KHA714 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Relate, Hypersensitivity, Relaxation Technique
24 Jun 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Behaviour Change
Week 9
Physical Techniques
- Tools we give to our client
oTo cope with changes to physiological changes during other
interventions
oOther times directly targeting
Physiological theories:
- Autonomic nervous system
oDesigned to equal each other out and bring you back to your window
of tolerance
Great simple worksheets
Centre for clinical intervention
Next level ones (e.g. trauma clients)
Look on mylo
Window of tolerance
Isn’t living in a flat line
Wide
Variations within this that aren’t apart of the extremities
oFight-flight response
Sympathetic nervous system
Adrenaline etc.
Up-regulating you
oParasympathetic nervous system
Freeze
After or during the trauma if it is too much for the brain to cope
with
- Endocrine system
oAdrenal glands
Debate: can you completely deplete this
Fatigue
Situated above the kidneys- cortex and medulla
High stress environments
Brain changes
Evidence that it doesn’t restore and balance out
Awareness of how their body feels has switched off
oMedulla
Noradrenaline and adrenaline
- Physical tension can be part of the maintenance cycle for many problems
oPhysiological processes apart of many stressful experiences
oAnxiety groups; personality disorder; trauma; stress
oBase level of skills
oBehaviouralist approaches
Assessment and relaxation only
oNeed to combine relaxation with other tools within the CBT
framework
oSomeone who has been chronically tense/elevated
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Relaxation should be introduced gradually
Can be dangerous
And go the other way
Trauma- can open up a window where client is flooded with
more responses and distress
Relaxation training:
- General guidelines for acquiring relaxation skills: umbrella terms
oPsychoeducation and rationale for why this is important
Regular practice is required
oIntroduce the skill within session first
Don’t assign it as an action plan unless you have observed their
response within session
Need to problem solve any problems that prop up
Introduce when they are relatively relaxed
Not in panic
Only focusing on one group/skill at a time
The arm and hand
Only do with one arm first
oBegin practice in a situation relatively close to ordinary life, for
example sitting in a comfortable chair rather than lying down
oEasier to begin practice with closed eyes in order to reduce distraction
Or fix their eyes on a spot on the floor- invite them to divert
gaze down
If they start to blink- invite them to close (or open) eyes
Rationale before is important so they don’t think you are going
to hypnotize them
oBetter to choose a quiet place to practice, with no phone
oImportant points:
If they fall asleep… allow them to have a rest first, but don’t let
it become a pattern
And don’t let it become a safety behaviour for falling asleep
Problem solve how this will look at home
Tell your family
Avoid interruptions
Need to be done in a designated time initially
Don’t do when hungry- increase in tension
Don’t do straight after eating- falling asleep
Once a skill is acquired
Like riding a bike- cannot just read how to do it. Need
to work out how it actually plays our
- Action plan
oMonitoring records of how the relaxation training has been going
oPre and post relaxation levels
Specific to their problem
How tense is your lower back before or after
Accompany with other ratings too
E.g. pain levels pre and post
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Tools we give to our client: to cope with changes to physiological changes during other interventions, other times directly targeting. Autonomic nervous system: designed to equal each other out and bring you back to your window of tolerance. Variations within this that aren"t apart of the extremities: fight-flight response. After or during the trauma if it is too much for the brain to cope with. Situated above the kidneys- cortex and medulla. Evidence that it doesn"t restore and balance out. Awareness of how their body feels has switched off: medulla. Physical tension can be part of the maintenance cycle for many problems: physiological processes apart of many stressful experiences, anxiety groups; personality disorder; trauma; stress, base level of skills, behaviouralist approaches. Assessment and relaxation only: need to combine relaxation with other tools within the cbt framework, someone who has been chronically tense/elevated. Trauma- can open up a window where client is flooded with more responses and distress.
