Autogenic training to change yourself. Autogenic training: exercises

Probably everyone has heard about great benefit autogenic training(auto-training), whether it be psychological or physiological. Usage range autogenic training exercises very wide.

Autogenic training - exercises are used to restore working capacity after fatigue, to regulate the emotional state and exercise the will, to combat insomnia, relieve stress and depression.

The method of autogenic training is successfully used by athletes, people of other professions where constant neuropsychic stress is required.
And as we know from the practice of life, such tension is present almost every day in every person.
Greetings, dear readers of articles on psychology and psychoanalysis, I wish you mental health.
Category: Auto-training exercises

Autogenic training: exercise 1

Most effective method acquiring the skill of relaxation is undoubtedly autogenic training. The main provisions of this technique can be described as follows: the ability to deeply and quickly cause complete relaxation of the muscles of the body, causing a feeling of warmth in the limbs with the help of an arbitrary influence on the tone of peripheral vessels; arbitrary regulation of the rhythm of cardiac activity; impact on the depth and rhythm of breathing; the ability to cause a feeling of warmth in the abdomen, coolness in the forehead.
(stress relief: psychotraining)
Teaching people the ability to regulate their mental state with the help of autogenic training exercises is an important task for a psychologist.

Self-hypnosis is at the heart of autogenic training exercises. As practice shows, especially vivid performances can be invoked in a state of relaxation. In this regard, the most favorable time for self-hypnosis, natural autohypnosis is the moment after a night's sleep and before falling asleep.

If you think about it a little, the expression “got up on the wrong foot” becomes clear. For starters, try to imagine something very good at the moment of awakening - you will see that your mood will be more positive all day. high level, than usual.

Except morning and evening hours, autogenic training can be done up to two or three times a day, depending on the rhythm and routine of your life.
Remember: in order to reach maximum effect, you need to practice daily, regardless of well-being.

Learning the exercises of auto-training, mental relaxation should, of course, be in a relaxed position. It is most convenient to practice lying on your back, while your arms are slightly bent at the elbows, lie palms down along the body, and the feet are apart by 20-30 centimeters.

The second position for autogenic training is sitting in an easy chair with a headrest and armrests, on which the practitioner puts relaxed hands. However, such conditions are not always at your disposal, and the so-called "coachman's position" can be considered the most accessible for practicing in any situation.

To take it, you need to sit upright in a chair, straighten your back, and then relax all the skeletal muscles. The head is lowered to the chest, the eyes are closed, the legs are slightly apart and bent at an obtuse angle, the hands are on the knees, not touching each other, the elbows are slightly rounded - in a word, the characteristic posture of a cab driver dozing in anticipation of a rider.

Mastery autogenic training exercises can prevent falling into a passive, uncontrolled state of drowsiness and sleep. To drive away excessive drowsiness, you should take 3-4 deep breaths and exhale and close your eyes tightly 3-4 times without lifting your eyelids. At the same time, it is necessary to convince yourself that drowsiness passes, there comes a feeling of peace, relaxation, and continue training.

Pursuing autogenic training, you do not bring anything extraneous into yourself, but simply develop all the best and necessary from what is in yourself.

Autogenic training exercises can be used not only as an independent psychotherapeutic technique, but also combined with other methods, with a spa or drug treatment. You can practice both individually and in a group.

So, if you decide to start classes, remember that the guarantee of your success is confidence in your abilities and the final result, which allows you to overcome doubts and hesitations, inner readiness and a sincere desire to fulfill all the instructions completely and as best as possible.

I remind you that two weeks are allotted for mastering each exercise, you need to train at least three times a day for 5-10 minutes. If at first something doesn’t work out for you, you should do it for up to 15 minutes or more.

The self-hypnosis formulas used should be combined with specific emotional images that evoke the necessary this exercise Feel. The formulas must be pronounced mentally, "to yourself", while correlating them with your breathing.

As a rule, formulas pronounced on the exhale give a greater relaxing effect. If the formula is too long and you do not have time to “speak” it during one exhalation, then you can stretch it into two.

FIRST EXERCISE OF AUTOGENIC TRAINING

Now you can directly start doing autogenic training. First of all, take a comfortable position and try to get rid of extraneous thoughts and sensations that are not related to training. To do this, you can use the following formulas of the first exercise:

I prepared to rest;

I calm down;

I digress from everything;

Extraneous sounds do not disturb me;

All worries, worries, anxieties go away;

Thoughts flow smoothly, slowly;

I'm resting;

I am completely calm.

As you remember, relaxation of all the muscles of the limbs and the body contributes to a deeper rest, which is subjectively assessed by us as a feeling of heaviness. You must have experienced this feeling of heaviness in the muscles when you rested after you have done a certain physical work or a long walk. But then this sensation was involuntary, but now it is required to return to it consciously with the help of autogenic training.

First of all, you must learn to relax your right hand (left-handers, as this hand is most controlled when doing autogenic training). To do this, you can use the formula:

My right hand is heavy.

This formula of autogenic training exercises must be imagined with all clarity. Here the muscles of the hand relax - fingers, hand, the whole hand has become heavy, like lead. She is relaxed and powerless, like a whip.

No strength, do not want to move it.

Slowly repeat the proposed formula 6-8 times, trying to remember the sensations you caused more clearly. It is desirable that the resulting feeling of relaxation is not unpleasant. If this happens, try replacing the word “heaviness” with the word “relaxation” in the autogenic training formula.

After you learn to relax your right hand reflexively - on the first try, try to relax the rest of the muscles. As a rule, this goes much easier:

A pleasant feeling of heaviness appears in the right hand;

Hands get heavy;

Hands are getting heavier and heavier;

Hands are pleasantly heavy;

Hands are relaxed and heavy;

I am perfectly calm;

Rest gives rest to the body;

Legs get heavy;

The right leg becomes heavy;

The left leg becomes heavy;

Legs are filled with heaviness;

The legs are pleasantly heavy;

Arms, legs are relaxed and heavy;

The body becomes heavier;

All muscles are relaxed and at rest;

The whole body was pleasantly heavy;

After class, the feeling of heaviness will pass;

I am completely calm.

After doing autogenic training exercises

In those cases when you need to immediately start vigorous activity, you need to use a special technique for exiting autogenic immersion.

For this, formulas inverse to the immersion formulas are used. For example:

My hands are light, energetic;

I feel a pleasant tension in my hands;

I breathe deeply, rhythmically;

I feel lightness, cheerfulness, comfort;

I bend and unbend my arms at the elbows.

After that, you open your eyes, get up and do some vigorous exercise.

Naturally, if autogenic training precedes sleep, then this should not be done.

Try after each lesson to analyze the feeling you have achieved and write it down in a diary that every student needs to have. In addition, the diary contains the formulas you use, among which you select the most effective and influential for you, as well as the assessment of the lesson. For example, to relax:

"1"- inability to relax;

"2"- slight relaxation;

"3"- average relaxation;

"4"- strong relaxation;

"5"- complete relaxation.

Remember that if during the process of autogenic training an unusual unpleasant sensation arises, the session should be interrupted and consult a psychologist.

In the next post, the continuation of the topic of autogenic training -

AUTOGENIC TRAINING

(Greek autos - self, genos - origin). An active method of psychotherapy, psychoprophylaxis and psychohygiene, aimed at restoring the dynamic balance of the system of homeostatic self-regulating mechanisms of the human body, disturbed as a result of stress. The main elements of the methodology are muscle relaxation training, self-hypnosis and self-education (autodidactics). The activity of A. t. opposes some of the negative aspects of hypnotherapy in its classical model - the patient's passive attitude to the treatment process, dependence on the doctor.
How healing method A. t. was proposed for the treatment of neuroses by Schultz J. H. in 1932. In our country, it began to be used in the late 1950s. The therapeutic effect of A. t., along with the development of a trophotropic reaction as a result of relaxation, characterized by an increase in the tone of the parasympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system and contributing to the neutralization of the stress state, is also based on a weakening of the activity of the limbic and hypothalamic regions, which is accompanied by a decrease in general anxiety and the development of anti-stress tendencies in trainees (Lobzin V. S., 1974).
There are two stages of A. t. (according to Schultz): 1) the lowest stage is teaching relaxation with the help of exercises aimed at inducing a feeling of heaviness, warmth, mastering the rhythm of cardiac activity and breathing; 2) the highest stage - autogenic meditation - the creation of trance states of various levels.
The lowest level, A.t.-1, consists of six standard exercises that are performed by patients in one of three postures: 1) sitting position, "coachman's position" - the trainee sits on a chair with his head slightly lowered forward, hands and forearms lie freely on the front surface of the thighs, legs are freely apart; 2) lying position - the trainee lies on his back, his head rests on a low pillow, his arms are slightly bent in elbow joint, lie freely along the body with palms down; 3) reclining position - the trainee sits freely in the chair, leaning on the back, hands on the front surface of the thighs or on the armrests, legs freely apart. In all three positions, complete relaxation is achieved, for better concentration, the eyes are closed.
Exercises are performed by mentally repeating (5-6 times) the appropriate self-hypnosis formulas, which are prompted by the training leader. Each of the standard exercises is preceded by a goal formula: "I am completely calm."
First exercise. Causing a feeling of heaviness in the arms and legs, which is accompanied by relaxation of the striated muscles. Formulas: "Right arm is completely heavy", then "Left arm is completely heavy" and "Both arms are completely heavy." Same formula for the legs. Final formula: "Arms and legs are completely heavy."
Second exercise. Causing a feeling of warmth in the arms and legs in order to master the regulation of the vascular innervation of the extremities. Formulas: “Right (left) hand is completely warm”, then “Hands are completely warm”, the same formulas for the legs. Final formula: "Hands and feet are completely heavy and warm."
Third exercise. Regulation of the rhythm of heart contractions. Formula: "The heart beats strongly and evenly."
Fourth exercise. Normalization and regulation of the respiratory rhythm. Formula: "I breathe perfectly calmly."
Fifth exercise. Causing a sensation of warmth in the abdominal cavity. Formula: "My solar plexus radiates heat."
Sixth exercise. Causing a feeling of coolness in the forehead in order to prevent and relieve headaches of vascular origin. Formula: "My forehead is pleasantly cool."
An indicator of the assimilation of the next exercise is the generalization of sensations. For example, the exercise of instilling heat in the limbs is considered learned when heat begins to spread throughout the body.
It takes 2 weeks to complete each exercise. The entire course of A.t.-1 lasts about three months. Usually classes are held in groups 1-2 times a week under the guidance of a psychotherapist; the duration of the lesson is 15-20 minutes. Much attention is paid to self-training of patients, which are carried out twice a day (in the morning, before getting up, and in the evening, before going to bed), and, as a rule, patients keep diaries where they describe the sensations they experience during classes.
When mastering the first two standard exercises (“heaviness” and “warmth”), a special state of autogenic immersion arises, which Schultz called “switching” and defined physiologically as “a decrease in biotonus with intact consciousness.” Muller-Hegemann (D. Muller-Hegemann) explains this state by a decrease in cortical activity in the absence of external stimuli and a reduction in thought processes due to a focus on training formulas. This state is characterized as intermediate between sleep and wakefulness, it is very close to the first stage of hypnotic sleep (somnolence). The depth of autogenic immersion is divided into three phases. In the first phase, the patient feels heaviness, warmth, languor, spread throughout the body. The second phase is characterized by a feeling of bodily lightness, weightlessness, and often violations of the body scheme occur. The third phase can be characterized as "disappearance of the body".
The first and second phases can be differentiated electroencephalographically. Due to the significant inhibition of the cortex, repeated formulas become an effective means of self-hypnosis. In autogenic immersion, the patient proceeds to self-hypnosis directed against certain painful disorders.
Luthe (Luthe W.) identifies 5 types of intent formulas: 1) neutralizing, using the variant of self-hypnosis “do not care”: “Swallowing is all the same” - with esophagospasm, “Flower pollen is all the same” - with allergies, etc .; 2) reinforcing, for example: “I know that I will wake up when my bladder makes itself known” - with enuresis; "My brain speaks automatically" - with stuttering; 3) withdrawal-oriented, for example: "I know that I will not take a single drop of alcohol, in any form, at any time, under any circumstances"; 4) paradoxical, for example: “I want to write as badly as possible” - with writing spasm; 5) supportive, for example: "I know that I do not depend on drugs" - with asthma; "Names are interesting" - with poor memorization of names.
According to the general opinion, A. t. is most effective in the treatment of neurosis, functional disorders and psychosomatic diseases. It is indicated primarily in neurasthenia. Within this form of neurosis, the greatest effect is observed in psychogenic sexual disorders and sleep disorders. In obsessive-compulsive disorder, this is a phobic syndrome; satisfactory results in the treatment of obsessions. Many researchers point to the low efficiency of A. t. in hysteria, when a kind of "desirability" of the disease is noted. Comparative resistance is found in patients with hypochondriacal syndrome. There is practically no effect in compulsive syndrome in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Low efficiency of treatment is also observed in psychasthenia.
The best results of the use of A. t. are observed in the treatment of those diseases, the manifestations of which are associated with emotional stress and with spasm of smooth muscles, and the parasympathetic effect is achieved more easily than the sympathetic one. In the literature, there is a good result of the use of A. t. in bronchial asthma, in the initial period of hypertension and obliterating endarteritis, with dyspnea, esophagospasm, angina pectoris, with spastic pain in the gastrointestinal tract and constipation. There is evidence of satisfactory results in the treatment of patients with peptic ulcer, one of the causes of which, according to popular belief, is local neurogenic vasospasm.
A.t. effective as a method of treatment of various neurotic disorders of speech and phonation. However, in the general group of patients with A. t., it helps to stop only the phenomena of logophobia, but does not cure stuttering as a systemic neurosis, and therefore patients need to be engaged in specialized psychotherapeutic groups for patients with logoneuroses.
A. t. is included in the complex treatment of alcoholism and drug addiction, in particular, to eliminate the withdrawal syndrome and the formation of an antitoxic installation. In the neurological clinic, A. t. is used in the treatment of residual effects of organic diseases of the nervous system in order to relieve psychogenic disorders that complement and complicate the picture of an organic lesion of the nervous system, as well as correct the reaction of the individual to the disease with vascular lesions of the brain, and treat residual effects of craniocerebral injuries. , neuroinfections, etc.
Successful removal of emotional stress and anxiety with the help of A. t. justifies its inclusion in numerous options for psychoprophylaxis of labor pains.
A. t. also received wide application as a psychohygienic and psychoprophylactic agent in the preparation of athletes, people working in conditions of emotional tension and in extreme conditions. Positive experience has been gained in the use of special variants of A. t. as a method of industrial hygiene.
Contraindications for the use of A. t. are states of unclear consciousness and delirium, especially delirium of attitude and influence. It is not recommended A. t. during acute somatic attacks and vegetative crises. With severe arterial hypotension, some special techniques are used to overcome the undesirable predominance of the vagal system (see below the modification of K. I. Mirovsky and A. N. Shogam).
Modification of autogenic training of the lower level.
1. Müller-Hegemann modification (1957). Based on the work on the extensive representation in the cortical structures of the face (especially the tongue) and hand (especially thumb), Müller-Hegemann modified Schulz's technique by introducing several additional formulas, namely: "Facial muscles completely relaxed", "Jaw hanging freely down", "Tongue completely heavy" - before the formula "Forehead pleasantly cool" and "Both hands completely heavy" - after the formula "Both hands are completely heavy." Relaxation of the muscles of the face and hands contributes to a deeper autogenic immersion, and in patients with migraine often stops the onset of an attack. The author makes changes to the third exercise. When performing it, the patient should imagine the left hand filled with flowing warmth from the fingers of the left hand to the shoulder joint. In the future, he "pours" this "heat accumulated in the left hand" into the left half of the chest, feels it flowing through the heart and thus achieves a reflex expansion of the coronary vessels.
2. Modification of Kleinsorge and Klumbies (Kleinsorge H. and Klumbies G., 1965). The authors developed an organ-targeted training technique. Such "directed organ training" is further development And. t. After the completion of the shortened general course of A. t., the authors divide patients into groups according to certain syndromes. In these groups, a course of specialized exercises is conducted, which are appropriately expanded and supplemented classic exercises first step. The following groups are completed.
Head group. Indications: vasomotor headaches, migraine, Meniere's syndrome, active attention disorders. The emphasis is on the 6th exercise of A. t.-1: “The forehead is pleasantly cool, the head is clear, free, fresh, it can focus on any thought,” etc.
Heart group. Indications: angina pectoris, cardiac syndrome, impaired heart rate. The emphasis is on the 2nd and 3rd exercises. The therapeutic effect is based on the reflex expansion of the coronary vessels with the expansion of the skin vessels of the left hand.
Belly group. Indications: spasms of the muscles of the abdominal organs, gastralgia, biliary dyskinesia, mucous and ulcerative colitis. The emphasis is on the 5th exercise. The authors replace Schultz's formula "The solar plexus radiates heat" as unfounded physiologically with "Pleasant warmth spreads in my stomach."
Vessels group. Indications: disorders of peripheral circulation, hypertension in the neurogenic stage. The exercises are built on the basis of the first two exercises of A. t.-1.
Great importance attached to the formulas of general calmness.
Light group. Indications: psychogenic dyspnea, bronchial asthma(outside the attack), the initial degree of emphysema. Training is carried out in a prone position, with the windows open. The formula is introduced: "I breathe very easily."
Peace group. Indications: sleep disturbances and emotional disturbances. Train in the supine position. Special exercises are aimed at relaxing the skeletal muscles (partly borrowed from the complex of progressive muscle relaxation). Tranquilization is also achieved indirectly - by presenting pictures that are emotionally pleasingly colored (landscapes, etc.).
The specialization of groups for individual syndromes is recognized as irrational by many authors. IN Lately“Guided organ training” is most often carried out not in treatment groups, but for professionally applied purposes - in the preparation of actors, athletes, etc. With such a grouping of trainees, many standard exercises of A. t.-1 turn out to be redundant, they are replaced by highly specialized techniques.
3. Modified by K. I. Mirovsky and A. N. Shogam (1963). The authors called their modification "psychotonic training." They have developed techniques that not only reduce, but also increase the tone, mobilize. Thanks to this, they have achieved a further expansion of the scope of A. t., excluding arterial hypotension and asthenia from the list of contraindications. Patients train in the "asthenic-hypotonic group". Muscle relaxation is excluded, since lowering blood pressure is contraindicated. Words are introduced into the formulas that imitate pronounced sympathomimetic shifts (chills, goosebumps, cold, etc.). The training ends with vigorous muscular self-mobilization. Workout text: “I am completely calm. My whole body is relaxed and calm. Nothing distracts. Everything is indifferent to me. I feel inner peace. Shoulders and back are slightly chilled. Like a nice, refreshing shower. All muscles become elastic. Goosebumps run through the body. I am like a compressed spring. Everything is ready to roll. All tense. Attention! Get up! Push!"
According to K. I. Mirovsky (1965), it is often possible to increase blood pressure from 60-70 / 45-50 to 110-130 / 70-80 mm Hg after the first lesson. Art.
4. Mobilizing, activating exercises that cause sympathomimetic shifts are also used by A. V. Alekseev (1969) and L. D. Giessen (1969), who proposed "psycho-regulatory training" for the training of athletes.
5. Modification M.S. Lebedinsky and T. L. Bortnik (1965). This is an abbreviated version of A. t., adapted for a hospital. Course duration - 1 month (instead of 3). The duration of treatment is reduced by lengthening each session at the beginning of treatment up to 30 minutes. The patient practices daily 1 time with a doctor and twice on his own. Each exercise is learned in 3 days. The duration of treatment is also reduced due to the expansion of formulas. For example, the muscle relaxation formula: “I feel heaviness in my right hand, in my shoulder, forearm, fingers. To the very tips of your fingers right hand I feel heavy." The appearance of a feeling of warmth in the area solar plexus contributes to the idea of ​​swallowing saliva and spreading heat in the esophagus and stomach. The duration of treatment is also reduced due to the strengthening of the heterosuggestive moment of A. t .: patients repeat the formulas to themselves, which the doctor pronounces several times. Before starting to work with each formula and when moving from one formula to another, an extended formula of calmness sounds: “I am calm. I am completely calm.
Calm and rhythmic breathing. Rhythmic pulse. The heart beats evenly and calmly.
6. Reproductive training (modified by A.G. Panov, G.S. Belyaev, V.S. Lobzin, I.A. Kopylova, 1980) is a complex method of psychophysiological and personal self-regulation. In this modification, sensory reproduction is widely used as a realizing technique - a deliberate reproduction of sensations. Reproductive training includes preparatory psychotherapeutic measures (studying the patient's personality and determining the main methods of psychotherapeutic influence), preliminary exercises (breathing exercises, ideomotor and relaxing training of the muscular apparatus) and the actual training course of A. t. Reproductive training, as the authors indicate, is a technique in a well-known least compilative, combining in a single technique techniques borrowed from many sources. Much attention in this modification is paid to the so-called “relaxation mask” - an exercise with which the course of A. t begins: “Gently lower the eyelids, look inwards and downwards on the cheeks on the sides of the nose, gently attach the tongue to the roots of the upper teeth from the inside (sound“ T"), let the lower jaw sag slightly, feeling its weight, and slightly push it forward (sound "Y")".
Another feature of this technique is the introduction of respiratory gymnastics into the A. training course, which is carried out according to schemes specially developed by the authors. Rhythmic forced breathing lowers the excitability of some nerve centers and promotes muscle relaxation. Many authors note the influence of breathing exercises on the alignment of the emotional state of trainees, on the ability to concentrate. During breathing exercises, deep heat arises in the abdominal cavity, so it is used before the formula for inducing heat in the abdomen.
Other modifications of autogenic training of the lower level are described in the monograph by V. S. Lobzin and M. M. Reshetnikov "Autogenic training" (1986).
Exercises of the lower level affect mainly the vegetative functions. In order to optimize higher mental functions, Schultz developed the highest level of A. t. (A. t.-2), the exercises of which should teach how to cause complex experiences leading to a cure through “autogenic neutralization” and “self-purification” (catharsis). The author considered the standard exercises of A. t.-1 only a preparation for the main treatment, the second stage - autogenic meditation, with the help of which autogenic neutralization is achieved. He believed that it was possible to finally get rid of neurosis only by neutralizing negative experiences. Schultz borrowed the techniques of such self-purification from the ancient Hindu system of yoga.
Autogenic meditation according to Schultz. Before embarking on autogenic meditation, the trainee must learn to keep himself in a state of autogenic immersion for a long time - an hour or more. During such "passive concentration" various visual phenomena ("shadows", "simple forms", color spots, etc.) arise. Further training consists in learning to induce and maintain "passive concentration" in the presence of annoying interference - bright lights, noise, sounding radio, etc.
First exercise. Fixation of spontaneously arising color representations.
Second exercise. Calling certain color representations, "seeing" a given color.
Third exercise. Visualization of specific objects.
Fourth exercise. Focusing on the visual representation of abstract concepts such as "justice", "happiness", "truth", etc.
During the execution of this exercise, a stream of strictly individual representations arises. For example, "freedom" is associated with a white horse galloping across the prairie. Specific visual images associated with abstract concepts help, according to Schultz, to reveal the subconscious.
Fifth exercise. The concentration of "passive attention" on arbitrarily evoked, emotionally significant situations. During the exercise, the trainee often "sees" himself in the center of an imaginary situation.
Sixth exercise. Calling up images of other people. First, one should learn to evoke images of "neutral" faces, then - emotionally colored images of people pleasant and unpleasant to the patient. Schultz notes that in these cases, the images of people appear somewhat caricatured, caricatured. Gradually, such images become more and more “calm”, “dispassionate”, caricature features and elements of emotional hyperbolization soften. This serves as an indicator of the onset of "autogenic neutralization".
Seventh exercise. The author called it "the answer of the unconscious." The trainee asks himself: “What do I want?”, “Who am I?”, “What is my problem?” etc. In response, he subconsciously responds with a stream of images that help him see himself “from the outside” in various, including disturbing, situations. This is how catharsis, self-purification is achieved, and “autogenic neutralization” occurs, that is, a cure. Analyzing the description of the meditative exercises according to Schultz, it is easy to see that they are reduced to a series of techniques of a kind of “autopsychoanalysis”.
The co-author of Schultz on the 6-volume manual Lute introduces new elements into the structure of the method - methods of autogenic neutralization: autogenic response and autogenic verbalization. These methods form the main content of the 6th volume of the manual for autogenic therapy.
Autogenous response according to Lute. To neutralize negative experiences, the techniques of “repetition” of those situations that caused the psychic trauma are used. Just as in psychoanalytic sessions, during autogenic reaction the doctor maintains complete neutrality. The author's experience shows that the patient's brain itself "knows" in what form and in what order the material should be "expressed" during autogenous neutralization. It is emphasized that during neutralization, only the “material” that interferes with the normal activity of the brain is released (ie, verbalized). Autogenic verbalization is carried out with closed eyes, and the patient's task is to tell about all the sensory images that appear in the state of autogenic relaxation.
In the methodology for the practical implementation of autogenic response according to Luta, five basic rules or conditions can be distinguished (Lobzin V.S., Reshetnikov M.M., 1986): 1) the need to move from standard exercises to a passive attitude to visual images; 2) an unrestricted verbal description of any kind of perception (sensory images); 3) the principle of psychotherapeutic intervention in brain-controlled neutralization; 4) observance or recognition of the internal dynamics that are inherent in the period of autogenic discharges; 5) the principle of independent completion of psychotherapeutic work.
Throughout the course of autogenic response, standard exercises are used. Independent performance of autogenic response is allowed only with the permission of a psychotherapist. The intervals between sessions are 7-10 days.
Autogenic verbalization according to Lute. This technique is largely similar to autogenous response, however, it is carried out without visualization of representations. Unlike autogenic response, autogenic verbalization is used in cases where the "interfering material" (painful experiences) can be accurately described. Verbalization of a certain topic (for example, "aggression", "desire", "fear", etc.) is carried out in a state of autogenic relaxation and continues until the patient declares that he has nothing to say. Autogenic verbalization assumes that the patient knows a "topic" that contains "interfering material". In fact, autogenic neutralization techniques are an associative experiment proposed by Jung C. G. to identify hidden or suppressed drives. New is the implementation of this technique in a state of autogenic relaxation.
Domestic authors (Panov A. G., Belyaev G. S., Lobzin V. S., Kopylova I. A., 1980) developed an original set of exercises of the highest level of A. t. The concept of the authors of the highest level of A. t. is based in the first turn on data of psychophysiology of emotions. Central in the A. t.-2 complex are the methods of deliberate regulation of the emotional state, deliberate modeling of emotions. The authors consider the main methods of mood modeling to be control muscle tone(such as Jacobson's progressive muscle relaxation), plot imagination exercises, and so-called "self-affirmation exercises."
Storytelling exercises. Their goal is the independent, conscious and deliberate formation of a given emotional state, and the essence lies in the reproduction of emotionally colored representations, images and dynamic situations (plots). The formation of emotionally significant plot representations begins with setting a goal: what emotional state should be modeled. Depending on the chosen goal, the color corresponding to the desired emotion is also determined. The selected color serves as the basis for the formation of a verbal self-order. As an example, we give an exercise called "Park".
The purpose of the exercise is to create a state of peace, inner comfort, lazy languor, deep rest. The main sensory representations are visual. Self-order: “Green-green greens. Green-green foliage. Green leaves are rustling. Figurative sweep - imagine yourself in the park on a warm and sunny summer day. Sun glare interspersed with patches of shade from the foliage. The body is warm but not hot (thermal image). The foliage is fresh, bright (color image). Spacious glades and alleys go into the distance (spatial image). Foliage rustles in a weak wind, distant and obscure voices of people (sound and tactile images - a breeze). Smell of fresh leaves (olfactory image). Musical reinforcement - smooth soft music pouring from park loudspeakers. You should get used to this picture, feel it and fix it in your mind.
Self-affirmation exercises. Often there are foreseeable emergency everyday situations associated with an increased sense of responsibility. Anxious anticipation of such situations gives rise to self-doubt, fear of failure and can provoke a neurotic breakdown. You can prepare yourself for such situations with the help of “self-affirmation exercises”. Patients are advised in the morning, not yet waking up completely, that is, being in a natural autogenic immersion, to rehearse the situation that disturbs them, but not the one they are afraid of, but the one they want to see it. This is a rehearsal for success. Such success rehearsals can be done a few days before the expected event or directly on the day when it is due, but not before bedtime, as this can provoke a sleep disorder.
In studies of domestic and foreign authors, it is noted that it is possible to accelerate the implementation of skills acquired in the process of A. t., by using the principle of biofeedback (electromyographic, electroencephalographic, temperature, heart rate feedback, etc.).

Psychotherapeutic encyclopedia. - St. Petersburg: Peter. B. D. Karvasarsky. 2000 .

Autogenic training includes a set of exercises aimed at increasing the possibility of self-regulation of the initially involuntary functions of the body. Autogenic training is a self-hypnosis method proposed by the German scientist I.G. Schultz. With this method, initially, by self-hypnosis, relaxation of muscle tone is achieved - relaxation, then in this state self-hypnosis is carried out, aimed at certain functions of the body.

This method is simple and can be mastered by most people. Under its influence, the higher nervous activity, the emotional sphere are normalized, the volitional abilities of a person are strengthened. Autogenic training techniques are acquired in the process of systematic exercises, which gives this technique a training character. Given that such training strengthens willpower, it can also be considered an activating personality. It should be noted that the main element of autogenic training is training in muscle relaxation (relaxation). The ability to relax will help employees of the internal affairs bodies to relieve or reduce emotional stress, as well as get a good rest in a short period of time.

The time to master autogenic training depends on the individual characteristics of each individual person, but on average it is about 3-4 months with daily two to three times a day for 10 minutes.

Before proceeding to the study of special exercises of autogenic training, it is advisable to master some preparatory exercises.

The most important preparatory event is breathing exercises, which consists in mastering rhythmic full breathing. The most important condition for the regulation of breathing is the control of its rhythm. It must always be remembered that in order to breathe correctly, it is necessary to accurately count the established rhythm. To determine the optimal breathing rhythm, it is convenient to use the pulse rate before classes (this rhythm serves as the basis for counting when breathing). Before mastering the so-called full breathing, it is necessary to master its constituent elements (abdominal, middle and upper breathing).

Abdominal (diaphragmatic) breathing - performed standing, sitting or lying down. To perform it, you need to focus on the navel area. Pulling in the abdominal wall, exhale. Then we slowly inhale. abdominal wall when inhaled, it protrudes outward and the lower part of the lungs is filled with air. The chest during abdominal breathing remains motionless and only the stomach produces wave-like movements, filling and releasing the lower part of the lungs.

Medium breath - performed standing, sitting or lying down. You need to focus on the ribs. After exhalation, we slowly inhale, stretching the ribs on both sides. Exhaling, we squeeze the ribs. With this type of breathing, the middle part is filled with air, while the stomach and shoulders remain motionless.

Upper breathing - also performed standing, sitting or lying down. Attention is focused on the tops of the lungs. After exhaling, we inhale, slowly raising the collarbones and shoulders. Exhaling, lower your shoulders and collarbones. With upper breathing, the abdomen and front of the chest remain motionless.

Full breathing - just like its components, is performed standing, sitting or lying down. After a complete exhalation, it is necessary to slowly stand up, counting 8 beats of the pulse, alternating and connecting all three types of breathing described above in one continuous wave-like movement. First of all, the stomach protrudes, then the ribs expand, and finally the clavicles and shoulders rise. At this point, the abdominal wall is slightly pulled up. Exhalation is performed in the same sequence as inhalation: first, we retract the abdominal wall, then we squeeze the ribs and lower the collarbones and shoulders. In this case, the entire breathing apparatus is in uniform motion. Between the exhalation and the next inhalation, you can hold your breath until the natural desire to inhale arises. Breathing is through the nose. One of the important goals of breathing exercises is to teach concentration, which will be of great importance for the successful mastering of autogenic training exercises. However, it should be noted that even the use of only one full breath (without special autogenic training exercises) relieves (or reduces) emotional stress, calms the nervous system, fills a person with a sense of calm and self-confidence. Do this exercise 5-6 times with maximum concentration. It is advisable to start autogenic training after doing this breathing exercise. It should be borne in mind that, having mastered "full breathing", there is no need to perform its components (abdominal, middle and upper breathing).

After mastering the techniques of breathing exercises, you can proceed to the study and mastery of the exercises of autogenic training directly. In the initial period of studying this technique, it is advisable to use the time immediately after waking up and immediately before falling asleep for classes, since during the period of natural drowsiness it is much easier to achieve the sensations provided for by the exercises. In the future, for the development of autogenic training, you can use any time of the day. The first workouts are preferably carried out in a warm, quiet room, with dim light. In the future, the trainee is able to ignore the noise and, with sufficient mastery of the training technique, can conduct sessions even while sitting on a train or bus.

During classes, it is important to give the body a comfortable position, excluding any muscle tension. It is proposed to take one of the following three postures, the most convenient for practice.

1. sitting position- coachman's pose. To take it, you need to sit straight in a chair, straighten your back, and then relax all the skeletal muscles. To prevent the diaphragm from pressing on the stomach, do not lean forward too much. The head is lowered to the chest, the legs are slightly apart and bent at an obtuse angle, the hands are on the knees, not touching each other, the elbows are slightly rounded - in a word, the characteristic posture of a coachman dozing in anticipation of a rider. The eyes are closed. This pose is active and can be taken almost anywhere: at home, at work, in transport, etc.

The following poses are passive and are used, as a rule, when practicing at home.

2. Half sitting position. The trainee sits freely in easy chair, comfortably leaning on his back; the whole body is relaxed, both arms are slightly bent at the elbow joints, the palms are on the front of the thighs or on the armrests, the legs are freely apart, the toes are slightly apart. If the toes are pointed straight or raised, then the stage of relaxation has not yet arrived.

3. Lying position. This pose is used when exercising before bedtime or immediately after it. The trainee lies comfortably on his back, head slightly raised, resting on a low pillow. The arms, slightly bent at the elbow joint, lie freely along the body, palms down. For evening workouts, it is advisable to take the position in which the trainee is used to falling asleep.

After the student accepts one of the indicated positions, the performance of special exercises begins. For greater focus on the task, it is recommended to perform exercises with your eyes closed.

To achieve the necessary sensations for the trainee, 6 basic standard exercises have been developed that are performed by mentally repeating the corresponding self-hypnosis formulas.

Fig.2. Complex of autogenic training.

1. An exercise aimed at causing a feeling of heaviness. It is recommended that, having taken the starting position in one of the three postures, mentally calmly say: "I am completely calm." Then slowly, with a calm concentration of attention, mentally pronounce the formula 5-6 times: "My right hand is very heavy" (for a left-hander: "My left hand is very heavy"), after which they mentally say once: "I am completely calm." The formula is repeated simultaneously with the exhalation phase. It is necessary to imagine many times that what has been said actually takes place. The relaxation of the muscles of the right hand is felt by the trainee as heaviness. To enhance the effect, you can try to imagine that there is a weight in the right hand, or that something heavy is pressing on it, etc.

Sometimes, for control, you can try to slightly raise your hand to make sure that a feeling of heaviness appears. Gradually, as a result of training, a feeling of heaviness is evoked in the opposite hand, in both hands at the same time, in both legs, in the arms and legs at the same time, throughout the body. The first exercise is considered mastered when the trainee is able to quickly and easily achieve a feeling of heaviness throughout the body. After that, you can move on to the second exercise.

2. An exercise aimed at inducing a sensation of warmth. Preliminarily cause a feeling of heaviness and having received a clear feeling of heaviness in the whole body, slowly with a calm concentration of attention 5-6 times in a row mentally pronounce and imagine: "My right hand is warm" and once: "I am completely calm." To enhance the effect, imagine that the heavy right hand is immersed in warm water, etc. As you train, the feeling of warmth, as well as the feeling of heaviness, spreads to both arms, legs and to the whole body. To get a clearer feeling of warmth throughout the body, it is also necessary to use vivid figurative representations. An exercise is considered mastered when the sensation of warmth is evoked easily and distinctly. Having mastered this exercise, you can move on to the third.

3. An exercise aimed at mastering the rhythm of cardiac activity. When performing the exercise, it is recommended that you first learn to mentally count the pulse or heartbeat. At first, this exercise is performed in the supine position, while the right hand is applied to the region of the left radial artery or to the region of the heart. To reduce muscle tension in the right hand, a soft object (pillow) is placed under the elbow. First cause a feeling of heaviness and warmth as mentioned above. Then they proceed to a mental 5-6-fold repetition of the self-hypnosis formula: "The heart beats calmly and evenly" and mentally say once: "I am completely calm."

This exercise should be done very calmly without any concentration of attention on the activity of the heart. No need to strive to feel the work of your heart. For people who are nervous, impressionable, prone to increased concern for their health, it is better not to do this exercise at all.

An exercise is considered mastered when the ability to arbitrarily change the rhythm of cardiac activity is developed to one degree or another.

4. An exercise aimed at mastering the regulation of the rhythm of breathing. Previously, they cause a feeling of heaviness, warmth and inspire themselves that the heart beats calmly, evenly. After that, they mentally repeat 5-6 times: "I breathe completely calmly" and once: "I am completely calm."

An exercise is considered mastered if the ability to breathe calmly and rhythmically during training is developed. This exercise is simple and learn quickly.

5. An exercise aimed at causing a feeling of warmth in the abdominal cavity and in the solar plexus. This exercise is the most difficult. The solar plexus is the most important node of the autonomic nervous system - the "abdominal brain" and is located behind the stomach. Its place can be determined quite accurately if you find the middle between the lower end of the sternum and the navel. In this place, behind the stomach, there is the most important center of the nerve plexuses, which controls the activity of the abdominal organs and through them the essential components of our well-being and mood.

At first, the exercises cause sensations corresponding to the four indicated exercises. Then they mentally repeat 5-6 times: "My solar plexus radiates warmth" or "The stomach is warmed up with pleasant warmth" and once mentally say "I am completely calm." When performing this exercise, attention should be focused on the area of ​​​​the solar plexus. To get more distinct sensations, it is necessary, as in the previous exercises, to use figurative representations (for example, imagine that some warm object lies on the surface of the abdomen in the solar plexus area, etc.). Gradually, the practitioner has a clear feeling of warmth in the abdominal cavity, and then the exercise is considered mastered.

6. An exercise aimed at causing a feeling of coolness in the forehead. Having done all the above exercises of autogenic training and having received all the necessary sensations, you need to mentally repeat to yourself 5-6 times: "My forehead is pleasantly cool" and once mentally say: "I am completely calm." This exercise is quite difficult to master. When it is performed, attention is concentrated on the forehead and temples. To enhance the effect in this case, it is also necessary to use figurative representations (for example, imagine that the forehead is pleasantly blown by a cool breeze or that there is a cool bandage on the surface of the forehead, etc.). An exercise is considered mastered if the practitioner causes a slight, distinct sensation of coolness in the forehead.

When these six exercises are sufficiently well mastered, it is proposed to replace long self-hypnosis formulas with shorter ones: "Calmness ...", "Heaviness ...", "Warmth ...", "Heart and breathing are calm ...", " The solar plexus is warm...", "Forehead is cool...".

It must be emphasized that the concentration (concentration) of attention in all cases has a calm "passive" character. No need to spend energy on concentration. Autogenic training exercises should be performed calmly, without undue stress. They should be pleasant for the trainee, and not tire him.

Each new exercise is repeated for 2 weeks 2-3 times daily and only after the previous one has been mastered. Thus, it takes 12 weeks to master all six exercises. Of these, the first exercise is performed for 12 weeks, the second - 10, the third - 8, the fourth - 6, the fifth - 4, the sixth - 2 weeks.

The greatest training period thus falls on the first exercises. The usual duration of training is from 2-3 minutes (at the beginning) to 5-6 minutes or more.

The above six exercises are called "standard", and Schulz refers to them as the lowest level of training. To the highest level, or autogenic meditation (introspection), he refers to exercises that allow you to learn how to cause a vivid visualization of ideas and immerse yourself in a state of "nirvana". They have not found their wide distribution, so we will dwell on them briefly.

1) exercises in which it is proposed, with closed eyes, to take the eyeballs up and, as it were, look, without opening the eyes, at one point located approximately in the middle frontal part of the scalp;

2) exercises in the visualization of representations: evoking the representation of a solid color, images of specific objects. This exercise is performed for 30-60 minutes and is recommended only for those who have been training regularly for at least 6 months - one year. The task is considered completed if the trainee can evoke a vivid representation of any color, as well as the image of objects and, finally, the image of another person;

3) inducing in oneself a dream-like state ("state of intense immersion"), during which such abstract concepts as, for example, beauty, happiness, justice, would evoke the corresponding visual images;

4) inducing a peculiar state of dream splitting of consciousness (deep immersion), during which the practitioner asks himself questions (for example, "What am I doing wrong?", "What is the meaning of the work?") and receives answers to them in the form of visual dream images .

Mastering the method of autogenic training allows a person not only to arbitrarily regulate certain functions of the body (which in itself plays an important role in self-regulation), but also with the help of self-hypnosis, which is used at the end of the session, after inducing a state of relaxation, to induce the necessary states in oneself, allowing effectively cope with a difficult task, master oneself in a tense situation, relieve excessive stress, increase a sense of self-confidence, etc. In the activities of employees of the internal affairs bodies, it is advisable to use autogenic training in the following areas:

1. Reducing feelings of anxiety, excitement, emotional tension. While sensations and perceptions reflect the properties of things that exist independently of us, emotions reflect our attitude to the environment. They allow assessing what is happening in terms of its significance for the body and perform a regulatory function in relation to it. In a situation associated with a threat to human health or life, emotions such as fear, anxiety, fright, etc. arise. These emotions do not allow a person to continue acting in these conditions, force him to change them, block his normal activity. And this is quite normal, since in this way emotions protect a person from the negative consequences of activities in such conditions. But employees of the internal affairs bodies, on duty, constantly have to face situations involving risk, a threat to security, and not only that - they must act in these conditions, fulfill their professional duty. Autogenic training can help an employee in such situations. It can be used to relieve excessive emotional stress: feelings of anxiety, anxiety, fear, excitement (for example, associated with the detention of a criminal). At the same time, it is important to be able to cause a state of muscle relaxation (relaxation), for which it is enough to master the first and second standard exercises. In the state of relaxation, self-hypnosis commands are used, which in this state achieve their goal faster: "I am absolutely calm. I have nothing to worry about", "I am confident in myself and can easily cope with this task", "There is no reason for worry and anxiety. I have good control themselves and the situation" and the like.

2. Sleep regulation. Autogenic training can be useful for those employees who are on duty for relatively short periods, often changing each other, and have the opportunity to fall asleep between shifts, posts. You need to complete the first two exercises of autogenic training (causing a feeling of heaviness and warmth in the body) and begin to mentally inspire yourself with a desire to sleep and try to make yourself feel sleepy. To do this, you can use something like the following formula: "I am completely relaxed. I am resting. I want to sleep. My eyelids close, fill with lead weight. My head is filled with a light mist. I fall asleep. I sleep ...", etc. There is no standard formula; general principle is to instill a state of drowsiness. If this requires waking up at certain time or in response to a certain signal, an appropriate auto-suggestion is made.

3. Short rest. In those situations when it is necessary to get a good rest in a short period of time, it is recommended to dive into a state of relaxation for 5-15 minutes with self-hypnosis of the subsequent feeling of cheerfulness ("I had a good rest, I am cheerful ...", etc.).

4. Activation of the body. Autogenic training can be used to eliminate drowsiness, activate the body, prepare for action, and mobilize internal resources. This gives reason to recommend it for emergency mobilization of the body, in particular in extreme situations of the activities of employees of the internal affairs bodies. For these purposes it is possible:

Self-hypnosis of sthenic effects (anger, rage) by evoking, for example, appropriate figurative representations ("protection from attack", etc.) - they mentally pronounce and try to feel: "muscles tense ... hands clench into a fist ... jaws tighten ... breathing is frequent...";

Calling figurative representations associated with this employee with vigorous activity ("detention of the offender", "duel" during interrogation, etc.);

Self-hypnosis of sensations arising from the introduction of adrenaline (feeling of chills, goosebumps, cold, etc.). According to the feedback mechanism, they have an adrenaline-like activating effect;

Direct self-hypnosis of a feeling of cheerfulness at the end of an autogenic training session.

5. Strengthening the will, correction of certain forms of behavior and character traits, mobilization of intellectual resources. Often people lack the will to carry out their intentions. To strengthen this side of volitional activity, one can resort to self-hypnosis, in particular, in the process of autogenic training. In a state of relaxation (especially in the morning, after waking up), self-hypnosis is carried out, aimed at strengthening volitional activity. Self-hypnosis formulas are purely individual. They should be short, preferably built in an affirmative form: "Intentions are firm ...", "I will carry out the planned ...", "Concentrated!". Similarly, one can resort to self-hypnosis to combat bad habits and correct undesirable characterological features. At the same time, depending on the target settings, you can, for example, inspire yourself: “I speak in a low voice” (with the habit of speaking very loudly), “I am calm, easily restrain my emotional outbursts” (with emotional excitability), “I can easily do without smoking. Cigarettes disgust me" (if you want to quit smoking), etc. The use of autogenic training allows you to speed up learning, increase attention span, better use your intellectual capabilities due to increased ability to concentrate, facilitate reminiscence processes, as well as free operation of figurative representations.

The emotional sphere of a person, his will, self-consciousness and even character traits as a result of self-education can undergo significant changes. And this means that almost any employee of the internal affairs bodies, if desired and systematically self-improving, can learn to successfully overcome difficult (and even life-threatening) situations, prevent overwork and avoid various diseases associated with nervous stress. Regular autogenic training will help him in this.

Autogenic training is based on the observation that changes in the body are accompanied by certain sensations. For example, when the muscles relax, there is a feeling of heaviness, and when the capillaries of the skin are filled with blood, a feeling of warmth. The opposite effect also takes place: focusing on the real gravity of the body promotes muscle relaxation, and concentration on the real body heat promotes blood flow to the capillaries of the skin.

Mastering autogenic training allows you to achieve a number of effects:

1. Calm down, relieve physical and mental stress.
2. Get a quick rest (quicker than while sleeping or watching TV).
3. Regulate heart rate and breathing, blood supply to the brain, which is very important for the treatment of psychosomatic diseases.
4. Fight pain.
5. Activate attention, memory, imagination, ability to physical effort.
6. Activate creative resources through the development of intuition, imaginative thinking.
7. Defeat bad habits by rationally dealing with stress, emotional and intellectual activation.
8. Know yourself.

autogenous state(a state of thoughtfulness, laziness, contemplation) occurs naturally if a person:

• is located in a quiet place;
• relaxed in a comfortable position;
• focuses attention on something;
• does not seek to achieve any result.

To fulfill these conditions, autogenic training must be carried out in a comfortable place. It should not be too cold or hot, stuffy, noisy. Small background noise usually does not interfere with activities, but sudden and loud noise should be avoided. Shading is not required. If the light from the window interferes, you can sit with your back to the window. There should be no fear that you will be disturbed.

Before class, loosen the waist belt, unbutton the top button of the shirt, loosen the knot of the tie, take off the watch, glasses. Women should wear trousers.

Poses for autogenic training

"Coachman on a droshky"

This pose can be practiced almost anywhere where there is a chair, stool, box of suitable height, etc.

• Sit on the edge of the seat so that the edge of the chair falls on the gluteal folds (do not sit on the entire seat, as this leads to numbness in the legs).
• Spread your legs wide to relax the muscles that bring your hips together.
• Place your shins perpendicular to the floor; if after that there is tension in the legs, move the feet forward 3-4 centimeters until the tension disappears.
• Lower your head forward so that it hangs on the ligaments, and hunch your back.
• While swaying back and forth, make sure the posture is stable by balancing the lowered head and hunched back.
• Place your forearms on your thighs so that your hands gently curve around your thighs and do not touch; do not rest your forearms on your hips.
• Close your eyes and breathe calmly, as in a dream, inhaling and exhaling through your nose.

Reclining posture in a high back chair

Sit reclining in a chair so that when you relax your head leans back. The position of the arms and legs, as in the "coachman on the droshky" position.

When mastering postures for autogenic training, remember that they must be symmetrical. Any skew during the session will cause tension, preventing a fall.

Pose in a low back chair

The same “coachman in a droshky” posture with one difference - the student does not sit on the edge of the seat, but on the entire seat so that the hunched back rests against the back of the chair

Pose with a pillow under the head

The pose is convenient for practicing in bed before going to bed and in the morning immediately after sleep.

Lie on your back in bed, on the couch, sofa, put a low pillow under your head. Place your feet shoulder-width apart, relax your legs, while the socks will diverge to the sides. Bend your arms slightly at the elbows, place your palms down; the hands do not touch the body. Be mindful of the symmetry of the posture.

Lying position without a pillow

Lie on your back. Position the straightened legs so that the distance between the feet is 15-18 cm. Place the outstretched arms at an acute angle to the body, palms up.

Exit from the autogenous state

The exit technique allows you to activate as much as possible after the autogenous state:

• Stop following the instruction of the lesson and focus on the fact that you had a good rest and will soon leave the autogenic state.
• Slowly clench your fists, feel the strength in your hands, in your whole body; otherwise, do not change the position.
• Without unclenching your fists, stretch your arms towards your knees.
• Wait for the end of the next exhalation.
• Take a deep breath, while inhaling, raise your arms up, arch your back, turn your face up.
• Pause for 1-2 seconds to prepare for the last step of the exit.
• Simultaneously: exhale sharply through your mouth, open your fists and open your eyes. After that, calmly lower your hands.

During the exit from the autogenic state, focus as much as possible on the energy, strength accumulated during the session (even if their increase was small). Proceed to each exit step only after the previous one has been completed. Perform all steps except the last one slowly, the last one as quickly and vigorously as possible.

People with elevated blood pressure during the exit, you need to concentrate on the calm, peaceful force that has accumulated during the session. Those prone to low blood pressure should focus on vigor, energy, a feeling of chills along the spine, running "goosebumps" along the body.

Do not use the described technique 1-1.5 hours before bedtime. After finishing the session, stop following the instructions for this session, sit for a while with your eyes closed, then slowly straighten your back and open your eyes. Sit for 1-2 minutes, then you can get up.

Advice. Insufficiently clear working out of the exit from the autogenic state leads to lethargy, weakness after classes. Avoid the most common mistakes: speed and crumpled execution, lack of pauses between steps, non-simultaneous opening of the eyes, exhalation, unclenching the fists at the last step, not exhaling sharply enough.

To exit in a prone position, follow the same steps. Then inhale and as you exhale sit up in bed.

Task number 1

Master the postures for autogenic training. Whenever possible, try to stay in the pose for 5-10 minutes. While in the pose, try to relax as much as possible. If you feel discomfort in any part of your body, try to correct the defect in your posture that is causing it. In the absence of time, take a pose for at least a few seconds. Relax in postures and end with an exit. Do not use the exit technique 1-1.5 hours before bedtime.

"Mask of relaxation"

“Relaxation mask” is a facial expression in which mimic, chewing muscles and tongue are relaxed. Each tense muscle has a stimulating effect on the brain, and this prevents the emergence of an autogenic state. Mimic, chewing muscles and muscles of the tongue and hands have a great influence on the state of the brain, so more attention is paid to their relaxation.

The muscles of the hands can be quite easily relaxed, and for other muscle groups there are special exercises related to the fact that in everyday life we ​​do not encounter work on these muscles; in addition, the rules of decency do not allow you to keep your mouth open and relax your facial muscles.

After mastering the “mask of relaxation”, combine it with the learned postures for autogenic training in the following way. Reclining in a high-back chair, the “relaxation mask” is performed as described above. In the “coachman on a droshky” pose and in a pose in a low-backed chair, the mouth is passively closed when the head is lowered. In lying postures, when the masticatory muscles are relaxed, the jaw slides down.

"Relaxation mask" can also be used in isolation in cases where there is no opportunity to engage in autogenic training, to reduce physical and mental stress, and relieve headaches.

Task number 2

To relax the masticatory muscles with the head upright, silently say the sound "Y", let the jaw drop. Sit like this for a few minutes, watch how, with the relaxation of the masticatory muscles, a wave of relaxation passes throughout the body, how the muscles of the face relax, the eyelids become heavier, the gaze stops, the surroundings become blurred due to the relaxation of the muscles that focus the lens. At first, look at your face in the mirror. Finish the exercise with the exit from the autogenic state, since even at first, with good relaxation of the facial and masticatory muscles, an autogenic state of one degree or another of depth occurs.

Task number 3

With the head upright, relax the masticatory muscles with a silent "Y". Then, to relax the tongue, silently say the syllable "Te", while the relaxed tongue gently rests against rear surface lower teeth. Watch your condition. Let the heavy eyelids fall. End the exercise with an exit. If it is not possible to work out for 5-10 minutes, complete the task for a shorter time, even if only for a few seconds.

Autogenic training exercises

Introductory exercise "Calmness"

The purpose of the exercise is to prepare for autogenic training.

Task number 4

Take one of the poses for training, relax, paying special attention to the “relaxation mask”, close your eyes. Breathe calmly, as in a dream; inhale and exhale through the nose.

Focus on the calm that comes from silence, a comfortable posture, and closing your eyes. Do not inspire yourself with any special “complete” calmness, passively focus on the one that you have at this time. Practice only as much as you can passively. If you start to get distracted, you should make an exit. Don't go out before bed.

Remember that only passive concentration produces a physiological effect. The most common mistake at the beginning of training is the desire to inspire yourself with the “right” state. Such internal activity disperses even the beginnings of the desired state, turning "relaxation" into flour.

Advice. Concentrate on the exercise for just a few seconds the first time so that you are not tempted to actively induce calmness. For a few seconds, even an absent-minded person can focus on real calm.

Exercise "Heavy"

The purpose of the exercise is to feel the heaviness of the body. To do this, do the following experiments:

• Put your hand on balloon or crumpled paper, make sure that the weight of your hand squeezes them.
• Put your hand on the scales, watch the deviation of the arrow, reflecting the severity of the hand.
• In any of the poses for autogenic training, try to raise your arms, gradually increasing efforts in deltoid muscles(covering, like epaulettes, our shoulder joints), make sure that with a small effort this is not possible, as the heaviness of the hands interferes; feel this heaviness.
• Lying in a bath of water, raise outstretched relaxed arms; when your hands rise above the water, feel the increment of heaviness in them; alternatively, let the water out of the bath and observe the increase in gravity throughout the body as the water flows out.

These experiments allow us to make sure that heaviness is inherent in our body and there is no need to inspire it. They need to be done within a few days. Learn to feel a little heaviness: concentrate on the heaviness that is; do not expect any particularly pronounced severity.

Task number 5

Take one of the poses for training, relax, focus on calmness. While continuing to feel calm, focus on the real heaviness of the right (left-handed - left) hand. Passively contemplate stillness and heaviness until the feeling of heaviness disappears and you become distracted. Make an exit (except for classes before bedtime). As you relax, heaviness will be felt in other parts of the body. Passively contemplate it where it is.

During the development of this exercise, do not try to spread the feeling of heaviness according to any scheme, to strengthen it with self-hypnosis. Any internal work will prevent the emergence of an autogenous state.

From session to session, as the relaxation of the muscles deepens, the sensations accompanying this process will change:

• a feeling of heaviness will spread to the whole body and become pronounced;
• a feeling of heaviness is replaced by a feeling of lightness, a feeling of alienation of the body may occur;
• the body ceases to be felt.

These changes usually appear in separate parts of the body, usually in the hands. In these cases, passively contemplate the combination of sensations that has arisen (for example, the body is light, the hands are missing).

Remember that the feeling of heaviness in the arms is brighter than in the legs and torso. Do not try to make it uniform by willpower. The exercise is mastered if during the exercises there is heaviness in the arms and legs.

Exercise "Heat"

Immersion in the autogenous state is accompanied by a redistribution of blood in the body - its content in large vessels and muscles decreases, and it increases in the capillaries of the skin. This is accompanied by a sensation of warmth in the limbs and trunk. Passive concentration of attention on the real body heat can cause the above-described physiological shift.

To feel warm, do the following experiment. Sit down. Bend your elbows, place your hands at the level of your stomach so that your hands with slightly bent fingers are facing each other with palms. Focus on the warmth that the palms radiate. Subjectively, it feels like a thermal ball between the palms. By bringing the brushes closer and further away, you can feel the diameter of this ball. After doing this for 3-5 minutes, bring your palms to your cheeks, at a distance of 1-2 centimeters. You will feel the warmth radiating from your palms on your cheeks.

Task number 6

Relax into one of the workout poses, focusing first on calmness, then on calmness and heaviness. After that, while continuing to feel calm and heaviness, focus for a few seconds on the real warmth of the right hand (left-handed - left). After that, exit the autogenic state.

If you have cold hands before class, rub them, otherwise passive concentration on heat will be impossible. In the future, the time of concentration on heat will increase, and the feeling of warmth will naturally spread to the second arm, legs, torso. The maximum concentration time is determined by distraction and interference.

The exercise is mastered if during the lesson you feel the warmth of the hands and feet.

In this way it can be ensured that the body is warm enough to provide material for passive concentration. Passive concentration of attention on the warmth of the skin can increase its temperature by 2-4 degrees, normalize high blood pressure.

Exercise "Heart"

While in the autogenous state, the heart rate decreases. This corresponds to a feeling of calm, measured pulsation in the body. Passive concentration on this pulsation helps to slow down the pulse, normalizes the rhythm of the heart.

In order to passively concentrate on the pulsation, you need to do several experiments to detect it:

• Place the second, third and fourth fingers of the right hand on the radial artery of the left hand, remember the rhythm of its pulsation; the same can be done by placing the index finger of the right hand on the jugular fossa above the upper end of the sternum.
• Connect the fingers of both hands into a “lock” and place your relaxed hands in front of you; feel the pulsation at the bases of the fingers grasped by the fingers of the other hand.
• Sitting on a chair, cross your legs and watch how the foot of the leg at the top rises to the beat of the pulse.

Task number 7

Relax into one of the workout poses. Focus on calmness, then on calmness and heaviness, then on calmness, heaviness and warmth. After that, while continuing to feel calm, heaviness and warmth, feel where you are in this moment a pulsation is felt, and passively focus on it. After a few seconds, exit the autogenic state.

In the future, the time of concentration on the pulsation will increase. From session to session, it will be felt in more and more areas of the body, and the time will come when a calm and powerful pulsation will be felt throughout the body.

The exercise is mastered if during the lesson the pulsation is felt in the arms and torso.

Exercise "Breathing"

This exercise helps to calm the breath.

Breathing during autogenic training is calm, superficial, as in a dream; inhalation and exhalation is done through the nose. During the session, passively observe your breath without trying to do anything with it. Despite the outward simplicity of this instruction, at first it is difficult to follow it. For example, sometimes there is a temptation to lengthen the exhalation or pause after it, due to the fact that on the exhalation, relaxation and peace are deeper. The retribution for this follows immediately - the oxygen debt that has arisen inevitably entails a deep breath that breaks the relaxation you like so much.

It is best to observe the breath as if from the side. Observe every aspect of the breath: the movement of the air as you inhale and exhale, the cooling of the nostrils as you inhale, the movement of the abdomen in time with the breath.

Task number 8

Relax into one of the autogenic training poses and focus on calmness, heaviness, warmth and pulsation. Then, without ceasing to feel them, focus for a few seconds on any aspect of the breath. After that, exit the autogenic state.

As always when mastering a new exercise, gradually lengthen the time of concentration on breathing, remembering that you need to do the new exercise only as much as you are able to do it passively. The exercise is mastered if during the exercise the breathing is calm, lulling, accompanied by the impression that "breathing by itself."

During the lesson, the mastered exercises merge into one image: a calm, heavy and warm body mass, which is under the influence of two overlapping rhythms of breathing and pulsation.

Exercise "Solar plexus"

In the autogenous state, the activity of not only the organs of the chest cavity, but also the abdominal one is normalized. This is accompanied by a feeling of warmth in the abdomen. Therefore, passive concentration on real warmth in the abdomen, or more precisely, in the area of ​​the solar plexus, normalizes the activity of the abdominal organs.

The solar plexus is a collection nerve plexuses that control the activity of the abdominal organs. It is located on the back wall of the abdominal cavity, behind the stomach, midway between the lower edge of the sternum and the navel.

Before that, you learned to passively concentrate on your body heat. Now you have to learn to focus on the warmth in the solar plexus area. Some difficulty is that in our minds the stomach, the solar plexus are not as clearly represented as the head and hands. You can make up for this by determining the projection of the solar plexus on the skin of the abdomen and rubbing this place clockwise.

Task number 9

Relax into one of the workout poses and focus on calmness, heaviness, warmth, pulsation, and breathing. Then, without ceasing to feel them, focus on the warmth deep in the upper abdomen. After a few seconds of concentration, exit. In the future, the time of concentration on the warmth of the solar plexus will be lengthened, as it was with the previous exercises.

The development of this exercise can be helped by imagining during the lesson, as if on exhalation, heat passes into the stomach.

Warning. If you have any diseases of the abdominal organs, consult your doctor before mastering this exercise. Exercise is contraindicated in acute inflammatory processes in the peritoneal cavity (appendicitis, peritonitis, pancreatitis), bleeding, tumors, women during menstruation. Suffering from diabetes, you need to understand that this exercise can activate the activity of the pancreas. Controlling sugar levels can reveal a decrease in the need for insulin.

The exercise is mastered if during the exercises you feel that the stomach is warmed up by pleasant deep warmth.

Exercise "Cool forehead"

In an autogenous state, blood flow to the head decreases. This is accompanied by a feeling of coolness in the forehead.

Passive concentration on the coolness of the forehead reduces the flow of blood to the head, the excess of which causes headaches. Performing the “coolness of the forehead” exercise allows you to increase mental performance, relieve mental fatigue and headaches. The object of concentration of attention is the temperature contrast between the warmth of the body and the coolness of the surrounding air. The difference from the “warmth” exercise is that we are not concentrating on the warmth of the body, but on the coolness of the air in contact with the forehead.

At pre-workout try as often as possible to feel the coolness of the air on your forehead, the direction of air movement. You can feel the coolness especially clearly while walking, going down the stairs (climbing requires a lot of effort and makes it difficult to passive concentration), when leaving the room to the street.

Task number 10

Relax into one of the workout poses and focus on calmness, heaviness, warmth, pulsation, breathing, and warmth in the abdomen. Then, without ceasing to feel them, for a few seconds, focus on the coolness in the forehead. After that, exit the autogenic state.

In the future, lengthen the time of concentration on the coolness of the forehead. Do not try to feel a pronounced cold in the forehead - this can cause a spasm of the cerebral vessels, which will manifest itself as a headache. Coolness should be light.

The exercise is mastered if during the lesson you consistently feel a slight coolness of the forehead. With further training, coolness may spread to the temples, the root of the nose, the eye sockets, but this is not necessary.

Dynamics of the autogenic state

In autogenic training, you passively focus on calmness, the six standard exercises, and everything that happens to you. You should not try to change your state in any direction. Your body knows what state you need, and your passive attitude will allow the desired state to manifest. Two stages of the autogenous state can be distinguished:

1. passive stage. Calmness, relaxation, indifference to the environment increase, thinking slows down, while maintaining awareness of what is happening.
2. active stage. There is an increase in awareness. The student sharply perceives and experiences what is happening to him. Logical thinking stops, the perception of the environment is almost absent. Vivid experiences are possible: vivid visual images, suddenly formulated thoughts, liberation from the oppression of previously interfering experiences.

After leaving active phase In the autogenous state, there is a surge of strength, a desire to realize the experiences that took place during the lesson. In this regard, classes before bedtime should be short in order to prevent the transition to the active stage of the autogenic state - this can make it difficult to sleep. Having worked out a little in the passive stage of the autogenic state, one should stop following the instruction and allow the autogenic state to pass into sleep. There is no exit from the autogenic state at bedtime.

The autogenic state differs from the drowsy state by the presence of constant awareness of everything that happens to us. Therefore, interaction with awareness allows you to regulate your state. By strengthening awareness, we remain in an autogenous state, preventing its transition into a dream. By allowing awareness to fade, we allow the autogenic state to pass into the drowsy state and then into sleep.

Autogenic modification

Autogenic modification - a change in one's state and behavior in an autogenic state.

Before engaging in autogenic modification, you should make a list of the tasks that you want to solve with autogenic training and rank them according to the degree of difficulty for you. Start with the easiest one.

Describe a picture of the state that interferes with the achievement of the goal. Pay attention to its emotional, intellectual (thinking) and bodily components.

For example, the successful passing of exams is hindered by timidity, accompanied by tension, a feeling of chill along the spine and thoughts like: “Well, that's it! I won't give up!"

Create a complex positive image, the opposite of the above. In this case, the image may be as follows: calmness, warmth along the spine and the thought: “I am confident in myself” or, in short, “I am confident.”

It is also good to analyze your state in those cases when you managed to overcome this difficulty, and supplement it with elements of a complex positive image.

Self-hypnosis formulas must meet the following requirements:

• brevity. We do not think in long extended sentences, so a short phrase will be better imprinted on our consciousness. For example, the formula: "Calm" is better than "I am calm and confident in all situations."
• Positivity. The formula must affirm, not deny. For example, the formula: "I'm not afraid of exams" can increase fear. Formulas should be applied: “I’m sure”, “I remember everything”, etc.
• Individuality. The formula is made just for you, it doesn't have to satisfy everyone. Remember how in difficult times a phrase that only you understood helped you. If you have previously helped, for example, the word: “Everything!” in overcoming the craving for smoking, you can safely use it for autogenic modification, although it may seem pointless to another person.

Task number 11

Make a table. In the first column of it, place the tasks before you, starting with the simplest and ending with the most difficult. In the second column, write down the conditions that prevent each task from being achieved. In the third column, place a complex positive image for each situation. Consult with your class leader. In the autogenic state, in conjunction with the six standard exercises, contemplate a complex positive image of the easiest task. Once you have completed this task, you can move on to the next one. Example:

The fight against pain is carried out in a similar way. A complex positive image includes coolness or warmth in the area that needs to be anesthetized (specified by the doctor) and formulas about the insensitivity, strangeness or absence of this area. For example, a complex positive image for a tooth extraction: calmness, a huge relaxing heaviness in the whole body, coldness in the lower half of the face, as if you were lying face down in the snow, and as a result, the lower part of the face became insensitive, the formula: "The lower part of the face is alien" or just "Alien" when directing attention to the lower part of the face.

In the event that a certain situation causes difficulties for you, for example, fear of riding in transport, fear of heights, fear of public speaking, you can use the contemplation of these situations against the background of an autogenic state. The systematic combination of the image of this situation with calmness will lead to the fact that in a real situation you will feel calm. This method, called systematic desensitization by Joseph Wolp (USA), can be combined with the application of a complex positive image.

In the autogenic state, motor skills can be obtained and improved. In the autogenic state, you can repeatedly repeat in your imagination the actions that need to be learned or improved.

For this you need:

1. Precisely think over the movements that should be learned.
2. During autogenic training, not only visualize the action being performed, but also feel it, “imagine” it with your muscles, “pass” it through yourself.
3. Mentally pronounce to yourself the actions performed in parallel with the performed action or before it.
4. Starting to learn the movements, imagine its performance in slow motion, then, as you master it, the pace of its presentation accelerates to the real one.
5. At the beginning of mastering a motor skill, it is better to mentally imagine it in a pose close to the actual position of the body during the performance of this action. In the future, this work can be continued in classical postures for autogenic training.
6. As you master a motor skill, you can include real movements or allow them to manifest.
7. When imagining movement, dissolve in it, do not think about the final result.

More details about the use of ideomotor images can be found in the book by A. V. Alekseev “Overcoming Yourself”.

The highest level of autogenic training

The highest level of autogenic training (autogenic meditation) allows, operating with visual images, using figurative thinking, to work on deep psychological problems pushed into the unconscious by conflicts, to better understand oneself. Signs of readiness for work at the highest level are:

• visual images spontaneously arising during classes;
• vivid, memorable dreams, accompanied by a premonition of the meaning contained in them and a desire to understand it.

Preparation for the highest level consists in training to lengthen the time spent in the autogenous state and to gradually introduce external interference. This is necessary so that the flow of visual images is not interrupted due to the inability to stay in the autogenous state for a long time and is not distorted under the influence of external interference.

More information about working with visual images can be found in the book by G. Eberlein “Fears of Healthy Children”.

Work at the highest level of autogenic training must be carried out under the guidance of an experienced psychotherapist familiar with this method.

Autogenic training and music

Any use of extraneous speech and music violates the principle of training autogenicity and turns the session into a veiled hypnosis session. This makes a person dependent on outside help.

You can use music before classes to create a mood, for a better feeling of what peace and contemplation are. This can be useful for active, energetic people who have little experience in contemplation.

To do this, you can use, for example, the works of J. S. Bach:

• Organ mass, part 2, B 669-671 part 3, B 676 part 6, B 682 part 8, B 686 Schmider's "Bach - Werke - Verzeichnis".
• Choral prelude in E flat, V. 622 from the Organ Book.
• Choral Prelude, V.745.
• Prelude and Fugue in G minor, V. 558. 5 Suite for Orchestra No. 3 in D major, V. 1068, movement 2 (aria).

Autogenic training in everyday life

It is easier to master autogenic training than to apply it regularly in the future. Try to organically “fit” autogenic training into your everyday life. Remember that active reluctance to exercise occurs if there is no need for rest. “Catch” the moments when fatigue begins to accumulate, and the activity will be desirable. On the other hand, do not bring yourself to overwork when the activity becomes impossible due to a deterioration in the ability to concentrate. And, most importantly, often remind yourself that the autogenic state is not something inaccessible, that it arises by itself in everyone who creates the conditions for its occurrence.

Popular Literature

1. Alekseev A.V. To overcome oneself
2. Belyaev G. S., Lobzin V. S., Kopylova I. A. Psychohygienic self-regulation
3. Virah A. Victory over insomnia
4. Levi V. L. The art of being yourself
5. Lindemann X. Autogenic training
6. Pakhomov Yu. V. Entertaining auto-training. - In the book: Tseng N.V., Pakhomov Yu.V. Psychotraining. Games and exercises
7. Schultz I. G. Autogenic training
8. Eberlein G. Fears of healthy children

Literature for instructors

1. Petrov N. N. Autogenic training as a method for correcting violations of intra-family relations. In the collection: Family and personality formation (edited by A. A. Bodalev)
2. Lobzin V. S. Autogenic training
3. Khramelashvili V. V., Lebedev V. B. Psychological problems in the clinic cardiovascular diseases: non-drug methods of intervention in coronary heart disease. Review
4. Everly J., Rosenfeld R. Stress: nature and treatment
5. Benson H. Relaxation response

Each person has the skills to individually program himself to achieve a specific goal. Some of the people manage to independently immerse themselves in a hypnotic state, through special breathing techniques. Being in a trance, a person gets the opportunity to control various physiological processes occurring in the body. The technique of autogenic training is based precisely on the ability of an individual to plunge into a trance state to relieve tension, restore strength or replenish an energy charge. Let's look at what auto-training is in psychology and what this technique is used for.

Auto-training (or autogenic training), in fact, is a mild form of hypnosis that a person applies to himself without outside interference.

Autogenic training is one of the methods of dealing with stress and replenishing the energy resources of the body. The auto-training technique was developed by the German psychotherapist Johann Heinrich Schultz. Based on his scientific research, this scientist conducted various experiments related to immersion in hypnosis. The work carried out made it possible to reveal that being in a state of trance, a person experiences special sensations. Feeling of heaviness in muscle tissues means the relaxation of the muscular corset, and the feeling of warmth spreading through the body promotes blood flow to the surface of the skin. Schultz's teachings are based on special techniques that allow you to achieve the activation of the above feelings that contribute to complete relaxation organism.

Initially, autogenic training according to Schultz meant the use of this practice for the treatment of neurotic disorders. However, over the course of several decades, the technique gained such high popularity that it began to be used in other areas. Today, such practices are used to gain control over the physical or emotional state. positive impact auto-training is explained by an increase in the tone of certain departments located in the autonomic nervous system. Trophotropic reactions help to reduce the influence of stress factors on the psycho-emotional balance.

The purpose of auto-training

One of the primary tasks of using autogenic training is to replenish the body's energy resources, which are used in the fight against stress factors. Auto-training is a kind of synthesis of yoga and hypnosis. Using such methods, you can restore balance in the body, by achieving calmness and getting rid of stress. There are several similarities between auto-training and therapeutic hypnosis. The main difference between these methods is that with autogenic training, a person has the opportunity to take an active part in the process.

This psychotherapeutic practice has a positive effect on both mental and physical health person. In order to achieve a lasting effect, you should pay attention to certain nuances.. These nuances include:

1. The presence of a strong motivation that makes a person achieve the intended goal.
2. The ability for complete self-control is an important component of this teaching.
3. During exercise, a person should be in a comfortable position.
4. During training, it is very important to concentrate on internal sensations, creating the necessary conditions to minimize the influence of environmental stimuli.

The auto-training technique was developed by the German Johann Schulz

This practice is recommended for people with disorders in the functioning of the nervous system. realities modern world lead to the fact that a person is faced daily with various stress factors that increase the feeling of anxiety and fatigue. The founder of autogenic training said that his technique helps people adequately relate to external irritating factors. Forcing the body to rest and relaxing the mind allows not only to positively assess the events taking place, but also to find a way out of conflict situations.

Regular auto-training sessions allow you to learn how to control your own emotions that have a negative connotation.

After immersion in a state of hypnosis, a person gets the opportunity to control the heartbeat, respiratory rhythm and the degree of muscle tissue tension. It has been scientifically proven that a session of such training helps to reduce cholesterol levels. Many experts recommend learning such practices to patients suffering from sleep disorders, blood pressure problems and migraine attacks. The relaxation of consciousness contributes to the activation of alpha waves, which help the body cope with various diseases.

Description of the technique

The Schultz relaxation technique, called autogenic training, is recommended not only for people with various mental disorders, but also for healthy people. Regular use of such training helps to strengthen physical and psychological health. Auto-training is one of the most affordable methods to eliminate depression and negative thoughts. During the session, you can feel a slight pulsation in the body. By focusing all your attention on this feeling, you can increase the effectiveness of relaxation several times over. Experts in this field say that during the first sessions, only a slight concentration of attention on the pulsating points is sufficient.

Like physical training, auto-trainings have their own nuances. There are several specific stages of learning this method. At the initial stage, a person must learn how to properly relax his own body in certain poses. There are several methods for teaching these skills. Next, a person must learn to use specific visualizations in order to get the body to perform its tasks. People who practice autogenic training for a long time can tune in to a short sleep, which will fill them with strength and calmness. The key point in this practice is to get out of the trance state.

Auto-training training helps to correct some traits of a person’s character, rid him of bad habits, cope with psychological disorders

Since such training affects various aspects of psychological health, only specialists should learn auto-training methods. At the initial stages, during the exercise, a person must use various texts for self-hypnosis, which have a certain semantic load. There are many different training formulas that differ in the objects of action:

1. Neutralizing action– aimed at reducing exposure to external stimuli.
2. Developmental action- is aimed at activating hidden processes that enhance brain activity.
3. Withdrawal-directed action- reduces dependence on certain irritating factors.
4. Supportive action- aimed at activating the manifestation of positive personality traits.
5. Contradictory action- feedback effect.

Performing autogenic exercises

The implementation of the technique of deep immersion in a state of hypnosis requires additional assistance from a specialist. An individual can conduct short autogenic trainings on his own, having completed a course of immersion in a trance. The choice of a place for an auto-training session is very important.. It is necessary to select a place based on the degree of its consecration and sound insulation. In order to quickly enter a trance state, you should completely abandon external stimuli and allow your body to relax. You should also take care of adopting a comfortable body position in which you can comfortably spend at least twenty minutes.

Hannes Lindemann, who is one of the orthodox followers of Schultz's teachings, in his scientific works, says that the effect of auto-training can only be achieved by relaxing your own body as much as possible. Regular workouts will help you learn to control your body and relieve muscle tension within a few minutes. Only by learning such control can a smooth transition to the visualization method be made. The average duration of training is from ten to forty minutes. According to Lindemann, it is best to use short exercises(for ten minutes) several times during the day.

It is forbidden to carry out autogenic training while in a state of increased stress, since there is a danger of harm to the body. Realize muscle relaxation follows smoothly, measuredly moving from stage to stage.

There are various methods of conducting auto-training. Let's look at the most comfortable body positions for exercising. One of the most comfortable positions is lying on your back. Having taken comfortable posture you should spread your legs and put your hands along the body, palms up. If a slight discomfort is felt in such a position, pillows should be placed under the limbs.

Auto-training is indicated in the treatment of neurosis, functional disorders and psychosomatic diseases, primarily in neurasthenia.

Immerse yourself in a trance state more comfortably while sitting in a chair. The chair should have a high back that will support the head and neck in the correct position. It is best to take those positions that will allow you to fully straighten the spine. Hands should be placed on the armrests or knees.

Instead of a chair, you can use a chair without a back. Using a stool, you need to sit on the edge of the seat, resting your hands on your hips. The limbs and head should be kept loose, without much tension. While in this position, you should spread your legs shoulder-width apart, and press your chin to your chest.

Only after you begin to feel confident in such poses, you can begin the dive itself in a state of hypnosis. Using the technique of verbal self-suggestion, each of the statements should be repeated several times. Having doubts in your own words can destroy the whole effect of training. It is important to pay attention to the fact that certain suggestions and concentration of attention are characteristic of each stage of training:

1. At the first stage, you should focus on the feeling of heaviness in the lower or upper limbs. The concentration of attention should be carried out on the limb where the feeling of heaviness is felt stronger.
2. After that, you should try to cause a feeling of warmth. It is best to start this stage from those parts of the body where heaviness is felt.
3. Next, you need to focus on heat in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe heart muscle.
4. Then you should go to the respiratory organs. Try to feel how the air moves along the lungs. Learn to feel the brightness of each exhalation and inhalation.
5. After that, you need to focus on the feeling of warmth in the solar plexus and abdominal cavity.
6. Before coming out of a trance, you should focus on the feeling of coolness in the forehead.

Additional Incentives

Alexander Ivanovich Frolov, who developed his own health system, says that you can increase the effectiveness of training by visualizing pleasant pictures. Relaxing pictures generated by the imagination should be smoothly moved from consciousness to body. For each person, such paintings should have individual features. For some, the view of the sea surface helps to relax, while for others the pictures of a snow-covered forest. It is important that the presented picture has liveliness. It should be imagined that at this moment, you are inside it. Try to use your senses to see bright colors, smell different smells, and hear sounds.

Autotraining is widely used as an active method of psychotherapy, psychoprophylaxis and psychohygiene.

Contraindications

Many people suffering from depressive and neurotic disorders often experience insomnia. Autogenic training can be a great sleep aid. However, like many methods of psychotherapeutic influence, there are certain limitations. Experts do not recommend engaging in these practices during exacerbation of various diseases, vegetative crises and bouts of clouding of consciousness.

Many somatic diseases that have an acute form of severity are the main contraindication to autogenic training. It is recommended to use this method of influencing the body and spirit in the presence of emotional exhaustion caused by various phobias, stress or depression.