How it works

In the early part of this century it was recognized that when people first tense up and then relax muscle groups, they end up more relaxed than when they began. In fact this is a natural process that we all use, for example when we stretch, or yawn.
But the key to this particular method lies in two factors:
· that we learn the difference in the sensations of being tense and being relaxed, and
· that it gives signals to the subconscious and "automatic" parts of our system (the autonomic nervous system) that "all is well", "there is no need to be tense any longer", and it is your autonomic nervous system which will do the real work by slowing down your heart rate, stopping the release of adrenaline into your blood stream, etc. - things which we do not normally have under our conscious control.
Hence the exercises themselves are deceptively simple. Don't be fooled - they do work; but like all relaxation methods, it takes time and practice for this to be useful in real-life stressful situations. (to be continuous)