Autogenic training
Autogenic training (AT) is a self-control therapy method designed to promote deep relaxation and healing through self-induced suggestions. Developed in the 1920s by Johannes H. Schultz, AT focuses on fostering a mind-body connection by using specific phrases to evoke sensations of heaviness and warmth in the body. This technique is often employed to address various issues, such as anxiety, chronic pain, depression, and sleep disorders, and has been associated with a range of other conditions, including high blood pressure and irritable bowel syndrome.
AT operates through autosuggestion, allowing individuals to ease their stress responses without actively trying to relax their muscles. The training comprises six basic phrases that participants repeat to themselves, facilitating a quick transition into a state of relaxation over time. Research indicates that AT can effectively reduce anxiety and chronic pain, improve sleep, and enhance overall mental well-being.
While AT is widely practiced, particularly in Europe and Japan, it may not be suitable for everyone, particularly young children or individuals with severe psychiatric disorders. Those interested in learning AT can seek qualified practitioners or utilize self-help resources, although professional guidance is recommended to optimize the benefits of the method.
Autogenic training
DEFINITION: A method of self-control therapy that teaches a person to use specific phrases to enter a state of deep relaxation and to achieve healing.
PRINCIPAL PROPOSED USES: Anxiety, chronic pain, depression, fatigue, sleep disorders, stress
OTHER PROPOSED USES: Constipation and diarrhea, gastritis, headaches, high blood pressure, infertility, irregular and accelerated heartbeat, irritable bowel syndrome, Raynaud’s phenomenon, respiratory disorders, ulcers
Overview
Autogenic (“generated from within”) training, or AT, is one of the oldest biobehavioral methods used in clinical psychology and stress management. Developed in the 1920s by Johannes H. Schultz as a self-hypnotic procedure, it drew on the observation that people often reported a sensation of heaviness (muscle relaxation) and warmth (vascular dilation) in their limbs under hypnosis.
A firm believer in the self-regulatory capacities of the human body, Schultz considered that hypnosis occurred not only because the patient allowed it, but also because they induced it. Consequently, Schultz looked for an autogenic “trigger,” or formula, that could be used to enter this state. Ultimately, he perfected a series of simple mental exercises that allow the mind to calm itself by turning off the body’s stress responses.
The technique uses autosuggestion to establish a new mind/body balance through changes in the autonomic nervous system. Unlike progressive muscular relaxation and biofeedback, AT does not involve a conscious attempt to relax the muscles or control physiological functions. Rather, through passive self-suggestion (“observing” concentration and nonforcing), the person tries to render specific body regions warm and heavy. The training process involves focusing on and subvocally repeating one of six basic autogenic phrases, or orientations, several minutes each day, for one week or more. These phrases (with many possible variations) are “My arms and legs are heavy,” “My arms and legs are warm,” “My heartbeat is calm and regular,” “My lungs are breathing for me,” “My abdomen is warm,” and “My forehead is cool.” The words can be changed without altering the effectiveness of the method, to suit the practitioner’s mind and circumstances. Within months of training, achieving a state of deep relaxation and beneficial physiological changes will take only seconds.
Mechanism of Action
The AT verbal suggestions represent self-hypnosis, which is very powerful in inducing deep relaxation. Autogenic training uses selective awareness (SA), which represents the receptivity of the conscious mind to receive and acknowledge specific thoughts. Under SA circumstances, the censorship exerted by the ego should be annihilated, and thoughts should be allowed to travel freely from the conscious to the unconscious realm. The absence of censorship can improve dramatically the mind’s ability to influence physiological processes as desired. In this receptive state, pain sensations are also significantly reduced.
Worldwide, abundant anecdotal reports of persons accomplishing daunting physical tasks while severely injured bear witness to the power of this phenomenon. Still insufficiently understood, the interplay between conscious and unconscious can nevertheless play essential roles in maintaining physiological and psychological homeostasis. The method appears to balance the two branches of the autonomic nervous system (sympathetic and parasympathetic, fight-or-flight, and rest-and-digest, respectively).
During AT training sessions, sudden physical and emotional reactions, such as numbness, muscle twitching, or tears, may result from the release of unconscious thoughts. This manifestation, considered normal and even beneficial, is called autogenic discharge.
Uses and Applications
Autogenic training is most commonly used to reduce anxiety, fatigue, chronic pain, and stress. It can also be used to improve sleep, focus, and concentration. The sensations of warmth and heaviness can induce sleep, thus rendering the method useful in persons with insomnia.
Additional proposed uses for the method include constipation and diarrhea, gastritis, ulcers, headaches, high blood pressure, hyperventilation, asthma, irregular and rapid heartbeat, and Raynaud’s phenomenon (episodic vasospasm of fingers and toes). Evidence also suggests that AT may enhance mental well-being and clinical outcomes in persons with Ménière’s disease (an inner-ear disorder that affects hearing and balance).
Scientific Evidence
Thousands of studies have been conducted on AT's effects and clinical applications, both in Europe since the method's introduction and in the United States beginning in the 1980s. A wealth of data remains in languages other than English.
Ample experimental support exists for the hypothesis that AT affects sympathetic tone and even parasympathetic function (increased cardiac parasympathetic tone, with beneficial results). There is considerable difficulty in standardizing the technique, selecting participants, and measuring outcomes, so rigorous clinical studies are notoriously difficult to perform. Many studies have serious methodological flaws. Nevertheless, randomized-controlled trials have been conducted, with significant results indicating AT effectiveness in reducing anxiety and chronic pain, improving the symptoms of migraine headaches, and alleviating the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome and other conditions.
As AT has become increasingly widespread worldwide in the twenty-first century, scientific testing on its efficacy has increased. A 2023 review of studies showed AT was able to relieve anxiety and decrease mild to moderate depression in study participants. A meta-analysis of several studies showed AT was as effective as other relaxation methods in relieving chronic pain. A meta-analysis of over sixty studies proved AT was able to treat tension headaches, migraine, asthma, and hypertension, among other ailments. Finally, a unique study in the early 2020s showed AT was effective in relieving anxiety related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Choosing a Practitioner
AT is more popular in Europe and Japan than in North America. The British Autogenic Society offers therapist training courses and maintains a directory of practitioners in the United Kingdom and abroad. These practitioners have various backgrounds, including doctors, nurses, psychotherapists, psychologists, complementary therapists, social workers, and teachers. Interested persons can learn the technique from numerous books, websites, or, preferably, from AT therapists. A specialist can confirm the quality of the practice, monitor progress, provide feedback, and implement variations from the standard.
Safety Issues
AT is generally safe and can be used by most people, except children younger than school age and persons with severe psychiatric disorders. Before implementing the technique, however, people should undergo a physical examination and discuss potential effects with a healthcare practitioner. It has been suggested that rapid autonomic rebound can lead to dizziness, disorientation, anxiety, panic, and even hallucinations in certain persons. Finally, persons with cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, or other severe disorders should use AT under medical supervision only.
Bibliography
Breznoscakova, Dagmar, et al. "Autogenic Training in Mental Disorders: What Can We Expect?" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 20, no. 5, 28 Feb. 2023, p. 4344. MDPI, doi:10.3390/ijerph20054344.
Edlin, Gordon, and Eric Golanty. Health and Wellness. 10th ed., Sudbury, Mass.: Jones and Bartlett, 2010. Linden, Wolfgang. "The Autogenic Training Method of J. H. Schultz." In Principles and Practice of Stress Management, edited by Paul M. Lehrer, Robert L. Woolfolk, and Wesley E. Sime. 3d ed., New York: Guilford Press, 2009.
Ramirez-Garcia, Maria Pilar. "Effectiveness of Autogenic Training on Psychological Well-Being and Quality of Life in Adults Living with Chronic Physical Health Problems: A Protocol for a Systemic Review of RCT." Systemic Reviews, vol. 9, no. 74, 7 Apr. 2020, doi.org/10.1186/s13643-020-01336-3. Accessed 8 Dec. 2022.
Seaward, Brian L. Managing Stress: Principles and Strategies for Health and Well-Being. 6th ed., Sudbury, Mass.: Jones and Bartlett, 2009.
"What is AT?" British Autogenic Society, britishautogenicsociety.uk/what-is-at. Accessed 4 Sept. 2024.
Yumkhaibam, Ahsan Huda, et al. "Effectiveness of Autogenic Training on Reducing Anxiety Disorders: A Comprehensive Review and Meta-Analysis." European Journal of Physical Education and Sport Science, vol. 10, no. 3, Sept. 2023, pp. 124–41. European Journal of Physical Education and Sport Science, doi:10.46827/ejpe.v10i3.5059.