Stress, Relaxation States, and Creativity

Abstract

114 participants in four groups practiced 25 minutes of progressive muscle relaxation, yoga stretching, imagery, or a control task. Before and after training, participants took state versions of the Smith Quick Stress Test (which measures Somatic Stress, Negative Affect, and Worry) and the Smith R-State Inventory (which measures relaxation-related states Disengagement, Physical Relaxation, Mental Relaxation, Strength and Awareness, Joy, Love and Thankfulness, and Prayerfulness). After training, all took both the Verbal and Figural forms of the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking. At posttest, groups' scores did not differ on Creativity; however, when compared with yoga stretching, imagery trainees had lower posttest scores on Negative Affect. Both yoga stretching and imagery trainees displayed higher scores on self-reported Physical Relaxation than did controls. Progressive muscle relaxation trainees had lower scores on Somatic Stress than controls. Paradoxically, for all relaxation trainees, Disengagement (feeling "distant, far away, indifferent") correlated positively with both Negative Affect and Physical Relaxation, suggesting that disengagement in relaxation may not lead to relaxation-induced anxiety but may help one cope with such anxiety.

Gratitude as a Psychotherapeutic Intervention

“…Research has also shown that gratitude or thankfulness can be increased as a function of interventions designed for other purposes. For example, meditation can promote gratitude as a quality of mindfulness (Shapiro, Schwartz, & Santerre, ), progressive muscle relaxation can help produce increased feelings of love and thankfulness (Khasky & Smith, ), and merely imagining being forgiven by one's victim can increase feelings of gratitude, presumably by making one grateful for being given the gift of forgiveness (Witvliet, Ludwig, & Bauer, ). These studies demonstrate that interventions aimed at increasing one's focus on the relationship between mind and body can also help engender grateful mindsets in people.…”

Positive Responses to Benefit and Harm: Bringing Forgiveness and Gratitude Into Cognitive Psychotherapy

“…For example, meditation can promote gratitude as a quality of mindfulness (Shapiro, Schwartz, & Santerre, 2002), progressive muscle relaxation can help produce increased feelings of love and thankfulness (Khasky & Smith, 1999), and merely imagining being forgiven by one's victim can increase feelings of gratitude, presumably by making one grateful for being given the gift of forgiveness (Witvliet, Ludwig, & Bauer, 2002). These studies demonstrate that interventions aimed at increasing one's focus on the relationship between mind and body can also help engender grateful mindsets in people.…”

Impact of a Structured Yoga Program on Anxiety in Infertility Patients: A Feasibility Study

“…Research into stress reduction techniques has examined the utility of yoga in stress reduction and adaptation enhancement in health care workers [22], patients with post-traumatic stress disorder [23], breast cancer patients [24], and in healthy pregnant patients [17,25,26]. Yoga has also demonstrated a potential anxiety reduction benefit in the infertile population [17,18,27] however at the present time there is no evidence-based method that has been developed to utilize in infertility.…”