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Who among us has not dreamed of learning how to independently cope with anxiety, tension and fatigue without doctors and medicines, without being distracted for a long time from important matters? The autogenic training method has already earned the recognition of Olympic athletes as a great way to relieve stress before a performance. You can master it too.
(Only) hypnosis and yoga
The history of autogenic training began in pre-war Germany, in 1932. Then the professor of neurology and psychiatry Johann Heinrich Schultz first published his book Autogenic Training. Autogenous — literally means «arising by itself.» Schultz studied the possibilities of using self-hypnosis in the treatment of patients and believed that each person himself, with the help of self-hypnosis, can influence his mental and physical state. In addition, he was interested in the meditation practices of Indian yogis and their effect on the body. Maybe that’s why later he categorically insisted that training sessions can only be conducted under the supervision and prescription of a doctor, since they are «aimed at restructuring a person’s consciousness.» Be that as it may, Schultz’s technique quickly became popular and even gave rise to a new direction in medicine — psychosomatic therapy.
- Jon Kabat-Zinn: «Meditation strengthens the immune system»
How it works
“To be able to achieve a state of complete relaxation, anytime, anywhere, in any circumstances, using only the power of your own thought,” is, in general terms, the essence of the Schultz system. The peculiarity of autogenic training is that it has an effect on the state of our body (normalizes blood pressure, relieves fatigue and pain), and on our mental state (relieves stress, improves memory and concentration). This is because during the training we restore the tone of the autonomic nervous system. By relaxing the muscles, we get rid of general tension, and deep breathing in a single rhythm evens out the contractions of the vagus nerve, which, in turn, is responsible for the rhythm of the heart and other internal organs. By the way, similar changes occur with the body of Indian yogis when they meditate or sing a mantra*. Moreover, autogenic training helps to relieve physical pain. For example, women who practiced it during childbirth noted that they felt less pain and perceived what was happening more clearly**. Autogenic training is now used to train athletes in many disciplines — tennis, football, hockey, figure skating and wrestling.
- 5 meditations for the senses
Getting ready for the session
Deep training requires special training under the supervision of a relaxologist or psychotherapist. But a short session is quite possible to conduct on your own. First you need to find a comfortable and quiet place, dim the lights and make sure that no one bothers you in the next 15-20 minutes. You can choose any position that will help you relax as much as possible. Schultz himself advised one of two options: either lying on your back, so that the back is straight and the legs are in the same line; or in the “coachman” position, that is, sitting, putting his hands on his knees and slightly tilting his head.
Heaviness and warmth
The method of autogenic training is simple. All that is required of you is concentration on yourself and your feelings. You gradually evoke feelings of warmth and heaviness in the body by slowly repeating certain phrases (formulas). “We start with the phrase “my right hand is completely heavy.” It, like all subsequent ones, needs to be repeated five or six times, explains relaxologist Michel Roy. — After you feel heaviness in your arm, move on to other parts of the body: “my arms are completely heavy”, “my legs are completely heavy”, “my body is completely heavy”. Then repeat the same phrases, but with the word «warm». Concentrate on the feeling of warmth.» When pronouncing words, try to feel them as much as possible, as if they did not come from the head, but from the whole body at once. “Each formula triggers a specific physiological process in our body. The feeling of heaviness is associated with muscle relaxation, the therapist explains. – And when you feel heat, your blood vessels dilate, blood moves faster and better enters the tissues. By controlling your sensations, you make your body react.” To achieve a more complete relaxation, concentrate on the heartbeat and breathing: “my heart beats calmly, I feel every beat”; «I feel my breath, every breath in and out.» These formulas are needed in order to restore the rhythm of breathing and heartbeats. While saying them, you can also place your hand on your stomach and chest.
End of training
Being able to return yourself to an active state after training is especially important. “If you skip this phase, you will experience a state comparable to a sudden awakening after a deep sleep,” explains Michel Roy. “You will be haunted by heaviness in the head, numbness and a tingling sensation in the muscles.” Take a break, do not rush to immediately switch to another activity. Move your arms and legs, bend and straighten them several times, slowly open your eyes, breathe deeply and calmly. Remember that for the full effect of autogenic training, you need to practice regularly, at least once a week.
- How to relax properly
Advanced Level Techniques
Since autogenic training is based on self-hypnosis, it can be used more widely. For example, to develop good habits. For example, to treat a runny nose, you can try the phrase «my nose is dry and warm.» If you need to make an important decision, repeat the words “I am courage itself”, “I feel confident and firm”. Do not forget that you must pronounce these words in a state of concentration. Your words should give rise to a response in the form of physical sensations. For example, while setting yourself up for confidence, imagine that your muscles are filled with strength, you feel each of them and can freely control them. Experiment!
* Frontiers in Psychology, 2013, vol. 4.
** American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, 2011, vol. 54.