THE UK IS switching on to Sophrology and I spoke to a leading practitioner, Dominique Antiglio, to find out more.
Me: Dominique, what is Sophrology?
DA: Sophrology is a mental wellbeing practice. It is a combination of relaxation, breathing, visualisation and movement exercise designed to tap into the unlimited resource of consciousness to empower you in your everyday life. In other words, it is the science of consciousness in harmony.
Me: Where has it come from?
DA: The method is popular in continental Europe, born in the 60s, it has been used in schools, medical environments, in sports, in corporates, for self-development, and in even maternity – a centre for birth and motherhood.
Me: What is your role?
DA: I am bringing sophrology over from Europe in the English language, spreading the benefits of sophrology in the UK and worldwide through an online platform and a London based clinic.
Me: Is it good for relieving stress?
DA: We all know the negative effect of stress on our mental and physical wellbeing and how stress make us actually age more quickly. Stress also limits our energy levels and disturbs our sleep which is absolutely key for maintaining a good balance.
Me: How do you practice it?
DA: So sophrology is basically a simple and very practical exercise. You can do 10 minutes a day in your daily life and, because the practice takes place in the alpha brainwave state, which is a state of the brain where it is more relaxed, it helps balance the nervous system. Sophrology is therefore a wonderful practice to learn to positively deal with stress and prevent the effect of stress impacting physical and mental wellbeing.
Me: Are there any other benefits?
DA: Not only is it practiced in a relaxed state but it also teaches people new strategies to cope with worries, uncertainties, change their perspective on a problem or issue they are faced with. Not only through visualisation but through various meditative practices.
Me: So, it can it help you over some of the big hurdles in life?
DA: Yes, I think when we need that confidence boost in order to prepare for a new event or face a new challenge – for example, an interview, for the wedding of your child, for anything that is challenging really, Sophrology is wonderful method to prepare ahead. We use the body awareness and visualisation combined with a relaxed state to prepare the brain, to prepare the person’s consciousness, to perform on the day, a bit like a sports person would prepare for a competition but instead just for the daily things in life.
Me: Is there anything else Sophrology can help with?
DA: We also have the aspect of sleep. Sophrology is a wonderful technique to reset ready for sleep; to become an expert of your own sleep. So learning to listen to your body more, knowing when you need to rest, when you can push yourself a little, being attentive to the needs of the body. It is also a wonderful practice to reset your ability to sleep using visualisation and programming yourself in advance for a good night’s sleep, and it is by using these different practices and the repetition of these practices that step by step you can re-wire your brain and your biology towards a deep and healing state of sleep.
Me: How would you sum-up the benefits of Sophrology?
DA: So ultimately Sophrology is something people often start because they want to manage stress, improve their sleep, decrease anxiety, better deal with a situation or change in their life, and then they discover that there is more to it than that, and they dive deeper into the work through different practices and different intentions of these practices, allowing them to explore the many layers our consciousness holds.
Ann Fitz
The Life-Changing Power of Sophrology: A practical guide to reducing stress and living up to your full potential by Dominique Antiglio
