Quick Overview: Self-hypnosis and autogenic training are described differently by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). Self-hypnosis involves learning to bring about the relaxation response when prompted by a personally chosen phrase or nonverbal cue. Autogenic training uses mental exercises and autosuggestion to focus on the body’s experience of relaxation. In plain language, self-hypnosis is organized around a personally chosen prompt, while autogenic training is organized around mental exercises and autosuggestion focused on bodily relaxation.
The question of self-hypnosis vs autogenic training can sound like a request to identify one better option. The available descriptions do not make that comparison or determine what fits a particular person. They do, however, provide a clear starting point for understanding how the two practices are described.
NCCIH includes both approaches in its discussion of relaxation techniques. It describes relaxation techniques as practices intended to help bring about the body’s relaxation response, which it characterizes by slower breathing, lower blood pressure, and a reduced heart rate. That broad description does not establish what any individual will experience with a particular practice.
Self-Hypnosis: A Personally Chosen Prompt
NCCIH describes self-hypnosis as learning to produce the relaxation response when prompted by a phrase or nonverbal cue of a person’s own. NCCIH calls that phrase or cue a “suggestion.”
The personally chosen prompt is the defining detail in this description. A phrase is one option, and a nonverbal cue is another. The source does not identify a preferred phrase, a preferred cue, or a particular way a person should select one.
What the cue does in the description
In the NCCIH description, the phrase or nonverbal cue prompts the relaxation response. This is what distinguishes self-hypnosis from the description of autogenic training below. The available source does not say how quickly a person will learn this practice, what a person’s response will be, or what outcome to expect.
A useful educational question is: What does it mean for a phrase or nonverbal cue to be personally chosen? The source answers only part of that question: the prompt is selected by the person using the self-hypnosis program. Further details about how a particular program presents the practice are outside the supplied description.
Autogenic Training: Mental Exercises and Autosuggestion
NCCIH describes autogenic training as a series of mental exercises involving relaxation and ideas suggested to oneself, also called autosuggestion. Through these exercises, the mind focuses on the body’s experience of relaxation.
This description places mental exercises and autosuggestion at the center of autogenic training. It also identifies the focus of those exercises: the body’s experience of relaxation.
What autosuggestion means here
Within NCCIH’s description, autosuggestion means ideas a person suggests to themselves as part of the mental exercises. The description does not provide a required script, a required sequence of exercises, or a particular bodily experience that should occur.
That boundary matters when reading general education. A definition can explain the elements named by a source, but it cannot supply details that the source does not provide. It also cannot determine personal fit or outcomes for an individual reader.
The Difference in Plain Language
The clearest difference is the emphasis in each definition:
- Self-hypnosis is described as using a personally chosen phrase or nonverbal cue to prompt the relaxation response.
- Autogenic training is described as using mental exercises and autosuggestion to focus on the body’s experience of relaxation.
These descriptions identify different organizing elements. One centers on a personally chosen prompt; the other centers on mental exercises, autosuggestion, and bodily relaxation. The sources provided do not say that one method is more effective than the other, that either method has the same experience for everyone, or that a general description can determine individual outcomes.
The National Institute of Mental Health states that psychotherapy can include mindfulness and relaxation techniques, including meditation and breathing exercises. This offers broad context for conversations about relaxation methods. It does not establish that a particular therapy service includes self-hypnosis, autogenic training, meditation, or breathing exercises.
Practice Note: Rooted Integrative Therapy lists individual therapy, couples therapy, group therapy, and therapy intensives. Alina Hovsoyan, LCSW, provides in-person therapy near Orem and Provo and virtual therapy across Utah. The available practice facts do not state which relaxation practices are included in a particular service.
Reflection Questions for Further Learning
The questions below can help clarify what you want to understand about the two descriptions. They do not compare the practices or indicate what is right for a particular person.
| Area to reflect on | Question to consider |
|---|---|
| The main distinction | Am I asking about a personally chosen phrase or nonverbal cue, mental exercises and autosuggestion, or both? |
| Terms in the definitions | What would I like explained about “relaxation response,” “autosuggestion,” or “body’s experience of relaxation”? |
| Source boundaries | What information would I need before applying a general definition to my own circumstances? |
| Therapy context | If I am considering therapy, do I want to ask whether relaxation techniques are part of the approach? |
| Next conversation | What questions would help me consider fit with a therapist or service? |
Questions to Bring to a Consultation
Rooted Integrative Therapy’s FAQs describe scheduling a consultation call as a first step, with an opportunity to ask questions and consider fit. Questions may include:
- How do you describe the approaches you use in individual therapy?
- Do relaxation techniques come up in the services you offer?
- How would you explain self-hypnosis and autogenic training if they are discussed?
- What information can I share about what I hope to explore in therapy?
- What should I know about scheduling an appointment after a consultation call?
FAQs
Is self-hypnosis the same as autogenic training?
No. NCCIH describes self-hypnosis as learning to produce the relaxation response with a personally chosen phrase or nonverbal cue. It describes autogenic training as mental exercises and autosuggestion focused on the body’s experience of relaxation.
What is autosuggestion in autogenic training?
NCCIH uses the term for ideas a person suggests to themselves within autogenic training’s mental exercises. The supplied description does not provide a standard script or sequence.
Does psychotherapy include relaxation techniques?
The National Institute of Mental Health states that psychotherapy can include mindfulness and relaxation techniques, including meditation and breathing exercises. This broad statement does not determine what a particular therapist or service includes.
Can a consultation help me ask about fit?
According to Rooted Integrative Therapy’s FAQs, a consultation call is a first step that offers an opportunity to ask questions and consider fit.
Sources and Further Reading
Sources used for this article:
- nccih.nih.gov: Relaxation Techniques What You Need To Know
- National Institute of Mental Health: Psychotherapies
A Grounded Next Step
If you would like to ask about Rooted Integrative Therapy’s services or request an appointment, the Connect page invites inquiries and appointment requests through its contact details or form.
Please do not include urgent or highly sensitive clinical information in a general inquiry.
This article is for general education only. It is not a diagnosis, treatment plan, or substitute for individualized mental-health care. A qualified mental-health professional can help you consider what fits your circumstances.