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Relaxometers

• Relaxometers
• GSR2

How they work and how they can be used.

They work like this: If you panic you may break out in a sweat all over, and this changes the electrical properties of your skin. Changes like this in fact occur all the time, in a milder way, and we do not notice them; they are slight and quite normal. These instruments translate the changes, large or small, into something you can understand. You may well feel I know I am tense - I don‘t need a machine to tell me that, but these sensitive instruments will tell you when you relax just a little bit, so you know you are doing it right.

They make a sound whose pitch rises and falls with changes in your level of arousal; if you relax the tone goes down to a buzz, and if something startles you or makes you anxious the tone rises to a screech. They are especially useful if you feel it is no use just to be told to relax - you need to know how to do it. When you hear that you have relaxed, even just a little, you know you are doing it right, and you can go on doing that - even if you cannot put into words what it is you are doing.

If you practise in a peaceful setting and become skilful at relaxing, then you can apply that skill whenever you need to - before an important interview or meeting, travelling in the rush hour, when work gets hectic, and so on.

The Relaxometer

Relaxometers have many uses, mainly to do with managing stress and your reactions to stress. They are used to help deal with high blood pressure, anxiety about nothing in particular, panic attacks, fear of flying, or of dogs, or just of going out, and many other situations like stammering and giving birth. They have been used in hospitals and clinics as well as by the public since we introduced them in 1971 and are one of the tools those working in Stress Management expect to use to help them help sufferers. They are simple and easy to understand and use, so many sufferers like to have one at home. Like pills in the medicine cabinet, it is reassuring to know it is there in case you need to go back to it.

The Relaxometers each have a loudspeaker, and a socket for standard light-weight stereo heaphones, with a Volume control and a Frequency adjustment to set the tone for the particular user. The Model Q also has a meter so you can see changes too, and a socket for suitable external apparatus.

Relaxometer specifications

• Sensors: Silvered Velcro attached with Velcro, wired into case.
• Conductance range: 0.1 micromho to 20 micromho.
• Sensitivity: typically 10% change in pitch for 1% change in conductance.
• Output: pulse train whose spacing varies with conductance between sensors and with Frequency control setting. Output socket (20mV to 2V) and Meter on Model Q only, Output otherwise to loudspeaker or headphone socket.
• Power supply: Four 1.5V size AA cells.
• Current drain: 10 to 15 mA.
• Case: impact-resistant ABS plastic.
• Dimensions: 149 x 99 x 78mm.
• Weight: Model S 453g, Model Q 465g, with batteries.
• Includes: Sensors, batteries installed, instruction book.

The GSR2

Specifications - GSR2

• Sensors: Stainless steel plates built into the case. Optional fingertip sensors.
• Conductance range: 0.33 micromho to 1000 micromho.
• Sensitivity: at least equal to that of the Relaxometer. Output to internal speaker or to earpieces or a Meter
• Power supply: one PP3 9V transistor radio battery,
• Current drain: less than 1.5mA.
• Dimensions: 100 x 78 x 43mm.
• Weight: 123g with battery.