Autogenic Training
Self-hypnosis relaxation technique using verbal formulas to induce sensations of heaviness, warmth, and calm throughout the body
Bottom Line
Autogenic Training (AT) is a self-relaxation technique developed by German psychiatrist Johannes Schultz in the 1930s. You silently repeat phrases like "my arms are heavy and warm" while passively focusing on the sensations. Over time, your body learns to produce the relaxation response on command.
The evidence base is solid, particularly for anxiety, insomnia, and stress-related conditions. AT is widely used in European medicine and sports psychology, though less known in the US. It's more passive than Progressive Muscle Relaxation - you don't actively tense muscles, you just suggest sensations and let them happen.
The learning curve is longer than PMR (takes weeks to master), but once learned, AT can induce deep relaxation in minutes. It's free, has no side effects, and works well for people who dislike active/physical relaxation techniques.
Science
Core concept:
- Self-suggestion creates real physiological changes
- Passive concentration on bodily sensations
- Trained responses become automatic over time
- Similar mechanisms to hypnosis but self-directed
Proposed mechanisms:
- Activates parasympathetic nervous system
- Reduces cortisol and stress hormones
- Vasodilation creates warmth sensation
- Muscle relaxation creates heaviness
- Top-down regulation of autonomic function
The six standard exercises:
- Heaviness (muscle relaxation)
- Warmth (vasodilation)
- Calm heart (cardiac regulation)
- Breathing (respiratory calm)
- Abdominal warmth (visceral relaxation)
- Cool forehead (mental clarity)
Key research:
- Stetter & Kupper (2002): Meta-analysis showing medium effect sizes for anxiety, tension, and sleep
- Kanji et al. (2000): AT reduced cortisol and improved stress markers
What the evidence shows:
- Anxiety reduction: Moderate to strong evidence
- Insomnia improvement: Moderate evidence
- Stress-related conditions: Moderate evidence
- Hypertension: Some positive findings
- Tension headaches: Some positive findings
- Migraine prevention: Some evidence
- Athletic performance (pre-competition): Moderate evidence
Effect sizes:
- Anxiety: Medium effect size
- Tension/stress: Medium effect size
- Sleep quality: Small to medium
- Blood pressure: Small effect
Supporting Studies
8 peer-reviewed studies
View all studies & compare research →Practical Protocol
The Six Standard Exercises:
Learn in order, adding one exercise every 1-2 weeks.
Setup:
- Quiet room, comfortable position (lying or sitting)
- Loose clothing, eyes closed
- Practice 2-3 times daily, 10-15 minutes each
- Passive concentration - let sensations happen, don't force
Exercise 1: Heaviness (Weeks 1-2)
Repeat silently, slowly, 6 times each: - "My right arm is heavy" - "My left arm is heavy" - "Both arms are heavy" - "My right leg is heavy" - "My left leg is heavy" - "Both legs are heavy" - "My arms and legs are heavy"
Exercise 2: Warmth (Weeks 2-4)
Add after heaviness: - "My right arm is warm" - "My left arm is warm" - (continue pattern for legs) - "My arms and legs are warm and heavy"
Exercise 3: Calm Heart (Weeks 4-5)
Add: - "My heartbeat is calm and regular"
Exercise 4: Breathing (Weeks 5-6)
Add: - "My breathing is calm and regular" - OR "It breathes me" (passive form)
Exercise 5: Abdominal Warmth (Weeks 6-7)
Add: - "My solar plexus is warm" - OR "My abdomen is warm"
Exercise 6: Cool Forehead (Weeks 7-8)
Add: - "My forehead is pleasantly cool"
Ending the session:
- Flex and stretch arms and legs
- Take a deep breath
- Open eyes
- Never skip this "cancellation" step
Full practice (once learned):
"My arms and legs are heavy and warm. My heartbeat is calm and regular. It breathes me. My solar plexus is warm. My forehead is pleasantly cool. I am at peace."
Tips:
- Don't try to make sensations happen - just notice
- If mind wanders, gently return to formula
- Warmth may take longer to develop than heaviness
- Some exercises click faster than others
- Practice consistency matters more than duration
Common mistakes:
- Trying too hard (should be passive)
- Rushing through formulas
- Skipping cancellation
- Adding exercises too quickly
- Expecting immediate results
Risks & Side Effects
Known risks:
- Very safe technique overall
- Autogenic discharges: Occasional spontaneous movements, emotions, or sensations during practice (considered normal, processing)
- Rare: Increased anxiety initially if resistance to relaxation
Contraindications:
- Severe mental illness without supervision
- Heart conditions (modify heart exercise - consult doctor)
- Diabetes (may affect blood sugar - monitor)
- Very low blood pressure (warmth exercises may lower further)
Precautions:
- Learn from qualified source if you have health conditions
- Don't practice while driving or in situations requiring alertness
- Heart/breathing exercises require care with cardiac conditions
- Always do cancellation procedure to "return"
Autogenic discharges:
- Muscle twitches
- Temperature sensations
- Emotional releases
- Images or memories arising
- These are normal and typically reduce with practice
Risk level: Very low. One of the safest relaxation techniques.
Who It's For
Ideal for:
- Those who prefer passive over active relaxation
- People who struggle with PMR or find it too physical
- Anxiety and stress sufferers
- Those with insomnia
- People interested in self-hypnosis techniques
- Athletes (pre-competition calming)
Especially helpful for:
- Generalized anxiety
- Sleep onset insomnia
- Tension headaches
- Stress-related conditions
- Performance anxiety
- Those who "can't relax" with active techniques
AT vs PMR:
| Aspect | Autogenic Training | PMR |
|---|---|---|
| Approach | Passive suggestion | Active tension/release |
| Learning time | 6-8 weeks | 1-2 weeks |
| Session length | 10-15 min (learned) | 15-20 min |
| Physical effort | None | Moderate |
| Better for | Mental types | Physical types |
May prefer other methods:
- Those wanting quick results (PMR is faster to learn)
- People who like physical engagement
- Those who struggle with passive focus
How to Track Results
What to measure:
- Subjective relaxation depth (1-10)
- Ability to produce sensations (heaviness, warmth)
- Time to enter relaxation state
- Anxiety/stress levels over time
- Sleep quality (if targeting insomnia)
Progress markers:
- Week 2: Heaviness sensation reliably produced
- Week 4: Warmth sensation developing
- Week 6: Can induce relaxation in 5-10 minutes
- Week 8: Full sequence feels natural
- Month 3+: Can use abbreviated version quickly
Tracking method:
- Rate relaxation depth after each session
- Note which sensations are easiest/hardest
- Track practice consistency
- Weekly anxiety/stress self-rating
Signs it's working:
- Heaviness and warmth sensations feel real
- Relaxation happens faster with practice
- Can calm yourself in stressful situations
- Sleep improves
- Baseline anxiety decreases
Top Products
No equipment needed - free to learn
Books:
- Autogenic Training - Various authors, $10-20
Audio resources:
- YouTube: Free guided AT sessions
- Insight Timer: Free guided sessions
- Various relaxation apps include AT
Courses:
- Online AT courses: $50-150
- In-person training (often through therapists): $100-300
- Often taught in stress management programs
Professional guidance:
- Psychologists/therapists trained in AT
- Some biofeedback practitioners
- Sports psychologists (common in European athletics)
Cost Breakdown
Cost: $0-200
Free approach:
- Learn from books (library) or YouTube
- Practice independently with timer
- No equipment needed
Guided approach:
- Book: $10-20
- Online course: $50-150
- Therapist-guided learning: $100-300 total
Cost-per-benefit assessment:
Excellent ROI. Completely free to practice once learned. Investment in a course or book can help with proper technique but isn't essential.
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Discussed in Podcasts
22 curated moments from top health podcasts. Click any timestamp to play.
Full guided autogenic training session for anxiety reduction
Dr. John Moore guides listeners through a complete autogenic training session, a hypnotic meditation technique that uses body-awareness cues like warmth and heaviness to reduce anxiety and activate deep relaxation.
"A hypnotic meditation technique that uses body-awareness cues like warmth and heaviness to reduce anxiety"
Creating calm on demand through body-awareness affirmations
The session teaches listeners to create calm on demand by directing attention to breathing, hands, and feet through simple affirmations, building a portable anxiety management skill.
"Creating calm on demand by directing attention to your breathing, hands, and feet through simple affirmations"
Hands-on practice rather than theory for stress relief
Unlike most anxiety podcasts that discuss techniques, this episode is a hands-on practice session that listeners can follow along with to experience the immediate calming effects of autogenic training.
"A hands-on practice session rather than a discussion"
Grounding through the soles of the feet before autogenic practice
The session begins with a grounding exercise through the soles of the feet, letting tension drain out before transitioning into the autogenic warmth and heaviness phrases starting with the left foot.
"Let the soles of your feet soften, open. Let all your concerns and all your tension drain out through the soles of your feet."
Detailed bilateral autogenic body scan for sleep
The host guides through an unusually detailed bilateral autogenic sequence, covering each limb separately with "warm and heavy" phrases for lower legs, knees, thighs, hips, lower abdomen, and stomach.
"My left foot is warm and heavy."
Heart, breathing, and cool forehead to complete the autogenic sequence
The final portion covers the standard autogenic elements for heart and breathing, then moves through hands, arms, shoulders, neck, and jaw before closing with the cool forehead cue and whole-body relaxation.
"My heartbeat is strong and regular."
Using autogenic training to calm pre-speech nerves
Anya Hindmarch describes how she uses autogenic training to manage public speaking anxiety, consciously relaxing each body part from head to toes to calm down before and even during meetings.
"There's one called autogenic training which is where you physically and consciously relax each part of your body so working from your head all the way down to your toes and and just relax each part and it's amazing how it just calms you right down drops your shoulders makes you sit more heavily in the chair and you can even do it when you're sitting in a meeting if you need to"
How autogenic training modifies the autonomic nervous system
Rachel Grant explains that autogenic training works by repeating specific statements about warmth and heaviness to modify autonomic nervous system functioning, creating relaxation, stability, and self-regulation.
"And you're really thinking about modifying the functioning of your autonomic nervous system by repeating statements to yourself that are very specifically about very specific sensations."
Guided autogenic sequence for arms, legs, heart, and breath
Grant leads listeners through the core autogenic training sequence, starting with heaviness and warmth in the arms, then legs, followed by calming the heartbeat and steadying the breath, with the anchor phrase "I am completely calm" between each section.
"Start by stating to yourself, I am completely calm. Now, gently direct your focus to your arms, feeling into your arms, noticing any sensations or experiences in this area."
Using autogenic training as a daily nervous system regulation tool
Grant encourages listeners to use autogenic training multiple times daily, referencing it during moments of emotional activation as a way to generate regulation and relaxation on demand.
"Continue to use this tool multiple times in your day. Reference it and resource it in moments of activation or upset as a way to generate regulation and relaxation."
Sympathetic vs parasympathetic mode and why autogenic training matters
Dana Frost explains the autonomic nervous system's two modes and why most people default to sympathetic activation. She emphasizes that the body only heals in parasympathetic mode, making autogenic training essential for health and longevity.
"We know that the body only heals and regenerates itself when our nervous system is in what is considered the parasympathetic mode. This is a slowing down of the heart rate. The breath actually slows down in this mode. I refer to it as the rest and heal mode."
Guided autogenic training with nature visualization
Frost leads listeners through a complete autogenic training session using sunlight visualization, guiding attention through hands, arms, feet, legs, abdomen, heart, and forehead while repeating phrases about warmth and heaviness.
"I want you to visualize the sun beating down upon your right hand. My right hand is heavy and warm. The sun is beating down upon my right hand. Feel my right hand is warm and heavy."
Who to Follow
Founder:
- Johannes Heinrich Schultz, MD (1884-1970) - German psychiatrist who developed AT in the 1930s
Key developers:
- Wolfgang Luthe, MD - Expanded and systematized AT, authored the multi-volume definitive work
- Brought AT to North America
Modern proponents:
- More common in European medicine and sports psychology
- German, Austrian, Swiss medical systems routinely use AT
- Many Olympic athletes use AT (especially European)
Clinical adoption:
- Standard in German-speaking medical practice
- Used by many sports psychologists
- Component of some stress management programs
- Less mainstream in US/UK but growing
Synergies & Conflicts
Pairs well with:
- Progressive Muscle Relaxation - Different approaches, can alternate
- NSDR - Similar passive approach
- Mindfulness Meditation - Complementary practices
- Sleep Environment - AT in optimized bedroom
For insomnia:
- Optimize sleep environment
- Autogenic Training in bed
- Don't worry about finishing - sleep is the goal
For anxiety toolkit:
- Acute: Box breathing (quick)
- Daily practice: AT (builds skill over time)
- Situational: Abbreviated AT formulas
Abbreviated formula for quick use:
Once fully trained, can use shortened version: "Heavy, warm, calm heart, breathing calm, solar plexus warm, forehead cool, peace." Takes 2-3 minutes once mastered.
Complements:
- HRV Training - Track physiological changes
- Magnesium - Supports relaxation
- Blue Light Blocking - Evening wind-down
What People Say
Why it's respected:
Common positive reports:
Common challenges:
Athletic use: