developing skills in application

formal practice

developing a trigger phrase/focus

first “differential” practice

second “differential” practice

the reminder dot exercise

stressful real life situations

Ost L-G Applied relaxation:

description of a coping technique & review of controlled

studiesBehav Res Ther 1987;25:397-409

developing a trigger phrase/focus

breathe in breathe out

either: focus on neck & shoulders saying silently “neck, shoulders”

or: focus on any generalareas of tension withoutsaying anything at this stage

say “heavy”, deliberately releasing any tightness inin the neck & shoulders

say “peace”, deliberatelyreleasing any general tightness in the body

the practice for this week1st week’s exercise:

in the second halfof the week, add in:

The arms & legs are heavyThe right arm is warmThe left arm is warmBoth arms are warmNeck & shoulders are heavyI am at peace

The arms & legs are heavyBoth arms are warmThe right leg is warmThe left leg is warmBoth legs are warmNeck & shoulders are heavyI am at peace

regular practice is crucial: two daily practices should be at least 10 to 15 minlong; experiment too with a couple of short practices for just 2 or 3 minutes each seeing whether it is more helpful to use ”neck,shoulders heavy” or ”peace” as a trigger to link with the breath in developing skills in briefer relaxation exercises.

four aspects of helpful inner focus

reducingnegative

states

nourishing positive states

exploring &

processing

encouragingmindfulness

overall goal intentions

remember the importance of autonomous choices emerging from your own values

you already have the ‘skilful goal setting - ACT WISeST’ handout

ability, control, time factors; wanted, integ-rated, specific, stretching, & talked about

implementation intentions

helpful for initiating and/or maintaining an overall goal intention (X) that you are committed to, but find difficult to carry out

implementation intentions involve clarifying likely road blocks (if situation Y occurs) and having a pre-planned response (then I will initiate behaviour Z) – see the handouts