With relevance for immune-implicated diseases like cancer and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), the proposed project will study how relaxation and imagery may control immunity. Over the past 12 years research has shown that relaxation with and without imagery has independent effects on mucosal and systemic immune parameters. Mucosal immunity wards off environmental pathogens while systemic determines susceptibility to entities such as bacteria. """"""""High absorbers,"""""""" who have previously manifested most robustly these immune effects, will be chosen from 400 undergraduate volunteers. Eighty high absorbers, that is, those who physiologically respond intensively to mental events and experiences, will be randomly assigned to one of two conditions: relaxation plus mucosal immune imagery or relaxation with systemic immune imagery. Before and after the hour intervention, subjects will complete a psychology test battery measuring mood, stress, and tension as well as provide a 4 ml sample of saliva and a 10 cc sample of blood. The fluid samples will be analyzed for antibodies, cytokines, and T4 helper cells.
