A Comparison of Cerebral Electrotherapy and Relaxation as Anxiolytics

The treatment of anxiety is assumed to be fundamental to the alleviation of various kinds of psychopathology. Because of the unwanted side effects of anxiety reducing (anxiolytic) drugs, non-pharmacological treatments should be investigated. A considerable body of literature exists on the use of relaxation techniques, such as progressive muscle relaxation, as anxiolytic methods. Previously published reports have suggested that cerebral electrotherapy (CET) also possesses anxiolytic properties. In this study 33 subjects from an alcohol rehabilitation unit were randomly divided into three groups. The treatment subjects received seven 1/2 hour sessions of CET using bi-polar electrodes and .3 ma current or an equal duration of progressive muslce relaxation training (PMR) using a commercially available audio tape. The control group was waiting list only. The dependent variables of State scores of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and frontalis EMG voltages were taken pre- and post-treatment. A repeated measures analysis of variance revealed that a significant reduction in both State scale scores and EMG voltages occurred pre- to post-test, but no significant differences were found among the three groups nor was there a significant interaction effect (time of testing and type of treatment) for either dependent variable. The results are discussed in relation to previous findings and implications for future clinical research are given.