Sophrology is still quite unknown in the UK, and it’s often one of the first questions I get.
What is it exactly? How does it work? And how is it different from meditation or relaxation?
I completely understand the confusion.
As a French person, I had a vague idea of what sophrology was when it was recommended to me, but even I didn’t see the full picture
So what is sophrology?
Sophrology is a mind-body practice that combines gentle movements, breathing exercises, and guided visualisations.
Up to this point, nothing really new. But what makes sophrology different is that it’s a structured and practical method. It’s a repeatable training that people can easily learn and apply in their everyday life.
So yes, something where you don’t have to sit on a cushion for an hour or try to empty your mind.
Sophrology was originally developed by a neuropsychiatrist, Dr Alfonso Caycedo, to help people with trauma and PTSD. It draws from Western and Eastern practices and helps bring mind and body into balance.
It’s now widely used in France and across Europe, in hospitals, sports, education, and the corporate world. It’s used to manage stress, anxiety, and physical conditions. It also supports performance, sleep, and emotional balance.
A training that creates lasting change
What I’d like you to understand about sophrology is that it’s a process, where the repetition of the techniques I teach leads to profound transformation.
This is a bit like going to the gym. If you regularly do cardio, strength and endurance training, you’re bound to become fitter and feel healthier.
If you regularly regulate your body, mind, and emotions, the same applies. You are bound to feel more balanced and happier in your life.
And the good news is that you don’t need to break a sweat or put a lot of time, effort and energy into it.
All it takes is some commitment and the creation of new habits that make a real difference.
I always say short practices on a regular basis have a big positive impact.
What is even better is that these skills stay with you. It’s like learning how to ride a bike.
Once you’ve learnt them, you don’t forget them. They become life skills.
What this looks like in real life
Let me give you a couple of examples so you understand what I mean by life skills.
I worked with Chloe (name changed) on pain management. She had a range of conditions that generated chronic pain, and she learnt with me how to regain control of her life without being limited by her pain.
Several months after we worked together, she emailed me. She had undergone a throat surgery. It was a very harrowing experience because she had to remain awake and there was no anaesthetic.
She told me she managed to block the pain away using the tools she had learned. Even the surgeon commented on how calm and relaxed she was during the procedure.
What really stayed with me is that she didn’t email me to tell me she had blocked the pain. She emailed me to say thank you, because before learning these skills, she wouldn’t have dared to go through with the operation.
And I wasn’t there to guide her. She did it all on her own.
This is what I mean by life skills.
It doesn’t have to be so dramatic though. I did an intervention at the University about ten years ago and a member of staff I’m still in touch with today tells me she’s still using the techniques she learnt to manage her stress today.
Sophrology is not just relaxation
Relaxation is one of the techniques we use in sophrology, but the aim behind the practice is much more.
As you become more aware of how you feel and learn to release tensions, you gain confidence in your ability to influence your state. After a few more weeks of practice, you start seeing life differently. Where you may have felt worried and anxious, you begin to feel more optimistic and more at ease. Life still happens, but you feel more in control and confident that you can deal with whatever comes.
You become a new you.
How does sophrology actually work?
In practice, sophrology is very simple.
You don’t need any equipment or special clothing. It suits all abilities because it’s very adaptable.
Sessions usually include:
- Gentle movements
- Breathing exercises
- Guided visualisation
But the key is not just doing a session. It’s applying and integrating the exercises you resonated with in your daily life and repetition.
That’s what is making you more autonomous, because you use the exercises as you see fit when you need them and you start feeling more competent in your abilities.
Here are a few examples of how you can use these tools:
- before and during a difficult conversation
- when you feel overwhelmed and stressed
- when your mind won’t switch off and you can’t sleep
- when your energy drops
What does sophrology help with?
People come to sophrology for different reasons, but there are some common themes.
It helps with:
- stress and anxiety
- mental overload
- sleep issues
- fatigue and low energy
- emotional reactivity
- feeling overwhelmed
It can also be very supportive if you’re living with a chronic illness, including chronic pain.
It’s not about fixing you, you’re not broken. It’s about strengthening your own inner resources and tapping into your potential so that you become stronger and more capable of overcoming the challenges you have.
How is sophrology different from mindfulness?
This is another question I often get.
I’d say that mindfulness is included in sophrology but sophrology is more. It’s a more embodied practice to start with. It builds on positive resources rather than simply contemplating your experience. With sophrology you may also retrieve positive experiences from the past or project positively into the future, rather than stay in the here and now.
Some people who struggle with mindfulness find sophrology easier to engage with because of its more dynamic aspect. We’re not asking people to contemplate their thoughts and mind, we first teach them how to positively reconnect with the body before we start training the mind.
Why I use sophrology in my work today
What I experienced myself is what I now share with others. Sophrology gave me tools that I could actually use in my daily life, especially when things felt difficult.
It helped me:
- manage stress and by doing so, manage MS
- develop a positive mindset, without it being fake positivity, which helps me keep me going while running a business
- stop feeling overwhelmed and anxious about what might happen next
It also helped me build something deeper: confidence and self-esteem. And what’s remarkable is that this happened naturally without me having the impression I was doing anything different.
It transformed how I showed up in my work and in my life. And if I could do it, me, the skeptic, I know you can too.
If you’re curious about sophrology
If you’ve never tried sophrology before, it’s completely normal to have questions. This is why I offer a free consultation, with no obligation, so you can confidentially tell me what you’re dealing with, and we can assess whether sophrology is the right approach for you.