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A Comparative Study of Autogenic Training and Progressive
Relaxation as Methods for
Teaching Clients to Relax
Noboru Takaishi, M.D.
Two relaxation methods, Autogenic Training (AT) and Progressive Relaxation (PR), were
evaluated and a comparison was made of their effectiveness in helping subjects to relax.
One hundred and twenty psychiatric patients with a variety of anxiety-related disorders
were randomly assigned to either AT or PR training programs, which were identical in
terms of time, frequency of sessions, and trainer. After six weekly training sessions and
practice at home, 50 AT and 43 PR subject, all of whom successfully completed the train-ing,
were evaluated by a self-report inventory, and by changes in arousal levelsi.e., EMG
changes in the frontalis and forearm extensor musclesinduced by practicing the tech-nique
during the seventh training session. Results indicated that AT was significantly
superior to PR in terms of EMG decreases, as well as in the easiness of the relaxation
method for patients with anxiety-related disorders. Possible reasons for these results
were discussed. (Sleep and Hypnosis 2000;5:275-279)
| Keywords: comparative study, relaxation methods, autogenic training, progressive relaxation, changes in
arousal levels, passive concentration, performance anxiety, variable of culture |
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