Autogenic Mindfulness is a Skill for Life
The Stress System
Our brains have evolved over millions of years and have a range of complex desires, emotions and needs that have not necessarily kept up with our present day way of life.
Our ancient ancestors were designed to be able to heal themselves, but our organisms have not evolved to cope with the stresses and strains of the modern day world.
The ‘fight or flight’ adrenaline system which was meant to operate in short bursts when it was necessary to literally fight or run away from a predator for our survival is stuck in overdrive, as we bounce from one stressful situation to the next in the present day frantic world. We can’t easily burn up that adrenaline by fighting someone or running away, so those chemicals are left lingering in our systems, in chronic situations changing the molecular structure of our cells and causing us dis(ease).
Our ancestors, after coping with their ‘fight or flight’ situation fuelled by the sudden surge of adrenaline (sympathetic nervous system), would have naturally switched to ‘rest, repair and recuperation’ (parasympathetic nervous system) ready to fight another day.
You can still see this self-regulating process at work in children, who switch naturally into ‘rest, repair and recuperation’ by daydreaming, before they are socialised out of it by well-meaning adults telling them to ‘pay attention’!!
What is Autogenic Mindfulness?
A self-help technique learned over 8-10 weeks, which when practiced allows you to switch off the body’s ‘fight or flight’ stress system and switch on the relaxation response of ‘rest, repair and recuperate’. It helps you to stop reacting automatically to stress and gives you back control.
What happens in an Autogenic Mindfulness Course?
- An initial consultation, where a full assessment is taken of your current state of stress and whether the course is appropriate to your needs at this time
- 8 weekly sessions either as an individual or in a group, with a follow up session 6-8 weeks later
You are asked to practice that week’s exercise 2 or 3 times a day between sessions to allow the training of the system in the relaxation response to be assimilated. These practices only take a few minutes.
How will you benefit?
With regular practice, AMT can:
- help you switch from stress to relaxation at will
- improve the quality of your sleep
- reduce or eliminate anxiety and panic attacks
- reduce the experience of mild to moderate depression
- increase confidence and self-esteem
- iImprove concentration and focus
“Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.”