Download Autogenic Training and Imagery
Religiosity and education wikipedia , lookup
Children's rights education wikipedia , lookup
Autogenic Training, Imagery,
and Progressive Relaxation
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education.
• What is autogenic training?
• Understand its physiological and
• Learn how to perform autogenics
• How is imagery used in autogenic
• Learn about the phases of autogenic
Chapter Overview (cont.)
• Learn about bracing
• What is progressive relaxation?
• Learn how to perform progressive
• Developed by Johannes Schultz
• Taught his patients to self-hypnotize
• Patients reported a feeling of general
body warmth and heaviness in the
Autogenic Training (cont.)
• Uses a series of exercises to achieve
• Increased blood flow due to vasodilation
of the arteries causes the feeling of
• Sensation of heaviness caused by the
• Has been shown to have physiological and
Reduces serum cholesterol
Increases blood flow to arms and legs
Autogenics and Health Benefits
• Has a dynamic range of benefits including:
– Improves immune function of cancer patients
– Improves quality of life for those with multiple
– Helps relieve headaches
– Helps those with drug abuse problems
– Helps women alleviate menstrual discomfort
– Helps those with scoliosis and dyspnea
• Psychological effects
– Increases ability to tolerate pain
– Reduces tiredness
• Five prerequisites are essential to success
(Schultz & Luthe, 1959)
High motivation and cooperation
Reasonable degree of self-control and self-direction
Ability to maintain a body position
Reduction of external environmental stimuli
Concentration of attention on bodily sensations
The Three Body Positions
Six Stages of Autogenic Training
1. Heaviness of the arms and legs
2. Warmth throughout the arms and legs
3. Sensations of warmth and heaviness in the
Slow, calm breathing
Sensations of warmth in the abdomen
Sensations of coolness in the forehead
• Employs images of relaxing scenes
• Translates body relaxation into mind
• Use of images with autogenic training is
called autogenic meditation
Phases of Autogenic Meditation
• Turn closed eyes inward and upward
toward forehead (increases alpha waves)
• Visualize a color and turning colors into
• Visualize abstract ideas
• Visualize people
• Visualize various scenes
Concept of Bracing
• Bracing is unnecessary muscular contraction
• The use of good form is important, especially in
• Too much muscular contraction interferes with
proper form and results in:
– Inefficient energy expenditure
– Pains in the neck and shoulder
– Other illnesses
• Oftentimes we brace but don’t realize that
we are doing so
• Next time you are driving, check to see
how tightly you are gripping the steering
• Relaxation techniques can reduce bracing
• Technique used to induce nerve-muscle
Developed by Edmund Jacobson (1938) for
tense hospital patients
Involves systematically contracting and relaxing
muscle groups throughout the body
Known as neuromuscular relaxation,
Jacobsonian relaxation, or progressive relaxation
• Has physiological and psychological
• Physiological effects
1. Relaxation of smooth muscle aids the
gastrointestinal and cardiovascular
2. Tension headaches and migraine
headaches have been alleviated
3. Backache sufferers have been helped
4. Can reduce the side effects of cancer,
insomnia, pain, and hypertension
1. Improved self-concept has been seen
2. Depression and anxiety have been
3. Alcohol and drug abuse has been
4. Athletic and musical performance has
Performing Progressive Relaxation
– Learn how to identify tension (recognize cues)
– Seek an environment free of distractions
– Remove items that would constrict or feel
– Find a comfortable body position
– Variations in exercises have been developed
Keys to Performing
• Focus on the muscle or muscle area that you
want to tense/relax
Tense the desired muscle, then relax
Tense the muscle as long or longer than the
Focus on how the muscle feels when relaxed in
contrast to when it was tensed
The strength of the tension during each
successive contraction should be less than the
• Occasionally, you may have limited time for
Quick, simple versions are considered effective:
Focus on the area of the body that needs relaxing
Tense the muscle group even further
Relax the muscle group
Focus on the sensations of the relaxed muscles
Pay attention to any warm and tingly sensations
Common Types of Relaxation Techniques
battlingstagefright