25 Eclectic Resources on the Life and Death of Dr. Herbert Benson, Originator of the Relaxation Response

Exactly ten years ago today, March 30, 2012, I wrote a blog post about “Herbert Benson and the Relaxation Response in the 21st Century.” Today I’m writing about Dr. Benson, one of the best-known pioneers of mind/body medicine, for a different reason: to celebrate his life, and acknowledge his recent death at age 86.

I’ve curated 25 resources below, some written after his death, but most about his life and work, including and beyond the concept of the relaxation response, the subject of his multi-million selling 1975 book of the same name (written with Miriam Z. Klipper). The links include interviews, profiles, information about his work as a professor at Harvard Medical School, and recent research about his work in the field of mind/body medicine. A 1974 bylined article in the Harvard Business Review reflects his longtime influence on the business and the organizational worlds.

My 2012 blog post became the basis for a short section about him, and the benefits of the relaxation response, in my second book, Create Your Future the Peter Drucker Way, the following year. As I noted in the book, “Because of his influence and longevity, Benson has become a Drucker-like figure in his field.” In addition, and related to the above point about businesses and other organizations, and the people who work there: “Although many of the stressors of life today are similar to what they were in 1975, when the relaxation response was introduced, a stressor that did not really exist then is our 24/7 always-on, always-connected, always-expected-to-be-available culture.”

There is little doubt that his work will endure, both through his already-published books and research papers, and the ongoing work of the institution he founded and led until transitioning to emeritus status, the Benson-Henry Institute For Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital.

In 2025, three years from now, the Relaxation Response will have its 50^th anniversary of publication. In 2000, a 25^th anniversary edition was published, with an extended foreword by Benson, which contains this prophetic ending: “…by 2025 and beyond, medicine and surgery will be markedly different. I am confident, however, that one thing will not change. The immense, transforming power of the mind and body, of our beliefs, and of self-perpetuated healing will remain within us—eternally.”

American Psychological Association: The power of the relaxation response

The Atlantic: Thy Will Be Done: Blind studies and unanswered prayers

Benson-Henry Institute: Guided Relaxation Exercises

Benson-Henry Institute: The Passing of Herbert Benson

Boston Globe: Dr. Herbert Benson, who documented and promoted meditation’s health benefits, dies at 86: Pioneer of mind/body medicine bridged the gap between medicine and spirituality

Boston Globe: Finding escape from daily grind in meditation

BrainWorld: Tracking the Mind-Body Connection: An Interview with Dr. Herbert Benson

Katie Couric: Dr. Herbert Benson on Sleep and the Mind-Body Connection

FindCenter: Legacy of Wisdom: Dr. Herbert Benson—Emotions and Body States

Harvard Business Review: Motivating People Your Innate Asset for Combating Stress, by Herbert Benson

The Harvard Gazette: Mindfulness meditation and relaxation response affect brain differently

Harvard Health Blog: A once (and future) meditator tries the relaxation response for stress