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The Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine is a non-profit scientific and educational organization dedicated to research, teaching, and clinical application of mind/body medicine and its integration into all areas of health. It accomplishes these objectives by:
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Documenting and furthering the understanding of mind/body medicine through research |
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Providing treatment for patients each year with stress-related illnesses through the Health and Wellness Center |
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Teaching medical students and training post-doctoral fellows and health care professionals to integrate mind/body interactions into their work through the Center for Training in Mind/Body Medicine |
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Fostering the establishment of clinical and research programs in health care institutions through the Affiliate Program |
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Teaching students and educators life management skills through the Education Initiative |
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Improving the health and productivity of the American workforce through the Center for Corporate Health |
When Herbert Benson, MD started medical practice as a young cardiologist more than 35 years ago, the term "mind/body medicine" was unknown. In the late 1960's his work linking stress to physical health was contrary to existing medical thought. It is quite gratifying today to be advancing this now scientifically-validated field at a time of unprecedented interest in the unity of mind and body.
Dr. Benson's work in establishing the mind/body connection started when he noticed that his patients had elevated blood pressure during regular check-ups. To test his hypothesis that stress was the cause, he returned to his alma mater,
Harvard Medical School, to try to establish a model for stress-induced hypertension. He and his colleagues trained squirrel monkeys to either raise or lower blood pressure using operant conditioning technology. They found that the monkeys who were "rewarded" for higher blood pressure went on to develop hypertension, basically due to their own behaviors.
While this study was underway, Dr. Benson was approached by young practitioners of Transcendental Meditation who asked him to study their blood pressure. They believed they had lower blood pressures as a result of their meditation practice. This type of study was virtually unheard of at the time, but he did consent, after much deliberation. Robert Keith Wallace and Dr. Benson measured metabolism, blood pressure, heart rate, brain waves, and rate of breathing - both when the subjects sat quietly for 20 minutes and when they meditated for 20 minutes. And what they found was striking.
Through the simple act of changing their thought patterns, the subjects experienced decreases in their metabolism, rate of breathing and heart rate, and had slower brain waves. These changes appeared to be the opposite of the commonly-known "fight-or-flight," or stress, response and Dr. Benson labeled it the "relaxation response." The relaxation response is the foundation of mind/body medicine as practiced at the BHI.
Dr. Benson noted that the relaxation response can be elicited by a variety of meditative techniques, such as diaphragmatic breathing, repetitive prayer, chi gong, tai chi, yoga, progressive muscle relaxation, jogging, even knitting.
The necessary two basic steps, which he found to be present in practices in almost every culture, are: the repetition of a sound, word, phrase prayer, or movement, and the passive setting aside of intruding thoughts and returning to the repetition. From the earliest studies to the present, the BHI's work shows that by using your mind in a certain way - to elicit
the relaxation response - measurable, predictable, and reproducible physiological changes occur that can be useful in countering the unhealthy fight-or-flight or stress response.
Over the past 25 years, Dr. Benson and his colleagues have treated thousands of people for medical problems poorly addressed by conventional medical practice. He views medicine as a three-legged stool: pharmaceuticals are the first leg, surgery and procedures the second. Mind/body interactions - the relaxation response, nutrition, exercise and spirituality - is the third, "self-care", leg. Since roughly 60 to 90% of doctor visits are for conditions related to stress, the mind/body or self-care approach is a vital component of effective health care.
The Benson-Henry Institute's clinical programs treat patients with a
combination of relaxation response techniques, proper nutrition and exercise, and reframing of negative thinking patterns, in conjunction with the beliefs of patients. Clinical studies over the years have shown the effectiveness of these interventions on a wide range of medical problems caused or made worse by stress, such as hypertension, cardiac arrhythmias, pain, insomnia, allergies, pms and menopause symptoms, and infertility, among many others. Practicing the relaxation response daily can enhance the immune system and make one more resistant to the harmful effects of constant
stress.
Today, highly-successful clinical programs exceeding 9,000 patient visits per year are offered at the Benson-Henry Institute and affiliate sites in the United States and Taiwan. In addition, the Institute continues to bring relaxation response-based programs to classroom teachers and students, the corporate sector, and the general public, and training to health care professionals from the U.S. and around the world.
The BHI has produced scientific evidence that the relaxation response is effective. With a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
the Institute continues to investigate the basic scientific components of the relaxation response as well as its clinical application.
The BHI has also extended a previously published study that utilized brain imaging to examine the ways the relaxation response influences the brain and, hence, the body.
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| For more information on BHI or to reach staff, contact 617.732.9130,
617.732.9111 fax, or mindbody@partners.org |
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