The Six Phrases

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The core of Autogenic Training consists of six mental phrases each focusing on a particular effect that occurs naturally when you are deeply relaxed. You practice these phrases with passive concentration, i.e. with an allowing attitude and without any effort.

The Heaviness Phrase:

The first phrase focuses on the musculature of the limbs because:

• These body parts can be most easily influenced, and therefore this phrase brings rapidly success

• Muscular relaxation is essential as almost every daily activity – even thinking – involves muscular activity and tension

• Muscular relaxation is experienced as heaviness

 The first phrase goes:

The above version is referred to as the condensed phrase. When you begin learning Autogenic Training this phrase is broken down to focus first on your dominant side – which is for most the right side – followed by the non-dominant side.

My right arm is heavy.
My left arm is heavy.
My right leg is heavy.
My left leg is heavy.

If your left side is the dominant one, you learn the first phrase as follows:

My left arm is heavy.
My right arm is heavy.
My left leg is heavy.
My right leg is heavy.

The pleasant sensation of heaviness in the limbs eventually spreads to other body areas.

The Warmth Phrase:

The second phrase focuses on the experience of warmth in the extremities because:

• Temperatures lower than your normal body temperature is experienced as stress

• Our emotional and physical state affects our cardiovascular system and is reflected by the distribution of blood in the vessels

• Relaxation is associated with vasodilatation, i.e. increased blood flow to the vessels and therefore warmth

The second phrase goes:

Again, this version is a condensed phrase. As with the heaviness phrase, during the first weeks of your training the warmth phrase is broken down to focus first on the sensation of warmth in your dominant side followed by the non-dominant side.

My right (left) arm is warm.
My left (right) arm is warm.
My right (left) leg is warm.
My left (right) leg is warm.

The experience of warmth eventually generalizes to the entire body.

The Heart Phrase:

You probably sense the muscular activity of your heart at times of physical effort and emotional arousal like intense fear and excitement. The third phrase focuses on the heartbeat since …

• Relaxation includes a regular and calm heartbeat

• Drawing your attention inward deepens the experience of relaxation

The third phrase goes:

The Breathing Phrase:

Relaxation is associated with deep diaphragmatic breathing that in return deepens the experience of inner calm and peace. The forth phrase focuses on the breathing and goes:

It is important to note that with this phrase you do not intend to change your breathing but rather to mentally follow your natural breathing rhythm. For particular strong-willed trainees, it is recommended to practice the phrase as, “It breathes me.”

The Solar Plexus Phrase:

You not only need to relax your limbs with the heaviness and warmth phrase and allow your mental focus to rest on the regularity of heartbeat and breathing, you also need to relax your inner organs. For this purpose, the fifth phrase focuses on the sensation of warmth radiating from your solar plexus, which is the most important nerve center of the abdominal organs, located between your navel and your sternum.

The fifth phrase goes:

The Forehead Phrase:

Lastly, the sixth phrase focuses on the sensation of coolness of the forehead since …

• Autogenic Training aims not only toward profound relaxation but also toward mental freshness and alertness

• The application of a cool cloth for example is experienced as relaxing

• The concentration of coolness on the forehead gives the pleasant sensation of self-control

The sixth phrase goes:

You will learn more about each phrase, its physiological background, training results, and contraindications in the booklets that come with your
Self-Study Program or in the lessons of the online course.

Your own calmness word or calmness phrase:
Ultimately, Autogenic Training encourages you to find your own unique calmness word or calmness phrase.

This will then be the only word or phrase you eventually need in order to experience the shift into a deep state of relaxation. Your calmness word or calmness phrase will trigger all the experiences of heaviness and warmth in the limbs, of regularity of heartbeat and breathing, warmth in the abdominal region and freshness on the forehead combined.

It may be a phrase such as “I am completely calm,” or just the words “completely calm.”

Usually your calmness word or calmness phrase comes to you during your practice sessions like an intuitive thought or insight. It cannot be given to you by an instructor.

Different ways to end the session:
You can go either very gently out of the deep state of relaxation or more abruptly, depending on what you would like to do afterwards. If you want to read a novel or sip a cup of tea by candlelight, you may want to go out of Autogenic Training slowly and gently. If you need to return to work, you may want to cancel more abruptly.

The Self-Study Program tells you exactly how to end your training session either way.

My right arm is heavy . . . My right arm is heavy . . . Are you getting calmer just by reading these phrases?
Well, but what about Passive Concentration?

Read on and click on the image.

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