Behavioral Interventions 267
The role of relaxation training in treatment of anxiety disorders continues to gener-
ate considerable debate. The long- established tradition of teaching progressive muscle
relaxation to relieve anxiety may still have some efficacy for the treatment of GAD and
possibly panic disorder, especially when the more systematic and intense applied relax-
ation protocol is employed. However, relaxation training for OCD and social phobia is
unwarranted, although it may still have some value in PTSD for those with heightened
generalized anxiety. Breathing retraining is often used in treatment of panic disorder
but as discussed in the next chapter its therapeutic effectiveness has been called into
question. A Quick Reference Summary is provided in Appendix 7.5 as a brief overview
of the behavioral interventions that are useful in treating the anxiety disorders.