a technique in which anxious clients are taught, in a stepwise fashion, to relax more rapidly over a series of sessions. This is important in the treatment of panic, anxiety, phobias, pain, and other symptoms. The ultimate outcome goal is for the client to be able to relax in approximately 20-30 seconds in situations in which their symptoms typically occur. See also progressive relaxation.
APPLIED RELAXATION: “A person using applied relaxation would learn to manage symptoms of anxiety, for example, more and more quickly over several sessions by relaxing the body.”