Relaxation, deepening, and ego-enhancement: A stress reduction “package”

ABSTRACT: Forty trained nurses were matched on their Stress Profile, an instrument designed to measure occupational stress, with one member of each pair being allocated at random to either an experimental or a non-treatment control group. The experimental group had four treatment sessions, learning a technique of induction, deepening and ego-enhancement embracing the following elements: (a) physical relaxation, (b) mental calmness, (c) disposal of unwanted mental and physical “rubbish”, (d) removal of a negative barrier, and (e) enjoyment of a special place. Two further administrations of the Stress Profile took place, one immediately after completion of the fourth session and one as a follow-up nine months later. In addition, on these two occasions, subjects completed anecdotal reports which recorded their thoughts on the experiment. Once this first stage of the study had been completed, control group nurses experienced the same four treatment sessions as had the experimental group. Results indicated that stress level was significantly lower both immediately after treatment and at the nine-month follow-up. Implications of this finding and suggestions for further research are discussed.