Some people with anxiety may resist relaxation actively in favor of worrying to avoid a large jump in anxiety if something bad really does happen, reveals a new study. The findings of the study are published in the Journal of Affective Disorders. In a new study, the researchers found that people who were more sensitive to shifts in negative emotion quickly moving from a relaxed state to one of fear, for example, were more likely to feel anxious while being led through relaxation exercises.
‘People with anxiety and depressive disorders may actively resist relaxation, mainly if they are more sensitive to shifts in negative emotions.’
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Michelle Newman, professor of psychology, said the results could help benefit people who experience "relaxation-induced anxiety," a phenomenon that occurs when people actually become more anxious during relaxation training. Read More..
"People may be staying anxious to prevent a large shift in anxiety, but it's actually healthier to let yourself experience those shifts," Newman said. "The more you do it, the more you realize you can do it, and it's better to allow yourself to be relaxed at times. Mindfulness training and other interventions can help people let go and live in the moment."
Hanjoo Kim, a graduate student in psychology, said the study also sheds light on why relaxation treatments designed to help people feel better can potentially cause more anxiety.
"People who are more vulnerable to relaxation-induced anxiety are often the ones with anxiety disorders who may need relaxation more than others," Kim said. "And of course, these relaxation techniques were meant to help, not make someone more anxious. Our findings will hopefully serve as a cornerstone for providing better care for these populations."
Newman said that while researchers have known about relaxation-induced anxiety since the 1980s, the specific cause of this phenomenon has remained unknown. When Newman developed the contrast avoidance theory in 2011, she thought the two concepts might be connected.
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When the participants arrived at the lab, the researchers led them through relaxation exercises before having them watch videos that may elicit fear or sadness. The participants then answered a list of questions designed to measure how sensitive they were to changes in their emotional state. For example, some people may be uncomfortable with the negative emotions incited by the videos right after relaxing, while others might find the relaxation session helpful in dealing with those emotions.
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After analyzing the data, the researchers found that people with a generalized anxiety disorder were more likely to be sensitive to sharp spikes in emotion, like going from feeling relaxed to feeling scared or stressed. Additionally, this sensitivity was linked to feeling anxious during sessions intended to induce relaxation.
The researchers found similar results in people with major depressive disorder, although the effect wasn't as strong.
Kim said he hopes the results recently published in the Journal of Affective Disorders may help clinicians provide better care for people with anxiety.
"Measuring relaxation-induced anxiety and implementing exposure techniques targeting the desensitization of negative contrast sensitivity may help patients reduce this anxiety," Kim said. "Also, it would be important to examine relaxation-induced anxiety in other disorders, such as panic disorder and persistent mild depression."
Source-Eurekalert