Final answer:
The technique that focuses on a sense of warmth and heaviness for relaxation as an alternative to the Progressive Muscular Relaxation cycle is called autogenic training. It's a method to influence the autonomic nervous system and promote deep relaxation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question refers to a relaxation technique where the PMR (Progressive Muscular Relaxation) cycle for each muscle group is replaced with an attentional state that focuses on the sense of warmth and heaviness for a particular limb or muscle group. The correct answer to this description is B. autogenic training. Autogenic training is a relaxation technique developed by the German psychiatrist Johannes Heinrich Schultz and is a method for influencing one's autonomic nervous system. This method encourages a feeling of warmth and heaviness in the body, which promotes a state of deep relaxation.
Understanding muscle contraction and relaxation is fundamental in appreciating these relaxation techniques. Relaxing skeletal muscle fibers begins with the motor neuron ceasing the release of ACh, causing the muscle to repolarize and relax as calcium ions are reabsorbed. Training the mind to focus on warmth and heaviness is central to autogenic training, which helps reduce muscle tension and promotes relaxation.