A brief literature review about relaxation therapy and anxiety

Relaxation is often intended as the opposite of anxiety and its effects towards it have been widely studied. The aim of this paper was to review scientific literature about the effects of relaxation-based therapies on anxiety disorders and problems across clinical and community populations. Relaxation techniques proved to be effective in reducing anxiety for people from the general population as well as for people with physical or psychological disorders. Results support the efficacy of relaxation training as a valid stand-alone or combined treatment for anxiety disorders and problems and suggest a wider use of these techniques in the clinical practice. \ua9 2012 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC