Why We Cover Only Open Techniques in Detail

Overview

There are many religious, spiritual, and intellectual traditions that elicit the relaxation response as part of their various practices. But different traditions have a varying emphasis on eliciting the relaxation response. To many Eastern traditions, the elicitation of the Relaxation Response is a core component of their rituals. It is no surprise then that the original research on the Relaxation Response was done by Dr. Benson on group of practitioners of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique. TM was brought to the West by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, a Hindu disciple of Swami Brahmananda Saraswati, the Shankaracharya of the Jyotir Math monastery in India. Because the Relaxation Response produces a satisfying sense of deep rest, it is also no surprise that many practices from numerous traditions incorporate some form of eliciting the Relaxation Response. These variations are explained in greater detail in the Traditions section of this website.

However, if we are to look the Relaxation Response from a scientific standpoint, it is helpful to separate the practices from the traditions. Many of the religious and spiritual traditions have existed for millennia and oftentimes have strong belief systems about a higher purpose for their practices. It is important to respect these higher purposes as we try to discover what is going on from a scientific standpoint during these practices. With the foundational work of Dr. Benson and other researchers, we now have greater understanding what is happening physiologically during the Relaxation Response. We can build upon that understanding in order to isolate and so better understand and possibly improve some techniques for deriving more benefits from a physiological point of view. In order to have the freedom to explore the Relaxation Response from a scientific standpoint, then we favor what we call Open Techniques for eliciting the Relaxation Response.

The open techniques that we cover in detail on this website include the Simple Technique and the Benson-Henry Technique. As mentioned above, we call these open techniques in the sense that the techniques are open to being modified and refined according to scientific investigation. Purely traditional practices might have prohibitions against modifying the practices for cultural or religious reasons. On the other hand, these open techniques have been created in a relatively transparent manner and covered in research papers and reviewed by scientists. So, they should not have the same restrictions as the techniques from the different traditions.

A major goal of this website is to help more people understand how and why the Relaxation Response can help us find better health. Since we emphasize the Relaxation Response with respect to health concerns, then we cover only the free and open techniques in detail. The reasons for emphasizing only open techniques are given in even greater detail below.

We cover only open techniques in detail for the following reasons

Out of Respect for Traditions

The Traditions section of this website gives a brief overview from history of some older practices that evoke the Relaxation Response. Sometimes the direct purpose of the traditional practice may not have been to evoke the Relaxation Response. The older practice may instead be linked to a certain belief system. We support giving respect to these belief systems. And some of these traditions may hold a belief that their practices reveal truths that are beyond science. Both out of respect for these traditions and because our focus is mainly on science, we cover in detail only techniques that are not directly linked to traditions.

Also, if people have a tradition they like that evokes the Relaxation Response, there are usually many documents already for that tradition. If people practice their tradition, then the Relaxation Response should be built-in. People will then get the health benefits of the Relaxation Response while they practice their tradition.

To Fully Use Science and the Scientific Method

When a technique is free and open, it makes it easier for any scientist or scientifically minded person to freely explore that technique. Open techniques can be changed and refined separate from any rules from the traditions. Deeper truths may then be found about the Relaxation Response. These deeper truths may then lead to better techniques. Better techniques may then lead to more testing and more deep truths about the Relaxation Response. This virtuous cycle is a benefit of fully using science.

Open techniques are also more useful because the knowledge about the Relaxation Response is fairly recent. This means that it is likely that more truths can be found as more scientists test things out. There is so much potential for good that could come from deeper truths of the Relaxation Response. This is a major reason to use the methods of science to find deeper truths.

To Bring the Benefits of the Relaxation Response to More People

We hope that a purely scientific approach will give more reasons for people to start using an open technique, as shown below.

Open techniques should not conflict with someones own tradition or belief system (unless that belief system includes a distrust of the findings of science)
Open techniques may lead to increased health benefits
It is easier to publicly review open techniques

As Dr. Benson points out in chapter 10 of his book The Relaxation Revolution, a wider use of the Relaxation Response has the potential for much less sickness in our world and a lowering of health care costs. These are goals that most people would support.

To Utilize the Power of the Web

Although some health benefits can often be seen after only a few weeks of regularly eliciting the Relaxation Response, many of the benefits are not apparent until many years after regular practice. This makes it more costly to fund scientific studies. However, the feasibility of world-wide social networks on the web that focus primarily on the Relaxation Response make it easier to have open discussions about the practical benefits and limitations of regularly eliciting the Relaxation Response.

This is important since even though many health benefits have been verified scientifically, the Relaxation Response still seems to be relatively unknown by most people. It is also interesting to note that this lack of widespread knowledge about the benefits from the Relaxation Response was predicted by Dr. Benson in his book The Relaxation Revolution. He saw this lack of widespread knowledge and use of the Relaxation Response as a consequence of the techniques being free to use and more difficult to monetize when compared to drug or many other medical treatments. The advent of the web, however, allows many new ways to spread this knowledge and advocate for its use.

Comparisons to Fasting

Our approach can be seen to have a parallel with other practices in long standing traditions – for example the practice of fasting. Although fasting has a long tradition in many cultures and religious practices, the physiological and psychological aspects of fasting may be interesting from a scientific perspective independent of the reasons that a given tradition may employ fasting. The scientific investigations of fasting can inform someone who practices fasting purely for health benefits as well as those who practice fasting according to their tradition. In a similar way, scientific investigations of the Relaxation Response can inform someone who practices Relaxation Response techniques purely for health benefits as well as those who use the established practices in their tradition that elicit the Relaxation Response.

There are also some differences in investigating the techniques used for the Relaxation Response compared to a scientific investigation of fasting, however. For example, the Relaxation Response techniques can be practiced on a daily basis with no problem whereas full fasting by necessity can only be done on an intermittent basis.

Another difference is that it is not difficult to define or practice fasting, and the health benefits have been known for millennia for fasting independently of any tradition. However, a basic understanding of the Relaxation Response and its health benefits independent of ancient traditions has only started within the last 50 years. As such, there is much less accumulated experience or understanding of the Relaxation Response as an effect independent of traditional practices. This is another aspect of the reason given above about utilizing the full potential of science and the advantage of focusing primarily on transparent and open techniques.