Functional relaxation is a somatopsychotherapeutic intervention technique commonly used in Germany, Austria and Switzerland for the treatment of psychosomatic disorders. The therapeutic effects are assumed to be delivered by positive stimulation of the autonomic nervous system, as well as by facilitation of proprioreceptive awareness. Minute movements of small joints, hardly noticeable to observers, are performed during relaxed expiration, accompanied by a focus on and exploration of the perceived differences of bodily feelings triggered by these movements. Unlike exercise-based methods, such as progressive muscle relaxation, the bodily perceptions are explicitly verbalized and processed in the therapeutic relationship.

By now, a number of randomized controlled studies have proven the effectiveness of Functional Relaxation in various disorders such as tension headache, bronchial asthma, irritable bowel syndrome, non-specific-chest pain and dental anxiety.