I Could Do with Some of That!: The Power of Autogenics by Jane Bird

‘Isn’t there something I can do, doctor?’ When faced with health problems which are not responding to medical treatment, this is the question posed often to GPs, not least Dr Roger Neighbour (OBE DSc FRCGP FRCP, Past President RCGP, Patron British Autogenic Society), who has written the foreword to this book. As an introduction to something, yes, you can do – learn Autogenic Training (AT) – this book describes setting the scene for an AT course, with its origins, history and development, and many stories to illustrate its results. Health professionals have taught Autogenic Training (AT) to great effect for many years, and yet it is still little known. AT has been in use for more than a century, and has been shown to help with anxiety, mild depression, insomnia, anger issues, low self-esteem, phobias, post–traumatic stress disorder, stress-related conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, asthma, headaches, skin conditions and persistent symptoms which resist diagnosis or treatment. AT is based on relaxation (without ever using the word), comprising mental exercises learned in a structured 8-session course with an accredited therapist. AT engages mind and body together in a unique process and this can be profoundly powerful; it can disturb before improving. So for safety reasons this book is not a teach-yourself manual. AT ‘treats the person, rather than the problem’. People who practise AT have learned to reverse the stress response and over time this can help a new mind-body ‘habit’, encouraging a balanced state of physical and emotional wellbeing. The autogenic (self-generating) process unfolds from within: once you have learned it, you know how to help keep yourself in optimum health, for the rest of your life. Readers who have learned AT report: ‘This book is like having an AT bible nearby to remind me of all the little bits it’s easy to forget.’ ‘... very easy to read, and covers a great deal more than is possible to deliver during an AT course.’ ‘My partner is reading it – he now understands what I have learned.’ ‘I like the easygoing readable style – no complicated jargon.’