Edmund Jacobson
Encyclopedia
Edmund Jacobson was a US-American physician in internal medicine and psychiatry and a physiologist. He was the founder of the Progressive Muscle Relaxation
and of Biofeedback
.
He was the son of Morris Jacobson, a realtor in Chicago, born in Strasbourg
, and his wife Fannie, born in Iowa
.
After a B.S. degree from Northwestern University in 1908, Jacobson received M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Harvard University
and then returned to Chicago as an assistant in physiology. Here he obtained his M.D. degree in 1915.
He began his physiological investigations at Harvard University
in 1908. In 1921, he introduced the application of psychological principles to medical practice which was later called psychosomatic medicine. Employing low microvoltage apparatus, Jacobson also made the first accurate electrical measurement of muscular tonus, nerve impulses and mental activities in neuromuscular sites in living men.
Jacobson was able to prove the connection between excessive muscular tension and different disorders of body and psyche. He found out that tension and exertion was always accompanied by a shortening of the muscular fibres, that the reduction of the muscular tonus decreased the activity of the central nervous system
, that relaxation
was the contrary of states of excitement and well suited for a general remedy and prophylaxis against psychosomatic disorders.
In 1929, after twenty years of research, Jacobson began to publish his results in the book "Progressive Relaxation" . His major work, "You must relax", addressing the general public, came out in 1934.
Jacobson deepened his investigations from 1936 through 1960 at the Laboratory for Clinical Physiology in Chicago
which he directed, and he continued his investigations of simultaneous chemical and electronic recordings in man in health until the 1970s.
Jacobson's Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Progressive muscle relaxation is a technique for reducing anxiety by alternately tensing and relaxing the muscles. It was developed by American physician Edmund Jacobson in the early 1920s. Jacobson argued that since muscle tension accompanies anxiety, one can reduce anxiety by learning how to...
and of Biofeedback
Biofeedback
Biofeedback is the process of becoming aware of various physiological functions using instruments that provide information on the activity of those same systems, with a goal of being able to manipulate them at will...
.
He was the son of Morris Jacobson, a realtor in Chicago, born in Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
, and his wife Fannie, born in Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
.
After a B.S. degree from Northwestern University in 1908, Jacobson received M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
and then returned to Chicago as an assistant in physiology. Here he obtained his M.D. degree in 1915.
He began his physiological investigations at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1908. In 1921, he introduced the application of psychological principles to medical practice which was later called psychosomatic medicine. Employing low microvoltage apparatus, Jacobson also made the first accurate electrical measurement of muscular tonus, nerve impulses and mental activities in neuromuscular sites in living men.
Jacobson was able to prove the connection between excessive muscular tension and different disorders of body and psyche. He found out that tension and exertion was always accompanied by a shortening of the muscular fibres, that the reduction of the muscular tonus decreased the activity of the central nervous system
Central nervous system
The central nervous system is the part of the nervous system that integrates the information that it receives from, and coordinates the activity of, all parts of the bodies of bilaterian animals—that is, all multicellular animals except sponges and radially symmetric animals such as jellyfish...
, that relaxation
Relaxation technique
A relaxation technique is any method, process, procedure, or activity that helps a person to relax; to attain a state of increased calmness; or otherwise reduce levels of anxiety, stress or anger...
was the contrary of states of excitement and well suited for a general remedy and prophylaxis against psychosomatic disorders.
In 1929, after twenty years of research, Jacobson began to publish his results in the book "Progressive Relaxation" . His major work, "You must relax", addressing the general public, came out in 1934.
Jacobson deepened his investigations from 1936 through 1960 at the Laboratory for Clinical Physiology in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
which he directed, and he continued his investigations of simultaneous chemical and electronic recordings in man in health until the 1970s.