Discipline invented by Alfonso Caycedo , neuro-psychiatrist, it is a method with multiple influences: Hypnosis, Psychoanalysis, Relaxation, Psychology, Autosuggestion, Zen, Yoga, etc…
These different influences are used as tools to achieve the objectives of the sophronized.
Sophrology highlights the potential and resources that everyone already has within them!
Sophrology is a short therapy where the sophrologist uses only his voice in breathing exercises , muscle relaxation and positive visualization , to find balance between body and mind .
The indications are very broad: Management of stress , emotions , regaining self-confidence ... Promoting sleep or mentally preparing for an anxiety-provoking event (license, baccalaureate, test, sports competition, stage performance, etc.). Pain management and control , treatment support, management of impulses and phobias , etc.
How it works ?
1.The means of sophrology:
Controlled breathing: inspiration → full apnea → expiration → empty apnea
Muscle relaxation: muscle contraction + muscle relaxation = feelings and relaxation
Mental suggestion: images, memories, projections => lead to positive feelings
2.States of consciousness:
Pathological consciousness: it is a consciousness altered by a physical or mental pathology.
Ordinary consciousness: it is the consciousness of everyone, when the individual apprehends things as they appear to him.
Sophronic awareness: that sought by practicing sophrology. Ideal state of consciousness: we take a step back, we put things into perspective, we are aware of our capabilities. This state allows us to develop mindfulness.
The path is longer between pathological consciousness and sophronic consciousness.
Day before :
Hyper-vigilance: at maximum, strong emotion (adrenaline)
Vigilance: moment when we are able to concentrate on something (trainee in training for example)
Floating attention: decreasing ability to concentrate, decreasing alertness (drowsiness)
Sleep :
Light sleep: represents 50% of the time over a night
Deep sleep: completely isolated from the outside world. Body recovery phase. Seen on the person's relaxed face. Represents 20% of sleep.
Paradoxical sleep: we emit signs of awakening while we are deeply asleep.
Represents 25% of sleep.
Below that would be the Coma, which is even deeper.
Sophroliminal level:
Caycedo considers that between wakefulness and sleep, there is the sophroliminal level!
We go through it twice a day: when we fall asleep and when we wake up. We can perceive it when we fall asleep on the sofa and when we point it out, the person says ''no, I'm watching TV''.
The brain is very receptive to what we tell it. This is our work area. It is in this sophroliminal level that we seek to develop the resources of athletes. We do this using different types of pauses: sophronic integration pause (3 to 5'') and totalization pause (8 to 10''). It is these breaks that will allow integration.
Furthermore, in order to truly develop this sophroliminal level and lower the level of vigilance in order to create positive results, it will be necessary to create a repetition of these exercises in order to amplify their integrations.
3.Exercises:
There are 2 types of non-separable exercises:
- Dynamic relaxations: these are physical exercises, which the athlete can reproduce in order to create a habit, linked both with controlled breathing and mental suggestions.
They mark the start of the session and help lower the athlete's level of alertness. We practice between 1 to 4.
- Sophronization: This is the heart of the work and is composed of 3 elements: an induction, which corresponds to relaxation), an activation work (composed of IRTER, visualization and/or anchoring) and a de-sophronization which brings the athlete back to real life.