The techniques in this book represent fifty-five years of

cumulative experience in the fields of stress and behavioral med-

icine. As researchers and teachers; directors of biofeedback clinics;

and co-authors of textbooks, test manuals, and self-help books, we

have often been frustrated by a major deficiency in existing stress

books. Either they describe only one technique--which may or

may not work for the reader s particular stress problems--or they

present an overwhelming maze of techniques, difficult to choose

from and difficult to follow. Many readers find these books simply

too confusing to use.

This book is different, and we hope it meets your needs. It con-

tains the best of the brief, clinically proven techniques for dividing

and relieving stress that we have developed in our work. Even more

to the point, these are rapid, simple strategies that anyone can

follow.

We have found these strategies very effective, not only in our

offices but also in the corporate seminars we have conducted for

AT&T, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Merrill Lynch, and other clients.

Our patients improve when they use them. Our workshop partici-

pants report that these are the techniques they use most frequently

to relieve their stress successfully.

Are they truly "instant"? We believe they are. Most of the pre-

scriptions are designed to be used immediately, at the very moment