Schultz autogenic training: what it is and how it is used in therapy.

A description of this relaxation technique and its use in therapy against anxiety.

Relaxation is a state that can be reached through many different techniques; moreover, it is a state that many people in consultation wish to reach, especially those suffering from stress. One of the techniques to reach this state is the Schultz Autogenic Training.

This type of training aims to achieve relaxation in the individual, but also other deeper objectives, which we will see in this article. We will also know the exercises used and their characteristics, in detail.

Schultz's autogenic training: what is it?

Schultz's autogenic training consists of a relaxation techniquethrough which it is intended to produce a general transformation of the individual, by means of a series of physiological exercises (specifically, six).

Etymologically, the term "autogenous" comes from the Greek "autos" (self) and "gen" (to become); it could be translated as a training developed from the subject's "self" and involving the whole subject.

However, Schultz's autogenic training goes far beyond simple relaxation, and can sometimes produce important psychological changes in people, much more internal and profound, as we will see later.

More specifically, "autogenic training" means the fact of exercising one's mind by oneselfvoluntarily.

The objective is to influence the behavior of the rest of the organism, and the physiological changes that appear indicate that this technique is much more than a persuasion technique.

Exercises

Schultz's autogenic training exercises are 6, and they focus on different parts of the body. Specifically:

• Heaviness exercise
• Heat exercise
• Pulsation exercise
• Breathing exercise
• Abdominal regulation
• Head exercise

Objectives

Some of the most relevant objectives of Schultz's Autogenic Training were defined by Carranque (2004). More specifically, this author spoke of the benefits of self-applying such training:

1. Self-regulation

Self-regulation of the organism's organic functions is produced, such as respiratory, Cardiovascular and digestive functions..

2. Body restoration

The organism is balanced, and a good psychohygiene is achieved. Psychohygiene is a slightly deeper concept, which refers to the care of oneself, and the fact of using one's own reflections and affections to repair internal wounds..

3. Self-tranquilization

Another of the objectives or achievements of Schultz's autogenic training is that anxiety levels decrease, and an inner state of peace and tranquilityand an internal state of peace and tranquility is produced, through internal relaxation.

4. Self-determination

Self-determination allows the person to know what he/she wants and to decide for him/herself, in addition to better cope with stressful life situations..

5. Increased performance

Another achievement of Schultz training is the increase in performance in areas such as memory and attention.

6. Pain suppression

In some cases, it also allows to modulate or suppress the sensation of pain.

7. Self-criticism and self-control

It allows us to improve our capacity for self-criticism and self-control, through the improvement of our inner vision of ourselves.

Fundamentals of this relaxation technique

The fundamentals, characteristics or "rules" of Schultz's autogenic training are as follows:

On the one hand, Schultz considers the body and the mental processes as a joint unit.. In addition, he believes that mental learning can influence the rest of the body, and vice versa.

This technique is based on clinical hypnosis; hypnosis is a state similar to sleep, which is achieved through psychological influence. But there is another type of hypnosis: superficial hypnosis. This provides a state of pleasant tranquility, where the inner life remains "awake".

The training follows a kind of progressive and orderly process of self-hypnosis (the same exercises and in the same (the same exercises and in the same order), which provokes a series of physiological changes (in the body), such as muscular relaxation, modification of the cardiac and respiratory rhythm, etc.

In addition, Schultz's autogenic training does not appeal to the conscious will of the person, but rather, as we said, it is a more self-hypnotic process (where the person "surrenders" to the exercises naturally).

Finally,** it focuses on producing real physiological changes**, which can have an impact on the psychological and physical well-being of the person. It considers that an idea represented with sufficient intensity in a state of concentration, allows to achieve these changes.

Considerations

When putting Schultz's autogenic training into practice, it is important to take into account a series of considerations.

On the one hand, a quiet, pleasant place to work, with a suitable temperature and light, should be sought.The initial position of the person should be at a comfortable temperature, with adequate light and temperature, without noise, etc.

The initial position of the person should be comfortable; it can be seated in a comfortable chair or armchair, on a stool without backrest, or directly lying down. The eyes should be closed.

Once in the initial position, it is recommended that the person begins to say a series of previously practiced self-instructions to him/herself, such as "I am calm", "I am comfortable", etc. previously practiced, such as "I am calm", "I am comfortable", etc. Finally, it is important not to change the order of the exercises.

How long does it take to learn?

If practiced regularly 2 or 3 times a day, for 3 minutes, each exercise can be learned well in 10 to 15 days (under normal conditions).

You will have to be systematic and constant in order not to lose the progress you make.. It is essential that the learning of the exercises is gradual, that is to say, to overcome a previous stage to advance to the following one. Thus, in general, the learning of the complete training can take between 3 and 4 months.

On the other hand, if their practice is abandoned, it is advisable to start again with the first exercise and resume the learning of each one of them (although the learning will be faster).

Bibliographical references:

• Pérez, M.; Fernández, J.R.; Fernández, C. and Amigo, I. (2010). Guía de tratamientos psicológicos eficaces I y II:. Madrid: Pirámide.
• Self-applied program for the control of test anxiety. (2015). University of Almería. Ministry of Education and Science, 1-3.
• Schultz, J. H. (1959). Autogenic training. Barcelona: Ed. Científico Médica.