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1: Overview of Autogenic Therapy
Autogenic Therapy is a powerful and comprehensive therapeutic system encompassing both mind and body. AT teaches skills enabling clients to utilise their own capacity for self-healing and self-development. The core of AT is a training course during which clients learn a series of simple exercises in body awareness and relaxation designed to switch off the stress-related 'fight and flight' system of the body and switch on the 'rest, relaxation and recreation' system. During training the client has the opportunity to learn and experience passive concentration, a state of alert but detached awareness that enables the trainee to break through the vicious circle of excessive stress, whatever its origins. Once learnt, these techniques form a lifelong skill that can become part of a health-promoting lifestyle. They require no special clothing or difficult postures. Addressing the symptoms of stress and other disorders Scientific studies have shown AT to be a potent tool in preventative medicine, and an effective antidote to stress-related disorders of many kinds. It can relieve tension and insomnia, lessen anxiety and examination nerves, and help with a wide range of 'mind made' disorders. Recent research has shown a reduction in heart attack risks such as high blood pressure and blood cholesterol. AT has been used by people of all walks of life to enhance healing, performance and creativity. It has been taught to international sports men and women to enhance performance, to airline pilots and crew to combat jet lag and fatigue, and in the business environment to optimise performance and concentration and reduce stress. It has even been used to help astronauts make the necessary environmental adjustments in space travel. What are the main benefits of AT? Autogenic Therapy, as a stand-alone treatment can: • Help people switch from stress to relaxation at will • Reduce or eliminate anxiety and panic attacks • Increase confidence and self-esteem • Significantly improve sleep quality • Reduce the incidence of mild to moderate depression • Offer a tool for self-empowerment and feeling more in control • Increase concentration and focus AT is your own portable treatment. You can practice AT almost anywhere — in an ordinary chair or lying down. You don't need special clothes or equipment and you can practice in your home or in a busy office, airport or train. top of page previous article next article |
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