Many students in public speaking classes have trouble finding topics and material that will support their ideas effectively. Too often students have a conceptual emphasis, substituting lengthy explanations about their ideas, in place of images, metaphors, and specific details of carefully observed events that make ideas vivid and meaningful. A…

Enhanced self-attitudes following a psychotherapeutic encounter almost always serve as an indicator of therapy success. In an attempt to enhance self-attitudes through the use of positive mental imagery, undergraduate students (N=72), divided into 4 groups, participated in 4 experimental sessions. The experimental groups imagined themselves…

A within-subjects, three condition design was employed to examine the effects of three relaxation techniques on blood pressures, pulse rates, and self-report measures of relaxation for 12 college students. Respiratory Manipulation Training incorporated instructions to exhale and not to inhale for as long as possible. When breathing could no longer…

Mastering stress management techniques can help college developmental class educators protect themselves from burnout. These techniques can also be taught to students in developmental classes to enable them to maximize the benefits from these classes. This paper outlines the causes of stress, identifies stressors, describes responses to stress,…

Discusses how teachers can help music students overcome performance anxiety. Divides performance anxiety into four major components: physiological, cognitive, behavioral, and psychological. Suggests fighting anxiety with relaxation techniques, imagery, cognitive statements, positive thinking, practice, and preparation. Discourages use of…

A program of hypnotic suggestion, visualization, and relaxation training was used to help improve the teaching self-confidence of 22 university faculty. Comparison of preprogram, postprogram, and six-month follow-up measures of confidence, including both psychometric and anecdotal reports, found the participants' confidence level had been both…

In response to perceived need, the University of Pretoria (South Africa) implemented a stress management program for students using relaxation and visualization techniques and emphasizing development of study skills. Case studies of six participants in 1986 found both quantitative and qualitative improvement in all stress management areas except…

Since the identification of stress and the relationship of individual stress responses to physical and mental health, medical and behavioral professionals have been training individuals in coping strategies. To investigate the possibility of teaching cognitive coping skills to a nonclinical population in an academic setting, 41 college students…