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Relaxation therapies have received increasing attention by researchers in recent years. Autogenic visualization was developed by german psychiatrist Johannes Schultz in 1932. Autogenic training is a natural technique which has been shown to have positive health benefits in those suffering from a variety of conditions including tension headaches, back pain, menopause, bulimia nervosa, stress and anxiety. Psychologists promoting the use of autogenic training suggest that it increases the neurosteroid hormone dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), which may lead to improved mood and relief from depression (Wolkowitz, Reus, and Keebler, 1999; Schmidt, Daly, Bloch, et al., 2005), reduce fatigue and improve overall quality of life.

Autogenics involves getting into a comfortable position while performing a series of visualizations which assist the body in creating a state of heaviness and warmth thereby inducing relaxation. Sessions last aproximately 15 minutes and should be practiced frequently in order to master the technique.

An autogenic session is typically started with a series of breathing exercises. It is then followed by a series of visualizations:

• Heaviness (of each arm, both arms, each leg, both legs, both arms and legs)
  • My right arm is feeling heavy (repeat 6 times)
  • My right arm is getting heavier (repeat 6 times)
  • My right arm is heavy (repeat 6 times)
  • I feel calm
• Warmth (of each arm, both arms, each leg, both legs, both arms and legs)
  • My right arm is feeling warm (repeat 6 times)
  • My right arm is getting warmer (repeat 6 times)
  • My right arm is warm (repeat 6 times)
  • I feel calm

Eventually the participant incorporates warming and calming the heart, breathing, and seeing the stomach as soft and warm. A session eventually ends with visualizing the forehead as becoming cool and calm. As each step is mastered, the phases of autogenics become automatic and the participant is able to experience an increased feeling of relaxation.

While autogenics is simple and easy to learn, true mastery comes with daily practice.

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References:

Wolkowitz, OM., Reus, VI., Keebler, A. et al (1999). “Double-blind treatment of major depression with dehydroepiandrosterone”. The American journal of psychiatry 156 (4): 646-9. PMID 10200751.

Schmidt, PJ., Daly, RC., Bloch, M., et al (2005). “Dehydroepiandrosterone monotherapy in midlife-onset major and minor depression”. Arch. Gen. Psychiatry 62 (2): 154-62. DOI:10.1001/archpsyc.62.2.154. PMID 15699292.

If I asked your closest friend which of the following words would describe you best, what would they choose? Are you a humanbeing first, or a humandoing?

This may be a painful question to ask a typical high achieving, go getting, doer, type A personality.  In fact, it may bring up some frustration, anger or even avoidance.

What matter’s most is not what someone else thinks, but how fulfilled you feel with the life you’ve chosen for yourself.

Do you enjoy being busy, productive, and living a life filled with accomplishments? If so, then congratulations on living your life on purpose.

On the other hand, if you are like many of those that find their way into my practice, the truth lies closer to “I’m just tired of it all. I feel like I’m running faster than I have strength all the time.” Many are too busy to even analyze why they are so busy. They’ve grown accustomed to, and even take pride in, their amazing ability to “get things done.” They find themselves stuck in a ”humandoing” world. The more competent they become, the more they are asked to take on. The more they take on, the more fatigued, worn out, and exhausted they feel.  High productivity is frequently reinforced by co-workers, partners, friends and even family members who have much to gain from the productive behavior.

If you were to ask many of these people what they wished they had more of, the word most frequently share may be “balance.” They’d like feel productive but fulfilled in their personal and professional lives. 

Since high acheivers derive much of their self-worth from what they do versus who they are, the thought of change can be frightening.

Who am I if I don’t perform to other’s expectations?

Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that we are first and foremost human beings, endowed with unique qualities and gifts worthy of esteem, admiration, and respect. Regardless of what we get done, or let slip  by for a wiser purpose, our lives have meaning and purpose merely because we exist.

For those that wish to shed their image as a human doer, the first step is to honor that part of you that desires change. You’re feeling stressed, burned out and fatigued for a reason. Listen to your inner voice. Trust your intuition. It’s right more often than you might suspect.

Ask yourself this question next time you feel like you are taking on too much . . .

“If I say yes to this, what am I saying no to?”

I grew up with a father who loved the great outdoors. He passed on this gift to me and it has become a source of strength and guidance throughout my life. Connecting with nature reminds me of the Walt Whitman quote, “With every leaf a miracle.” To make a statement like this, one would need to be observant of life in all it’s magnificence.

When is the last time you took a pause and reconnected with nature? Do you find yourself anxiously engaged in so many projects that there is no time to sit on the grass and feel the texture against your skin? Do you recall that sense of awe and wonder experienced the first time you scooped up sand in your hand and let it sprinkle from your palm? 

What will you pause and notice today?