Background
- Autogenic therapy (AT) is an approach that encompasses both mind and body and teaches skills for self-healing and self-development.
- Autogenic therapy (AT) uses visual imagery and body awareness to promote a state of deep relaxation. A detached but alert state of mind called "passive concentration" must be achieved for autogenic therapy exercises to be carried out. People participating in autogenic therapy are taught relaxation and body awareness techniques. It is believed that these approaches can then be used indefinitely to promote a healthier lifestyle, allowing people to call on their own capacity for self-healing and stress reduction.
- Autogenic therapy was developed in the 1930s by the psychiatrist and neurologist Dr. Johannes Schultz. Dr. Schultz had been influenced by the research of Prof. Oskar Vogt, who had studied psychosomatic medicine. In the 1940s, Dr. Wolfgang Luthe modified the autogenic technique by the addition of repetitive therapeutic suggestions.
- Good scientific evidence supports the use of autogenic therapy for the treatment of anxiety. Benefits have been reported in the treatment of headache, asthma, heart disease, and insomnia. However, strong evidence supporting the use of autogenic therapy to treat any condition in humans is lacking.
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