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TRAINING
A PRACTICAL GUIDE IN SIX EASY
STEPS
BY
KARL HANS WELZ
Copyright 1991 by Karl Hans Welz.
All rights reserved. No part of this
book may be reproduced in any forms
or by any means, electronic or me-
chanical, including photocopying,
recording, or by any information stor-
age and retrieval system, without
prior permission in writing from the
author.
Published by HSCTI
P.O. Box 1298
Woodstock, GA 30188
AUTOGENIC TRAINING autogenic Training is that almost any-
body except young
children can learn it by just reading a
Autogenic Training has been de- how-to guide book as this one. It is bet-
veloped by Dr. Schultz who published ter, however, to practice with a group.
the first book on the subject in 1932.
Dr. Schultz recognized that during hyp- More important, Autogenic Train-
nosis the subject experiences various ing can be mastered in a relatively short
feelings such as warmth and heaviness. period of time. Most people become pro-
He went on to teach practices to self in- ficient in it in a matter of a few weeks by
duce these feelings and, consequently, practicing two or three times daily for
hypnotic states. From this self induc- five to ten minutes.
tion practice comes the name, Autoge-
nic Training. Auto-genic means self cre- To practice Autogenic Training you
ated. need no tolls, paraphernalia, gurus, or
physical exertion. It is self-generated in
Schultz, who was a physician, said your mind.
that in its practical application, Autoge-
nic Training is a system of very specific Methods related to autogenic
auto suggestive formulas to relax ten- Training are Coueism ("day by day I am
sions and to alleviate psychosomatic dis- better and better"), progressive relax-
turbances, including many cases of in- ation, Zen, and Yoga. Autogenic Train-
somnia, overweight, inability to concen- ing has more in common with Yoga than
trate, high blood pressure, constipation, with progressive relaxation.
skin problems, etc.
Dr. Schultz developed Autogenic
You can also use Autogenic Train- Training in the first quarter of this cen-
ing to create a receptive basis for very tury. He was drawing mainly from hyp-
specific formulaized resolutions. These nosis and yoga. His first book, "Autoge-
resolutions can be a decisive help in solv- nic Training, Concentrative Self Relax-
ing many of your problems and in assist- ation," appeared first in 1932.
ing you in many of your endeavors.
The basic practice of Autogenic
The practice of Autogenic Train- Training consists of seven formulas that
ing causes a state of relaxation so deep you repeat in a
that fifteen specific pattern:
minutes of training can make up for a
sleepless night. I am completely calm (once)
My right arm is heavy (six times)
Autogenic Training has been used I am completely calm (once)
successfully in Europe by thousands of My right arm is warm (six times)
people in every walk of life for more than I am completely calm (once)
half a century. In Europe, Autogenic My heart beats calmly and regu-
Training is taught mostly in doctors' of- larly (six times)
fices, in hospitals, and in universities. I am completely calm (once)
My breathing is calm and regular
One of the great advantages of ... it breathes me (six times)
I am completely calm (once) physiological conditions of hypnosis.
My abdomen is flowingly warm (six Once you have induced the physiologi-
times) cal conditions of hypnosis, the psycho-
I am completely calm (once) logical conditions of this state follow
My forehead is pleasantly cool (six naturally!
times)
I am completely calm (once) Autogenic Training actually leads
to deeper and more workable states of
You may then proceed with consciousness than most modern day
formulaized resolutions that you repeat hypnotists achieve in their subjects. This
between ten and is so because most professional hypno-
thirty times. Such formulas are very ef- tists use progressive relaxation as an in-
fective, because you repeat them during duction method that brings their clients
an altered state of consciousness. into a mere hypnoid state rather than a
hypnosis. Usually they lack the skill to
You end the session by cancelling lead their subjects into deeper levels of
out the effects of Autogenic Training with hypnosis. Hypnoid states of conscious-
the following formula: ness lack the depth that is needed to
bring about significant change in the
Arms firm, breathe deeply, and subject.
open eyes.
In Autogenic Training the practi-
In the following chapters you will tioner repeats formulaized resolutions
find a more detailed introduction in the instead of the
various stages of Autogenic Training. positive suggestions that the hypnotist
usually gives. The practitioner of Auto-
genic Training needs to be careful to for-
mulate the resolutions correctly. The
AND HYPNOSIS
quite literally.
OF THE EXERCISES
of the hands rest next to the thighs or
slightly angled away from the body. You
may put a pillow under the shoulders.
You should practice any relaxation The feet should point slightly outward.
exercise in a relaxed position. Any re- If they point upward, this means that
laxed position will do. Sometimes it is you are not relaxed. Not everyone finds
necessary to adjust to circumstances. it easy to practice while lying on the back.
A traditional position for the prac- When you decide to practice be-
tice of Autogenic Training is the so-called fore you are going to sleep this last posi-
cabdriver's tion is idea, because you may slide into
position. Dr. Schultz called this posi- sleep while training.
tion originally the 'coachman's position.'
When you end your practice, you The first training formula that you
need to undo these changes. To undo use is:
these changes
you need to cancel them. Even if you My right arm is very heavy
have felt nothing it is good to undo. This
is so because sometimes the formulas Left handed people will do well to
may induce delayed reactions. You can- use their left arm because they can re-
cel by following the instructions that Dr. late better to it. Their formula is there-
Schultz has given: fore: "My left arm is very heavy."
Say: "Arms firm, breathe deeply, You should repeat this training
open eyes." At the same time you may formula mentally. Do not speak it out.
stretch and Spoken formulas may interfere with the
bend your arms vigorously, then breathe exercise. When you are repeating the
deeply and open your eyes. Canceling formula in your mind, you should do so
will not work as well if you open your as intensely as you can. You may imag-
eyes before you relax your arm muscles ine it written before you or you may hear
again. If you open your eyes prior to can- someone speak the formula, or both. You
celling, some feeling of heaviness or may even imagine yourself writing the
some other sensation may persist in your formula onto a poster board.
It is important that you concen-
trate on the training formula. Your THE SECOND STEP:
imagination helps this concentration.
Should sudden ideas, thoughts, memo- INDUCING WARMTH
ries and the like appear, it is important
that you do not attach yourself to them The induction of a feeling of
and that you pay them not any atten- warmth is aimed at relaxing the blood
tion. Simply disregard them and keep vessels. You should practice it after you
focusing on the training formula that you have attained the feeling of heaviness.
keep repeating. Concentration will come If you could not attain the feeling of heavi-
with practice. ness after two weeks of practice, you may
also proceed with the warmth formula.
You should repeat the training for-
mula in your mind about six times. Then A feeling of warmth indicates that
you follow with 'I am completely calm,' the blood vessels have relaxed and di-
after which you follow with another six lated. The
times of 'my right arm is very heavy,' warmth practice will have results that
one time of 'I am completely calm,' and are superior to the results of the pro-
so on. gressive relaxation technique. Progres-
sive relaxation techniques are very much
Should any unpleasant feeling oc- the practice of choice in guided medita-
cur during the practice, you should stop tion practices as well as in some
it with the methods to induce hypnosis. States of
proper canceling technique. relaxation that you can achieve with Au-
togenic Training are considerably deeper
Repeat the heaviness practice five and much more thorough than what you
to six times when you practice for the can achieve with progressive relaxation
first time. You and related methods. The warmth prac-
may also practice until you actually feel tice of Autogenic Training will prove this
the heaviness. point to you beyond the shadow of any
doubt. Especially the practices that fol-
Usually the feeling of heaviness low will show you the tremendous con-
will come with the first practice. In some trol and power that you can achieve with
cases several the practice of Autogenic Training.
practice sessions are necessary to induce You induce the warmth as follows:
this feeling.
I am completely calm (once)
Do not proceed unless you have
mastered the heaviness practice. My right arm is very heavy (six
times)
I am completely calm (once)
My right arm is very warm
(six times)
I am completely calm (once)
My right arm is very warm (six
times)
........
(Repeat this sequence several such that the state of tension in one
times) group of muscles communicates itself
Cancel: Arms firm - Breathe automatically to the adjacent group. The
deeply - Open eyes. tension spreads and increases as a con-
sequence. On the other hand, when the
You may have more ease in attain- muscles of the arm are relaxed, this re-
ing the feeling of warmth than the feel- laxation too influences other groups of
ing of heaviness. Should you not attain muscles until relaxation spreads ulti-
this feeling after two weeks of training, I mately over the whole body. This de-
suggest that you bathe your arm in warm sired extension of heaviness and warmth
water shortly before the practice or that (relaxation of muscles and blood vessels)
you place your hand on a warm object. over the whole body is called "generali-
The remembered feeling of warmth can zation."
facilitate the attainment of actual warmth
during the practice. Never use the for- The more advanced the practitio-
mula 'my right arm is very hot.' ner of Autogenic Training is the more
heaviness and
The feeling of heaviness indicates warmth appear as simple reflexes. At a
that the muscles are relaxed. If your later point of your training the feelings
practice regularly, the feeling of heavi- of warmth and heaviness may appear
ness will appear rather quickly and no- upon your intention to practice, even
ticeably, as soon as you think of heavi- before you lie down and before you be-
ness. gin with the training.
The sensation of warmth is caused
by the relaxation (dilation) of the blood Once you are advanced, you can
vessel walls. It has been demonstrated simplify your training formulas to 'arms
that the feelings of warmth and heavi- very heavy' -
ness are accompanied by actual physi- 'calm' - 'arms very warm,' or 'calm - heavy
cal changes. In other words, we are not - ...'
dealing here with either a figment of the
imagination of with a self deception. In With advancement you can also
fact, the arms will actually be slightly insert resolution formulae into your train-
heavier as a result of increased blood ing while you are practicing.
supply into the
relaxed, therefore, wider, blood vessels
of the arms. For the same reason the
temperature of the arms increases THE THIRD STEP:
slightly. Special thermometers have
shown that the increase in the arm's tem- THE HEART PRACTICE
perature can be more than 3.6 degrees
F, and even more, in the hand, espe- The two basic exercises of heavi-
cially when the initial temperature was ness and warmth result in a definite
on the low side. Later you can learn pow- shifting of your body experience. Calm-
erful techniques to supply an increased ness is induced, the blood pressure may
amount of blood to any part of the body. be normalized, pains reduced, spasms
of asthma alleviated, indigestion, consti-
The autonomic nervous system is pation, etc., can be dealt with, chronic
spasms may begin to dissolve. Accord- regularly (six times)
ing to Dr. Schultz, improvement and even I am completely calm ( once)
cure of some dysfunctions followed the My heart beats calmly and regu-
practice of Autogenic Training. The ex- larly (six times)
perience of warmth influences the en- ........
tire circulatory system, because the re- Canceling: Arms firm, breathe
laxation of the blood vessels tends to deeply, open eyes.
spread from the left arm to the coronary
vessels. Consequently more blood and
oxygen go through the heart and heart
pains often disappear. THE FOURTH STEP:
It is possible to exchange practices BREATHING PRACTICE
three, i.e., the heart practice, and four,
the breathing practice which you will Even with just one or two sessions
find in the next section. of the heaviness practice, usually your
breathing becomes much calmer and
The new training formula is the more regular. The new formula is:
following:
My breathing is very calm
My heart beats calmly and
regularly. This does not mean at all that you
Very sensitive people may use: should now try to influence your breath-
ing. On the contrary, your breathing
My heart beats very calmly. should self-regulate, i.e., it should de-
termine its own rhythm. I advise that
It is dangerous to use the formula you abandon yourself to your own breath-
'my heart beats very calmly and slowly.' ing. In other words: your breathing
The heart should just happen! Above all, avoid con-
reacts very strongly to that and serious scious and controlled breathing! If you
disturbances may result. have difficulties to do so, you may add
to the formula
When practicing the heart for- 'it breathes me.'
mula, you will likely discover your heart,
i.e., you will learn to feel your heart. Persons who are tense or who are
in an emotionally disturbed state
The full sequence of the exercises breathe irregularly with respect to fre-
is now: quency and volume. In such instances I
suggest that you use 'my breathing is
I am completely calm (once) completely calm and regular.'
My right arm is very heavy (six
times) Adding the breathing formula to
I am completely calm (once) the practice, your routine goes now as
My right arm is very warm (six follows:
times)
I am completely calm ( once) I am completely calm (once)
My heart beats calmly and My right arm is very heavy (six
times) eat.
I am completely calm (once)
My right arm is very warm (six The person who has frequent
times) mood changes, whether he or she is
I am completely calm ( once) aware of them or not, or who assumes
My heart beats calmly and regu- faulty emotional postures, can easily
larly (six times) make his or her body a whipping boy.
I am completely calm (once) This leads to a determined attempt to
gain control of the autonomous nervous
My breathing is calm and system with the help of Autogenic Train-
regular (six times) ing.
I am completely calm (once)
My breathing is calm and regular The solar plexus is part of the au-
(six times) tonomous nervous system. It is the larg-
........ est nervous network. It is located be-
Canceling: Arms firm, breathe hind the stomach, in back of and to both
deeply, open eyes. sides of the mid spine. Being midway
between the breastbone and the naves,
the solar plexus regulates the function