Sophrology

1. Introduction

Version followed: Caycedian sophrology's fundamental ("reductive") cycle, Relaxation Dynamique degrees 1–4 (RDC1–RDC4), with the technique groups listed in a Fondation Alfonso Caycedo-recognised course syllabus (Castellón, Spain), and session procedure as described in French clinical and Caycedian-derived materials (Chéné; Tiberghien, a hospital pain-clinic psychologist). Degrees 5–12 (radical and existential cycles) are outlined only. Non-Caycedian French schools (e.g. the line of Abrezol and Chéné) use the same core techniques under similar names; where they differ this is noted. The Société Française de Sophrologie's own texts and Caycedo's books are not drawn on here [uncertain].

What it is. Sophrology was created by the Bogotá-born neuropsychiatrist Alfonso Caycedo (1932–2017), who coined the word in Madrid in October 1960, trained with Ludwig Binswanger in Kreuzlingen (1963–64), then studied yoga, Tibetan Buddhist meditation and Zen in India and Japan (1965–68). In Barcelona in 1968 he created the first three degrees of Relaxation Dynamique (RD), added the fourth in 1985, moved to Andorra in 1988 and adopted the trademarked label "Sophrologie Caycédienne" (1989) to separate his method from other sophrologies; twelve degrees were completed by 2001 [source: Wikipedia; techno-science; Ortega 2018]. Caycedo presented it not as psychotherapy but as a "science of consciousness and existential values"; in practice it is a structured training in breathing, gentle movement, body awareness and multisensory imagery practised seated or standing, close to clinical relaxation, autogenic training and hypnosis-like suggestion, but taught as a skill for the client to practise alone [source: techno-science; Ortega 2018; Tiberghien 2018]. In a psychotherapy setting treat it as an adjunct skills method for stress, anxiety, sleep, preparation for feared events (exams, procedures, childbirth) and pain coping alongside medical care [synthesis].

How change happens (the school's theory). The school holds that consciousness can be trained: by repeatedly guiding attention to the body in a calm but awake state between waking and sleep (the "sophroliminal level"), the person builds a "vivance" (a lived, felt experience) of positive bodily and mental states; repeated positive experience is said to spread to the whole person and to displace negative states, since, in its view, two opposing feelings cannot be fully present at once [source: Tiberghien 2018; Ortega 2018; Chéné & Tortochot]. Work moves from the body in the present (RD1) to the future (RD2), the past (RD3) and personal values (RD4) [source: UJI syllabus; Tourmag/Chambre Syndicale]. These are the school's own concepts, not established mechanisms.

2. Framework

Overall architecture (Caycedian). Twelve RD degrees in three cycles of four: reductive/fundamental cycle (RDC1–4: body, mind, emotions, self-image, leading to a more positive body image), radical cycle (RDC5–8: "energetic and cellular" awareness) and existential cycle (RDC9–12: consciousness projected onto the world). Each degree has a complete and an abbreviated version plus exercises done "by systems" [source: techno-science; UJI syllabus]. Advanced cycles are aimed at personal development and are rarely taught [source: German primer]. A training programme also frames the course as a preparatory phase followed by the cycles, and as three phases: discovery, conquest, transformation [source: Dendreo programme]; a French certification describes sorting exercises into "discovery" and "conquest" phases when building a client's programme [source: RNCP 27755].

Clinical phases used in this guide.

Session count. Sources give practice dose rather than course length: practise each recorded session daily for at least one to two weeks before moving on; a conditioned "geste signal" needs at least three weeks of daily practice; a childbirth course uses four sessions, the first repeated about ten times [source: Chéné & Auquier; Chéné & Tortochot]. No source opened gives a standard number of therapist sessions [uncertain]. Practical default: 6–10 weekly or fortnightly sessions of 45–60 min, with daily 10–20-minute home practice from a recording or memory [synthesis].

Structure of one session [source: Tiberghien 2018; Chéné & Tortochot; RNCP 27755]:

1. Pre-session dialogue (state, home practice, intention for today).
2. Installation in posture; basic sophronisation (body relaxed segment by segment or by the five systems).
3. Breathing work.
4. Terpnos logos guiding to the sophroliminal level.
5. Intrasophronic activation: the technique(s) chosen for this session's intention and stage.
6. Integration pause (and, at the end, a totalisation pause).
7. Désophronisation (return to normal tone and alertness, system by system).
8. Phénodescription: the client describes the experience without judging or analysing; the practitioner listens neutrally.

Setting: seated or standing, eyes closed; lying down only exceptionally; no background music, incense or dimmed "ambience"; the sophrologist leads while doing the exercise alongside the client [source: techno-science; Chéné & Tortochot]. A seated posture is chosen partly to avoid falling asleep, which defeats the session [source: Chéné & Tortochot].

Criteria for moving on. Sources: practise until the technique can be done alone and feels mastered, repeat earlier sessions if not ready, start with basic techniques before specific ones; use memory techniques only once the client is engaged in the work [source: Chéné & Tortochot; Chéné & Auquier; Tiberghien 2018]. Added operational criteria [synthesis]: the client (a) reaches a calm-but-awake state within a few minutes and can describe it, (b) uses an abbreviated version independently at home or in daily situations, (c) reports no adverse reactions (dizziness, intrusive images, dissociation), and (d) for RD2–3 work, has a stable positive "reference image" to return to.

3. Guiding principles

The Caycedian syllabus lists "four principles and laws" and "three lights" without detail in the source opened [source: UJI syllabus] [uncertain about the exact canonical list]. The principles below are those named in the sources.

• Body schema as lived reality – the felt body (sensations, posture, pain) is the main working material; ask where and how something is felt, not why [source: Tiberghien 2018].
• Positive action – build on resources and positive sensations rather than dwelling on the problem; every session leaves the client with a positive experience to repeat [source: Tiberghien 2018; Wikipedia; techno-science].
• Objective reality – the practitioner tracks their own and the client's actual state and sets realistic goals; meet experience without judgement, like a beginner [source: Tiberghien 2018; Wikipedia].
• Adaptability – choose and modify techniques for each person and situation (posture, duration, content) [source: Tiberghien 2018; techno-science].
• Body–mind unity – body and mind are treated as one existential unit; physical work is used to shift mental state and vice versa [source: techno-science; Wikipedia].
• Differential relaxation – use only the tension a task needs; the aim is relaxed alertness in daily postures, not collapse [source: Wikipedia].
• Consciousness, not the unconscious – work stays in awake, vigilant awareness, with no intended dissociation; the client stays in charge of the experience [source: Ortega 2018; RTBF/Piton].
• Phenomenological stance – the client's own description (phénodescription) is the data; do not interpret it [source: Tiberghien 2018; Ortega 2018].
• Non-directive, person-to-person alliance; autonomy – the practitioner teaches methods the client then practises on their own initiative (Tiberghien citing Caycedo 1972); explain every practice so it can be reused alone [source: Tiberghien 2018].
• Training and repetition – change comes from regular practice; a session not practised at home is mostly lost [source: RTBF/Piton; Chéné & Auquier].
• Vivance – what counts is the lived, felt experience, not intellectual understanding; ask the client to notice and savour it [source: Tiberghien 2018; Chéné & Tortochot].
• Terpnos logos – a calm, rhythmic, gentle voice is part of the method; the school distinguishes its use of suggestion from hypnosis [source: Tiberghien 2018; UJI syllabus].
• Sobriety of setting; practitioner participates – avoid theatrical ambience and do the exercise with the client [source: techno-science].
• Complement, not replacement – in medical settings sophrology supports multidisciplinary care and never replaces analgesics or medical treatment [source: Tiberghien 2018].
• Use your own words with the client – record the client's vocabulary for their symptom and use it to tailor exercises [source: Tiberghien 2018].

4. Intervention inventory

Abbreviations follow the French usage in the sources (SB, SRS, SDN, SAP, etc.). All example wording is my own illustrative paraphrase; no founder script is reproduced. The framework below maps onto a clinical-hypnosis-style structure: consent and preparation (intake, posture) → induction (basic sophronisation) → deepening (terpnos logos to the sophroliminal level) → imagery and suggestion (intrasophronic activation) → re-alerting (désophronisation) → debrief (phénodescription) → self-practice [synthesis of Tiberghien 2018 and Chéné & Tortochot].

A. Foundations used in every session

4.1 Intake, screening and programme agreement

• Purpose / when: First session, and again when goals change. Establishes safety, the request and a written programme [source: RNCP 27755; Tiberghien 2018].
• Steps: (1) Collect medical and psychiatric history, current treatments and any posture or movement limits [source: RNCP 27755]. (2) Screen for contraindications – psychosis is the example the clinical source gives [source: Tiberghien 2018]; ask about cardiac or respiratory conditions, because breath-holding with muscle tension should only be done after medical evaluation in people recovering from events such as a heart attack [source: German primer]. Added screening [synthesis]: active mania; severe dissociative disorder; untreated PTSD or recent trauma (affects choice of memory techniques); current suicidal crisis; epilepsy or panic with hyperventilation; pregnancy, uncontrolled hypertension or glaucoma (limit breath retention and strong tensing); and phobias relevant to imagery (the clinical source gives water as an example of something to avoid in imagery) [source for phobias: Tiberghien 2018]. (3) Listen to the request, needs and feelings; write down the client's exact words for the symptom (e.g. pain described as "a vice" or "burning") [source: Tiberghien 2018]. (4) Ask about earlier experience of relaxation, yoga, hypnosis or meditation, and what usually soothes them (cushion, warm water, a place) [source: Tiberghien 2018]. (5) Explain the method: awake practice, seated or standing, the client stays in control, regular home practice is essential, it complements and does not replace medical care. (6) Assess time available, commitment and likely resistance; agree number of sessions, frequency and fees [source: Tiberghien 2018; RNCP 27755]. (7) Build the programme: for each goal choose techniques and sort them into discovery and conquest phases [source: RNCP 27755].
• Example language (illustrative): "This is a training method. You stay fully awake and in charge throughout. You can open your eyes or stop at any time, and nothing will be done to you without being explained first."
• Watch for: Requests that are really crisis presentations (the training programme distinguishes anxiety, anguish and crisis when deciding indications) [source: Dendreo programme]; expectations of a cure for a physical illness (correct this explicitly) [synthesis].

4.2 Postures

• Purpose / when: Every exercise is done in a defined posture; seated or standing are the norm, lying is exceptional [source: techno-science; RTBF/Piton].
• Steps: Relaxation posture – sit back against the chair, hands on thighs, head balanced upright, eyes closed. Isocay posture (Caycedian, from RD2 onward in the childbirth course) – sit forward on the middle of the chair, back straight and free of the backrest, shoulders slightly back, trunk slightly forward, weight settled towards the lower belly, hands on thighs with fingers spread, feet flat with knees at about 90°, tongue resting on the palate [source: Chéné & Tortochot]. Standing – used for RD movements, feet hip-width apart [standing details: synthesis].
• Example language (illustrative): "Let the chair carry your weight; feel both feet on the floor and your head balanced on top of your spine."
• Watch for: Drowsiness (move from relaxation to Isocay posture or standing); pain or balance problems (adapt; a chair is always allowed) [synthesis].

4.3 Basic sophronisation (SB) and "vivantielle" basic sophronisation (SBV)

• Purpose / when: The induction at the start of every session; the entry point to all other techniques [source: Chéné & Auquier; Tiberghien 2018; UJI syllabus].
• Steps: (1) Eyes closed, natural breathing. (2) Guide attention through the body region by region, inviting each to release: in early sessions segment by segment; later by the five "systems" [source: Chéné & Tortochot]. The five systems and their integration points in that source: head (forehead); neck, shoulders and outer arms (thyroid area); chest and inner arms (sternum); abdomen (navel); pelvis and legs (lower belly). (3) At the end of each region, pause to feel its overall shape without tension. (4) In SBV, invite the client also to notice neutral or pleasant messages from the body, then to recall a pleasant situation with all senses, which becomes the reference image ("image bouée") [source: Chéné & Auquier]. (5) Close with an integration pause. With practice a single cue is enough for quick relaxation [source: Chéné & Tortochot].
• Example language (illustrative): "Bring your attention to your forehead… let it smooth out… your eyelids, your jaw… now feel your whole head as one shape, calm and heavy."
• Watch for: Slower breathing, softened face, stillness; at debrief the client can describe at least one pleasant or neutral sensation. Difficulty finding any pleasant sensation is common at first: accept "neutral" as progress [synthesis].

4.4 Terpnos logos (the guiding voice)

• Purpose / when: The way the practitioner speaks throughout the induction and exercises; it is said to guide the client toward the sophroliminal level [source: Tiberghien 2018; Chéné & Tortochot]. Caycedian training treats it alongside suggestion and teaches the differences from hypnosis; one programme includes voice exercises [source: UJI syllabus; Dendreo programme].
• Steps: Use a soft, even, monotone voice and slow rhythm; short sentences; pause between instructions; describe and invite rather than command; name body parts concretely; time instructions to the client's breathing; keep the same structure each session so it becomes familiar [steps beyond "tone and rhythm": synthesis].
• Example language (illustrative): "You can let… the shoulders… settle… a little more… at your own pace."
• Watch for: Over-suggestion or promises about outcomes; keep wording permissive and honest [synthesis].

4.5 Sophroliminal level (deepening)

• Purpose / when: The state in which sophrology exercises are done: between waking and sleep, body relaxed, consciousness awake, attention diffuse and receptive [source: Tiberghien 2018; Chéné & Tortochot].
• Steps: After SB, continue slow terpnos logos for 1–3 minutes, inviting the client to let thoughts pass and to rest attention on the breath or the whole body; check alertness by asking for a small finger movement if needed [timing and check: synthesis].
• Watch for: Sleep (defeats the session – shorten the induction, sit upright, open eyes slightly) [source: Chéné & Tortochot]; drifting, spacing out or loss of time (signs of dissociation – see section 5) [synthesis].

4.6 Integration pause and totalisation pause

• Purpose / when: After every exercise (integration) and at the end of the activation phase (totalisation) to let the effect register [source: Tiberghien 2018; Chéné & Tortochot; UJI syllabus].
• Steps: Integration: stop all instruction for about 30–60 seconds after an exercise and invite the client to notice any pleasant or new sensation [duration: synthesis]. Totalisation: recap the session and invite the client to feel three capacities together – confidence, physical and mental harmony, and hope or projects [source: Chéné & Tortochot].
• Example language (illustrative): "Now simply notice what is here… anything that has changed, anything new."
• Watch for: Clients filling the pause with analysis; gently return them to sensation.

4.7 Désophronisation ("reprise", re-alerting)

• Purpose / when: End of every session; return to normal muscle tone and ordinary waking alertness [source: Tiberghien 2018; Chéné & Tortochot].
• Steps: (1) Announce the return. (2) Bring tone back system by system, from feet to head or head to feet [direction: uncertain], with deeper breaths. (3) Invite small movements, stretching, then opening the eyes. (4) Check orientation before the client stands [step 4: synthesis].
• Example language (illustrative): "Take a fuller breath… move your fingers and toes… stretch if you like… and when you are ready, open your eyes, keeping the calm with you."
• Watch for: Grogginess, dizziness on standing, lingering heaviness; repeat the re-alerting and have them sit a moment [synthesis].

4.8 Phénodescription (debrief)

• Purpose / when: After désophronisation in every session: the client describes the experience without judging or analysing; it is also the school's research data [source: Tiberghien 2018; Ortega 2018].
• Steps: Ask open questions about sensations, images, emotions and thoughts in the order they came; reflect back without interpretation; note what helped for the next session and for home practice. Clients may write a short description after home practice [writing: synthesis].
• Example language (illustrative): "Tell me what you noticed, just as it was – there is no right answer."
• Watch for: Unexpected distressing images or memories (see section 5); rising self-criticism ("I did it wrong") – reframe as information [synthesis].

B. Presentation techniques (RDC1: the body in the present)

The Caycedian syllabus groups these as RDC1 "presentation" techniques: basic sophronisation, vivantielle basic sophronisation, sophronisation activated by autogenic training (Sophro-Schultz), displacement of the negative, presence of the positive, synchronised breathing, vital and local stimulation, attention and concentration, sensory substitution, and protection of sleep and of "verticality" [source: UJI syllabus].

4.9 Breathing work (abdominal, complete, IRTER pattern, rhythmic patterns)

• Purpose / when: Early in every session, to calm, regulate or re-energise [source: Tiberghien 2018].
• Steps: Abdominal breathing: hand on belly, let the belly rise on the in-breath and fall on the out-breath; described as helpful for anxiety. Complete breathing: fill abdomen, then lower chest, then upper chest; empty in reverse; used to loosen muscles in pain care [source: Tiberghien 2018]. IRTER (Caycedo's sequence; inspiration, retention, tension, expiration, relaxation): breathe in, hold gently, tense the target area, breathe out while releasing, then rest [source: German primer]. The breath hold is a soft pause with no muscular strain, a few seconds or as long as comfortable; exhale as if letting air out of a balloon, never forced [source: German primer]. Rhythmic patterns (from a German introductory primer, for alertness and autonomic balance, not deep relaxation): triangle 4-2-4 s, rectangle 3-2-3-2 s, square 3-3-3-3 s (in:hold:out:hold), the square reserved for experienced practitioners [source: German primer].
• Example language (illustrative): "Breathe in through the nose… hold softly, no effort… and let the air flow out slowly, like a balloon emptying."
• Watch for: Hyperventilation (rapid breathing without pauses, tingling, light-headedness) – stop the pattern, return to natural breathing [source: German primer]; breath-hold with tension in cardiac patients only after medical evaluation [source: German primer].

4.10 Synchronised sophro-breathing (SRS)

• Purpose / when: To link a word, image or intention to the breath so the breath reinforces it; used from session 1 [source: Chéné & Tortochot; UJI syllabus].
• Steps: (1) In the sophroliminal state, the client chooses a short positive word or image (e.g. "calm", "steady"). (2) On each in-breath, evoke it; on each out-breath, let it spread through the body. (3) Repeat 5–10 breaths, then integration pause [count: synthesis].
• Example language (illustrative): "As you breathe in, think of the word you chose… as you breathe out, let it settle into your body."
• Watch for: The client forcing the breath to fit the word; the breath leads, the word follows.

4.11 Sophro-displacement of the negative (SDN)

• Purpose / when: To locate and release tension, discomfort or negative thoughts, especially stress-related; a staple from the first sessions [source: Chéné & Auquier; Chéné & Tortochot; Tiberghien 2018].
• Steps: (1) Work system by system (head, neck-shoulders, chest, abdomen, pelvis-legs). (2) Breathe in and hold gently while lightly tensing that area, noticing any tension, pressure, tingling or discomfort and where it settles. (3) On a strong, deliberate out-breath, release the tension and imagine the negative sensation or thought leaving the body and going far away. (4) Repeat over a few further out-breaths, then pause to notice the area [source: Chéné & Tortochot; Chéné & Auquier]. Clients may choose which area to release [source: Tiberghien 2018].
• Example language (illustrative): "Breathe in and gently tighten your shoulders… notice what is held there… and as you blow out, let it go, out and away from you."
• Watch for: Relief of tension, warmer or lighter feeling afterwards. Strong exhalations can trigger hyperventilation; limit repetitions [synthesis].

4.12 Sophro-presence of the positive / immediate sophro-presence

• Purpose / when: The counterpart of SDN: draw in calm, confidence or energy on the in-breath; usually follows SDN [source: Tiberghien 2018; UJI syllabus].
• Steps: (1) Choose a quality (calm, confidence). (2) On the in-breath, imagine taking it in and letting it spread to the body area just released. (3) Hold gently, then breathe out naturally keeping it. (4) Integration pause.
• Example language (illustrative): "Now breathe in some calm – a colour, a warmth, whatever represents it for you – and let it fill the space you just cleared."
• Watch for: Clients who cannot find any positive quality; start with neutral ("space", "quiet") [synthesis].

4.13 Liminal sophro-protection (protection of sleep and of "verticality")

• Purpose / when: To shield attention from negative thoughts and sensations by keeping it on comfortable sensations; versions for sleep onset and for upright daily life are listed by the Caycedian syllabus [source: Tiberghien 2018; UJI syllabus]. Details of the sleep and verticality versions were not found [uncertain].
• Steps: (1) After SB, identify the most comfortable body sensation. (2) Let attention rest on it and widen it into a protective sense of calm. (3) When thoughts intrude, note them and return to the sensation. For sleep: practise in bed as the last thing, without re-alerting [sleep adaptation: synthesis].
• Example language (illustrative): "Let your attention rest on the warmth in your hands… let it surround you like a calm space; thoughts can pass outside it."
• Watch for: Sleep diary changes; avoid using it to suppress worries that need problem-solving [synthesis].

4.14 Sophro-stimulation / vital sophro-activation (SSC, SAV; "vital and local")

• Purpose / when: To heighten awareness of the body or of a specific area, or to evoke a pleasant situation with all senses (SSC) [source: Chéné & Auquier; UJI syllabus].
• Steps: (1) In the Isocay posture, bring attention to one region or organ area at a time and let a gentle warmth or vitality be felt there [source: Chéné & Tortochot]. (2) Move through the regions (head, throat, chest, abdomen, pelvis). The childbirth booklet adds the idea of "programming" organs to work better in coming weeks [source: Chéné & Tortochot]; present this only as a wellbeing image, never as a treatment for a medical condition [synthesis].
• Example language (illustrative): "Bring your attention to your chest… notice its movement and warmth… let that sense of being alive grow a little."
• Watch for: Health anxiety: close focus on organs can increase symptom monitoring; in somatic-symptom or health-anxiety presentations use whole-body rather than organ focus [synthesis].

4.15 Sophro-Schultz (sophronisation activated by autogenic training)

• Purpose / when: Chronic pain, anxiety and sleep onset [source: UJI syllabus; Tiberghien 2018].
• Steps: (1) Imagine a calm situation; repeat silently a phrase of being completely at ease. (2) Suggest in turn heaviness, then warmth in the limbs, a calm heartbeat, easy breathing and warmth in the solar plexus area (Schultz's sequence as described by the pain-clinic source) [source: Tiberghien 2018]. (3) Integration pause; re-alert.
• Example language (illustrative): "My arms are heavy… heavy and comfortable… a gentle warmth spreads through them."
• Watch for: Cardiac or breathing focus can trigger panic in panic disorder – skip those components [synthesis].

4.16 Sophro-attention and concentration; neutral-object visualisation

• Purpose / when: To train concentration and shift attention away from worry or anticipated pain [source: UJI syllabus; Tiberghien 2018]; the neutral object is listed among Caycedian key techniques [source: UJI syllabus].
• Steps: (1) Eyes open, look at a simple neutral object for a minute, noting form, colour, texture. (2) Close the eyes and recreate it, turning it to see it from all sides, using all senses (VAKOG: visual, auditory, kinaesthetic, olfactory, gustatory) [source: Tiberghien 2018]. (3) Open eyes, compare, repeat.
• Example language (illustrative): "Now see the object in your mind… turn it slowly… what does the underside look like?"
• Watch for: Fewer intrusions and a steadier image across sessions.

4.17 Sensory substitution and sophro-analgesia

• Purpose / when: As an adjunct within medical pain care: replace one sensation with another (heat with coolness; pain with tingling, cold or numbness) [source: Tiberghien 2018; UJI syllabus].
• Steps: (1) Ask the client's sensory preferences and what usually soothes them; a real aid (hot-water bottle, cushion) can be used [source: Tiberghien 2018]. (2) In the sophroliminal state, create the substitute sensation in one hand through imagery and sensory memory (e.g. plunging it in snow). (3) Place the hand on the painful area, or, if unreachable, suggest that the sensation spreads there [source: Tiberghien 2018]. (4) Integration pause and rating of change.
• Example language (illustrative): "Imagine your right hand resting in cool snow… notice it becoming cool and tingly… now let it rest on your knee and share that coolness."
• Watch for: Only after medical assessment of the pain; never as a replacement for analgesia; new or changed pain goes back to the doctor [source: Tiberghien 2018; synthesis].

4.18 Relaxation Dynamique, first degree (RD1 / RDC1)

• Purpose / when: The movement-based core of the first degree: concentration and body awareness, the body lived in the present [source: Tourmag/Chambre Syndicale; techno-science].
• Steps (structure only): Standing (or seated), a short sequence of simple movements by body region, each synchronised with the IRTER breath: breathe in, hold gently, tense or move the region, breathe out and release, then an integration pause in which sensations are noticed [source: Tiberghien 2018; German primer]. Some movements are paired with imagery, e.g. the breath passing like a breeze through body regions (a body scan) [source: German primer]. Each degree has a complete and an abbreviated version plus exercises by system [source: UJI syllabus]. The specific named movements of RD1 were not found in any source opened [uncertain]; do not improvise them as "Caycedian" – learn them in accredited training, or use simple tense-release movements labelled as your own [synthesis].
• Example language (illustrative): "Breathe in, hold, and gently lift your shoulders… breathe out and let them drop… now stand still and feel your shoulders."
• Watch for: Balance and pain limits; strain during the hold [synthesis].

C. Futurisation techniques (RDC2: the future)

RD2 as a movement degree is described as strengthening self-image [source: Tourmag/Chambre Syndicale]; its movements were not found [uncertain]. The Caycedian syllabus lists its techniques as: free sophro-projection (one year, three months, one week, one day ahead), progressive sophro-acceptance, sophro-stimulation, sophro-projection of capacities, future sophro-programming and serial sophro-correction [source: UJI syllabus].

4.19 Free sophro-projection (and projection of capacities)

• Purpose / when: To let the client experience a positive near future and their own capacities in it; a gentle introduction to future work before targeting a specific feared event [source: UJI syllabus]. Detailed procedure not found; steps below are [synthesis] built on the listed time frames.
• Steps: (1) SB and sophroliminal level. (2) Invite the client to let an image of themselves arise at a chosen horizon (a year, three months, a week, tomorrow), without forcing content. (3) Explore it with the senses; notice posture, breathing, feelings. (4) For capacities: pick one capacity (calm, concentration, confidence) and feel it present in that future scene. (5) Integration pause, re-alert, phénodescription.
• Example language (illustrative): "Let an image come of yourself a few months from now, on an ordinary good day… how are you standing? What do you notice in your body?"
• Watch for: Hopelessness surfacing (no future image possible) – explore after the session and screen for depression and suicidality [synthesis].

4.20 Progressive sophro-acceptance (SAP)

• Purpose / when: Preparation for a specific feared future event (exam, interview, medical procedure, childbirth); the core futurisation technique [source: Chéné & Auquier; Chéné & Tortochot; Tiberghien 2018; UJI syllabus].
• Steps: (1) Agree the event and break it into stages if large. (2) SB, SDN, then sophroliminal level. (3) Mentally live the event going well, with a relaxed body and a sense of confidence, through the senses [source: Chéné & Auquier]. (4) Let images and sensations arise without interpreting or judging them, and look for a positive solution that comes from within [source: Chéné & Tortochot]. (5) Return to the present and accept this new possibility [source: Chéné & Auquier]. (6) Integration, totalisation, re-alert, phénodescription. Progression: across sessions, approach the event step by step; the childbirth course moves from the child's presence after birth (SAP 1), to labour up to full dilation (SAP 2), to birth and welcoming the baby (SAP 3) [source: Chéné & Tortochot]. For medical procedures, enter relaxation beforehand and gradually picture the event positively [source: Tiberghien 2018].
• Example language (illustrative): "Now picture yourself arriving at the exam room… your body calm, your breathing easy… notice yourself sitting down and reading the first question with a clear head."
• Watch for: Rising tension during the rehearsal: pause, use SDN, then resume at an earlier stage (a graded-exposure logic) [synthesis]. Present SAP as preparation, not a guarantee of outcome.

4.21 Serial sophro-correction

• Purpose / when: Alongside SAP, to strengthen the ability to cope with unexpected difficulties in the anticipated event [source: Tiberghien 2018; UJI syllabus].
• Steps: (1) After a successful SAP rehearsal, introduce one realistic hitch (delay, hard question, pain spike). (2) Let the client feel the reaction, apply SDN or breathing, and see themselves coping. (3) Repeat with a series of different hitches [steps: synthesis based on the stated aim].
• Example language (illustrative): "Imagine the doctor is running late… notice what happens in your body… and now use your breath to settle, just as you have practised."
• Watch for: Pick hitches the client can master; stop if distress escalates [synthesis].

4.22 Future sophro-programming

• Purpose / when: Listed in RDC2 [source: UJI syllabus]; no description found [uncertain]. The childbirth booklet's idea of "programming" body regions for coming weeks may be related [source: Chéné & Tortochot]. Clinically, use only as setting a concrete intention for a coming period while in the relaxed state [synthesis].

D. Preterisation techniques (RDC3: the past)

RD3 as a movement degree introduces meditation [source: Tourmag/Chambre Syndicale]; its exercises were not found [uncertain]. The syllabus lists: free and positive sophro-mnesia, senso-perceptive sophro-mnesia (three stages), memory integration and substitution, retro-experience of capacities, and memory and learning training [source: UJI syllabus]. Use memory techniques only once the client is engaged [source: Tiberghien 2018]. These techniques work with pleasant, resource memories; they are not for uncovering or verifying past events, and must never be used to "recover" memories [synthesis, per trauma safety standards].

4.23 Free and positive sophro-mnesia; senso-perceptive sophro-mnesia

• Purpose / when: To access pleasant past experiences as resources [source: Tiberghien 2018; Chéné & Auquier].
• Steps: Free/positive: in the sophroliminal state, let a pleasant memory come spontaneously and dwell on it [source: Tiberghien 2018]. Senso-perceptive: revisit pleasant memories through each sense in turn – smells, colours, sounds, tastes, touch – and savour them [source: Chéné & Auquier]. The Caycedian version has three stages, not described in the source opened [uncertain]. Chéné uses the metaphor of travelling back along the "arrow of time" [source: Chéné & Auquier].
• Example language (illustrative): "Let a pleasant memory come, any one… what can you see there? What sounds are there? Is there a smell, a temperature?"
• Watch for: A pleasant memory turning painful (loss, grief, trauma link). Stop, ground, return to a present-moment body sensation or the reference image (see 5) [synthesis].

4.24 Geste signal with the reference image

• Purpose / when: To condition a discreet personal gesture to a state of wellbeing so it can be used in stressful situations to calm breathing and heart rate [source: Chéné & Auquier].
• Steps: (1) During senso-perceptive recall of a pleasant memory or the reference image, the client makes a small chosen gesture (fingers, toes or tongue). (2) Repeat daily for at least three weeks so the gesture comes to evoke the state. (3) Then use the gesture in real stressful moments [source: Chéné & Auquier].
• Example language (illustrative): "While you enjoy that memory, gently press your thumb and finger together… let the gesture soak up this feeling."
• Watch for: Practise the gesture only while the state is clearly present, so it is not paired with stress early on [synthesis].

4.25 Memory integration and substitution; retro-experience of capacities

• Purpose / when: Substitution: replace a negative memory with a present or past positive sensation; retro-experience / stimulation by recall of capacities: re-live past occasions when the client used a capacity, to draw on it for an upcoming event [source: Tiberghien 2018; UJI syllabus].
• Steps: (1) Only with a stable reference image and good SDN skill. (2) Evoke a mildly unpleasant (not traumatic) memory briefly, at low intensity. (3) Bring in a positive sensation from the present or a resource memory and let it fill the scene. (4) For capacities: recall two or three times the client acted with the capacity, feel it in the body, then link it to the coming event (SAP). [steps 1–3 sequencing and intensity limits: synthesis].
• Example language (illustrative): "Remember a time you handled something hard better than you expected… where in your body do you feel that strength now?"
• Watch for: Negative-memory work is contraindicated for trauma memories outside a trauma-focused treatment plan; with trauma history use only the capacities variant [synthesis].

4.26 Memory and learning training

• Purpose / when: Listed in RDC3 for memory and study [source: UJI syllabus]; procedure not found [uncertain]. Use attention and concentration (4.16) and SAP for exam preparation instead [synthesis].

E. Totalisation techniques (RDC4: values)

RD4 (created 1985) works on existential and personal values and is, for many practitioners, the culmination of the fundamental cycle [source: Tourmag/Chambre Syndicale; Wikipedia]. Listed techniques: sophro-presence of values, sophro-manence, sophro-retromanence, "internal three-dimensionality of values" [source: UJI syllabus]. Procedures are not specified in the sources [uncertain].

4.27 Sophro-presence of values (and manence/retromanence)

• Purpose / when: To feel a personal value (e.g. freedom, responsibility, kindness) as a lived bodily presence and integrate it across present, past and future [source: UJI syllabus; Tourmag/Chambre Syndicale]. "Manence" and "retromanence" are school terms for prolonging and re-evoking a lived experience after an exercise [interpretation: uncertain].
• Steps [synthesis]: (1) Agree a value the client wants more of. (2) In the sophroliminal state, evoke situations where it was present (past), is present (now) and could be (future). (3) Notice where and how it is felt in the body; integration pause. (4) Debrief and link to concrete actions this week.
• Example language (illustrative): "Let the word 'respect' come to mind… where in your body do you feel it? Is there a moment, past or present, when you lived it fully?"
• Watch for: Values work can bring up guilt or loss; keep it resource-focused.

F. Combined protocols and other elements

4.28 One-session anti-stress protocol

• Purpose / when: A synthesis for clients who have mastered SBV, SDN and the geste signal [source: Chéné & Auquier].
• Steps: (1) Settle into calm abdominal breathing. (2) Evoke a situation that usually triggers stress. (3) As unpleasant sensations appear, find the body system where they show and apply SDN before they grow. (4) Bring in the reference image and use the geste signal. (5) Fill the body's vulnerable zones (the client's "Achilles heel") with pleasant sensations [source: Chéné & Auquier].
• Example language (illustrative): "Where in your body does the stress show first? … Breathe in, tighten there a little, and blow it out."
• Watch for: Shorter time to recovery in real situations is the sign it is working [synthesis].

4.29 Preparation for medical procedures and supportive framing of treatment

• Purpose / when: Adjunct in hospital care (procedures, chemotherapy, pain) after medical assessment, never as a treatment for the disease [source: Tiberghien 2018].
• Steps: SAP and serial correction before the procedure (4.20, 4.21); during treatment, suggestions present it in a positive light (good tolerance and efficacy) while acknowledging side effects as less significant [source: Tiberghien 2018]. Keep suggestions truthful and agreed with the medical team; never imply outcomes the doctors do not support [synthesis].

4.30 Childbirth preparation (sophro-accouchement)

• Purpose / when: Antenatal adjunct, alongside midwifery care [source: Chéné & Tortochot].
• Steps: Session 1 (about 16 minutes, repeated about ten times): installation, SB by segments, SRS, SDN, focus on the pelvic/genital area, presence of the baby, re-alerting. Sessions 2–4: SB by systems, Isocay posture, SDN, vital activation, contact with the baby, SAP 1–3 (see 4.20), totalisation, re-alerting; session 4 repeated as needed [source: Chéné & Tortochot]. Reduce breath holds and strong tensing in pregnancy and follow the midwife's guidance [synthesis].

4.31 Other named elements (names only)

• A university diploma programme names the "coupe de vie" (life-slice) exercise, the "éventail de la conscience" (spectrum of consciousness), "phronic valences and structures" and the "bonhomme chinois" (harmonising body, emotions and thoughts) [source: AMU programme]. Caycedian theory also describes three states of consciousness (ordinary, pathological, sophronic), an "Isocay" level of consciousness and five Isocay body systems [source: techno-science]. Procedures not found [uncertain]; do not use these as techniques without training.

4.32 Advanced cycles (RD5–RD12)

• Radical cycle (RD5–8: "energetic and cellular" awareness) and existential cycle (RD9–12: consciousness projected onto the world); aimed at personal development, rarely taught, and taught only in Caycedian advanced training [source: techno-science; UJI syllabus; German primer]. Caycedo's final theory (2010) is called "Cyber-Conscience Phronique" [source: techno-science]. Not clinical interventions; not described further here.

5. Handling problems

The sources say little about difficulties beyond falling asleep, readiness and contraindications; most guidance below is my own synthesis and is marked so.

Contraindications and screening (summary). Psychosis is the contraindication the clinical source names [source: Tiberghien 2018]; breath retention with tension needs medical clearance after cardiac events [source: German primer]; posture constraints must be checked at intake [source: RNCP 27755]; a training programme treats crisis states separately from anxiety when deciding indications [source: Dendreo programme]. Added [synthesis]: active mania or severe personality disorganisation; severe dissociative disorders; acute suicidal crisis (assess and treat first; relaxation work can follow once safe); untreated PTSD (present-focused RDC1 techniques only, no negative-memory work); panic disorder (avoid cardiac and breath-hold focus initially); pregnancy, uncontrolled hypertension, glaucoma, recent surgery (no breath holds or strong tensing without medical advice); epilepsy (avoid strong breathing patterns). Any physical symptom work requires prior medical assessment, and sophrology never replaces medical treatment [source: Tiberghien 2018; synthesis].

Falls asleep in session. Seated, upright posture is used partly to prevent this [source: Chéné & Tortochot]. Respond: switch to Isocay posture or standing RD movements, shorten SB, keep the voice slightly more animated, schedule practice away from bedtime (except sleep-protection practice) [synthesis].

"Nothing happens" / cannot relax / cannot find a pleasant sensation (stuck client). Accept neutral sensations as a valid first result; use more movement (RD1, SDN) and less stillness; shorten exercises; use eyes-open neutral-object work; check home practice, since sources tie progress to daily repetition for one to two weeks per technique [source: Chéné & Auquier; responses: synthesis].

Relaxation-induced anxiety, overwhelm or panic. Signs: rapid breathing, restlessness, wanting to open the eyes. Respond: invite eyes open, feet on the floor, name five things seen; return to natural breathing (stop holds and strong exhalations; hyperventilation is a stated risk [source: German primer]); continue with eyes-open, movement-based or shorter practice; build tolerance gradually [synthesis].

Intrusive or distressing images and memories. Respond: stop the exercise, re-alert fully, ground in the present (feet, breath, room, date), name the experience as understandable, and do not explore content further in that session. Treat whatever emerged as the client's experience, not as a discovered fact; do not use sophrology or suggestion to probe for or "recover" memories. If trauma material keeps emerging, keep to present-focused RDC1 techniques and refer to or plan trauma-focused treatment (stabilisation first) [synthesis].

Dissociation (spacing out, losing time, feeling unreal). The school describes its state as relaxed but alert with no dissociation [source: Ortega 2018]. Respond: eyes open, stand, describe the room aloud, cold water or a textured object; afterwards shorten inductions, keep eyes half-open, add movement and frequent check-ins ("lift a finger if you are with me"); stop if it recurs and reassess [synthesis].

Non-adherence to home practice. Agree a short daily slot (5–10 minutes) tied to a routine; give a recording of the session in your own voice; use abbreviated techniques (SDN in three breaths, geste signal) in daily situations; review a simple practice log each session. Sources stress that the method is learned through repetition and that the client should be able to practise alone [source: RTBF/Piton; Tiberghien 2018; responses: synthesis].

Resistance, scepticism or fear of loss of control. Explain that the client stays awake and in charge, that nothing is hidden, that sophrology works with consciousness rather than the unconscious [source: RTBF/Piton]; offer eyes-open practice; let the client choose which areas and images to work with [source: Tiberghien 2018]; explore any earlier bad experience with hypnosis or relaxation [synthesis].

Rupture (client feels pushed, "done to", or that suggestions were too directive). Acknowledge it; return to the non-directive stance and the client's words [source: Tiberghien 2018]; switch to permissive wording and ask permission before each new technique; invite feedback in each phénodescription [responses: synthesis].

Pain worsens or new symptoms appear. Stop symptom-focused techniques and refer back to the treating doctor; continue only general relaxation in the meantime [synthesis, consistent with the complementary role in Tiberghien 2018].

Overreliance on suggestion or magical expectations (e.g. "programming" organs, curing illness). Correct explicitly: these are wellbeing images, not treatments; three per cent of a survey's respondents wrongly believed sophrology can cure illness [source: Tourmag/Chambre Syndicale; framing: synthesis].

Depression surfacing in future-projection work. If no positive future can be imagined, stop projection, assess mood and suicide risk using standard practice, and prioritise evidence-based treatment for depression [synthesis].

Practitioner competence and title. In France the sophrologist title is not regulated and there is no state diploma [source: techno-science]; Caycedian training is offered through institutions recognised by the Fondation Alfonso Caycedo [source: UJI syllabus]. A psychotherapist should work within their own licence and competence, describe sophrology-derived exercises accurately, and seek formal training before teaching the RD degrees as such [synthesis].

Sources

Sources:

• Curso Superior de Sofrología Caycediana, FUE-Universitat Jaume I and Colegio de Médicos de Castellón (syllabus recognised by the Fundación Alfonso Caycedo) – cited as "UJI syllabus".
• Tiberghien S. Sophrologie (2018), pain consultation, GHT Artois/Arras hospital document – "Tiberghien 2018".
• Chéné P.-A., Tortochot C. Sophro-accouchement, companion booklet – "Chéné & Tortochot".
• Chéné P.-A., Auquier M.-A. Sophrologie : gestion du stress, companion booklet – "Chéné & Auquier".
• Sophrologie caycédienne – Techno-Science.net (French encyclopaedic entry) – "techno-science".
• Ortega Ortega J.H. Sofrología. Revista Nova et Vetera, Universidad del Rosario, July 2018 – "Ortega 2018".
• German introductory primer on sophrology and Dynamic Relaxation (Bookwire/Onleihe excerpt; title and author not shown in excerpt) – "German primer" [uncertain bibliographic details].
• France Compétences RNCP 27755, Praticien en sophrologie (inactive since 2019) – "RNCP 27755".
• Sophrology training module (Dendreo programme page) – "Dendreo programme".
• Aix-Marseille Université, Certificat d'Université Sophrologie 2023 presentation – "AMU programme".
• La sophrologie : respiration, décontraction musculaire et visualisation positive – TourMaG (citing the Chambre Syndicale de la Sophrologie) – "Tourmag/Chambre Syndicale".
• La sophrologie, pour qui, pour quoi ? – RTBF (interview with G. Piton) – "RTBF/Piton".
• Sophrology – Wikipedia – "Wikipedia".

Not drawn on [uncertain]: Caycedo's own books and the Fondation Alfonso Caycedo / Société Française de Sophrologie websites; a 2024 Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona doctoral thesis on sophrology; Chéné P.-A., Sophrologie, tome 1 : Fondements et méthodologie (Ellébore) and Esposito, Sophrologie (Elsevier Masson) – known only from catalogue listings. The specific movements of RD1–RD4 and the procedures of the RD4 and advanced-cycle techniques are therefore not given.