Practical relaxation guide: autogenic training – Online Psychologists

A few days ago we offered you an article in which we talked about some Relaxation techniques to combat anxiety. One of them was the «Schultz autogenic training«.

With this guide that we have prepared, you can begin to relax through autogenic training by following the exercises that we explain.

Autogenic training is a technique that was developed by the neurologist and hypnosis specialist Johannes H. Schultz in the thirties of the last century.

This technique is based on the concentration on physical sensations of the person who practices it through deep relaxation. Schultz determined that most people are able to reach this deep state of relaxation simply with the power of their imagination, that is what the Autogenic Training.

Currently this technique is used in therapy especially for Treatment of anxiety and psychosomatic disordersas it allows a person to increase their calm levels through muscle relaxation, which provides the person with a lasting feeling of tranquility and relaxation.

Schultz's autogenic training consists of six exercises that must be learned progressively. These exercises consist of the passive concentration in the sensations of the body itself. Through a few simple instructions, the person will gradually get their limbs first, and then the rest of their body, to relax through the sensations of heat and weight.

When the limbs are relaxed, for example, there is a pleasant feeling of heaviness in them. Thus, autogenic training suggests that to achieve this feeling of relaxation, what a person should do is convince herselfthrough concentration, that your limbs are heavy. In this way, it is the person's own internal conviction that achieves the feeling of relaxation in his or her body.

As its name indicates, this technique is based on the training and, therefore, it must be practiced progressively and constantly to achieve the states of well-being that it can provide.

Although it is a relatively simple technique and can be learned at home, it is recommended to have, at least at the beginning, the help of a specialized professional to guide basic training until the person is able to carry it out on their own.

During the exercises, the phrase that should be repeated is “I am calm” or “I am calm”, in addition to the phrases specific to each of the exercises. These types of phrases should not be understood as an obligation, since, especially at the beginning of training, it is difficult to achieve these sensations immediately. These phrases are a goal to reach through practice and patience.

The initial position of autogenic training that Schultz himself suggested is sitting in a comfortable chair in what he himself defined as «coachman position«The posture should be as relaxed as possible, resting the forearms on the slightly separated legs and letting the hands fall between them.

Despite this indication, if the person feels more comfortable, they can also do it stretched out, trying, of course, not to fall asleep while the exercises last.

The ideal environment would be a quiet roomwithout outside noises that can distract, with dim lighting and a temperature that allows us to be comfortable.

In the learning process of autogenic training, it is recommended that relaxation sessions last about five minutes and be repeated about three times a day. As the person progresses in the training, and with the addition of the different exercises, the time will be extended.

One aspect that is often forgotten is the completion of exercises. When we have achieved relaxation and want to finish the exercise, we should take a deep breath, stretch our limbs (as if we had just woken up and stretched in bed) and slowly open our eyes. To avoid dizziness or unpleasant sensations, it is recommended to get up slowly and calmly.

This first exercise is very basic but it is essential that, as in all the following ones, you master it to perfection to move on to the next exercise.

This first exercise must be done about three times a day and it shouldn't take you more than 5 minutes in total.

When you feel that you have completely mastered this exercise, lengthen it to 20 minutes or more per session, adding the rest of limbs as follows.

Of course, both in this exercise and in the following ones, the sensations must be pleasantIf you feel unpleasant or uncomfortable sensations, go directly to step 8 and resume the exercise at another time.

Once we have achieved the sensation of heaviness, we move on to the sensation of heat. This sensation is very nice and allows the muscles to relax even more.

The exercise should follow the previous one, like this:

Important! In case you have the low tension It is recommended DO NOT perform this exercise since it could cause dizziness and unpleasant sensations.

Once you have integrated the warm-up exercise into your extremities, you can move on to the next one. The pulsation exercise is perhaps the most complicated of all, as it requires a high state of attention towards your body.

The exercise is performed after the previous one as follows:

When you have already learned to detect the heartbeats we will move on to breathing control as follows:

It is important that you do not try to consciously change your breathing during this breathing exercise. That is, simply repeat the phrase “my breathing is calm and peaceful” in your mind and your breathing will gradually calm down on its own. Do not try to breathe in a different way than you normally do, as this could cause unpleasant sensations of dizziness or slight shortness of breath. If this is the case, finish the exercise and come back to it later.

Once we have achieved control of our breathing, we move on to abdomen or solar plexus (a nerve network that runs behind the stomach).

The exercise will be carried out as follows:

The last exercise is that of the mind. When you manage to master this last exercise, the feeling of mental and physical relaxation is total in the person.

The exercise is performed by focusing on a sensation of freshness in the mindas follows:

As you will see, this relaxation training is long and It is not acquired from one day to the nextThere are experts who suggest that it takes more than two years to reach exercise 6.

So be patient, don't feel like rushing. You may feel more relaxed after the first two exercises, but if you don't feel like continuing, you can stay there and enjoy the pleasant sensations of relaxation.

Although you can do this training alone, it is recommended that from the third exercise onwards it be done in the presence of a professional who can guide the relaxation until the person masters it.

If you want, you can contact one of the psychologists at Psychia that we will accompany you in your training.