Autogenic training (from the ancient Greek autos: self; genos: to arise) is a relaxation method of psychotherapeutic treatment, which is used, among other things, to reduce stress by giving the patient cognitive control over his physical sensations. The self-relaxation procedure, which can be combined with other imaginative relaxation methods (procedures designed to expand mental control over the body), is easy to learn and therefore serves a large number of people as a method of improving performance through stress reduction. In addition, an improvement in well-being is achieved through a reduction in sleep disturbances. Developed by Berlin psychiatrist Johannes Heinrich Schultz in the 1920s, autogenic training was published under the name “concentrative self-relaxation” in 1932 and is based on his observations from hypnosis research.
The procedure
The principle of autogenic training is based on autosuggestion (“self-hypnosis“), through which a hypnotic state of rest is induced. In this state of rest, by performing special exercises, a switch of sensation on the physical and mental level can occur, so that the patient reaches a state conducive to health. This state of rest is supposed to promote parasympathetic body reactions (state of the nervous system during rest and relaxation) and thus lead to rapid stress reduction. A special feature of the method is that when practicing autogenic training, the execution of otherwise “automatic” processes such as body movements occurs in a conscious and controlled manner. The autogenic training according to Schultz is divided into several levels. The level frequently used in psychotherapy is the basic level, which has been proven to be psychotherapeutically effective, but cannot unfold the full spectrum of the effects of autogenic training.
- In the basic level, the vegetative nervous system is to be positively influenced in order to reach a parasympathetic state. To achieve the resting state in the basic level, six exercises are performed. As an example of the exercises of the basic level can be called the heaviness exercise, in which the patient feels a sense of heaviness and relaxation in one area of the body, which in the course of the exercise spreads to the entire body.
- In the intermediate level, the patient can influence his own behavior by applying a formulaic premeditation.
- In the upper level, the patient should succeed in influencing the subconscious mind through autogenic training. The goals of the upper stage are a deepened self-knowledge and a changed character formation.
On the process of autogenic training:
- As the basic position of autogenic training is to take a relaxed sitting or lying posture.
- Once this is done, the patient performs self-instructions for relaxation several times in a row.
- Depending on the level of autogenic training, for example, gravity exercises, heat and organ exercises are performed. The execution must be in a monotonous rhythm several times in a row. In addition to self-instruction, the patient is instructed by the therapist to visualize the exercises, so that during the heaviness exercise, in addition to the feeling of heaviness in the extremity, a feeling of relaxation occurs. In the organ and heat exercises are the perception of breathing and heartbeat, the feeling of warmth in the abdominal area and the feeling of cold in the forehead area to be cited.
- By focusing the consciousness on the relaxation signs of the body, a state of vegetative calm is established, which can be seen as a hypnosis-like state.
- The physical relaxation thus achieved passes to the cognitive sensation of the patient and further reinforces the state of rest achieved.
- The achievement of this hypnosis-like stage requires full concentration on the physical relaxation processes to allow a complete switch to a parasympathetic state.
- According to Schultz, the full concentration creates a distance from the sensation of external stimuli, which can be enhanced by repeating the exercises of autogenic training.
- To benefit from the positive effects of autogenic training permanently, it requires multiple repetition of the exercises during the day.Each exercise should last about ten minutes.
Indications (areas of application)
- Pain treatment – headaches, migraine attacks, chronic pain.
- Stress relief in the possible presence of a stress-associated disease such as a gastric ulcer (stomach ulcer).
- Concentration deficits
- Addiction treatment – nicotine addiction, alcohol abuse (alcohol addiction), medication abuse, drug abuse.
- Eating disorders – both in the presence of obesity and anorexia nervosa (anorexia).
- Insomnia (sleep disorders) – difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep.
- Cardiovascular disease – hypertension (high blood pressure), angina pectoris (synonym: stenocardia, German: Brustenge or heart pain; is an attack-like pain in the chest caused by a circulatory disorder of the heart. Most often this is due to a narrowing (stenosis) of a coronary vessel due tocoronary artery disease) and cardiac arrhythmias.
- Bronchial asthma
- Libido disorders (synonym: sex drive disorders) – disorders of sexuality.
- Etc.
Contraindications
- Diseases of the central nervous system such as brain tumors.
- Hypochondriacal personality disorder
- Mental retardation
- Psychiatric disorders (depending on the assessment of the treating therapist).
Practicing autogenic training can bring the patient to a state of rest in which he can strongly influence himself physically and mentally, which can lead to the cessation of addictive behavior, but also simply to relieve stress to better cope with daily tasks at work and beyond. Practical applications for practicing autogenic training:
- The formulas of autogenic training are relatively easy to learn. Autogenic training is most effective if you practice three times a day. Create a relaxed environment without background noise at a comfortable room temperature. The performance of each exercise should be done in a relaxed sitting or lying position.
- If the chair in which you make yourself comfortable has armrests, you can easily support yourself there. The feet should have a firm footing on the floor. Thighs and lower legs should form a right angle.
- The exercise begins after you close your eyes and imagine the words “I am completely calm”. This formula is not an actual part of an exercise, but rather an attunement to the following executions.
- You can choose whether you see the word written in front of you or hear it in your mind.
- Then imagine how a pendulum, which is one meter in front of you, swings and you adjust to the movement of the pendulum. You consider in your mind a position (on the clock, for example, twelve o’clock) where the pendulum swings past. You concentrate on the movement of the pendulum and feel that you become more relaxed.
- The first muscle relaxation exercise is the heaviness exercise:
- You remember the basic idea again and think “I am quite calm”.
- Now imagine that your right arm is heavy and concentrate about three times on the imagined formula.
- Then repeat this with your left arm in your mind.
- Now imagine that both arms are heavy and concentrate about three times on the thought.
- Now both legs are heavy. Concentration on the legs becoming heavy should be three times.
- Now your concentration falls three times on the heaviness of all limbs.
- After the exercise, perform the “take back” and count in your mind from six to one and when you say six, you feel awake and well. All the senses of you perceive reality as it is. At the number five, your arms become light. On the numbers four and three, your heartbeat and breathing calm down. At two, you feel a normal temperature on your forehead and at one, you take a deep breath and open your eyes.
- In each exercise, it is important to tell yourself in your mind that your extremities are heavy and will not, as this can create an expectation.
- In addition to the heaviness exercise, you can perform other exercises. The procedure of other exercises is similar to that of the heaviness exercise.
