A controlled comparison of thermal biofeedback and relaxation training in the treatment of essential hypertension: II. Effects on cardiovascular reactivity.

In the course of conducting a controlled comparison of progressive muscle relaxation and thermal biofeedback as possible substitutes for second-stage (sympatholytic) antihypertensive medications, we measured reactivity (heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure) to three different stressors (mental arithmetic, cold pressor, and negative mental imagery) before and after treatment and drug withdrawal. Neither treatment was consistently effective in reducing reactivity across a variety of stressors. Relaxation led to more reductions in some aspect of reactivity than did biofeedback. The modest level of reductions in reactivity were seen more for mental arithmetic and systolic blood pressure.