What is auto-training: the main types and application for your development

Good day to all! On the path of self-development, we have already come across such topics as hypnosis, meditation, alpha visualization … We studied these methods in order to learn how to relax, influence the subconscious and direct energy or the right message to the Universe in order to bring the deadlines for the realization of the goal, desire. And today I want to introduce you to a new practice called autogenic training.

History and stages of development

This method arose thanks to the doctor Johann Schultz, who discovered that

With its help, a person activates the parasympathetic division of the nervous system, and also reduces activity in the hypothalamic and limbic regions of the brain. Simply put, a person is able to help himself by self-hypnosis.

There are several steps:

• The lowest step is aimed at calming and relieving stress. To master it perfectly, it will be necessary to practice every day for three months. The minimum execution time is 10 minutes.
• The highest stage is to cure diseases or develop certain qualities. Here, 8 months of continuous training will already be required.

Efficiency

• Relieves fatigue, moreover, the energy is restored much faster than during sleep or ordinary idleness, lying on the couch.
• It relieves tension caused by stress, conflicts and during overcoming life’s troubles.
• Helps to cope with physical pain.
• Mobilizes the body’s resources during sports or intense physical activity.
• Improves the processes of blood circulation, respiration, normalizes blood pressure and heart rate.
• Helps to cope with any kind of addiction, whether it be alcohol, nicotine, drug addiction, food or gaming.
• It reveals creative potential, especially helps creative people during periods of stagnation and lack of inspiration.
• It increases the level of awareness, due to the fact that being alone with oneself, a person has a chance to get to know himself and his characteristics better, to rethink some actions, behavior and relationships.
• Due to the fact that the nervous system is being restored, the level of stress resistance increases, a person becomes calmer and more relaxed, which significantly affects his work and relationships, both with relatives and colleagues.
• Improves concentration, memory and has a positive effect on thinking processes.
• Helps to cope with insomnia and various forms of depression.
• It is used for self-confidence and self-confidence, because a person who is able to focus on his internal processes learns to rely on himself, appreciate and respect.

I already talked in an article about hypnosis, that a person is able to independently plunge into a trance, waiting in line and being in a traffic jam. So, we can also achieve an autogenic state unconsciously when:

• Concentrated on something or thought
• We are in a calm, deserted place or alone in nature
• Relax into a comfortable position
• And at the same time, they allowed themselves to simply be “here and now”, without striving to achieve something, to do something.

Basic rules about the conditions of the event

1. The environment should be comfortable for you, let’s say a little noise, if you are not distracted by it. Make sure no one disturbs you at this moment. You can not do the exercises in complete darkness, but just sit with your back to the window so that the light does not interfere when it gets into your eyes.
2. At first, at least a couple of months, it is important to conduct classes 3 times a day. When you master the main points, it will be possible only once during the day, preferably an hour before bedtime.
3. Try to relax, not expecting results, worrying about the correct execution and so on. Just follow the instructions and listen to yourself without being interrupted by unnecessary thoughts. In addition, we use this method to calm down, and if you are in the mode of waiting for results, nothing will come of it.
4. Relaxation should not begin earlier than a couple of hours after eating, otherwise the digestive system will be active, which will complicate the process of relaxation.

body positions

1. Pose of the coachman. It is necessary to sit on a chair so that the gluteal folds are just on its edge, legs shoulder-width apart to relax the thigh muscles. It is important to achieve the absence of tension in the legs. Lower your head, relaxing your neck, and hunch your back, leaning your body forward a little. Place your hands on your hips. Close your eyes and breathe only through your nose. Swing back and forth to feel the stability, because relaxation will not be achieved by worrying about falling.
2. Hemisphere. The position of the arms and legs should be the same as in the previous position, only the head must be tilted onto the back of the chair.
3. On the chair with a low back, you should place yourself as in the coachman’s position, only lean on it, instead of sitting on the edge.
4. Lying. You can use a pillow for comfort. Spread your legs shoulder-width apart and relax. The beacon of relaxation will be the feet, which will stretch a little in different directions. Place your hands on the bed with your palms facing down. Try to position them so that they do not come into contact with the body.
5. Lying without a pillow. The difference is that the palms should not be turned down the bed, but rather, towards the ceiling.

To understand which of the poses is most comfortable for you, experiment by trying each. Remember that it is also very important to relax the face, because every tense muscle stimulates brain activity, and it is important for us to achieve an autogenic state in which it slows down. In some postures, the mouth may open slightly and the jaw may drop, this is a sign that you are on the right track.

Exercises

So, now let’s consider in detail each method of the lower rung according to Schultz:

Heaviness

On its development is given from 10 to 14 days. It is given so that a person can feel relaxation, which is impossible without a feeling of heaviness, and, paradoxically, feeling which, it is possible to detect lightness, to the point that the body may seem alien. To do this, having taken one of the above positions and closing your eyes, you should concentrate on each part of your body, mentally saying 4-5 times: “My right hand is getting heavier”, “My left hand is getting heavier” …

For an experiment, you can even try to lift them. When you can feel it throughout your body, move on to the next stage.

Heat

This training helps to increase the amount of blood in the capillaries of the skin, and reduce in the muscles and blood vessels, as a result of which a feeling of warmth is achieved throughout the body. First, rub your hands, especially if they are cold at the moment. Further, having passed the first stage of feeling warm and having achieved calmness, mentally repeat similar phrases, only already associated with warmth: “I feel warmth in my left leg” …

In the future, when you master this stage, you can combine it with the first, saying: «My hands and feet are warm and heavy.»

Heart

Learn to count the heartbeat, concentrating on it and noticing how the frequency of contractions decreases, slows down. If you do not feel the beats of the heart, you can put three fingers, except for the thumb and little finger, on the left hand, where the radial artery passes. Repeat these phrases: «The heart beats evenly and calmly.»

Respiratory system

Observe your breath without trying to change it, just breathe and resist the temptation to pause between inhalation and exhalation. Concentrate on it, tracking how the stomach or chest rises and falls, it becomes cool in the nostrils. Then also say “My breathing is calm and even” 4-5 times.

Abdominal organs

It is given in order to normalize the work of not only the abdominal organs, but also the chest. You can notice the warmth in the abdomen. It should be repeated: «My solar plexus radiates heat.»

Forehead

It is necessary to achieve a feeling of coolness in the forehead, which is achieved due to the redistribution of blood in the body, as a result of which its flow to the brain decreases. As usual, after passing through the above stages and feeling heaviness, warmth, throbbing and noticing the breath, concentrate on the head and say: «My forehead is cool.» This exercise completes the auto-training cycle.

How to complete the relaxation process

At the end of the exercise, it is necessary to correctly complete auto-training. Therefore, before you open your eyes, take a deep breath and as you exhale, mentally saying: “I feel lightness, cheerfulness in my whole body”, open your eyes. After that, it is important to do exercises, wringing out a little or squatting.

Conclusion

We clearly monitor our physical fatigue, sometimes without noticing that we are exhausted mentally, ignoring such symptoms as irritability, unwillingness to communicate, drowsiness and decreased mental performance, believing that everything will work out by itself. But this is very risky and can even lead to deep depression.

The use of this auto-training is found both in the treatment and prevention of many diseases and in general exhaustion, not only by psychotherapists and doctors, but also by people of various professions who are engaged in self-development and care about the quality of their lives. I also recommend reading an article about methods for replacing attitudes in the subconscious.

That’s all, dear readers! Good luck and take care of yourself!