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Comments about Paradoxical Relaxation
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"David Wise’s Paradoxical Relaxation is a ground-breaking book, describing principles of relaxation training not part of mainstream methods of relaxation. The insights in this book about the nature and practice of relaxation are profound and can be of enormous benefit to those who struggle with varieties of stress related disorders. Paradoxical Relaxation was developed and tested in the work Drs. Wise and Anderson did at Stanford University in the Department of Urology with individuals with pelvic pain and dysfunction. In this needed volume, Dr. Wise presents the method he uses for the treatment of pelvic pain for the larger application of treating anxiety and anxiety-related disorders. The method of Paradoxical Relaxation, discussed as part of the Wise-Anderson Protocol in the best-selling book, A Headache in the Pelvis, is presented here in a level of detail heretofore unavailable."

Robert Blum, MD
Former Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery,
Marin General Hospital, Greenbrae, California

"This book that David Wise has written on relaxation training clearly is not an abstract rendering of a theoretical position, but the record of lessons personally learned, and here taught. Dr. Wise has distinguished himself by co-developing a successful treatment for chronic pelvic pain syndromes at Stanford University called the Wise-Anderson Protocol. Paradoxical Relaxation is a careful exploration of one of the methods of this innovative protocol and a departure from conventional relaxation training for anxiety. Dr. Wise’s book is self-revelatory in taking us through his journey to free himself from pelvic pain. This method has been used with his pelvic pain patients over the years and its effectiveness has been documented in published studies. Paradoxical Relaxation can be of significant value for those wishing to learn relaxation in order to deal with anxiety and anxiety related disorders.

Alan Leveton, M.D.
Associate Clinical Professor, Pediatrics and Psychiatry (retired)
University of California, School of Medicine, San Francisco