[The process and effect of heaviness exercise in autogenic training: factor analytical study of subjective response induced by the concentration upon and formal language of the sense of heaviness in the arm].

The present study examined the subjective response induced by the concentration upon and repetition of the formal language expressing the sense of heaviness--"The arm is heavy." As a result of the factor analysis of the experiment using 60 subjects, the following five factors emerged. (1) Overall sense of improvement; (2) awareness of the sensation of the arm; (3) change to less nervousness; (4) awareness of positive aspects; (5) understanding of the formal language. Also, those who were aware of psychosomatic symptoms felt their change to less nervousness more significantly, and their understanding of the formal language was significantly higher than those who were not aware of psychosomatic symptoms. The result of the experiment suggests one possibility that excessive concentration upon the body concerning psychosomatic symptoms may have changed to the concentration upon the sense of heaviness, or that the reduction of the stress thereof may have brought the change to less nervousness.