Brianna Rice & Denny McDonald, University of Wisconsin – Stout; Advisor: Dr. Michael Donnelly
Measure the effects of three well-known relaxation techniques
to determine the most effective method for parasympathetic
nervous system activation
guided voice relaxation(GR),
relaxing music (RM)
 supine rest (SR)
We expected to see increases in subjective ratings of
relaxation with decreases in heart rate and EDA over time in all
three conditions, showing the strongest relaxation response in
the GR group
Mean Subjective Rating of Relaxation Across
Time
76
74
8
72
5
Supine Rest
Music
Guided Imagery
4
3
70
68
1
60
7
10
13
16
19
Time (Minutes)
Figure 1
15
Supine Rest
Music
Guided Imagery
10
64
62
4
Supine Rest
Music
Guided Imagery
66
2
1
20
EDA (mv)
6
Heartrate(Bpm)
7
Subjective Rating
EDA Across Time
25
9
0
Mean Heartrate (Beats per minute) Across Time
58
5
0
1
4
7
10
13
Time (Minutes)
Figure 2
16
19
1
4
7
10
13
16
19
Time (Minutes)
Figure 3
Practicing relaxation techniques (RT) is an active mental
process effective for stress management
Participants- 21 UW-Stout student volunteers (mean age=20,
11 males, 10 females
Significant main effects was found in EDA, HR, and subjective
ratings over time (Figures 1,2,3)
 RT are known to reduce self reports and behavioral measures
of anxiety, fatigue and frustration and improve mood and
attention
Randomly assigned to one of three 20 minute relaxation
session groups (n=7 for each group)
No significant effect was found to be dependent on group
Opposite of the “fight or flight” response, activation of the
parasympathetic nervous system occurs in the relaxation
response
Alterations in nervous system activity is shown to reduce::
•Heartrate
•Respiration
Blood pressure
Autonomic arousal
RT helps sustain efficient higher-order cognitive processing
Alterations in alpha and theta brainwave patterns correlate
with perceived feelings of relaxation
The relaxation response combats our bodily response to
distress in order to maintain optimal psychological and
physical well-being
Guided relaxation group: Audio recording of calming male
relaxation guide
Supine rest group: No auditory relaxation aid
Slight visual trend (indicated in figures 1 and 3) shows RM
group to have produced the strongest relaxation response
EEG data was inconclusive, showing no trends over time
within any condition
Music group: Soft relaxing instrumental music
 At the sound of a beep, participants reported subjective
ratings of relaxation throughout the session (3 minute
intervals, starting from minute one)
Results show that each technique produces increasing
relaxation responses in parasympathetic nervous system as
time goes on
Ratings are on a scale of 1(feeling least relaxed, distressed
and highly aroused) to 10 (feeling very relaxed, little to no
nervous tension and/or distress)
The physiological data, paired with subjective ratings show
each method may be beneficial at promoting relaxation and
alleviating stress
Sessions took place in a quiet, dimly lit room, a sleeping mat
was used for participants comfort
Inconclusive EEG results could be due to the small number of
participants, time constraints, outliers, and human error
Participants were instructed to lie with eyes closed in supine
rest position, wearing noise cancellation headphones
Future research could benefit from more participants, more
detailed self-reports, and more RT variety
Physiological measures recorded using Biopac Student Lab:
Electrodermal Activity (EDA), Electrocardiography(EKG) and
Electroencephalography(EEG)