Autogenic Training

Using repeated sets of exercises meant to relax and desensitize the mind, autogenic training equips patients to deal with chronic conditions such as anxiety disorders, recurring pain and stress. Patients learn how to gain control over their symptoms and improve coping to reduce suffering. This expanded edition presents practitioners with a concise exploration of autogenic technique and its clinical use for patients, especially in treating those suffering from chronic pain syndrome and disrupted sleep.

Micah R. Sadigh, Ph.D., is professor of psychology at Cedar Crest College in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He is also the author of Existential Journey: Viktor Frankl and Leo Tolstoy on Suffering, Death, and the Search for Meaning.

Elaine A. Moore has worked in hospital laboratories for more than 30 years, primarily in immunohematology and toxicology. She is a freelance medical writer and laboratory consultant. For more information, visit her website at www.elaine-moore.com. She lives in Sedalia, Colorado.

Micah R. Sadigh. Series Editor Elaine A. Moore
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 285
Bibliographic Info: 20 photos, appendices, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2019
pISBN: 978-1-4766-7751-4
eISBN: 978-1-4766-3630-6
Imprint: McFarland
Series: McFarland Health Topics

Acknowledgments xi

Foreword by Hugo Twaddle, M.D. 1

Preface 3

Introduction 7

Part I: Theoretical Aspects of Chronic Pain and Stress 15

1. The Dimensions of Chronic Pain Syndrome: A Brief Review of the Literature 15

2. Stress and Pain 32

3. Methods of Stress Management 46

Part II: History and Principles of Autogenic Training 61

4. History and Basic Principles 61

5. Medical and Psychological Screening 68

6. Requirements for Achieving the Autogenic State 72

Part III: The Standard and Advanced Exercises and Clinical Applications of Autogenic Training 87

7. The Preliminary Exercises 87

8. The First Standard Exercise: Heaviness 95

9. The Second Standard Exercise: Warmth 105

10. The Third Standard Exercise: Heart 112

11. The Fourth Standard Exercise: Respiration 118

12. The Fifth Standard Exercise: Abdominal Warmth 125

13. The Sixth Standard Exercise: Forehead Cooling 134

14. Advanced Autogenic Training 141

15. Autogenic Training and Biofeedback (Psychophysiological Feedback) 159

16. Sleep, Insomnia, and Pain 165

17. Autogenic Training for Sleep Enhancement 186

18. Autogenic Neutralization as Psychophysiological Psychotherapy 193

19. Autogenic Training and Autogenic Abreaction as Treatments for Post-Traumatic Nightmares 206

20. Autogenic Training as Palliative Care 216

21. Questions and Answers 227

Appendix A: The Autogenic Pain and Tension Checklists (Forms A and B) 235

Appendix B: The Autogenic Training Progress Index 240

Appendix C: Fibromyalgia and Psychobiological Disregulation—A Theoretical Formulation 241

References 255

Index 269

Reviews of the previous editions: “a well-researched and detailed clinical guide, Autogenic Training is a valuable resource for anyone who works with chronic pain patients”—Journal of Pain & Palliative Care Pharmacotheraphy; “Autogenic Training has much to recommend it. Micah R. Sadigh has written a book that offers a promising treatment for a difficult to manage illness and it is a book that is so skillfully written it is a joy to read”—Townsend Letters for Doctors and Patients; “Sadigh provides a comprehensive guide to autogenic training’s uses in treating fibromyalgia and chronic conditions”—Midwest Book Review.