1. A condition in which the action of one group of a pair of antagonistic muscles is inhibited by the excitation of the other group: An example of reciprocal inhibition is when the biceps are prevented from contracting and bending the arm at the elbow, while the triceps are extending the arm, which is a result of reciprocal innervation.
2. The inhibition of an anxiety-provoking response by the practice of deep muscle relaxation: Reciprocal inhibition relates to behavior therapy in which the patient is exposed to anxiety-producing stimuli while in a controlled state of relaxation so that the anxiety response is gradually inhibited.

In psychiatry, a form of behavior therapy in which the patient, while made to relax in comfortable surroundings, is gradually exposed to increasing amounts of anxiety-provoking stimuli: During reciprocal inhibition and desensitization, the patient can learn to tolerate these stimuli and may eventually learn to dissociate the anxiety from them.