Conscious self-hypnosis as a path to self-mastery. Emile Coue, French psychologist: method of conscious self-hypnosis, positive psychotherapy

EMANDL KUE

Published according to the publication by E. Coue “Conscious self-hypnosis as a way of mastering oneself”, Berlin, 1932.

Preface1

Conscious and unconscious "I"8

Will and imagination9

Suggestion and self-hypnosis12

How to learn to use conscious self-hypnosis?16

The use of suggestion for medicinal purposes19

How to practically use conscious self-hypnosis?22

Advantages of the method23

How does suggestion work?25

The use of the method of suggestion in cases of mental illness and congenital or acquired moral defects.26

Several cases of cure28

Conclusion32

What is achieved by self-hypnosis?32

Excerpts from letters addressed to E. Coue37

Thoughts and sayings of Emile Coue49

Advice and instructions for students and followers55

At the “sessions” with Emil Coue58

Notes on Emile Coue's stay in Paris in October 191866

Everything about everything!68

The miracle is within us72

What should the upbringing of children be like?76

Preface

Wide popularity that falls to the share of one or another new trend, discovery or invention is always fraught with great danger. No matter how tempting the prospect of a new word penetrating into the very thick of the broad strata of the population, no matter how great and worthy the task is to make a new conquest of thought the property of one and all, in all, almost without exception, cases, this desirable path of popularization is inevitably associated with vulgarization, with distortion and perversion of the “new word”.

Emile Coue's method of self-hypnosis was not destined to escape this fate. A number of reasons contributed to its wide dissemination: extreme accessibility and ease of use, many successful results of which he can rightfully be proud, and, finally, the personal charm of Coue himself, in whom rare fanaticism in serving the idea was combined with complete selflessness and the greatest modesty.

But success inevitably gave rise to a hobby, a kind of “fashion”. And with this were inextricably linked those distortions that completely obscure the essence of the new method and, as a result, - thanks to perverted interpretation and incorrect application - undermine confidence in it. Quite right, that’s why Prof. C. Baudouin, a follower of Coue and his scientific interpreter, who in the preface to his book: “La psychologie de la suggestion et de l"autosuggestion” says: “Not moderately fanatical adherents of the method - his worst enemies. They go to the extent of the most absurd exaggerations, which discredit the new method in the eyes of serious people.”

This sad phenomenon must be combated in every possible way. It is absolutely certain that the explanation of the true essence of the method, its role and significance and its correct application should be the main task of all those who, in one way or another, have witnessed its beneficial effects.

In this regard, the first reproach should be sent to representatives of scientific medicine, doctors. “I have often been convinced,” says Prof. Baudouin, “that the most fierce attacks on the new method come from those scientists who did not even take the trouble, along with Coue’s own book, to familiarize themselves with my works.” Guided by the current, vulgarized idea of ​​the method, doctors very often dismiss it with disdain, as witchcraft or best case scenario they warn against it as something harmful and dangerous.

The Coue method has no common ground with witchcraft and other medical quackery. Based entirely on the doctrine of the “unconscious” (or subconscious), adopted by scientific medicine, the method of self-hypnosis as developed by Prof. Baudouin's theoretical justification can, naturally, cause certain objections, this or that serious criticism - he can, in the period of further scientific work undergo certain changes and additions - but, in any case, the method itself, as such, - from the point of view of a bold formulation of the problem, and from the point of view of undeniable beneficial results - deserves the closest attention and serious study.

As for the imaginary harm and danger associated with the use of the method, all attacks on this matter were and are reduced exclusively to one thing: the method of self-hypnosis, being able to eliminate painful symptoms, and not the root cause of this or that ailment, distracts the supposedly sick person from the need for systematic medical treatment and takes him away from the influence of the doctor. Without delving into the question of the limits of influence of the method, it is necessary to sharply and decisively refute the conclusion drawn from here. Neither the creator of the method himself, nor his numerous followers, who number many prominent and famous doctors in their ranks, have ever undermined their reverence for scientific medicine, did not confront her with the method of self-hypnosis and did not “lead her away”

patient from the doctor. On the contrary, in the proposed book by Emile Coue, and in all the works of his students and friends, and, finally, in all sessions of mass and individual preparation for the perception of the method, the premise of the need for conventional forms of medical treatment is everywhere placed at the forefront. The idea is persistently and intelligibly introduced to patients: “if you have not yet been to the doctor, go to him earlier; if you are already being treated, continue your treatment as usual.” The method of self-hypnosis can and should be tried, as the only way treatment, only in those cases when medicine is either powerless in the fight against the disease, or when it itself points the patient down this path, consciously realizing that it is most advisable to fight an illness of psychogenic origin with an active and direct impact on the psyche. In all other cases, the worthy and responsible task of the new method is to be a necessary, effective help usual forms treatment.

It is natural, therefore, that the future of the self-hypnosis method will be determined, in our opinion, by its further theoretical development and a serious, conscientious and thoughtful attitude on the part of practicing doctors.

The book offered to the attention of readers cannot be considered exhaustive. scientific research. The theoretical development of the method, as already indicated, is devoted to the solid work of Prof. Baudouin.

The objectives of Emile Coue's book are completely different. These same other tasks determine his entire life and all his fruitful activity.

Not being an armchair scientist by nature, having only come close to the problem that interested him in adulthood and after long observations having “constructed” his method, Coue from the very beginning devoted all his strength to its practical application. Working tirelessly, day after day, year after year, he gave - and continues to give - tens of thousands of examples

proof of the high practical value of the new method.

His goal is to help everyone. He is in a hurry to live. Tens and hundreds of sufferers have been waiting for him since the morning. He knows, he is convinced that by teaching them how to use the method of self-hypnosis, he will help them. He does not and cannot have time for theoretical work, for deepening the method. He belongs to people, to a living cause, to love for one’s neighbor, and it is not without reason that in France he earned the name “friend of humanity.”

Coue's work lasts continuously for about 25 years. But its beginning dates back even more early period: in the 80s of the last century, he, a modest pharmacist from a small town near Nancy, began to carefully look at the work of famous French scientists, prof. Liebeau and Bernheim, the founders of “scientific hypnotism.” Noticing the practical shortcomings of hypnotic treatment, vigilantly monitoring the further health of numerous patients, Coue thought about creating his own method. Instead of the principle of subordinating the patient’s psyche to the influence of a hypnotist, he based it from the very beginning on the development of the patient’s initiative. From a special and narrow in its practical application therapeutic form of hypnotic suggestion, Coue thus moved on to self-hypnosis, which, in his opinion, is a truly powerful, truly universal human mental ability. A further phase in the development of the method was the establishment of the relationship between conscious will and imagination. This question is presented in detail and clearly on the following pages. Here it is enough just to note that this principle represents an attempt to consistently develop the doctrine of the subconscious, constructed by the school of Freud, Breuer and others.

For a long time - over 15 years - Coue did not dare to apply his new method. The first practical attempts dating back to the beginning of this century fully confirmed his assumptions. At first, cautiously and timidly - in the circle of close friends and relatives - then increasingly expanding the circle of his patients, Coue, by the beginning of the war, already had a wide audience. The war did not stop his work, but, of course, narrowed its scope. However, even under fire from German guns, he

The method of “conscious self-hypnosis” by Emile Coue is an effective method of self-help, psychological work with oneself, based on such a psychological phenomenon as self-hypnosis. Wherein this method involves absolute relaxation. Using it, a person very calmly, without unnecessary tension and passion, creates the image of what he wants. E. Coue was sure that those who live with the thought “I will achieve it!” will definitely achieve what they want.

"If you convince yourself that you are capable of doing something (assuming it is even possible), then you will be able to do it, no matter how difficult it may be for you. If, on the contrary, you imagine that you will not succeed in the simplest thing in the world, this will happen, and even molehills will become insurmountable mountain peaks for you ". Emile Coue

Emile Coue: from pharmacist to psychologist
After Emile Coue received his degree in pharmacology in 1876, he opened his medical practice in Paris. During this period, Coue discovered that the effectiveness of treatment largely depended on the patient’s conviction in the healing power of the medicine offered to him. He believed that the main cause of human illnesses is imagination.

While selling medicine to people, Emile Coue smiled and said: “ You’ll see, this will certainly help you!” When the patients returned and said that the pills really alleviated their condition, he replied: “It will only get better and better! " Coue quickly realized that words significantly enhanced the effects of the medications.

One day, a client stubbornly insisted that she be sold a medicine that was prohibited from being dispensed without a prescription. Emile Coue, in turn, got out of the situation by offering the lady a more effective drug, which was actually a bottle of distilled water. A few days later the patient returned in excellent spirits, declaring that she had completely recovered.

Coue was very inspired by the power of influence of autosuggestion on physical state, so he took up the study of applied psychology and over time was able to develop his own methodology.

“Conscious self-hypnosis”: the unique technique of Emile Coue
Emile Coue devoted 15 years to developing a method he called “conscious self-hypnosis.” He has helped thousands of people improve their quality of life. Naturally, self-hypnosis could not replace treatment with a doctor, but the suffering of patients was significantly reduced. “Every day I get better and better” - this phrase should be pronounced easily, like a child, without the slightest effort, wrote Coue. Gradually, such suggestion becomes part of the unconscious and begins to influence the person, his actions and actions.

The method is as follows:

• During the day, twice a day you need to repeat the so-called self-hypnosis formula. In this case, the person himself chooses which words he will pronounce, the main thing is that they should be simple and positive. You can address both an individual organ and the entire body. For example: “my vision is improving”, “my blood pressure is normal”, “I am a completely sober person” or simply “I will do it”.
• The phrase must be repeated 20 times. In order not to lose count, Coue suggested using a cord with 20 knots, which should be sorted like a rosary. The formula should be pronounced indifferently and detachedly.
• Emile Coue recommended arranging such self-hypnosis sessions immediately after waking up and before going to bed. Psychologists call the state of half-asleep a natural autohypnotic state, when the subconscious is “open” to conversation.

Formula for effective self-hypnosis:

desired state = relaxation + imagination + verbal positive formulation.

How to use the “conscious self-hypnosis” method?

Situation: Soon you will have to go for an interview with a serious company, and you really want to get this position. You feel very nervous and are afraid that you will not be able to convince the employer to hire you.

Pre-suggestion (Que believed that some people cannot cope without outside support): call a friend who can convince you that the employer will definitely like you, and the result of the interview will certainly be positive.

Grade: You think about the situation and say to yourself: yes, I can get rid of anxiety and feel confident.

Conscious self-suggestion : calmly, without thinking, without any effort, repeat: “I can handle myself, I won’t worry.”

Connecting the unconscious : regularly, before you go to bed and immediately after waking up, repeat the phrase: “I can control myself and be calm.”

Visualization : for a couple of days, mentally imagine how you come to an interview and communicate absolutely calmly with the employer, showing only your best side.

Result: On the day of the interview, you go to the company’s office with absolute confidence that you will be hired.

The Emile Coue method was at one time heavily criticized, but practitioners continue to actively use “conscious suggestion” and recognize high efficiency this technique.

1. Coue method

Emile Coue was born in Turaite (France) in 1857 and worked as a pharmacist until 1910. Being an observant person and constantly communicating with patients, Coue noticed that healing effect The use of a medicine depends not only on its pharmacological properties, but to an even greater extent on whether the patient believed in the healing power of this medicine or not. It’s one thing when a person takes medicine with confidence in recovery (“I’ll feel better tomorrow”), and quite another when he doesn’t believe in pills (“nothing will help me anyway”). It turns out, Coue concludes, that the power of imagination affects the effectiveness of treatment.

Based on his practical observations, Coue created a system of psychotherapeutic assistance, which he called “a school of self-control through conscious self-hypnosis.” In 1910, Coue moved to Nancy and opened a psychotherapy clinic there, which he ran until his death (1926).

It should be noted that the “Cue System” became quite widespread in the 1920s. The famous French psychotherapist Soigaikh (1978) calls Coue one of the predecessors of the creation behavioral psychotherapy, noting that he was "the first to propose methods of thought control and to emphasize the role of positive thought in behavior change."

From a modern perspective, some of Coue's theoretical arguments seem simplified and even primitive. Nevertheless, the method of “voluntary self-hypnosis” he created is used in the practice of psychotherapy to this day.

Coue believed that main reason The disease is a morbid imagination in which the unconscious Id manifests itself. Coue compared the power of imagination to a mountain stream, which in its spontaneous uncontrollability destroys everything in its path, but which can be “tamed”, and then it will be able to generate positive energy. Coue argued that all people are at the mercy of the power of their own

imagination and that the sick person, "armed with the right idea, can again achieve his mental equilibrium."

Conscious self-hypnosis according to Coue is a therapeutic method that allows you to suppress painful ideas that are harmful in their consequences and replace them with useful and beneficial ones. Coue compared painful ideas to pins stuck in the preconscious part of the ego, which can be gradually knocked out and replaced with others.

Who doesn't want to succeed in the very areas in which he lags behind and fears? As you know, Demosthenes suffered from a speech impediment (his voice was quiet and his speech had a lisp), but he really wanted to become an orator. This man was so full of self-confidence that through hard training (he learned to speak with stones in his mouth), he became, according to contemporaries, an unsurpassed speaker.

The example of Demosthenes, according to Coue, clearly illustrates one of his important theoretical positions: “success is brought not so much by willpower as by the power of one’s own imagination.”

Indeed, conscious volitional efforts when correcting speech do not help, but only hinder. The same thing happens with some other diseases. Doctor's advice to a patient suffering obsessive states or phobias, “pull yourself together” most often only brings worsening.

According to Coue, therapeutic ideas, which he called the “formula of autosuggestion,” are essentially a statement of fact. The formula for self-hypnosis should be simple and non-violent. For example: “Every day I am getting better and better in every way.”

At the same time, it does not matter, Coue believes, whether the autosuggestion formula corresponds to reality or not, since it is addressed to the subconscious I, which is distinguished by gullibility. The subconscious self accepts this formula as truth, as an order that must be fulfilled. The simpler the formula, the better the therapeutic effect. “The formulas should be “childish,” says Coue. “They are not intended for our conscious, critical I, but solely as a representation, like children’s formulas.”

Coue repeatedly emphasized that voluntary self-hypnosis should be carried out without any volitional effort. “If you consciously suggest something to yourself,” he wrote, “do it completely naturally, completely simply, with conviction and especially without any effort. If unconscious self-hypnosis, often of a bad nature, is so successful, it is because it done effortlessly."

Treatment technique. Treatment begins with a preliminary conversation, during which the influence of self-hypnosis on the body is explained, examples of the healing effects of suggestion and self-hypnosis are given. various diseases. To convince the patient that his own thoughts and ideas can influence the involuntary functions of the body, we often use a test with a Chevrolet pendulum. A weight suspended on a thread swings in the patient’s “fixed” hand only with one idea of ​​its movement. This enhances the patient’s suggestibility and convinces him of the effectiveness of the chosen treatment method.

Next, the doctor, together with the patient, draws up a self-hypnosis formula, which can change during the treatment process. The formula should be simple, consist of a few words, a maximum of 3-4 phrases and always have a positive content. For example, “I am healthy” instead of “I am not sick.” Sometimes the formula represents a kind of “code” that is understandable only to the patient. So, to strengthen faith in one’s strengths, the formula can be used: “I can, I can, I can.” In other conditions, the formula may be more extended. For example, in conditions of group addiction to alcohol or drugs, the patient inspires himself: “My decision to overcome the craving for alcohol (drugs) is final. No matter what excuse my friends give and no matter how much they persuade me, in any case I will not succumb to persuasion, I will not change my decision ".

During the session, the patient takes a comfortable position, sitting or lying down, closes his eyes, relaxes and in a whisper, without any tension, pronounces the same self-hypnosis formula 20 times. The formula must be pronounced monotonously, without fixing attention on its content, not loudly, but so that the patient himself must hear what he is saying.

The self-hypnosis session lasts 3-4 minutes and is repeated 2-3 times a day for 6-8 weeks.

In order not to distract your attention to counting when repeating the formula 20 times, Coue recommended using a cord with twenty knots that move like a rosary.

Treatment is usually carried out on an outpatient basis, but under the supervision of a doctor.

The Coue method can be used independently, but is more often used in combination with other methods of suggestive psychotherapy.

The undoubted advantage of the self-hypnosis method compared to suggestion and hypnosuggestion is that the patient himself actively participates in the treatment process, and self-hypnosis sessions can be carried out in any environment and at any time.

2. Jacobson method

The method was proposed by the Chicago physician Jacobson in 1922, that is, 10 years before Schultz presented to the medical community his method, which he outlined in the monograph “Autogenic training - concentrated self-relaxation” (Schultz, 1932). It should be noted that in the 20-30s these methods were not separated and were considered as options for “treatment through decontraction”.

Jacobson proceeded from the well-known fact that emotional stress is accompanied by tension in the striated muscles, and calm is accompanied by their relaxation. It was natural to assume that muscle relaxation should be accompanied by a decrease in neuromuscular tension.

While recording objective signs of emotions, Jacobson noticed that different types of emotional responses correspond to the tension of the corresponding muscle group. For example, depressive state accompanied by tension in the respiratory muscles; fear - spasm of the muscles of articulation and phonation.

According to Jacobson, by relieving the tension of a certain muscle group through voluntary self-suggestion ("differentiated relaxation"), one can selectively influence negative emotions.

Jacobson believed that each region of the brain functions in connection with the peripheral neuromuscular apparatus, forming the cerebroneuromuscular circle. Voluntary relaxation allows you to influence not only the peripheral, but also the central part of this circle.

By relaxation, Jacobson understood not only muscle relaxation, but a state opposite to mental activity.

Treatment technique. Treatment begins with a conversation with patients, during which the psychotherapist explains the mechanisms of the therapeutic effects of muscle relaxation, emphasizing that the main goal of the method is to achieve voluntary relaxation of striated muscles at rest.

Conventionally, there are three stages in mastering the progressive muscle relaxation technique.

FIRST STAGE: The patient lies on his back, bends his arms at the elbow joints and sharply tenses the arm muscles, thereby causing a clear sensation of muscle tension. Then the arms relax and fall freely. This is repeated several times. In this case, you need to fix your attention on the feeling of muscle tension and relaxation.

The second exercise is contraction and relaxation of the biceps. Muscle contraction and tension should first be as strong as possible, and then weaker and weaker (and vice versa). During this exercise, you need to fix your attention on the feeling of the slightest muscle tension and their complete relaxation.

After this, the patient practices the ability to tense and relax the flexor and extensor muscles of the torso, neck, shoulder girdle, and finally the muscles of the face, eyes, tongue, larynx, involved in facial expressions and speech.

Second stage (differentiated relaxation). The patient in a sitting position learns to tense and relax muscles that are not involved in maintaining the body in an upright position; Next, relax the muscles that are not involved in these acts when writing, reading, or speaking.

Third stage. The patient is asked to establish, through self-observation, which muscle groups are most tense during various negative emotions(fear, anxiety, excitement, embarrassment) or painful conditions (pain in the heart, increased blood pressure, etc.). Then, through relaxation of local muscle tension, you can learn to prevent or relieve negative emotions or painful manifestations.

Progressive muscle relaxation exercises according to Jacobson are usually mastered by patients in a group of 8-12 people under the guidance of a doctor or an experienced instructor. Group classes are held 2-3 times a week. In addition, patients conduct self-study sessions on their own 1-2 times a day. Each session lasts from 30 minutes (individual) to 60 minutes (group). The entire training course takes from 3 to 6 months.

3. Yoga and meditation

Modern methods of therapeutic self-hypnosis, with all their diversity, have ancient and mostly common origins. Such sources primarily include the ancient Indian system of yoga with its empirical findings.

Around the second half of the 2nd millennium BC. e. Northern India was invaded by tribes who called themselves Aryans (noble). It is believed that it was the Aryans who created the most ancient Indian literature - the Vedas. The main literary, ethnic and religious concepts of the Vedas are concentrated in the Upanishads - secret knowledge that was passed on from teacher to student. More than 120 Upanishads are known, the last of which were created in the 16th-16th centuries AD. e.

In the IV-II centuries BC. e. The ancient Indian epic "Mahabharata" was created, which laid the foundation for the philosophy of yoga.

Much credit for the systematization of yoga belongs to the ancient Indian philosopher and physician Patanjali. In his book “Yoga Sutra” (2nd century BC), he sets out the basic philosophical and ethical principles of yoga, as well as practical techniques of meditation. He is considered the founder of yoga.

The meaning of the word “yoga” corresponds to its Sanskrit root “yuj”, which means “to harness, harness, discipline”, and in a broader sense - “to force oneself to concentrate, to mobilize”.

Yoga is a broad concept that includes both the goal and the means to achieve it. First of all, yoga is an ancient Indian philosophical system. The main thing in it is the doctrine of self-awareness. Through self-awareness, according to yoga, a person can achieve “liberation,” that is, he is able to free his individual consciousness (soul) from the influence of the conditions of material life and merge it with absolute knowledge (God). Self-consciousness is achieved through concentration, in which “the contemplating consciousness becomes lost in the contemplated object and ceases to be aware of itself.”

The method of achieving “liberation” through yoga, according to Patanjali, contains 8 main steps, which are arranged in a strictly defined order and complement each other. These are yama (abstinence), niyama (culture of nutrition, work and rest), asana (posture), pranayama (breathing control), pratyahara (removal of the senses), dharana (concentration), dhyana (contemplation), samadhi (concentration).

Yama includes 5 “external” commandments: do not kill, do not lie, do not be embarrassed, maintain chastity, do not spare wealth. The commandment “thou shalt not kill” is interpreted broadly and includes the requirement not to eat meat, fish, eggs, etc., not to smoke, and not to drink alcohol. These moral restrictions play the role of a kind of " social protection", contribute to the emotional balance of the Dog.

Niyama contains 5 “internal” commandments: purification, modesty, moderation, recitation of cleansing sayings (prayer), humility.

Asanas are specific poses. There are about 500 asanas: for meditation and relaxation, for strengthening the body, for cleansing the digestive system, etc.

Pranayama - yoga breathing exercises. There are 4 phases of breathing: inhalation (puraka), retention (kumbhaka), exhalation (rechana), pause after exhalation. Great importance is attached to holding the breath, during which, according to yogis, vital energy - rights - enters the body. Prana comes not only through the air, but also through food, so yogis chew food very slowly.

Pratyahara is “negative” concentration, through which physical and mental relaxation is achieved. With deep relaxation (relaxation), the functioning of the senses is achieved.

Dharana is active concentration of attention on an object (external or internal). The exercise is considered mastered if attention is held on the subject for at least 12 seconds.

Dhyana is the process of penetrating into the essence of the object of concentration. If the concentration of attention on an object is maintained for 144 seconds, which is equal to 12 dharanas, dhyana is considered to be achieved.

Samadhi is achieved if the concentration of attention on an object is maintained for 1728 seconds (12 dhyanas, or 144 dharanas). Yogis believe that in the state of samadhi there is complete penetration into the object of concentration. At this moment the yogi is unable to distinguish between his personality and the object.

The first 4 stages are focused mainly on psychological and physical preparation; the last 4 are for training mental processes.

The last 3 stages (dharana, dhyana and samadhi) are the stages of meditation. The transition from one stage to the next does not require the use of special equipment. It is associated only with an increase in the depth of concentration on an object.

Depending on the use of specific techniques, there are different types of yoga systems: mantra yoga, hatha yoga, laya yoga, raja yoga.

In mantra yoga, concentration is carried out on certain words and expressions (mantras), which, when

continuous repetition (japa) have a certain effect on the state of the central and autonomic nervous system.

The basis of h a t h a-y o g i ("power yoga", "yoga against the will") is asanas and pranayama.

Yogis believe that there is a connection between a person’s emotional state and posture and muscle tone. Using muscular system as the most amenable to volitional control, through many years of training of neuromuscular processes, yogis acquire the skills of self-influence on the emotional-volitional sphere.

At the same time, some asanas act on the body like relaxants and tranquilizers, while others act like stimulants.

Certain asanas lead to relaxation of the chest muscles, which reduces breathing effort. Therefore, asanas precede pranayama. Yogis believe that there is a direct connection between breathing and mental state, and give this connection great importance. It is believed that normalization of the breathing rhythm leads to mental relaxation. Conversely, mental relaxation leads to regulation of the breathing rhythm. Yoga considers the optimal ratio of inhalation, retention and exhalation cycles to be 1:4:2.

Laya yoga is a system of self-regulation, the goal of which is to awaken the “latent” energy of the autonomic nervous system. The main technique of the system is meditation. Objects of concentration can be specific words (mantras), geometric figures (liters), pictures (dayats).

According to yogis, at the base of the spine there is a vital center - muladhara, which stores nervous energy (kundalini) that regulates the visceral functions of the body. The symbol of kundalini is a coiled snake. The awakening and release of kundalini is achieved through mental concentration on the muladhara center.

Raja yoga is a system of ethical and philosophical principles and religious norms, as well as rules of meditation. Raja Yoga uses procedures and techniques similar to Laya Yoga, but the objects of concentration are related to highest manifestations conscious human activity. It is believed that with the help of Raja Yoga a bridge is created between conscious and unconscious mental processes.

Yogis are sure that before practicing Raja Yoga, it is necessary to master the practice of Hatha Yoga and Laya Yoga.

With the help of meditation, yogis are able to isolate themselves from the outside world. As meditation deepens, the yogi loses his sense of reality and cannot distinguish his inner world from the outer.

According to Raja Yoga, the outer world is only a gross form of the inner world. The yogi receives nothing from society and gives nothing to it. He reaches a state of absolute isolation (kaivalya), which is the goal of his social existence.

The central method of self-hypnosis in eastern teachings is meditation.

The word meditation comes from the Greek medomoi ("to think about something"). It corresponds to the Sanskrit term dhyana (“meditation,” deepening).

From the perspective of ancient Indian psychology, the waking consciousness of a person has three possible states:

1) inability to concentrate on one thought (a state opposite to meditation);

2) intrusive thought, motive, image (involuntary meditation);

3) the ability to voluntarily concentrate on anything and not think about what gets in the way this moment(meditation).

In other words, meditation is any concentration of thought, any concentration of attention on anything.

Patanjali teaches: “Dharana is the retention of thought on a specific object. The continuous flow of cognition of this object is dhyana... When it, rejecting images, reflects only their meaning, this is samadhi” (quoted by S. Vivekananda, 1906) .

A person may reflect on some everyday or scientific problem, may be captured by some idea, but this is not meditation. Meditation usually means an artificially created situation in which a person is specifically engaged in self-improvement of his thought processes or some mental characteristics, reflecting (meditating) on ​​the artificial circumstances he himself created.

An analogy can be drawn with sports and ordinary physical labor. Special physical exercises can develop physical strength and muscles more effectively than everyday exercise physical work.

Likewise, specific meditation practice can enhance your psychic capabilities more significantly than everyday mental functioning. If during meditation attention is concentrated on the physiological processes of the body, then this can lead to their change, as with autogenic training.

During the process of meditation, the yogi has the illusion that he merges with the entire universe, reaches high levels of intuitive insight, with the help of which he realizes the hidden essence of things.

From a modern perspective, meditation is a form of auto-hypnotization, and the state of altered consciousness achieved as a result of meditation is a hypnotic trance.

Yogi meditation techniques are associated with concepts such as yantras and mantras.

I n t r y. Already primitive tried to materialize his ideas about the world in the form of rock paintings. Subsequently, contemplating them, he evoked adequate emotional experiences. At first these were images of real images (people, animals, trees), and then - their symbols. In this regard, Egyptian symbolism reached the height of perfection.

It is known that images of various shapes and colors have different effects on a person’s mental state. Thus, a zigzag line with sharp corners creates the impression of a sharp change, accumulation and discharge of energy, causing a person to feel tension and anxiety. On the contrary, the 8-shaped curve is called the line of grace and creates a feeling of harmony and calm. Rounded lines can be called light, broken lines - hard. Figures with radially diverging straight lines create the illusion of radiation, the square is associated with the idea of ​​completeness, the circle with cosmic infinity and absolute harmony.

Row geometric shapes selected on the principle of increasing the illusion of radiation. These figures are considered sacred in almost all religions and are the main elements in the depiction of the so-called chakras in the laya yoga system.

Figures that are symmetrical or asymmetrical, balanced or unbalanced have different mental effects.

Concentrating on a figure with a balanced center (balanced figure) causes a person to feel calm, while concentrating on an unbalanced figure causes a feeling of discomfort and tension.

Different colors also have a certain effect on the mental state. For example, red excites, and purple calms. V. X. Kandinsky noted that yellow color concentrates attention, while blue and red diffuse it. He also argued that the color orange generates a surge of energy, ambition and a desire for triumph.

Artists know that bright red, bright yellow and orange are “warm” colors, and light blue, lime and light blue are “cool”. The interactions of colors further enhance the impact on emotions. For example, golden yellow and sea green mutually enhance emotional balance, while the combination of golden yellow and fiery red has the opposite effect.

The effect of shape and color on a person’s mental state is the basis of the practice of Laya Yoga. Meditation here is carried out by concentrating on real or imaginary graphic images - yantras.

Chakras are also often used as objects of concentration in meditation.

Mantras. The influence of sounds and speech on a person’s mental state is undeniable. The main purpose of speech is to convey information. However, the emotional and suggestive impact of human speech is determined not only by the content of information, but also depends on the expressiveness, volume, and musicality of the spoken words. The dependence of the impact of human speech on its structure is a fascinating and still little developed area of ​​knowledge.

Words with a concrete meaning (shine, light, night, warmth, sweet, etc.) have greater suggestive power than words with an abstract meaning (hence, as a result, because, etc.). The higher the degree of abstraction when describing an image, the less its suggestive impact. If we want to form an image of a person, then we need to talk not about humanity in general, but about the specific qualities of a particular person.

The suggestive effect of speech is enhanced by such qualities as the softness and strength of the voice, pauses, and the use of the effect of surprise.

On emotional condition A person is influenced not only by the meaning and intonation of speech, but also by a certain sound combination of words. Words such as “monotonous”, “flag”, “yeast”, “Vladivostok” sound soft, and the words “dew”, “rose”, “awakening”, “grass”, “dawn” sound firm and stimulate action . Orders usually consist of firm words. Interestingly, the sound "r" is present in the word "red" in almost all European languages.

All speech sounds are divided into vowels and consonants. Consonants are divided into hard and soft. Vowels are produced by voiced exhalation and are characterized by the height of the fundamental tone and the accompanying overtones. The latter are usually called formant tones. The highest formant tone is for the sound “i”, the lowest is for the sound “u”.

When exposed to a word, not only its semantic content is important, but also its sound structure. So, for example, the presence of the sound “and” in a word creates the impression of something small, narrow, insignificant. This can be easily confirmed by experiment. Invite the subject to name with imaginary words (“la”, “lau”, “li”) three figures that are identical in shape but different in size. Usually the name chosen for the smallest figure is "li", and for the largest - "lau". The sound “i” creates a feeling of tension, coldness, the sound “o” - relaxation, softness, warmth.

The presence of the sounds “a”, “e”, “i” creates the feeling of something white, light, yellow, red, bright; the sounds “y”, “o”, “u” are associated with gloomy, dark things. The dominance of sound symbolism over the content of a concept is well demonstrated in children's creativity (counting books, tongue twisters). These sound series are more stable than semantic ones.

The severance of meaningful connections in the structure of thinking occurs in the waking state, as well as during meditation. Initially, unrelated episodes emerge in the mind. There is a logical connection within each episode. With deeper meditation, separate, unrelated phrases appear, and then they disintegrate. With a deep degree of meditation, words disintegrate, and only short, rhythmic sound combinations remain in the consciousness. This is probably why some authors (V. A. Nalimov, 1989) call meditation practitioners “psychonauts.”

Speech is freed from conceptual content when emotions are expressed (screaming, roaring). On the contrary, exclamations (ah! oh! eh!) contain a strong emotional component. Exclamations seem to symbolize the emotions themselves. They do not carry any conceptual load other than the idea of ​​a certain emotional state.

Each person usually has certain emotions associated with a certain exclamation. If you utter such an exclamation several times in a row, you can cause a corresponding emotional state. Interestingly, similar effects are observed when pronouncing any word. The secret of the influence of mantras lies in this specific effect of sound combinations on the human psyche.

Conscious influence on a person with the help of words or phrases has been practiced since ancient times. Repeated repetition of certain, most often meaningless words is widespread in practice. traditional medicine, religious rituals, inherent in stressful situations. There is nothing absurd in such an impact of a meaningless series of words on the human psyche, since in this case it is not the semantic load, not information, but the sound combination that influences.

You can come up with mantras yourself. Suppose you are on the seashore, there is warm yellow sand under your feet, the morning sun gently warms you, you feel calm and confident in your abilities. Relax your body, concentrate on your feelings and come up with a phrase that corresponds to your state of mind at the moment. This is your mantra. By concentrating on it during meditation and repeating it many times, you can evoke in yourself the state of mind that you experienced and felt on the seashore. In a similar way, you can create mantras to suit different emotional states.

Meditation technique. When practicing meditation, the following rules should be observed.

1. The meditation room should be quiet, warm and comfortable. Subsequently, you can meditate in any environment.

2. Meditation should be performed on an empty stomach or 1-2 hours after eating, preferably in the morning (before breakfast) and in the evening (before dinner).

3. You should not exercise if you are feeling unwell or emotionally overstimulated.

4. During meditation, do not resist thoughts that spontaneously arise in the mind; let them disappear on their own.

5. Don’t turn meditation into a “fixed idea.”

6. Meditation should be practiced for 40-45 minutes 3-4 times a week.

Pose. For those who practice hatha yoga, it is recommended to use the lotus or half-lotus pose. Others can meditate while sitting on a chair with a comfortable backrest that allows them to straighten their spine, or lying on their back.

Relax your arms, face, legs, whole body. Wait 2-3 minutes until complete relaxation. Close your eyes.

Concentration on own body. Take a meditative pose. Focus your attention on your body: “I am lying still... my body is relaxed... my arms and legs are relaxed... I can feel my toes... they are completely relaxed... I feel my shins... my shins are completely relaxed. ... feel my hips... my hips are relaxed... my whole body is relaxed... my rib cage relaxed... my body is relaxed... I feel my stomach... it's relaxed... I feel my neck...

she's relaxed... I feel my face... every muscle of my face is relaxed... I'm relaxing more and more..."

Pronunciation of phrases occurs slowly, with simultaneous active concentration on parts of the body. Over time, during training, the depth muscle relaxation increases.

At a certain stage, the meditator, as it were, turns into an outside observer of his own mental activity. A variety of real or fantastic pictures appear in the mind. It is necessary to step back from the emotional experiences of these paintings and watch them as if from the outside, like a spectator watching a film.

As the meditation deepens, the pictures begin to replace each other faster and faster. The thought process disintegrates. With persistent training, you can achieve a deep trance.

Concentration on the pose. Direct all your attention to right hand. Concentrate on the sensations you feel in your hand. Move your hand and again concentrate on the changed sensations. Now concentrate your attention on your body posture. Feel its spatial configuration. Imagine that you are performing various actions - swimming, diving, dancing, taking the finish line, performing gymnastic exercises, striking, defending. This meditative technique was the basis of training in ancient oriental martial arts and is now used in judo, karate, konfu, aikido, etc.

Concentrate on breathing. Take a meditative pose. Relax your body. Concentrate on your breathing. Do not change the natural rhythm of breathing, but just watch it. Breathing can be mentally accompanied by the phrases: “I feel my inhalation... I feel my exhalation...”, etc. The simplicity of the exercise is only apparent. When training, you will encounter limitations in your ability to keep your attention on your breathing.

Periods of absent-mindedness occur with changes in pictures and thoughts. In the process of regular training, periods of absent-mindedness are reduced, and periods of concentration become longer and more stable. The meditator begins to feel the inner stability and harmony of his emotional reactions. This exercise is a fundamental technique in Zen practice. By concentrating your attention on your breathing, you can repeat approximately the following meditative phrases:

I breathe in...

I breathe out...

The chest is relaxed... (one breathing cycle)

I breathe in...

I breathe out...

My body is relaxed... (one breathing cycle)

I breathe in...

I breathe out...

I feel peace and relaxation... (one breathing nickle)

I breathe in...

I breathe out...

Nice feeling... (inhale)

Pleasant feeling... (exhale) Nice to breathe... (inhale)

It's nice to breathe... (exhale)

I feel warm... (inhale)

I feel warm... (exhale)

Everything is relaxed... (inhale)

Everything is relaxed... (exhale)

Calm and quiet... (inhale)

Calm and quiet... (exhale)

The exercise is a modification of a Buddhist meditation technique.

Meditation on mantras. A certain position is adopted in which you can stay for a long time without experiencing physical discomfort. The body completely relaxes. The meditator calms down and rhythmizes his breathing, concentrates his gaze on a certain point or closes his eyes. In this state of complete relaxation, continuous mental repetition of the mantra (japa process) begins.

Continuous concentration on a mantra is an extremely difficult process. Some time after the start of meditation, attention involuntarily dissipates, and the place of the mantra is taken by extraneous thoughts or pictures.

Then the concentration is again focused on the mantra, and the japa process continues. For mantra meditation, it is advisable to use sound combinations that have no conceptual meaning, but are capable of creating a certain mental background. The ancient practice of Laya Yoga uses the sounds of the Sanskrit language, softened by groups of sounds “ng”, “ang”, “ing”, for example:

1) ang, bant, vant, dang, jang, dzang, tang, zang, kant, lang, mang, nang;

2) eng, beng, weng, geng, jeng, dzeng, teng, zeng, keng, leng, ment, neng, peng, reng, seng, tent, feng, heng, tseng, cheng, sheng;

3) ing, bandage, screw, ging, ding, jing, zing, ting, zing, king, ling, ming, ning, ting, ring, sing, ting, feint, hing, ching.

Each mantra needs to be trained separately for a long time. It is enough to choose 2-3 mantras that create the appropriate psychological state in the meditator. The mantra helps fill the consciousness with neutral content, freeing it from traces of previous mental activity, and entering a trance.

Meditation on yantras. Take a meditative pose, relax. Mentally imagine a circle, triangle, rectangle, star and other simple geometric shapes, a sheaf of rays. Try to record the specific emotional states that they evoke in you. In the future, as you practice, try to fix your attention on only one of the figures.

Meditation on the chakras. The technique is an effective means of influencing the vegetative nervous system(laya yoga).

In his book Laya Yoga, Goswami describes a technique designed to stimulate the autonomic nervous system. It consists of the following stages.

1. Concentration on the muladhara chakra. You need to concentrate your imagination on the kundalini spiral (symbol of potential nervous energy), which emits a red color.

2. Concentration on the chakra is performed simultaneously with the mental pronunciation of the mantra “hang”. The imagination focuses on the kundalini spiral, which gradually begins to warm up and radiate heat. At the same time, it slowly unwinds and rises up the spine. It sequentially passes through all the chakras and reaches the parietal region - the sahasrara chakra.

3. The imagination is directed to the segment of the spiral located between the muladhara and anahata chakras. The meditator imagines that this part of the spiral emits fiery red light.

5. Finally, the imagination concentrates on the end of the spiral in the sahasrara chakra. The spiral is white-hot; enormous energy is concentrated here, which the meditator can control.

There have long been attempts to find a connection between the chakras and the centers of the autonomic nervous system. However, they have all been unsuccessful so far. One should agree with the opinion of the Bulgarian researcher N. Petrov (1986), who believes that various interpretations of kundalini, which assume the existence of non-material conductors of bioenergy, as well as chakras as centers that control bioenergy, are a mixture of naivety and metaphysics.

Meditation on mantras and yantras as a means of self-hypnosis has long been used in Eastern religions. However, religious cultures cannot be considered the primary source of meditative techniques. In all likelihood, the human ability to meditate arose in ancient times. It is no coincidence that even primitive man had a need for rhythms and dances, primitive songs, and objects of worship. By concentrating on these rhythms and objects of worship, primitive man formed his mental mood, stimulating or calming himself.

Mantras form the basis of the songwriting of many peoples and help them overcome hard physical labor. It is considered quite natural to enter a trance during dances, which are based on rhythm, or during drill training of soldiers.

Short commands, marching in formation, countless turns left, right, around, unquestioning execution of seemingly ridiculous orders... Then the order: “Attack!” People rise up and go to their deaths. All these are links of one chain.

4. Schulz method

Autogenic training is self-hypnosis in a state of relaxation (lowest level) or hypnotic trance (highest level).

Creator of the method autogenic training Johannes Heinrich Schultz is rightfully considered, and he also owns the term “autogenic training”. The time of creation of the method is considered to be 1932, but the roots of its birth go back to the distant past.

After studying in Poznan, Göttingen and Breslau, Schultz spent some time doing research and teaching at the Institute of Psychology. Paul Ehrlich in Frankfurt, where (being a dermatologist by profession) he lectured on psychotherapy. After some time, Schultz received a diploma in neuropathology and took the place of chief physician of the White Deer sanatorium near Dresden. In 1924, he moved to Berlin, where his main works (more than 400) were written, including the monograph “Autogenic training - concentrated self-relaxation” (1932), which formally gave rise to the method of autogenic training.

During his lifetime, Schultz was lucky enough to witness the “victorious march” of autogenic training. In 1961, the “International Coordination Committee for Clinical Application in Teaching Autogenous Therapy” (118AT) was created, which included a representative of the USSR. Autogenic training has become especially widespread in Germany, the USA, and Canada.

The scientist even managed to write a preface to the 13th edition of his book, published in 1970. In it, Schultz wrote with alarm: “The widespread dissemination of the method has led to the fact that, unfortunately, charlatans have also “attached” to it: one priest promises children lungs ways to self-control, various "psychological institutes" send out prospectuses, noting in passing that their leaders have academic degrees and titles, and the like. Even colleagues endlessly publish “Collections of exercises” for independent study without medical supervision" Meanwhile, almost 40 years earlier, in the preface to the first edition of his famous book, Schultz wrote: "We strongly warn readers who are not related to medicine about the inadmissibility of using our method independently or with outside help without medical supervision; Since, in its inner essence, autogenic training is aimed at restructuring a person’s consciousness, it must be carried out under medical supervision.”

In the USSR, autogenic training began to be systematically studied around the mid-50s (A. M. Svyadoshch, M. S. Lebedinsky, G. S. Belov, A. S. Romen, etc.). Monographs by A. S. Romen (1970), A. G. Panov, G. S. Belyaev, V. S. Lobzin, I. A. Kopylova (1980) and others are devoted to this method.

Autogenic training, proposed by Schultz as independent method, is a synthetic method in nature (Lobzin, Reshetnikov, 1986). It is based on the findings of the ancient Indian system of yoga, the experience of studying the sensations of people immersed in hypnosis, the practice of using self-hypnosis by the Nancy school of psychotherapists (Couet, Baudouin), psychophysiological studies of the neuromuscular component of emotions and the experience of using muscle relaxation (Jacobson), as well as rational psychotherapy (Dubois).

Schultz's main merit is, first of all, that he freed the teachings of yoga from the common interpretation or from the taint of mysticism.

The method of autogenic training proposed by Schultz, in contrast to its numerous modifications, is called classical and is divided into 2 stages: 1st, or initial (AT-1) and 2nd, or highest (AT-2).

AT-1 technology. Before the start of the training, a conversation is held with the patients, in which the physiological basis of the method and the mechanisms of the effect of certain exercises on the body are explained in an accessible form. Schultz himself, for example, believed that with significant relaxation of the striated muscles, a special state of consciousness arises, which allows, through self-hypnosis, to influence various, including involuntary, functions of the body. A skillfully conducted conversation, accompanied by a demonstration of the effectiveness of individual exercises, as well as patients who have achieved positive results through training, contribute to success further treatment. The conversation emphasizes that mental repetition of self-hypnosis formulas should be carried out calmly, without excessive concentration of attention and emotional stress. It is helpful to familiarize the patient with the training plan from the very beginning.

Self-hypnosis sessions are carried out 3-4 times a day. For the first 3 months, the duration of each session does not exceed 1-3 minutes, then their time increases slightly (AT-2), but does not exceed 30 minutes. Throughout the treatment, training should be carried out under the supervision of a doctor. For this purpose, group training sessions are held at least once a week. At the first stage of treatment, you need to master 6 exercises. Each one takes approximately 10-15 days to train. After this, the 2nd stage of treatment begins (AT-2), which lasts at least 6 months. The full course of autogenic training is designed for 9-12 months.

Sessions are carried out lying or sitting, in the “coachman” position (the head is bowed forward, the hands and forearms are on the knees, the legs are comfortably apart).

1st exercise - inducing a feeling of heaviness. Mentally repeat: “I am completely calm” (1 time); “my right (left) hand is heavy” (6 times); "I'm calm" (1 time). After 4-6 days of exercise, the feeling of heaviness in the hand becomes clear. Then, in the same way, a feeling of heaviness is caused in both arms... in both legs... in the whole body. Each exercise should begin and end with the formula: “I am calm.”

2nd exercise - inducing a feeling of warmth. Mentally repeat: “I am calm” (1 time); “heavy body” (1 time); “my right (left) hand is warm” (6 times). Subsequently, the suggestion of warmth spreads to the second arm, legs, and entire body. They move on to the formula: “Both hands are warm... both legs are warm... the whole body is warm.”

In the future, the 1st and 2nd exercises are combined with one formula: “Arms and legs are heavy and warm.” The exercise is considered mastered if the feeling of heaviness and warmth in the body is easily and clearly evoked.

3rd exercise - regulation of the rhythm of cardiac activity. The exercise begins with the formula: “I am calm.” Then a sensation of heaviness and warmth is sequentially evoked in the body. The patient places his right hand on the area of ​​the heart and mentally says 5-6 times: “My heart beats calmly, powerfully and rhythmically.” The patient is first advised to learn to mentally count the heartbeat. The exercise is considered mastered if it is possible to influence the strength and rhythm of cardiac activity.

4th exercise - regulation of breathing. The following self-hypnosis formula is used: “Restless... my hands are heavy and warm... my heart beats strongly, calmly and rhythmically... I breathe calmly, deeply and evenly.” The last phrase is repeated 5-6 times. Subsequently, the formula is shortened: “I breathe calmly.”

5th exercise - influence on organs abdominal cavity. The patient is first explained the location and role of the solar plexus in normalizing the function of internal organs. The same sensations are sequentially evoked as during exercises 1-4, and then mentally repeat the formula 5-6 times: " Solar plexus warm... it radiates warmth."

6th exercise - inducing a feeling of coolness in the forehead. First, the sensations described in exercises 1-5 are evoked. Then the patient mentally repeats 5-6 times: “My forehead is cool.”

As you master the exercises, the self-hypnosis formulas can be shortened: “Calm... Heaviness... Warmth... Heart and breathing are calm... Solar plexus is warm... Forehead is cool.”

After completing the exercise, patients are advised to rest quietly for 1-2 minutes, and then withdraw themselves from the state of autogenic immersion. To do this, give yourself a mental command: “Bend your arms (2-3 sharp flexion movements in the elbow joints), take a deep breath, and while inhaling, open your eyes.”

The given 6 exercises of the lowest level are preparatory and allow you to mainly influence the autonomic nervous system and vegetative-visceral functions of the body.

AT-2 technology. Schultz considered exercises to be the highest level of autogenic training, the purpose of which is to train the processes of imagination (with the ability to visualize ideas) and neutralize affective experiences.

The basis of the exercises at the highest level of autogenic training is meditation.

1st exercise - meditation on color. After performing 6 exercises of the lowest level, the patient, without changing posture, mentally concentrates his consciousness on images of a characteristic color: snow-capped mountain peaks... green meadow... blue flower. During the exercises, the patient should strive to keep in mind the idea of ​​color, and not the specific shapes of objects.

The exercise is repeated until the patient learns to visualize color images.

2nd exercise - meditation on an image a certain color. The purpose of the exercise is to purposefully evoke certain color ideas. At the same time, color-sensation associations are trained. For example, purple is a feeling of peace, black is sadness, anxiety, etc.

3rd exercise - meditation on the image. The purpose of the exercise is to learn to arbitrarily visualize a specific object or image. It could be a flower, a vase, a person. The criterion for successful training is targeted visualization of oneself.

4th exercise - meditation on an abstract idea. The essence of the exercise is to evoke figurative equivalents of such abstract concepts as freedom, hope, joy, love, etc. The figurative equivalents of such abstract concepts are purely individual for all people. For some, freedom is associated with a bird soaring in the sky, for others - with the sea, for others - with the endless steppe.

5th exercise - meditation on the emotional state. During the exercises, a transition is made to the projection of visualized images onto oneself, onto one’s own experiences. As an example, Schultz offered meditation on the feeling of seeing mountains. The focus of the imagination should be directed not at a specific object or landscape (sea, mountains), but at the sensations that arise when contemplating them.

6th exercise - meditation on a person. First, the imagination concentrates on the unfamiliar, and then on the familiar person. The main goal of the exercise is to learn to “free yourself” from subjective attitudes and emotional experiences in relation to familiar images, to make these images “neutral”.

Exercise 7 - “response of the unconscious.” Having mastered the ability to visualize images, the patient asks himself questions, and receives answers to them in the form of spontaneously arising images, which are then interpreted. The most frequently asked questions are: “What do I want from life?”, “What mistakes do I make in life?”, “What are my main problems?”, “How should I behave in a particular situation?”

Luthe, Schultz's co-author on the 6-volume manual "Autogenic Therapy" (1969), suggests additional exercises on autogenic modification and autogenic neutralization after autogenic meditation (the highest level of autogenic training according to Schultz).

Autogenic modification exercises include special exercises for internal organs (similar exercises according to the Kleinsorge-Klum-bies method) and intention formulas. The patient does not just ask himself a question, as in the 7th exercise LT-2, but meditates on some formula-intention. For example: “I do not take a single drop of alcohol, at any time, under any circumstances” in the situation of an invitation to drink or: “I wake up when my bladder will make itself known" with enuresis, etc.

Autogenic neutralization exercises include: autogenic response and autogenic verbalization.

With an autogenic response (according to Lute), a patient, for example, with neurosis, asks himself the question: “What is the cause of my illness?” He receives the answer in visualized images, which are then interpreted. Usually, a “layer-by-layer” dissection of psycho-traumatic causes is observed: first, the “superficial” elements of the cause of the disease are revealed, and at the end, the “deep” elements of the cause of the disease are revealed.

Opening and responding to psychotrauma leads to its neutralization and recovery. Sometimes the process of “reproduction” of traumatic causes ends in a violent affective reaction (autocatharsis).

A modification of the described Lute technique is “Autogenic Memory Therapy”, proposed by V. S. Lobzin and M. M. Reshetnikov (1986).

The authors believe that in some cases, painful experiences and neurotic disorders are associated with the patient’s past, “actually present in his consciousness in the form of painful memories.” Patients themselves avoid talking about these unpleasant memories. In such cases, the psychotherapist explains to the patient that it is the painful memories that are the cause painful sensations, which can only pass after repeated figurative reproduction of them, performed in as much detail as possible, representing the setting, time of action and situation. Memories must necessarily be accompanied by verbalization, which is facilitated in a state of autogenic immersion. If during verbalization the patient begins to cry, the doctor should not interrupt him and resort to consolation. Responding to painful memories leads to their neutralization and improves the patient’s condition.

Currently there is a large number of modifications of the Schulz technique. Let's look briefly at just a few of them.

Modification of Kleinsorge - Käümbies. In 1965, the monograph “Relaxation Technique” by H. Kleinsorge and G. Klumbies was translated into Russian, which sets out the main provisions of the “directed organ training” technique.

In contrast to the classical Schulz method, the authors attach great importance to syndromologically oriented, highly specialized training complexes. The authors identify the following groups of complexes.

“Rest” (corresponds to the first standard exercise AT-1 according to Schultz). The group of complexes is aimed at achieving “bodily peace”. The Jacobson progressive relaxation technique is used. Indications: emotional disorders, sleep disorders.

"Vessels". Figurative representations focus on the feeling of warmth. Indications: peripheral circulatory disorders, arterial hypertension.

"Heart". When performing the exercise, a sensation of warmth is purposefully evoked in the left hand, and then in the area of ​​the heart. The following version of self-hypnosis is possible: “My heart beats calmly and evenly. I barely feel my heart, pleasant warmth flows from my left hand into the left half of my chest. The vessels of my left hand expand. Warmth flows through my heart. My heart works completely independently, completely calmly.” Indications: angina pectoris, functional neurogenic arrhythmia.

"Lungs". The training is aimed primarily at rhythmic breathing. This is ensured by mentally counting the time intervals of the inhalation phases and pauses in exhalation.

The authors recommend the following self-hypnosis formula: “I am completely calm, completely calm. The air flows easily and freely, cool and refreshing air. I breathe completely calmly, without my participation, spontaneously. The air flows so beautifully, freely, freely, easily. I am completely calm. Completely calm."

Indications: bronchial asthma, chronic pneumonia, psychogenic breathing rhythm disturbances.

"Stomach". Voluntary self-suggestion of heat in certain organs of the abdominal cavity - in the area of ​​the stomach, liver, intestines. Before the exercise, the patient needs to be explained in detail the anatomical location of the organs in the abdominal cavity.

Indications: chronic gastritis and hepatitis, spastic colitis, gallbladder dyskinesia, etc.

"Head". The exercise is a modification of the 6th standard exercise according to Schultz. The formula of self-hypnosis can be somewhat expanded: “I am completely calm - My head is free and light - My forehead is pleasantly cool. I feel the coolness enveloping my entire head... My head becomes light... I think easily... I can concentrate on every thought ..." Sometimes the feeling of coolness in the forehead area is aggravated by headaches and dizziness. In these cases, the authors recommend self-hypnosis of heat in the forehead.

Indications: vasomotor disorders of cerebral circulation, migraine, Meniere's syndrome.

Psychotonic training according to Mirovsky - Shogam. Typically, autogenic training is aimed at relaxation, calming and ultimately a tranquilizing effect.

The method of K. I. Mirovsky and A. N. Shogam is designed for the opposite, stimulating effect. The training begins directly with specialized mobilizing (activating) exercises. The relaxation stage of training is sharply reduced or completely eliminated. The authors offer self-hypnosis formulas with approximately the following content: “A slight chill covers the shoulders and back, like a pleasant, refreshing shower. All muscles become elastic. I am like a steel spring. Everything is ready for the fight!” Such a mobilizing formula is preceded by a formula of peace: “I am completely calm. Nothing and no one distracts. I am completely calm.”

Indications: hyposthenic form of asthenia, arterial hypotension.

The introduction of tonic exercises into the autogenic training method served as the basis for its use in sports practice (N.V. Alekseev, A.T. Filatov), ​​in production (A.S. Romen, L.P. Grimak, Kh.I. Aliev, N.A. Laisha).

Such concepts as “psychomuscular training”, “psychogenic self-regulation” (PSR), “psychoregulatory training” (PRT), “psychophysical training” (PFT), “emotional-volitional training” (EVP), “psychosomatic gymnastics” (PSG) appeared. ) etc.

Psychomuscular training (PMT) according to A.V. Alekseev (1979).

The PMT is based on the following elements:

Ability to relax;

The ability to imagine the content of self-hypnosis formulas as vividly as possible, with the utmost power of imagination, but without straining;

The ability to maintain attention on a chosen object;

The ability to influence oneself with the necessary verbal formulas.

Training is carried out in the form of heterotraining. More often used in sports practice.

First, consistent relaxation is achieved various groups muscles, starting with the arms. As you inhale, the muscles slowly tense. This is followed by holding your breath, during which muscle tension held. As you exhale, the muscles quickly relax. This exercise is accompanied by a verbal formula: “My hands... (inhale)... relax (exhale), my hands... (inhale)... get warmer (exhale).”

Thus, already in the first lesson, training in muscle relaxation is combined with training in inducing a feeling of warmth.

After mastering the exercise for the arms, the trainee moves on to the muscles of the face, neck, legs, and torso.

The next exercise is to train general relaxation of the whole body. Self-hypnosis formula: “I... (inhale)... relax and calm down (exhale).”

The classes end with the formulas: “a state of deep peace”, “my whole body is resting”, “I am rested and calmed down”, “feeling good”. The main purpose of the exercise is to develop the ability to “enter a state of controlled drowsiness” and at the same time concentrate attention on a given sensation.”

After mastering the initial PMT exercises (the first stage), athletes master self-hypnosis techniques aimed at overcoming the feeling of pre-race excitement, feelings of pain due to injury, learn techniques for auto-activation, toning and mobilization at the right time of their mental and physical capabilities.

In preparation for upcoming competitions, figurative representations are used:

- "combat" readiness;

Perfect execution of the exercise;

Situations in which the performance was successful.

Similar exercises are used for psychogenic self-regulation at work and in extreme conditions (A. A. Romen, 1986; Kh. M. Aliev, 1990; N. A. Laisha, 1990, etc.).

Autogenic training and biofeedback.

The combined use of autogenic training and biofeedback (BFE) is one of the promising areas in psychotherapy, as evidenced by a large number of works recent years(Lobzin, Reshetnikov, 1986; Surwit et.al., 1982; Lacroiz, 1983, etc.). The combination of AT with biofeedback is especially effective in the treatment of psychosomatic diseases.

Any emotional state or mental stress manifests itself in changes in indicators of the vegetative-visceral functions of the body. Excitement, fear, anxiety are accompanied by an acceleration of the pulse, an increase in blood pressure, a change in body temperature, and tension in the striated muscles. Fatigue and asthenia are usually accompanied by arterial hypoxemia; irritable weakness - disturbance of breathing rhythm, etc.

As soon as a patient with neurosis or psychogenic depression touches upon the so-called “sore point” in a conversation, a vivid play of vasomotors of the face, chest, hyperhidrosis, and tachycardia are immediately revealed. The fact of changes in the vegetative-visceral functions of the body under certain emotional states has been known for a long time. This dependence of visceral and mental functions is the subject of serious clinical and physiological research (by the way, the “lie detector” is based on this dependence).

The concept of "biofeedback" is applicable only in cases where information about the condition is provided physiological functions for the same subject that generates this physiological information.

In other words, we can talk about biological feedback only by studying the relationship between physiological and mental functions from the same person.

Learning to register subtle changes physiological processes and using feedback, one can ultimately learn to self-manage involuntary physiological processes.

The technique of autogenic training in combination with OBS is based on this principle,

First stage. Basic AT-1 exercises are taught using special equipment to obtain and record the dynamics of physiological processes during the session. For this purpose, an oxygemograph, an electromyograph, a pneumograph, devices for recording blood pressure, ECG, EEG, etc. can be used. In practice, it is enough to use one of these devices. In our practice, we used a polygraph that allows us to simultaneously record an oxihemogram, frequency and depth of breathing, pulse and blood pressure on one tape.

Second phase. Under the control of information received from devices, a constant transition to signal replacement is carried out feedback with my own feelings patient. For example, a decrease in blood pressure, a decrease in pulse and breathing is accompanied by some kind of sensation that is purely individual for a given subject. Then, in the process of autogenic training, by self-hypnosis of only this sensation, you can achieve a decrease in blood pressure, a decrease in heart rate and breathing. Even more complex combinations of different shades of sensations can arise when analyzing the EEG.

Third stage. Self-regulation techniques are being learned. The use of devices is limited to control measurements only.

Fourth stage. Therapeutic techniques of self-regulation are carried out only under the control of one’s own sensations.

Combined use of OBS and therapeutic methods, based on self-hypnosis, is undoubtedly promising and needs further study.

EMIL KUE

Preface

Conscious and unconscious "I"

Will and imagination

Suggestion and self-hypnosis

The use of self-suggestion

How to learn to use conscious self-hypnosis?

The use of suggestion for medicinal purposes

How to practically use conscious self-hypnosis?

Advantages of the method

How does suggestion work?

The use of the method of suggestion in cases of mental illness and congenital or acquired moral defects.

Several cases of cure

Conclusion

What is achieved by self-hypnosis?

Observations

Excerpts from letters addressed to E. Coue

Thoughts and sayings of Emile Coue

Advice and instructions for students and followers

At the “sessions” with Emile Coue

Everything about everything!

The miracle is within us

What should the upbringing of children be like?

EMIL KUE

CONSCIOUS

SELF-SUGGESTION

HOW TO WAY

TO DOMINATION OVER YOURSELF

from French and preface

Mich. Kaddish

Published according to the publication by E. Coue “Conscious self-hypnosis as a way of mastering oneself”, Berlin, 1932.

Preface1

Conscious and unconscious "I"8

Will and imagination9

Suggestion and self-hypnosis12

How to learn to use conscious self-hypnosis?16

The use of suggestion for medicinal purposes19

How to practically use conscious self-hypnosis?22

Advantages of the method23

How does suggestion work?25

The use of the method of suggestion in cases of mental illness and congenital or acquired moral defects.26

Several cases of cure28

Conclusion32

What is achieved by self-hypnosis?32

Excerpts from letters addressed to E. Coue37

Thoughts and sayings of Emile Coue49

Advice and instructions for students and followers55

At the “sessions” with Emil Coue58

Notes on Emile Coue's stay in Paris in October 191866

Everything about everything!68

The miracle is within us72

What should the upbringing of children be like?76

Preface

Wide popularity that falls to the share of one or another new trend, discovery or invention is always fraught with great danger. No matter how tempting the prospect of a new word penetrating into the very thick of the broad strata of the population, no matter how great and worthy the task is to make a new conquest of thought the property of one and all, in all, almost without exception, cases, this desirable path of popularization is inevitably associated with vulgarization, with distortion and perversion of the “new word”.

Emile Coue's method of self-hypnosis was not destined to escape this fate. A number of reasons contributed to its wide dissemination: extreme accessibility and ease of use, many successful results of which he can rightfully be proud, and, finally, the personal charm of Coue himself, in whom rare fanaticism in serving the idea was combined with complete selflessness and the greatest modesty.

But success inevitably gave rise to a hobby, a kind of “fashion”. And with this were inextricably linked those distortions that completely obscure the essence of the new method and, as a result, - thanks to perverted interpretation and incorrect application - undermine confidence in it. Quite right, that’s why Prof. C. Baudouin, a follower of Coue and his scientific interpreter, who in the preface to his book: “La psychologie de la suggestion et de l"autosuggestion” says: “Not moderately fanatical adherents of the method are his worst enemies. They go to the most absurd exaggerations , which discredit the new method in the eyes of serious people.”

This sad phenomenon must be combated in every possible way. It is absolutely certain that the explanation of the true essence of the method, its role and significance and its correct application should be the main task of all those who, in one way or another, have witnessed its beneficial effects.

In this regard, the first reproach should be sent to representatives of scientific medicine, doctors. “I have often been convinced,” says Prof. Baudouin, “that the most fierce attacks on the new method come from those scientists who did not even take the trouble, along with Coue’s own book, to familiarize themselves with my works.” Guided by the current, vulgarized idea of ​​the method, doctors very often dismiss it with disdain, as witchcraft, or, at best, warn against it as something harmful and dangerous.

The Coue method has no common ground with witchcraft and other medical quackery. Based entirely on the doctrine of the “unconscious” (or subconscious), adopted by scientific medicine, the method of self-hypnosis as developed by Prof. Baudouin's theoretical justification may, naturally, cause certain objections, this or that serious criticism - he may undergo certain changes and additions in the period of further scientific work - but, in any case, the method itself, as such, - with from the point of view of a bold formulation of the problem, and from the point of view of undeniable beneficial results, it deserves the closest attention and serious study.

As for the imaginary harm and danger associated with the use of the method, all attacks on this matter were and are reduced exclusively to one thing: the method of self-hypnosis, being able to eliminate painful symptoms, and not the root cause of a particular illness, distracts the supposedly sick person from the need for systematic medical treatment and takes him away from the influence of the doctor. Without delving into the question of the limits of influence of the method, it is necessary to sharply and decisively refute the conclusion drawn from here. Neither the creator of the method himself, nor his numerous followers, who number quite a few prominent and famous doctors in their ranks, never undermined reverence for scientific medicine, did not oppose the method of self-hypnosis to it, and did not “steal away”

patient from the doctor. On the contrary, in the proposed book by Emile Coue, and in all the works of his students and friends, and, finally, in all sessions of mass and individual preparation for the perception of the method, the premise of the need for conventional forms of medical treatment is everywhere placed at the forefront. The idea is persistently and intelligibly introduced to patients: “if you have not yet been to the doctor, go to him earlier; if you are already being treated, continue your treatment as usual.” The method of self-hypnosis can and should be tried as the only method of treatment only in those cases when medicine is either powerless in the fight against the disease, or when it itself points the patient down this path, consciously realizing that with the illness there is a psychogenic origin, it is most advisable to fight with an active and direct impact on the psyche. In all other cases, the worthy and responsible task of the new method is to be a necessary, effective support to conventional forms of treatment.

It is natural, therefore, that the future of the self-hypnosis method will be determined, in our opinion, by its further theoretical development and a serious, conscientious and thoughtful attitude on the part of practicing doctors.

***

The book presented to the attention of readers cannot be considered an exhaustive scientific study. The theoretical development of the method, as already indicated, is devoted to the solid work of Prof. Baudouin.

The objectives of Emile Coue's book are completely different. These same other tasks determine his entire life and all his fruitful activity.

Not being an armchair scientist by nature, having only come close to the problem that interested him in adulthood and after long observations having “constructed” his method, Coue from the very beginning devoted all his strength to its practical application. Working tirelessly, day after day, year after year, he gave - and continues to give - tens of thousands of examples

EMANDL KUE

Published according to the publication by E. Coue “Conscious self-hypnosis as a way of mastering oneself”, Berlin, 1932.

Preface1

Conscious and unconscious "I"8

Will and imagination9

Suggestion and self-hypnosis12

How to learn to use conscious self-hypnosis?16

The use of suggestion for medicinal purposes19

How to practically use conscious self-hypnosis?22

Advantages of the method23

How does suggestion work?25

The use of the method of suggestion in cases of mental illness and congenital or acquired moral defects.26

Several cases of cure28

Conclusion32

What is achieved by self-hypnosis?32

Excerpts from letters addressed to E. Coue37

Thoughts and sayings of Emile Coue49

Advice and instructions for students and followers55

At the “sessions” with Emil Coue58

Notes on Emile Coue's stay in Paris in October 191866

Everything about everything!68

The miracle is within us72

What should the upbringing of children be like?76

Preface

Wide popularity that falls to the share of one or another new trend, discovery or invention is always fraught with great danger. No matter how tempting the prospect of a new word penetrating into the very thick of the broad strata of the population, no matter how great and worthy the task is to make a new conquest of thought the property of one and all, in all, almost without exception, cases, this desirable path of popularization is inevitably associated with vulgarization, with distortion and perversion of the “new word”.

Emile Coue's method of self-hypnosis was not destined to escape this fate. A number of reasons contributed to its wide dissemination: extreme accessibility and ease of use, many successful results of which he can rightfully be proud, and, finally, the personal charm of Coue himself, in whom rare fanaticism in serving the idea was combined with complete selflessness and the greatest modesty.

But success inevitably gave rise to a hobby, a kind of “fashion”. And with this were inextricably linked those distortions that completely obscure the essence of the new method and, as a result, - thanks to perverted interpretation and incorrect application - undermine confidence in it. Quite right, that’s why Prof. C. Baudouin, a follower of Coue and his scientific interpreter, who in the preface to his book: “La psychologie de la suggestion et de l"autosuggestion” says: “Not moderately fanatical adherents of the method are his worst enemies. They go to the most absurd exaggerations , which discredit the new method in the eyes of serious people.”

This sad phenomenon must be combated in every possible way. It is absolutely certain that the explanation of the true essence of the method, its role and significance and its correct application should be the main task of all those who, in one way or another, have witnessed its beneficial effects.

In this regard, the first reproach should be sent to representatives of scientific medicine, doctors. “I have often been convinced,” says Prof. Baudouin, “that the most fierce attacks on the new method come from those scientists who did not even take the trouble, along with Coue’s own book, to familiarize themselves with my works.” Guided by the current, vulgarized idea of ​​the method, doctors very often dismiss it with disdain, as witchcraft, or, at best, warn against it as something harmful and dangerous.

The Coue method has no common ground with witchcraft and other medical quackery. Based entirely on the doctrine of the “unconscious” (or subconscious), adopted by scientific medicine, the method of self-hypnosis as developed by Prof. Baudouin's theoretical justification may, naturally, cause certain objections, this or that serious criticism - he may undergo certain changes and additions in the period of further scientific work - but, in any case, the method itself, as such, - with from the point of view of a bold formulation of the problem, and from the point of view of undeniable beneficial results, it deserves the closest attention and serious study.

As for the imaginary harm and danger associated with the use of the method, all attacks on this matter were and are reduced exclusively to one thing: the method of self-hypnosis, being able to eliminate painful symptoms, and not the root cause of a particular illness, distracts the supposedly sick person from the need for systematic medical treatment and takes him away from the influence of the doctor. Without delving into the question of the limits of influence of the method, it is necessary to sharply and decisively refute the conclusion drawn from here. Neither the creator of the method himself, nor his numerous followers, who number quite a few prominent and famous doctors in their ranks, never undermined reverence for scientific medicine, did not oppose the method of self-hypnosis to it, and did not “steal away”

patient from the doctor. On the contrary, in the proposed book by Emile Coue, and in all the works of his students and friends, and, finally, in all sessions of mass and individual preparation for the perception of the method, the premise of the need for conventional forms of medical treatment is everywhere placed at the forefront. The idea is persistently and intelligibly introduced to patients: “if you have not yet been to the doctor, go to him earlier; if you are already being treated, continue your treatment as usual.” The method of self-hypnosis can and should be tried as the only method of treatment only in those cases when medicine is either powerless in the fight against the disease, or when it itself points the patient down this path, consciously realizing that with the illness there is a psychogenic origin, it is most advisable to fight with an active and direct impact on the psyche. In all other cases, the worthy and responsible task of the new method is to be a necessary, effective support to conventional forms of treatment.

It is natural, therefore, that the future of the self-hypnosis method will be determined, in our opinion, by its further theoretical development and a serious, conscientious and thoughtful attitude on the part of practicing doctors.

The book presented to the attention of readers cannot be considered an exhaustive scientific study. The theoretical development of the method, as already indicated, is devoted to the solid work of Prof. Baudouin.

The objectives of Emile Coue's book are completely different. These same other tasks determine his entire life and all his fruitful activity.

Not being an armchair scientist by nature, having only come close to the problem that interested him in adulthood and after long observations having “constructed” his method, Coue from the very beginning devoted all his strength to its practical application. Working tirelessly, day after day, year after year, he gave - and continues to give - tens of thousands of examples

high proof practical the value of the new method.

His goal is to help everyone. He is in a hurry to live. Tens and hundreds of sufferers have been waiting for him since the morning. He knows, he is convinced that by teaching them how to use the method of self-hypnosis, he will help them. He does not and cannot have time for theoretical work, for deepening the method. He belongs to people, to a living cause, to love for one’s neighbor, and it is not without reason that in France he earned the name “friend of humanity.”

Coue's work lasts continuously for about 25 years. But its beginning dates back to an even earlier period: in the 80s of the last century, he, a modest pharmacist from a small town near Nancy, began to carefully look at the work of famous French scientists, prof. Liebeau and Bernheim, the founders of “scientific hypnotism.” Noticing the practical shortcomings of hypnotic treatment, vigilantly monitoring the further health of numerous patients, Coue thought about creating his own method. Instead of the principle of subordinating the patient’s psyche to the influence of a hypnotist, he based it from the very beginning on the development of the patient’s initiative. From a special and narrow in its practical application therapeutic form of hypnotic suggestion, Coue thus moved on to self-hypnosis, which, in his opinion, is a truly powerful, truly universal human mental ability. A further phase in the development of the method was the establishment of the relationship between conscious will and imagination. This question is presented in detail and clearly on the following pages. Here it is enough just to note that this principle represents an attempt to consistently develop the doctrine of the subconscious, constructed by the school of Freud, Breuer and others.

For a long time - over 15 years - Coue did not dare to apply his new method. The first practical attempts dating back to the beginning of this century fully confirmed his assumptions. At first, cautiously and timidly - in the circle of close friends and relatives - then increasingly expanding the circle of his patients, Coue, by the beginning of the war, already had a wide audience. The war did not stop his work, but, of course, narrowed its scope. However, even under fire from German guns, he continued to provide his active and selfless assistance in Nancy.