Autogenic training

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Autogenic training
MeSH D001326

Autogenic training is a relaxation technique first published by the German psychiatrist Johannes Heinrich Schultz in 1932. The technique involves repetitions of a set of visualisations accompanied by vocal suggestions that induce a state of relaxation and is based on passive concentration of bodily perceptions like heaviness and warmth of limbs, which are facilitated by self-suggestions. [1] [2] Autogenic training is used to alleviate many stress-induced psychosomatic disorders. [2]

Contents

History

Autogenic training (AT) was first presented by German psychiatrist Johannes Heinrich Schultz in 1926 to the Medical Society in Berlin. [3] Disenchanted with psychoanalysis in the 1920s, Schultz began exploring new therapeutic methods. [3] His search was heavily influenced by his experience with German neurologist Oscar Vogt, with whom he researched sleep and hypnosis. [4] Collecting data about hypnosis in his research with Vogt, Schultz found that the hypnotized often felt a feeling of heaviness in the extremities, as well as a feeling of pleasant warmth. [5] Interested by this relationship, Schultz investigated whether imagining such heaviness and warmth in the limbs could lead to self-hypnosis. [5] Under his guidance, Schultz's patients were able to go into a hypnotic state for a self-determined period of time by simply imagining a state of heaviness and warmth in one's limbs. [5] These short-term mental exercises appeared to reduce stress or effects such as fatigue and tension while avoiding side effects such as headaches. Inspired by this research and Vogt's work, Johannes Heinrich Schultz became interested in the phenomenon of autosuggestion. He wanted to explore an approach to relaxation, which would avoid undesirable passivity of the patients and dependency on the therapist. To this end, Schultz developed a set of six exercises called autogenic training. [5]

Autogenic training was popularized in North America and the English-speaking world by Wolfgang Luthe, a German physician, who worked under Schultz and investigated the effects of autogenic training on physical and mental health issues. [5] Later on, when Luthe immigrated to Canada, he wrote about autogenic training in English, thereby introducing the English-speaking world to AT. [5] With help from Schultz, Luthe published Autogenic Therapy, a multi-volume text that described AT in detail, in 1969. [5] The publication of Autogenic Therapy brought AT to North America. [4] Later on, his disciple Luis de Rivera, a McGill University-trained psychiatrist, introduced psychodynamic concepts into Luthe's approach, developing autogenic analysis as a new method for uncovering the unconscious. [6] [7]

More recently in 2015, biofeedback practitioners integrate basic elements of autogenic imagery and have simplified versions of parallel techniques that are used in combination with biofeedback. This was done at the Menninger Foundation by Elmer Green, Steve Fahrion, Patricia Norris, Joe Sargent, Dale Walters and others. They incorporated the hand warming imagery of autogenic training and used it as an aid to develop thermal biofeedback. [8]

Technique

Autogenic training can be practiced in any comfortable posture, while keeping eyes closed. [5] In autogenic training, the trainees engage in passive concentration. [2] Passive concentration refers to concentrating on inner sensations rather than environmental stimuli. [2]

The technique consists of six standard exercises according to Schultz: [5] [9]

  1. Muscular relaxation by repetition of a verbal formula, "My right arm is heavy", emphasizing heaviness. During the initial stages of the training, the feeling of heaviness in the trained arm is more expressed and occurs more rapidly. The same feeling can be experienced in the other extremities at the same time in the other arm. Within a week, a short concentration can trigger the sensation of heaviness in a trainee's arms and legs. [2]
  2. Passive concentration focuses on feeling warm, initiated by the instruction "My right arm is warm".
  3. Initiation of cardiac activity using the formula "My heartbeat is calm and regular".
  4. Passive concentration on the respiratory mechanism with the formula "It breathes me".
  5. Concentration on the warmth in the abdominal region with "My solar plexus is warm" formula.
  6. Passive concentration on coolness in the cranial region with the formula "My forehead is cool".

When a new exercise step is added in autogenic training, the trainee should always concentrate initially on the already learned exercises and then add a new exercise. In the beginning, a new exercise is added for only brief periods. [2]

According to the specific clinical needs, the training can be modified to include fewer formulas, or include a slightly different formula. [2]

Benefits

The main benefit of autogenic training is the autonomic self-regulation achieved by removing environmental distraction, training imagery that accompanies autonomic self-regulation, and providing a facilitative set of exercises that are easy to learn and remember. [8]

A study by Laci Spencer [8] suggests that autogenic training restores the balance between the activity of the sympathetic (flight or fight) and the parasympathetic (rest and digest) branches of the autonomic nervous system. The author hypothesizes that this can have important health benefits, as the parasympathetic activity promotes digestion and bowel movements, lowers the blood pressure, slows the heart rate, and promotes the functions of the immune system.

A meta-analysis study by Friedhelm and Kupper found that autogenic training was effective in reducing symptoms of anxiety, depression, and insomnia. Additionally, autogenic training was found to have a positive effect on physical health outcomes, such as reducing pain and improving quality of life for individuals with chronic illnesses. They also found that AT was also effective in the following psychosomatic disorders: mild-to-moderate hypertension, coronary heart disease, Raynaud's disease, and tension headache and migraine. [1]

Biological aspects

There is a lack of neurophysiological investigations addressing this topic; however, one EEG study from 1963 suggests that the decrease in afferent stimulation induces a reduction in reticulo-cortical activity, decrease in thalamo-cortical activity, and functional changes in the structures connected to reticular system (hypothalamus, limbic system, red nucleus, globus pallidus). [10]

The same study suggests that EEG patterns obtained from subjects with different level of practice are not similar.

Another study from 1958 hypothesizes that autogenic state is between the normal waking state and sleep. It suggests that EEG patterns occurring during autogenic training are similar to electrophysiological changes occurring during initial stages of sleep. [11]

Contraindications

Autogenic training is contra-indicated for children below the age of 5 and the individuals whose symptoms cannot be controlled. [5]

Applications

Autogenic training has different applications and is used in a variety of pathophysiological conditions, such as bronchial asthma or hypertension, as well as psychological disorders e.g. anxiety and depression. [5] [9] Autogenic training has been subject to clinical evaluation from its early days in Germany, and from the early 1980s worldwide. In 2002, a meta-analysis of 60 studies was published in Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, [12] finding significant positive effects of treatment when compared to normals over a number of diagnoses; finding these effects to be similar to best recommended rival therapies; and finding positive additional effects by patients, such as their perceived quality of life. Autogenic training is recommended in the 2016 European Society of Cardiology Guideline for prevention of cardiovascular disease in persons who experience psychosocial problems. [13] The International Journal of Dermatology conducted a study and found that Autogenic Training was potentially helpful for improving aged skin in women experiencing menopause. [14]

Compared to other relaxation techniques

The principle of passive concentration in autogenic training makes this technique different from other relaxation techniques such as progressive muscle relaxation and biofeedback, in which trainees try to control physiological functions. As in biofeedback, bidirectional change in physiological activity is possible. Autogenic training is classified as a self-hypnotic technique. It is different from hetero-hypnosis, where trance is induced by another individual. Autogenic training emphasizes a trainee's independence and gives control from therapist to the trainee. By this, the need for physiological feedback devices or a hypnotherapist is eliminated. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

Hypnotherapy is a type of mind–body intervention in which hypnosis is used to create a state of focused attention and increased suggestibility in the treatment of a medical or psychological disorder or concern.

Psychotherapy is the use of psychological methods, particularly when based on regular personal interaction, to help a person change behavior, increase happiness, and overcome problems. Psychotherapy aims to improve an individual's well-being and mental health, to resolve or mitigate troublesome behaviors, beliefs, compulsions, thoughts, or emotions, and to improve relationships and social skills. Numerous types of psychotherapy have been designed either for individual adults, families, or children and adolescents. Certain types of psychotherapy are considered evidence-based for treating some diagnosed mental disorders; other types have been criticized as pseudoscience.

The term large-group awareness training (LGAT) refers to activities - usually offered by groups with links to the human potential movement - which claim to increase self-awareness and to bring about desirable transformations in individuals' personal lives. LGATs are unconventional; they often take place over several days, and may compromise participants' mental wellbeing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biofeedback</span> Gaining awareness of biological processes

Biofeedback is the technique of gaining greater awareness of many physiological functions of one's own body by using electronic or other instruments, and with a goal of being able to manipulate the body's systems at will. Humans conduct biofeedback naturally all the time, at varied levels of consciousness and intentionality. Biofeedback and the biofeedback loop can also be thought of as self-regulation. Some of the processes that can be controlled include brainwaves, muscle tone, skin conductance, heart rate and pain perception.

Autosuggestion is a psychological technique related to the placebo effect, developed by pharmacist Émile Coué at the beginning of the 20th century. It is a form of self-induced suggestion in which individuals guide their own thoughts, feelings, or behavior. The technique is often used in self-hypnosis.

Self-hypnosis or auto-hypnosis is a form, a process, or the result of a self-induced hypnotic state.

Self-healing refers to the process of recovery, motivated by and directed by the patient, guided often only by instinct. Such a process encounters mixed fortunes due to its amateur nature, although self-motivation is a major asset. The value of self-healing lies in its ability to be tailored to the unique experience and requirements of the individual. The process can be helped and accelerated with introspection techniques such as Meditation.

A relaxation technique is any method, process, procedure, or activity that helps a person to relax; attain a state of increased calmness; or otherwise reduce levels of pain, anxiety, stress or anger. Relaxation techniques are often employed as one element of a wider stress management program and can decrease muscle tension, lower blood pressure, and slow heart and breath rates, among other health benefits.

Andrew Salter was an American clinical psychologist who introduced behavior therapy, developed many of its conceptual foundations, and created numerous techniques still used today across its varied descendants, including cognitive behavioral therapy. His work in the early 1940s demystified hypnosis, interpreting it as a form of conditioning, now the widely accepted view. He was one of the founders of the Association for the Advancement of Behavioral Therapies, now the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies. He maintained an active clinical practice in Manhattan until shortly before his death. His key ideas are documented in his book, Conditioned Reflex Therapy,, originally published in 1949 and reprinted many times, with a new edition published by Watkins Press in 2019. All citations from CRT refer to this edition.

The development of concepts, beliefs and practices related to hypnosis and hypnotherapy have been documented since prehistoric to modern times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback</span>

The Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback (AAPB) was founded in 1969 as the Biofeedback Research Society (BRS). The association aims to promote understanding of biofeedback and advance the methods used in this practice. AAPB is a non-profit organization as defined in Section 501(c)(6) of the Internal Revenue Service Code.

Chronic headache, or chronic daily headache (CDH), is classified as experiencing fifteen or more days with a headache per month. It is estimated that chronic headaches affect "4% to 5% of the general population". Chronic headaches consist of different sub-groups, primarily categorized as chronic tension-type headaches and chronic migraine headaches. The treatments for chronic headache are vast and varied. Medicinal and non-medicinal methods exist to help patients cope with chronic headache, because chronic headaches cannot be cured. Whether pharmacological or not, treatment plans are often created on an individual basis. Multiple sources recommend multimodal treatment, which is a combination of medicinal and non-medicinal remedies. Some treatments are controversial and are still being tested for effectiveness. Suggested treatments for chronic headaches include medication, physical therapy, acupuncture, relaxation training, and biofeedback. In addition, dietary alteration and behavioral therapy or psychological therapy are other possible treatments for chronic headaches.

Thomas Hice Budzynski was an American psychologist and a pioneer in the field of biofeedback, inventing one of the first electromyographic biofeedback training systems in the mid-1960s. In the early 1970s, he developed the Twilight Learner in collaboration with John Picchiottino. The Twilight Learner was one of the first neurotherapy systems.

Johannes Heinrich Schultz was a German psychiatrist and psychotherapist. Schultz is known for the development of autogenic training.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Relaxation (psychology)</span> Emotional state of low tension and an absence of arousal

In psychology, relaxation is the emotional state of low tension, in which there is an absence of arousal, particularly from negative sources such as anger, anxiety, or fear.

Sophrology is a dynamic relaxation method developed by neuropsychiatrist Alfonso Caycedo from 1960 to 2001 and includes physical and mental exercises to promote health and well-being. Sophrology has been called “a method, a practice and a philosophy” that uses the mind-body connection to increase awareness and conscious living, with the aim of enabling individuals to create more balance and harmony in themselves and in the world around them.

Wolfgang Luthe (1922-1985) was a German physician and psychotherapist, who brought autogenic training to the attention of the English-speaking world.

Pain psychology is the study of psychological and behavioral processes in chronic pain. Pain psychology involves the implementation of treatments for chronic pain. Pain psychology can also be regarded as a branch of medical psychology, as many conditions associated with chronic pain have significant medical outcomes. Untreated pain or ineffective treatment of pain can result in symptoms of anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts, thus it is vital that appropriate pain management occur in a timely fashion following symptom onset.

References

  1. 1 2 Stetter, Friedhelm; Kupper, Sirko (2002-03-01). "Autogenic Training: A Meta-Analysis of Clinical Outcome Studies". Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback. 27 (1): 45–98. doi:10.1023/a:1014576505223. ISSN   1090-0586. PMID   12001885. S2CID   22876957.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Principles and practice of stress management. Lehrer, Paul M., Woolfolk, Robert L., Sime, Wesley E. (3rd ed.). New York: Guilford Press. 2007. ISBN   9781606230008. OCLC   144770991.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  3. 1 2 "History of Autogenic Training". autogenic-training-online.com. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
  4. 1 2 Pain management. Steven D. Waldman. Philadelphia: Saunders/Elsevier. 2007. ISBN   978-1-4377-2144-7. OCLC   489079698.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Kanji, N. (1997-09-01). "Autogenic training". Complementary Therapies in Medicine. 5 (3): 162–167. doi:10.1016/s0965-2299(97)80060-x.
  6. ↑ Rivera, José Luis González de (1997). "Autogenic psychotherapy and psychoanalysis" (PDF). In Guimón, J (ed.). The body in psychotherapy: international congress, Geneva, February 1–3, 1996. Basel; New York: Karger. pp. 176–181. ISBN   9783805562850. OCLC   36511904.
  7. ↑ Rivera, José Luis González de (2001). "Autogenic analysis: the tool Freud was looking for" (PDF). International Journal of Psychotherapy. 6 (1): 67–76. doi:10.1080/13569080120042216.
  8. 1 2 3 LACI., SPENCER (2015). FLOTATION : a guide for sensory deprivation, relaxation, & isolation tanks. [S.l.]: LULU COM. ISBN   9781329173750. OCLC   980240164.
  9. 1 2 Autogenic therapy. Luthe, Wolfgang,, Schultz, J. H. (Johannes Heinrich), 1884-1970. New York: Grune & Stratton. ISBN   9780808906643. OCLC   47990.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  10. ↑ Luthe, W.; Jus, A.; Geissmann, P. (1963). "Autogenic State and Autogenic Shift: Psychophysiologic and Neurophysiologic Aspects". Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics. 11 (1): 1–13. doi:10.1159/000285660. ISSN   0033-3190. PMID   14044678.
  11. ↑ Israel, L., & Rohmer, F. (1958). Variations électroencéphalographiques au cours de la relaxationautogène et hypnotique.In P. Aboulker, L. Chertok,& M. Sapir(Eds.), pp 88-98, La relaxation: Aspects théoriques et pratiques Paris: Expansion Scientifique Française.
  12. ↑ Stetter, Friedhelm; Kupper, Sirko (March 2002). "Autogenic training: a meta-analysis of clinical outcome studies". Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback. 27 (1): 45–98. doi:10.1023/A:1014576505223. PMID   12001885. S2CID   22876957.
  13. ↑ "Sorry, requested page was not found". Archived from the original on 2021-01-23. Retrieved 2019-06-02.
  14. ↑ Sakai, Shingo; Inoue‐Sato, Mayumi; Amemiya, Rei; Murakami, Motoko; Inagaki, Kazuki; Sakairi, Yosuke (2020). "The influence of autogenic training on the physical properties of skin and cardiac autonomic activity in postmenopausal women: an exploratory study". International Journal of Dermatology. 59 (1): 103–109. doi:10.1111/ijd.14582. PMID   31294461. S2CID   195879795. Retrieved 25 September 2019.

Further reading

Vol. 1 Autogenic Methods
Vol. 2 Medical Applications
Vol. 3 Applications in Psychotherapy
Vol. 4 Research and Theory
Vol. 5 Dynamics of Autogenic Neutralisation
Vol. 6 Treatment with Autogenic Neutralisation
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