Autogenic Training

Sadigh (psychology, Cedar Crest College, Allentown, PA) argues that stress is intertwined with chronic pain and sleep deprivation, and that reducing stress must therefore be a large part of any treatment for fibromyalgia, chronic pain, and related disorders. His guide for clinicians outlines the techniques and uses of autogenic training, a series of relaxation and meditation exercises for patients built on the visualization of warmth and heaviness in the extremities, abdominal warmth, and cooling of the forehead as well as regulation of cardiac activity and breathing.