In this short article, I will explain what to look for when choosing an autogenic training app. The general rule of thumb is that the best app should resemble the experience of working with a live therapist. Follow these guidelines to know what to seek in an app.
- Price Isn't Important
- You Don’t Need the App Every Time You Practice
- Emphasis Should Be on Passive Awareness and Independent Practice
- More Information is Better
- Support is Crucial
- Built-in Motivation is Key
- Monitoring Progress is Extremely Helpful
1. Price Isn't Important
This might seem unusual, but imagine there’s a pill that can do the following: boost mood, eliminate stress, lower blood pressure, enhance your immune system, improve sleep, help fight cancer, reduce anxiety, promote healthier relationships, relieve tension headaches, decrease migraines, and eliminate panic attacks. How much would you pay for such a pill? The value of an autogenic training app is based on its effectiveness, not its cost.
2. You Don’t Need Narration Every Time
Autogenic training is about inducing a relaxation response. The goal is to train your mind so that autogenic training becomes an automatic reflex. This is best achieved when you guide yourself through the practice mentally, in a soft and gentle way. A voice recording or background music won't help develop this reflex, as you’re simply following instructions rather than creating the response yourself. The app should provide guidance only during the initial stages—after that, you can practice by recalling the phrases on your own. Remember, passive awareness is key.
3. Focus on Passive Awareness
Passive awareness is the core of autogenic training, as well as many other relaxation techniques. While you’ll need guidance at the beginning, typically after 3-5 sessions, you should grasp the concept. The app should explain passive awareness thoroughly and ensure that you understand it. Reassurance is important, especially early on, to confirm that you’re on the right track. The app should automate questions and answers since most people face similar challenges when learning autogenic training.
4. More Information is Better
Autogenic training, along with the related "offloading" exercises, has many nuances. The app should provide as much information as possible to help you practice effectively. Since various problems may arise during learning, the app should aim to inform you about all the potential challenges and solutions.
5. Support is Crucial
An app that offers access to a live therapist can be a huge advantage, as it mirrors the experience of taking a course in autogenic training. While this feature may increase the app's price, remember that learning autogenic training is usually a 9-week process. Once you've mastered it, you can practice it for life, making it a worthwhile one-time investment.
6. Built-in Motivation is Key
The clients I work with often struggle to stay motivated when learning autogenic training. Daily life is filled with challenges, and time is limited, so it's easy to skip sessions. However, during the learning phase, you need around 20 sessions per week for the best results. Therefore, an app that can help maintain motivation has a significant advantage.
7. Monitoring Progress is Extremely Helpful
Tracking your progress is valuable because we often fail to notice the small, incremental changes that happen day-to-day. Being able to see how much more relaxed or better you feel can be a strong motivator to continue. If the app has a feature to monitor your progress, it will greatly increase the likelihood of you practicing autogenic training for life—something that should be your ultimate goal.
- Do I Need a Therapist to Learn Autogenic Training?
- What Does the Autogenic Training Course Look Like?
- Who Runs the Course?