Autogenic training
Many of us have done it without knowing it, as its principles have spread. Who has never tried, to fall asleep, to go around their body in order to relax each area one after the other? However, the method developed by the German psychiatrist Johannes Heinrich Schultz (1884-1970) is not just about this. Strongly influenced byhypnosis, it also includes a psy component, its objective being moreover to allow any individual to enter by himself in the particular state of hypnosis. This is why it is accompanied by autosuggestions: “I am completely calm”; “I can feel the sensation of fresh air that I breathe in and warm air that I breathe out in my nose and throat. With each exhale, I feel that my whole body relaxes a little more, as if I was releasing my tensions outside of myself. “In its basic form, it is a demanding discipline, which requires mastering a stage well before adding the next.
The Jacobson method
Jacobson’s progressive muscle relaxation (1888-1983) focuses solely on muscle relaxation, because it assumes that physical relaxation automatically leads to psychic relaxation. His find? The best way to learn to relax your whole body is to first contract each muscle group as much as possible. For example: one raises the arm while stretching the hand backwards, then one lets it fall suddenly; or else we shrug our shoulders forcing, then let go of everything. This alternation helps to become aware of the tensions and to obtain relaxation more easily. Another particularity: an exercise focuses on the vocal sphere (useful against stuttering). In fifteen minutes, we can recover from fatigue at the end of the day and prepare for sleep, but also improve its performance, before an exam or a competition.
Biofeedback
It is a tool that is used in addition to relaxation or rehabilitation methods. Thanks to devices, it makes it possible to visualize the way in which our emotions and our thoughts influence the organism. An example: a hypertensive person is sitting in front of a computer screen. A few sensors, placed on her fingers and her head, connect her to the machine. As she relaxes, she sees and hears that her heart rate drops, her pressure drops, and her brain waves subside. She thus discovers which type of breathing, which thoughts, which postures give her the best results. And becomes aware, conversely, of what increases his tension and nervousness. Biofeedback is used in perineal rehabilitation, to relieve headaches (migraine and tension headache), to treat constipation, pain, insomnia, etc.
What is the relationship with body gymnastics?
These techniques (Alexander, Feldenkrais, Ehrenfried, etc.) are much more than relaxation methods. But because they require great concentration and total letting go of the body, they therefore bring great relaxation, both physical and psychological, and are sometimes used for this sole purpose.
