As a teenager, I started to recognize the causes of my migraine headaches. I knew when one was coming! I would head to a quiet dark place and lay down. This allowed me to focus on my breathing, while trying not think of anything else. I set out to relax completely. I was able to control my breathing and focus on my goal for total relaxation. I would drift off to sleep after a few seconds. My migraine headache began when I awoke, sometimes between a few minutes and an hour later.
I described this phenomenon to my parents as “thinking about” my migraine. This has worked for me over years. Although my migraine precursors have decreased in frequency, I still use the technique to “think away” my migraines nearly 40 years later Autogenes Training zum einschlafen.
Autogenic relaxation was new to me as a teenager in my 60’s. It was many years later that the autogenic relaxation I had been “thinking off” was what was actually causing my migraine. I consider myself to have been a pioneer of autogenic relaxation.
Autogenic relaxation is an extraordinary tool in pain management. It’s also known as palliative (or medical) care. Autogenic relaxation is an excellent tool for caregivers, doctors and nurses regardless of the cause.
Research on tension-type headache sufferers (migraine victims) suggests that autogenic relaxation techniques may be more beneficial than medication, psychotherapy and biofeedback for those suffering from chronic headache pain.
Biofeedback is an additional tool that is closely associated with autogenic relaxing. Biofeedback produces similar positive results with a small number of patients. Biofeedback requires sophisticated electronic equipment. It is therefore not feasible for everyone.
Although autogenic relaxation happened to me intuitively, others might find it useful to pursue training in this technique.
There are many sites online that can teach you the techniques. If you suffer from chronic headache pain, I strongly encourage you to check them out and use the information to decrease your headaches’ frequency and severity. This information is often free. You can also buy courses on compact disks.
Yoga has a lot in common with autogenic relaxation methods and may be something you find beneficial to explore. Yoga allows you to relax your mind and muscles through various meditation and exercises.