The significant advantage of relaxation is undoubtedly that it is simple and self-generated. The patient learns a method which he/she can keep with them for life. It helps to manage stress and pain for a more comfortable life.
This is based on suggestion of symptoms which define the state of relaxation. In the same way as a feeling of fullness, the sensation of pleasant warmth, free and harmonious breathing … it is a form of self-hypnosis which allow the force of thoughts in our mind to be applied to the body. We refer to concentrative self-relaxation. Autogeneic training is an effective method to increase performance, promote recovery or simply make life more tolerable.
This involves contracting and then relaxing all muscles in succession, paying attention to muscle sensations. It finishes by the suggestion of a pleasant place. The process lasts half an hour. The main theories of the Jacobson approach oppose any idea of suggestion, hypnosis or psycho-analytical theories, working purely on a physiological level.