Ruth Baker professional relaxation therapist, Reiki and Seichem practitioner, serving Surrey and Berkshire.

Telephone 01344-625253. Mobile 07950 984915

Relaxation Therapies

Edmund Jacobson dates his interest in nervous excitability to the age of ten. A serious hotel fire broke out in his home in Chicago, of which his lasting impressions was of the frightened behaviour of people afterwards. Rather than being concerned with his own feelings, he recalled being curious about the way others showed their fear.

He made up his mind that when he was old enough to go to college, he would study everything that was known of nervous excitability and its treatment. He graduated in North Western University.

In 1908 Edmund Jacobson began research in the laboratory of Harvard University into the theory and practical application of progressive relaxation. Later, his work was expanded upon at Chicago and Cornell Universities until 1936, since which time Jacobson used his own private funds to further his research at a laboratory for clinical psychology in Chicago.

Jacobson discovered that muscle tension caused the actual muscle to shorten and so logically concluded that a complete absence of contraction in the muscle must enable the body to balance itself and relax. He concluded that by systematically tensing and relaxing the various muscle groups, and by learning to discriminate the feelings of tension and relaxation, one could completely transform muscular contractions into a deeply relaxed state.

Since this, further developments and refinements of Jacobson’s original theories have taken place.

I use visualisation techniques which involves conjouring images of relaxing scenes which can take you away from mundane restrictions of everyday life.

The great poet William Wordsworth used visualisation in the writing of many of his great poems.

This is a totally relaxing experience and promotes a feeling of well being.