In what method for reducing stress does a health professional measure tension in the body’s muscles in response to certain stressors

The physiological method used by health professionals to evaluate tensions in specific muscle groups, and then relax them is the progressive muscle relaxation (PMR).

Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) is a relaxation therapy that is used to obtain relief from stressors, especially useful for the reduction of muscle tone.  

This method has three phases:

• The first phase is called Voltage Relaxation. It involves the tension and then relax different muscle groups throughout the body, to learn to recognize the difference between a state of muscle tension and a state of muscle relaxation.

• The second phase consists of mentally reviewing muscle groups, verifying that they have relaxed to the maximum.

• The third phase is called mental relaxation. This phase consists of thinking about a positive scene or keeping the mind blank. It is about relaxing the mind while the person continues to relax all his/her body.

Therefore, we can say that progressive muscle relaxation is a method that favors deep relaxation with little effort, helping to measure muscle tension and reducing stress.  

Learn more about progressive muscle relaxation here: