Emmett Miller MD explains autogenic training, a 1940s relaxation technique where you repeat phrases like "my hands are warm" to trigger real physical changes. Mountain climbers trapped in a blizzard used it to avoid frostbite while others suffered. Parents now use autogenic scripts to help kids fall asleep.
And what I love about your tapes is that they incorporate autogenics, which is a way to almost get out of your mind and into your body better. Can you tell our audience the power of autogenics? And firstly, like, what, what is autogenics?
Yes. Schultz developed autogenic training well back, I believe, in the '40s or so. And their tapes are wonderful. Techniques involved a person simply repeating certain phrases to themselves, such as, "My hands are warm and comfortable. My hands are warm and comfortable." And, "My forehead is cool and relaxed. My stomach is at peace." And by repeating each of these things, oh, 5 or 10 times, and then going through the whole circuit, people's bodies would relax and that very much promoted health, it promoted high performance. And I think one of the most clearest demonstrations was when a group of mountain climbers got stranded in a blizzard for a couple of days and they didn't have heat or they had just had to make do with— they had a little shelter over them, but the people who knew how to use autogenics were able to stop themselves from getting frostbite. Everyone else got— wow, they didn't. They just kept thinking, my hands and fingers are warm and comfortable.
That's incredible. It totally works. For moms on the line that have trouble getting kids to sleep, my kids love autogenics. They love going through each part of the body and really visualizing relaxing those parts. And it is incredible how that mind-body works together. So many people are getting into cryotherapy and these other things because it's physically putting your body kind of in a stressful moment, uh-huh, and your mind helping you through it. I just think it's fascinating.
