Progressive Muscle Relaxation Exercise

This is an exercise that I use sometimes in therapy to help children calm down.  Modeling it for them and encouraging them to practice it will raise the likelihood that they will do this when feeling upset.

(Use this script or put this in your own words.)
Last week you practiced deep-breathing as a relaxation technique. Today I will introduce
progressive muscle relaxation. Start by getting comfortable in your chairs. Close your eyes
if you like. Take a moment to really settle in. Now, as you did last week, begin to focus on
your breathing. Take a deep breath. Hold it for a second. Now exhale fully and completely.
Again, take a deep breath. Fill your lungs and chest. Now release and exhale slowly.
Again, one more time, inhale slowly, hold, and release.

Now, while you continue to breathe deeply and fully, bring your awareness to your hands.
Clench your fists very tightly. Hold that tension. Now relax your fists, letting your fingers
unfold and letting your hands completely relax. Again, clench your fists tightly. Hold and
release the tension. Imagine all the tension being released from your hands down to your
fingertips. Notice the difference between the tension and complete relaxation.

Now bring your awareness to your arms. Curl your arms as if you are doing a bicep curl.
Tense your fists, forearms, and biceps. Hold the tension and release it. Let the tension in
your arms unfold and your hands float back to your thighs. Feel the tension drain out of
your arms. Again, curl your arms to tighten your biceps. Notice the tension, hold, and
release. Let the tension flow out of your arms. Replace it with deep muscle relaxation.

Now raise your shoulders toward your ears. Really tense your shoulders. Hold them up for a
second. Gently drop your shoulders, and release all the tension. Again, lift your shoulders,
hold the tension, and release. Let the tension flow from your shoulders all the way down
your arms to your fingers. Notice how different your muscles feel when they are relaxed.

Now bring your awareness to your neck and face. Tense all those muscles by making a
face. Tense your neck, jaw, and forehead. Hold the tension, and release. Let the muscles
of your neck and jaw relax. Relax all the lines in your forehead. One final time, tense all
the muscles in your neck and face, hold, and release. Be aware of your muscles relaxing
at the top of your head and around your eyes. Let your eyes relax in their sockets, almost
as if they were sinking into the back of your head. Relax your jaw and your throat. Relax
all the muscles around your ears. Feel all the tension in your neck muscles release.

Now just sit for a few moments. Scan your body for any tension and release it. Notice how
your body feels when your muscles are completely relaxed.

When you are ready, open your eyes. How was that? Did you notice any new sensations?
How does your body feel now? How about your state of mind? Do you notice any
difference now from when we started?

This leads us to the next section: "The A-B-C-D Model"

Click here to see how child anger management can be achieved through using music