Examining the effectiveness of psychological strategies on physiologic markers: evidence-based suggestions for holistic care of the athlete.

Context: Current holistic rehabilitation blends both physical and psychological techniques. However, validation of the usefulness of psychological strategies is limited in the literature. Objective: To quantify the effects of psychological strategies on both physiologic (salivary cortisol) and subjective assessments of stress. Design: Randomized controlled clinical trial. Setting: Laboratory. Patients or Other Participants: A total of 97 college-aged students (age = 20.65 ± 4.38 years), most with little to no experience with psychological strategies. Intervention(s): A 15-minute script via an iPod led the participant through visual imagery (cognitive relaxation) or deep breathing exercises (somatic relaxation) cues. The control group listened to 15 minutes of ambient nature sounds. Main Outcome Measure(s): Two samples (pretest, posttest) of salivary cortisol were analyzed using an enzyme immunoassay kit; the average was used for statistical analysis. Descriptive statistics and correlations were conducted ...