Treatment of insomnia by relaxation training.

Abstract

16 students with chronic insomnia were given 2-wk. training in a relaxation technique called Autogenic Training, in an attempt to determine whether this alone would help the insomnia. The study was based on the hypothesis that tension in large skeletal muscles is the necessary and sufficient condition for insomnia, whatever its origin. 13 5s were available for the posttreatment interview. Of these, 11 reported improvement. 2 follow-ups, covering a period of almost 1 yr., showed approximately the same results. With 1 discussed exception, no symptom substitution could be found. Clinicians who have developed relaxation techniques for general psychotherapeutic use have reported isolated cases where they have treated insomnia (Jacobson, 1938; Schultz & Luthe, 1959). Geer and Katkin (1966) reported the treatment of a case of insomnia by a variant of systematic desensitization.