Abstract Mkid 57

Two relaxation methods, Autogenic Training (AT) and Progressive Relaxation (PR), were evaluated and a comparison was made of their effectiveness in helping subjects to relax. One hundred and twenty psychiatric patients with a variety of anxiety-related disorders were randomly assigned to either AT or PR training programs, which were identical in terms of time, frequency of sessions, and trainer. After six weekly training sessions and practice at home, 50 AT and 43 PR subject, all of whom successfully completed the training, were evaluated by a self-report inventory, and by changes in arousal levelsi.e., EMG changes in the frontalis and forearm extensor musclesinduced by practicing the technique during the seventh training session. Results indicated that AT was significantly superior to PR in terms of EMG decreases, as well as in the easiness of the relaxation method for patients with anxiety-related disorders. Possible reasons for these results were discussed.