At Stress Free Norwich, Sandra Ballester will help you learn how to use the Autogenic Technique so that you have a life-long method for reducing your own stress.

What is the Autogenic Technique?

• It’s a very powerful stress management technique
• It has the same benefits as meditation, but is not associated with any religion
• It’s a set of mental exercises that can be done almost anywhere, either sitting or lying down with eyes closed
• It’s easy to learn over about 10 weeks
• Once learned, it’s your skill for life
• It equips you to deal with your stress completely independently – you don’t need to keep coming back for more sessions after you’ve learned it
• It’s very effective against anxiety, depression and stress-related illnesses
• Millions of ordinary people use it all over the world to protect their health

‘Autogenic’ means ‘self-generated’, meaning that you do not need any special equipment to do the exercises and once you have learned the technique you are entirely independent to practise it on your own. It is your personal stress-management skill. After the initial training, you can tailor the technique to suit your own needs.

British Autogenic Society

The British Autogenic Society is the governing body for all Autogenic Therapists in the UK. Click HERE for the British Autogenic Society website.

Who invented Autogenic Technique, and when?

It was created in Vienna around 100 years ago by the psychiatrist and neurologist Dr Johannes Schultz. He was a contemporary of Freud and also worked closely with Oscar Vogt, who pioneered the development of hypnosis. Schultz created a series of exercises that gave patients the same deeply relaxing, beneficial effects of hypnosis but without putting them into a hypnotic trance. These exercises were refined and eventually became what is now known as the Autogenic Technique.

Dr Wolfgang Luthe initially became a student of Shultz in the 1940s. He worked closely with him and then developed the technique further at the University of Montreal as Assistant Professor of Psychophysiology. Shultz and Luthe together published several volumes of works on Autogenic Therapy, which serve as the basic text for all teachers of the technique today.

Who should learn it?

• Anyone can learn it aged 10 upwards
• French doctors teach it to their patients and it is routinely taught in German secondary schools
• Japanese companies teach it to their workers to boost productivity and reduce absenteeism
• Businessmen, Olympic athletes, soldiers, office workers, housewives, the elderly, teenagers and children have all learned it
• People currently suffering from stress or stress-related illness can benefit greatly from the technique
• People who are not currently stressed but want to protect themselves from possible future stress and boost their creativity and energy

Who should not learn it?

• Anyone with very severe depression or currently feeling suicidal
• Anyone undergoing massive life changes just now
• Anyone currently suffering from an active psychosis unless it is controlled with medication
• People with glaucoma, diabetes and epilepsy can learn the technique but should inform their teacher first about their medical condition
• Anyone currently having hypnotherapy or learning self-hypnosis

But the Autogenic Technique is not just for stress!

Studies have shown that the Autogenic Technique increases the activity in the corpus callosum, which is the link between the right and left sides of the brain. This harmonises the analytic and emotional sides of the brain, which in turn encourages lateral thinking and creativity. Artists and musicians often report enhanced creativity from using the technique. The Autogenic Technique is used to improve performance in education, art, music, sports and industry.

The Autogenic Technique works very well alongside counselling and psychotherapy because it allows the client to slowly get in touch with their deeper feelings, encourages a better perspective towards events and enables problems to be handled more constructively.