Patients are trained to focus attention selectively and intently on induced bodily
states such as relaxation or warmth. In
this way attention may be shifted away
from pain onto states that are incompatible
with it. The methods of Jacobson (45)
and Schultz and Luthe (46) may both be
useful. Not only does relaxation reduce
anxiety and divert attention from distressing
symptoms but it may contribute to a
sense of active participation in treatment
and control over those symptoms.