Braid came along and stripped it of its hocus pocus elements and turned it into a therapy, developing 'self-' or 'auto-hypnotism'. He saw it as merely a psycho-physiological mechanism. A a psychological phenomena rooted in a physiological process. Interestingly, Braid researched eye-fixation and also drew analogies between his own practice of hypnotism and various forms of Hindu Yoga meditation and other ancient spiritual practices.
The relaxation response research by Benson was important because he too stripped away the mumbo jumbo. Now let's be clear that the word ”relaxation” as used here is not about merely kicking back on a sunny sunday afternoon at a picnic, or having a pint after work. Initially developed by Edmund Jacobsen as a technique to deal with the ”shell shock” (or PTSD as its now called) of returning soldiers, Benson followed up with more rigorous research to satisfy the requirements of scientific method.
What Benson’s (and Jacobsen’s) work implies is that one does not need a ”higher power”, guru, religious belief or ritual to attain a state of quietude from which ”healing” can begin, but that there is a general "formula" used by many traditions that can be distilled, or that can utilise beliefs and traditions for the same end.
That is, by this process he showed that no single one of these traditions or beliefs is correct to the exclusion of the others, they are all equally correct, or, rather, they are all including more than is necessary to achieve the goal of spiritual ”healing” or rejuvenation that follows ”letting go”.
It could be more generously said the belief systems or spiritual practices each provide a cultural context that people (who often need such context) can choose from for the one that ”fits" them.
Ecumenicism sees the religious people saying ”many roads one destination” but of the people I have met, they pay mere lip service to that, most of them would, in other circumstances, argue theirs is the best, and in BKs' case, the only ”road”.
Every morning a BK mixes up a bubble liquid with their meditation + Murli routine, then endeavours to live in that bubble throughout the day, with every shrimat-based thought and action being about avoiding things that will prick that bubble.
OK, that analogy can used for every ego-based, ego-reinforcing practice but that just shows the shallowness of BK teachings and practice. "Don’t have that kind of ego, have this one."