Terapia autógena: técnicas, fundamentos, aplicaciones en la salud y clínica y apoyo empírico

Abstract

La terapia autógena se origina en el entrenamiento autógeno de Schultz y en su desarrollo incorpora diferentes métodos terapéuticos de orientación psicofisiológica creados para promover procesos cerebrales homeostáticos autorregulatorios. Los objetivos de este artículo son describir y analizar los diferentes métodos autógenos, los procesos psicofisiológicos y neurofisiológicos implicados y sus aplicaciones eficaces en la salud y la clínica. Para ello, además de revisar los primeros trabajos de Schultz y Luthe, se ha hecho una búsqueda electrónica de estudios para encontrar contribuciones relevantes sobre estos temas. Los resultados muestran un gran desarrollo de los métodos autógenos hasta los años 80, con una ingente cantidad de aplicaciones y estudios sobre los cambios psicofisiológicos y neurofisiológicos concomitantes. Sin embargo, su expansión durante los últimos 25 años ha sido mucho menor en comparación con métodos como el mindfulness o la hipnosis. Se discuten posibles causas y se plantean retos futuros para la terapia autógena.

Reduction of COVID-19 Anxiety Levels Through Relaxation Techniques: A Study Carried Out in Northern Spain on a Sample of Young University Students

“…The training program consisted of four sessions led by a health psychologist with extensive experience in relaxation techniques ( Lether, 1996 ; Lsalt and Kerr, 1997 ; Solomen and Aaron, 2015 ; Abuín, 2016 ). The first session focused on awareness of emotions and anxiety symptoms.…”

Effectiveness of autogenic training on psychological well-being and quality of life in adults living with chronic physical health problems: a protocol for a systematic review of RCT

“…Although AT can also be used as a tool in professional psychotherapy [21,24], most of the evidence available comes from the study of AT as a relaxation technique [25]. The mechanism of action of this relaxation technique lies in the relaxation response, as opposed to the stress response, which involves a complex interplay of the endocrine, immune, neurological, and psychological systems [26].…”

Evaluation of the effectiveness of a relaxation intervention on distress in university students: A randomized controlled trial

“…This author also refers that the assessment of mental state to evaluate self-regulatory techniques may be a problem because participants may pretend they are involved when they are not. Additionally, a brief exposure to the technique, which was the case of this intervention, can also lead to null or even negative outcomes (Abuín, 2016). As Luthe (1963) refers, the autogenic training is not suitable for individuals with a lack of motivation to improve their well-being.…”

“…For this reason, future studies with university students should test the efficacy of longer interventions. Also, in order to be effective, it is recommended that participants train the technique on a regular and daily basis (Abuín, 2016;Krampen, 1996). In this study, no control was made regarding participants' training of the technique outside the session (e.g., at home).…”