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Customer Review
Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2020
"The Relaxation Response" might be the holy grail of self-actualization: A simple method, backed by science, without any jargon. Although Benson's method of relaxation comes from studying Transcendental Meditation (TM), the process laid out in the book is secular and can be done by anyone, regardless of religious affiliation or lackthereof. The only problem is that the Relxation Response is so simple, that most of the book doesn't feel necessary.
Before we get into it, you should be aware that the entire Relaxation Response method is available online, for free. Benson himself explains it, step by step, in multiple YouTube videos and online articles; the book doesn't offer any "secret techniques" or addons to the relaxation response. It seems to me that the author wants the world to know about the Relaxation Response, with how easily available the technique is.
The ease and accessiblity of the Relaxation Response, which consits of entering a "neutral" state of mind and silently repeating a word or phrase for fifteen or twenty minutes, is a double-edged sword. The method is described twice, in the intro and in a later chapter, and even the longform explanation takes about five pages. The rest of the book is a breakdown of stress, a discussion of how the Relaxation Response was studied, and a comparison of world religions and how they all, in one way or another, use the Relaxation Response. Even with all the padding, the book is barely 200 pages. In other words -- the method is great, but the book itself isn't very important.
One wishes there were more books like The Relaxation Response. It's refreshing to read a "self-help" book that gives you an easy, actionable method, and does it without any mysticism or jargon. The book is realistic, and doesn't try to sell you a pie-in-the-sky. The book itself, however, doesn't feel necessary in the 2020s, considering the Relaxation Response method is available online, for free. If you've already learned the Relaxation Response, the book doesn't give you anything new.
Before we get into it, you should be aware that the entire Relaxation Response method is available online, for free. Benson himself explains it, step by step, in multiple YouTube videos and online articles; the book doesn't offer any "secret techniques" or addons to the relaxation response. It seems to me that the author wants the world to know about the Relaxation Response, with how easily available the technique is.
The ease and accessiblity of the Relaxation Response, which consits of entering a "neutral" state of mind and silently repeating a word or phrase for fifteen or twenty minutes, is a double-edged sword. The method is described twice, in the intro and in a later chapter, and even the longform explanation takes about five pages. The rest of the book is a breakdown of stress, a discussion of how the Relaxation Response was studied, and a comparison of world religions and how they all, in one way or another, use the Relaxation Response. Even with all the padding, the book is barely 200 pages. In other words -- the method is great, but the book itself isn't very important.
One wishes there were more books like The Relaxation Response. It's refreshing to read a "self-help" book that gives you an easy, actionable method, and does it without any mysticism or jargon. The book is realistic, and doesn't try to sell you a pie-in-the-sky. The book itself, however, doesn't feel necessary in the 2020s, considering the Relaxation Response method is available online, for free. If you've already learned the Relaxation Response, the book doesn't give you anything new.
