A very long time ago, during my infertility treatments, I took Dr. Herbert Benson’s Relaxation Response training. The program was led by Dr. Ali Domar, and at the time, it quietly changed how I understood stress, fear, and healing.
Dr. Benson was a pioneer in bridging Eastern meditative practices with Western medicine. As a professor at Harvard Medical School and director of the Benson-Henry Institute, he led groundbreaking research that validated mindfulness-based techniques for physical healing—particularly in the treatment of anxiety, high blood pressure, and chronic pain.
He defined the Relaxation Response as a physical state of deep rest that directly counteracts the body’s fight-or-flight-freeze stress response. When activated, it helps lower heart rate, blood pressure, metabolism, and breathing rate—essentially signaling safety to the nervous system.
Dr. Benson taught a simple, two-step method for eliciting this response:
- The repetition of a word, sound, prayer, or phrase
- The gentle, passive release of intrusive thoughts when they arise
This response can be activated through meditation, yoga, repetitive prayer, or other rhythmic, calming practices. He recommended 10–20 minutes of daily practice to experience long-term health benefits. (Visit my resource library for complimentary downloads ~ Look at the Healing Bites)
Lately, I’ve found myself leaning back into this mindset—not through long, formal practices, but through mini relaxation moments woven throughout the day.
At a stoplight, for example, I check in:
Am I holding my breath?
Is my body braced without me realizing it?
Then I breathe—slowly and intentionally—in through my nose and out through my mouth until the light changes.
The constant fear being thrown at us right now has a way of stealing our breath. It tightens the chest, shortens our inhale, and quietly convinces the body that danger is everywhere.
This is when returning to tried-and-true practices from our inner toolbox matters most.
I’m grateful for Dr. Benson—and I’m dusting off the relaxation response once again.
This Sparkle Up Blog is part of the…
Fear Waves: Gentle Tips to Steady Your Nervous System Series
When fear gets loud, the body feels it first. This series offers gentle, grounded tools to steady the nervous system—one moment, one breath, one choice at a time.
Helping you to Build your own Fear Waves Toolkit
