Reference method for self-concentration and self-hypnosis we offer you a synthetic vision of what autogenic training is with its principles, its different cycles and exercises which will be explained to you in detail as well as the benefits of this technique brings.?

The method of relaxation by concentrative self-relaxation (Konzentrative selbstent spannung) better known under the name of Autogenic Training by Schultz, is a relaxation method close to self-hypnosis, one of the building blocks of the first key technique in Sophrology which consists to relax the mind and body and learn to let go.

Schultz said that autogenic training is “a self-relaxation, a dive inside ourselves”. The important thing is never to force it and let the trigger set in on its own.

Published in 1932 by the neurologist and psychiatrist Johannes Heinrich Schultz, this method of deep relaxation has two cycles:

• The lower cycle (or 1st cycle) is a phase of relaxation, a psycho-bodily, static, autogenic and inductive method.

It is practiced in a sitting or lying position, eyes closed, focusing your mind on the relaxologist’s suggestions.

• The upper cycle (or 2nd cycle) is a psychoanalytic method using mental imagery that can be used after a good mastery of the lower cycle by the patient for psychotherapeutic purposes by professionals.

The Autogenic Training method is recognized and validated in the medical environment in Europe.

The main principles

The first cycle of autogenic training consists in offering the patient to concentrate and focus on sensations at the body level in order to relax. The patient relaxes passively without appealing to his active will. The relaxologist invites him to experience pleasant, beneficial and restful sensations. It’s a self-relaxation, “a dive inside ourselves” as Schultz said. 

The higher cycle is actually psychotherapy, and must be carried out by a trained professional. It is a technique very close to waking dreaming and accessible to patients who have practiced the 1st cycle for at least two years because it must be able to disconnect immediately simply by concentrating.

A little history of autogenic training

Johannes Heinrich Schultz psychiatrist and neurologist published his method, Autogenic Training in 1932, it is a relaxation technique close to self-hypnosis which is inspired by the work of Vogt and Brodman on sleep and hypnosis.

This technique also takes into account autosuggestion as in the method of Emile Coué. The purpose of autogenic training is to cause a disconnection to allow relaxation of the body and also of the mind. It is a so-called centrifugal method with a psychotherapeutic starting point.

• Schultz Autogenic Training is one of the most effective techniques for anxiety.
• This technique acts effectively on fatigue
• In case of physical and intellectual overwork
• In case of muscle tension
• Psychological tensions and psychosomatic disorders (especially at the cardiac level but also on functional digestive disorders and dermatological disorders)

The first cycle: comprises six basic phases and a preliminary phase.

The preliminary phase consists in helping the patient to put himself in a state of calm and tranquility. It is the relaxologist who accompanies the patient with a soft and calm voice. By suggestions and keywords.

For Schultz, it is a question of first putting the mind at rest before proceeding to the relaxation of the body.

At each session, the relaxologist will use the key words from the previous session (the patient having previously trained at home) then follow up on the suggestions and key words for the next phase. 

• First phase: The relaxologist will induce a phase of heaviness in the arms and legs

This first phase allows the relaxation of the striated musculature.

During the first session, the preliminary phase and the first phase are practiced one after the other.

• Second phase the relaxologist will induce heat in the arms and legs. The second phase allows vasodilation and relaxation of smooth muscles, it is contraindicated in case of venous problems in the legs.

• Third phase: the relaxologist invites the patient to concentrate on his heart, to perceive the heart rate, maintain it at a stable level and induce an increase in cardiac output.

This third phase is contraindicated in bradycardia, Stokes-Adams disease and hypochondria.

• Fourth phase: the relaxologist by suggestions will invite the patient to concentrate on his breathing. This phase is contraindicated in severe respiratory disorders.

• Fifth phase: the relaxologist invites the patient to concentrate on his solar plexus and to feel the heat radiating. This phase is contraindicated in hypochondria.
• Sixth phase: at this time the whole body is in vasodilation, the relaxologist will therefore suggest freshness in the forehead to cause a central vasoconstriction.

This phase is contraindicated in sinusitis.

The recovery is done in three stages:

• a tonic time contraction and relaxation of the fists and feet, then of the arms and legs and of the whole body
• amplified breaths (rapid inhaling and strong exhalation)
• rapid movements then opening of the eyes.

At the 7th session, the relaxologist will only use the key words.

The 8th session will be done in silence, the patient will practice his autogenic training alone under the supervision of the relaxologist. During the post-relaxation dialogue, he will observe the patient’s level of empowerment.

The higher cycle

In the first step, the patient learns to direct his gaze to a point in the middle of the forehead. this exercise allows to deepen a feeling of disconnection from the outside world.

• The first exercise consists in letting a color come to consciousness, it is the discovery of the proper color which will be associated with an object.

• then during another session, the therapist invites the patient to let everyday objects appear spontaneously in the consciousness. Once the patient has mastered this exercise, he is able to represent general concepts such as happiness for example.

• Once this exercise is mastered by the patient, the next phase consists in making the patient experience, always in this state of disconnection, the most desired feeling in the most intense way: it is the search for the own feeling.

• The following exercise consists of asking the patient to concretely represent a specific person still in the state of disconnection in order to allow the patient to better manage his relationship with others.

• The last step consists in asking the patient who is still in a state of disconnection to observe himself, and to ask himself the question: What am I doing wrong?

• The patient at this stage is able to come into contact with his own existential values.

It can be noted that the upper cycle of Schultz’s autogenic training is also one of the building blocks that can be found in several dynamic relaxations of Caycedian Sophrology.

The specialist

The specialist is a relaxologist, ie a person trained in the technique of Autogenic Training Schultz.

Course of a session

The session takes place in a quiet place, not very bright, the patient can be lying down or sitting. The patient lets himself be guided by the voice of the relaxologist.

Become a relaxologist

Few schools still teach Schultz autogenic training to this day. This technique was taught a few years ago in Caycedian Sophrology schools because this technique is one of the founding bases of the first Key technique in Caycedian Sophrology.

Contraindications of Autogenic training

The contraindications for Schultz’s autogenic training are delusional psychoses, tendencies to a second state, demented states, mental confusion, hysterical neurosis, hypersuggestibility.

Precautions: You must avoid prolonged exposure to the sun or to the sauna before a session.

In the event of hyperkinesia, psychomotor instability, hypernervosity, very short sessions should be planned. In certain cases, the exercises of gravity and heat can cause a state of drowsiness, tingling, migraines, circulatory disorders: in these cases, to envisage some movements. The patient may experience feelings of dizziness or the fear of falling into the void, in this case, do not too quickly suggest the feeling of heaviness in the whole arm and return to the hand before switching to the arm. The patient may experience hot flashes, in this case it is advisable to limit the sensation of heat in the hand or to remove the heat phase.

Schultz’s lower cycle of Autogenic Training is a really effective technique for anxious people who have difficulty stopping the flow of their thoughts.

Ideal as a bedtime ritual for people with difficulty falling asleep, it is one of the best techniques for managing one’s mind, learning to let go and relax.

I regularly use the lower cycle with my patients in the event of psychosomatic manifestations, especially in the case of irritable bowel syndrome and other disorders of psychogenic origin.

It is an essential technique to manage stress and fight against fatigue and overwork.