeat the same procedure with your forearms. Make sure that your previously relaxed fists are still in the relaxed state. As you go through each step, remember to take breath as mentioned earlier.

The next muscle group is your biceps and upper arms.

Once your arms get relaxed, you can focus on your legs. Clench your toes and press your heels towards the ground. Now bend your feet inwards, pointing your toes up towards your head. Hold for a few seconds and then release immediately.

Continue the same procedure with different muscle groups in the following order: Calf muscles, thighs, hips and buttocks, abdomen, chest area, shoulders, front of the neck, back of the neck, jaws, eyes, and forehead. If any area is felt stiff, perform the procedure specifically in that area repeatedly. If you have pain or discomfort on any targeted muscle groups, you can omit that from the procedure.

J.P.M.R. is more useful when you are in tension. It is not suitable as a regular exercise. Anyway, it is observed that the relaxation value increases every time we attempt it. You will get more awareness about the tension and relaxation of the body and it will help you to bring down the tension when anxiety rises.