Autogenic Skill
We can develop Autogenic Skill that uses the mind - body connection to address a range of issues including chronic pain, sleep and stress-related disorders, blood pressure control, and even motion sickness during space flight without drugs and their side-effects. Although largely unknown in America, Autogenic Training (AT) has been used for almost one hundred years, is part of the mainstream medical system in Germany and widely used in Japan, is practiced by world-class athletes and other top performers, and even employed by NASA to train astronauts.
WARNING: This zZense folio is not intended as medical advice and should not be so used. Autogenic Training is not a panacea and if used for medical purposes should be part of a comprehensive program of treatment modalities. Consult a professional for advice.
This Autogenic Skill is one of the Mentomic Skills for mastery over autonomic functions. Once proficient, we can use this Skill to enter an Autogenic State of mind and body in just a few minutes. This replicates deep sleep and activates the body's natural repair and regeneration capability. Further, the Autogenic State is sometimes called a self-hypnotic state because it enables the body to be receptive to simple verbal formulas for correcting a specific condition or behavior.
Applications
Drs. Friedhelm Stetter and Sirko Kupper performed a 2002 meta-analysis of 60 different studies of AT clinical outcomes (available here). They found medium to large disease-specific AT effect sizes for pre–post comparisons, and positive effects, for mild-to-moderate essential hypertension (ie, high blood pressure), coronary heart disease, asthma bronchiale, somatoform pain disorder (unspecified type, eg chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia), Raynaud’s disease, anxiety disorders, tension headache/migraine, mild-to-moderate depression/dysthymia, and functional sleep disorders.
The Autogenic State and Its Benefits
The Autogenic State is a deep resting that balances the sympathetic (fight or flight) and parasympathetic (rest and digest) branches of the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS). Consistent practice diminishes insomnia and increases natural deep night-time sleep. The body's natural repair and recuperation mechanisms are activated.
It is natural that we assume autonomic functions like blood pressure, digestion, or insomnia are automatic -- frustratingly beyond our control. It's as if they just happen to us. Fortunately the reality of the mind-body connection enables AT to provides us with control.
If we have a chronic condition, there is a sense of having no control, of learned hopelessness about the continuing symptoms with no end in sight. One of the Autogenic Skill's greatest benefits is that, once mastered, its therapeutic effects can be summoned quickly and easily. Having such a weapon to effectively combat our condition, a new sense of control, an Optimism Skill, begins to evolve and bring about other positive physiological, psychological, and interpersonal changes.
For many of us, it is very attractive to have an alternative that can reduce or eliminate drugs and their cascade of side effects. This alternative is all the more attractive because it is created by our own efforts rather than paying the drug industry.
Continuing in this vein, the self-hypnotic nature of the Autogenic State enables us to employ specific verbal formulas for addressing particular conditions or behaviors. This enables us to customize the skill to our own personal situation and desires.
How to Do It -- Autogenic Training Phases
The basics of Autogenic Training are simple, flexible and require no equipment. Any of us can master the skill if we commit to the required discipline of regular practice (2 ~ 3 times / day, 10 ~ 20 minutes each). The basics are
- Find a place free from bright lights, noises and interruptions.
- Sit comfortably sit in a chair, reclined armchair, or lie face-up.
- Silently repeat a set of verbal formulas (ie, simple phrases) while passively concentrating on a targeted region of the body.
- The verbal formulas are specific to the phase of training.
- Begin with the first phase. Move on to the next only after mastering the previous (typically a few days ~ couple weeks).
- Each time moving on, incorporate a summary or shortened form of the phases learned so far and add on the new one.
According to Dr. Schultz, the original developer of AT, there are 6 standard training phases.
- Heaviness. Relaxation of major muscles with formulas like "My right arm is heavy".
- Warmth. This is more than it may seem, with formulas like "My right arm is warm".
- Heart. Formulas like "My heartbeat is calm and steady."
- Breathing. Formulas like "It breathes me."
- Abdominal Warmth. Improved circulation to abdominal organs with formulas like "My solar plexus is warm."
- Forehead coolness. The opposite of being a "hot head". Formulas like "My forehead is cool."
Various practitioners have developed many variations.
Passive concentration is an important part of AT. One way to do this is to visualize the targeted region of our body, eg, our arm. "Passive" means that we are non-judgmental. We don't actively try to force heaviness or warmth. Having enhanced the connection from mind to this body region by concentration, we simply recite the formula and our autonomic system does the rest.
One AT challenge is that we become very relaxed while training and it's too easy to fall asleep. Passive concentration helps us to remain awake.
Here are just a few of the many tools for Autogenic Training.
- This link has general information and specific formulas, including a respiration warm up.
- Here is what WebMD has to say.
- Buy an Android app which audibly guides you through training sessions with pleasant voices and background music, for a nominal fee at the Play Store.
- See the More Information section below.
AT Hand Warming and Blood Pressure
Cortisol is a hormone created by the adrenal gland and released in response to stress. High cortisol levels have been linked to a number of negative health effects. Sometimes called the fight or flight response, one effect is to restrict blood vessels in the body's extremities. Naturally, because there is less blood flowing from the core to warm the hands and feet, they become cold. And this flow restriction increases blood pressure.
Now we see the amazing benefits of the Autogenic Training "warmth" phase. Of course, we are creating a pleasant warm feeling. By the way, this is more than just a feeling. The increased warmth is real and can be measured by thermometer!
Importantly, we are actually dilating blood vessels to increase blood flow to the extremities. This supply of blood brings with it the body's natural repair and rejuvenation mechanisms. It also decreases blood pressure.
Scope of Training Commitment
Successful Autogenic Training is free and anyone can do it. However, it requires discipline to practice consistently. Every day a little bit for a few months, adding up to perhaps 60 hours or so. Practicing such discipline is not always easy, and that challenge is valuable in itself.
NASA and AFTE for Astronaut Training
NASA researchers adapted Autogenic Training together with biofeedback into a technology they call AFTE, meaning Autogenic Feedback Training Experiment / Exercise. They found that AFTE enabled astronauts to overcome space motion sickness better than the predominant drug, promethazine. This is an important result because the Physicians Desk Reference cautions that "Promethazine may impair the mental and or physical abilities required for the performance of potentially hazardous tasks..."
NASA astronauts are very tightly scheduled making every minute count. Accordingly the incorporation of biofeedback provides real time guidance to the astronaut trainees enabling them to become proficient in AFTE skills in only 6 hours over a 3 week period.
An early technical paper described AFTE and astronaut results, and also a more recent one. You can find many others online. Figure 11 of the latter paper shows an astronaut using Autogenic Skill to increase or decrease Systolic Blood Pressure by almost 20 points at will after only partial training.
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For More Information
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Conclusion
Although little known in the United States, Autogenic Training has been widely used around the world and even by astronauts in space. It requires no equipment, is completely free and can be practiced anywhere. Developing our Autogenic Skill does require significant discipline. We may find the results well worth it.
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