What happens in a sophrology session?

"I'm not really sure what to expect." That's often the first thing I hear when someone sits down in my practice on rue Ducau. And it makes sense: sophrology may be well known in France, but few people know what actually happens during a sophrology session, or how long it takes before they feel a difference.

I'm a sophrologist in Bordeaux and online. Before that, I worked for years in start-ups, until I burned out. Sophrology helped me get back on my feet, so I know what it's like to turn up to a first appointment with a mix of tiredness, hope and doubt.

Below, I explain how I run a session, the exercises you'll practise, what you can expect from it and what you shouldn't. You'll also see how to choose a sophrologist, whether that's me or someone else.

What happens during a sophrology session

A session with me lasts 1 hour. It always follows the same thread, in three parts, because that structure is reassuring and it lets us see how far you've come from one session to the next.

Talking first

We start sitting down, talking. I ask how things have been since last time: your sleep, your tension levels, what was hard, what went better. At the first session this part takes longer. I want to understand what brings you, how long it's been going on and, above all, what you'd like to see change in your daily life. "Stressing less" is a starting point. "Getting to Monday meetings without a knot in my stomach" is a goal we can work on.

Practice

Then we practise. You stay in your normal clothes, sitting or standing, and you close your eyes if you want to. I guide you with my voice, step by step. There's nothing to get right and nothing to "do well": your only job is to notice what happens in your body.

Feedback

At the end, we talk again. I ask what you felt, even if it was "nothing much" or "I was thinking about my shopping list". Those words matter. They help me adjust the next session, and they help you become aware of what you're going through. You leave with an exercise to repeat at home, chosen so it fits into your real day.

After the session

Don't be surprised if you feel tired when you leave, or on the contrary very light. Your body lets go of tension it has been carrying for a long time, and that can show up as wanting an early night that same evening. Some people also get stinging eyes, or feel an emotion come up during an exercise. It's common, it isn't a bad sign, and we always talk about it during the feedback. My only advice is not to go straight into a stressful appointment: give yourself ten minutes to walk or drink a glass of water before getting on with your day.

Over the weeks, the changes I see most often are nothing spectacular. One person notices they took a breath before replying to an aggressive email. Another realises they've slept right through the night three nights running. It's these small shifts, added together, that give people the feeling they're back in control.

The official description of the sophrologist's job registered with France compétences (the French national body for professional qualifications) sets out the same sequence: agreeing goals with the person, building a support plan, guiding the exercises, then going over what they felt.

The exercises we practise together

Sophrology relies on three tools. How much I use each one depends on what brings you to me.

Breathing

This is the way in. You learn to lengthen your out-breath, to breathe from your belly, to notice when your breath gets stuck. Here's an example I give at almost every first session: breathe in through your nose for a count of four, breathe out through your mouth for a count of six, and repeat five times. It takes a minute. The people I work with then use it before a tense phone call, on the tram or when they switch off the light. If this exercise speaks to you, I've also written about heart coherence breathing, a very structured variation on it.

Dynamic relaxation

These are simple movements, done standing or sitting: shrug your shoulders as you breathe in, drop them all at once as you breathe out, turn your head gently, clench then relax your hands. We do them slowly, paying attention to the sensations that follow. That's often when people discover how tense they were without realising it.

Visualisation

Once your body is more relaxed, I invite you to imagine a scene. It might be a place where you feel good, or an upcoming situation you're dreading: an oral exam, a job interview, a difficult conversation. You live through it in your mind, calmly, linking the image to a feeling of steadiness. When the day comes, your body already has a reference point.

I've shared more sophrology exercises you can do at home in another article. And if you're torn between several practices, I've also written a comparison of sophrology, meditation and yoga.

How many sessions to plan for, and how often

It's the question I'm asked most, and the honest answer is: it depends on you and on what brings you.

For a specific goal, like preparing for an exam or a talk, a few sessions are often enough. For stress that has been building for months, disrupted sleep or a period of exhaustion, it usually takes longer, because you can't undo in two weeks a tension that took two years to build.

I usually suggest one session a week or one a fortnight to begin with, then we space them out. Between appointments, your own practice does most of the work: five minutes a day is worth more than an hour once a month. We review things together regularly, and you decide what happens next.

For reference, in a trial carried out in general practice in Barcelona, participants had 12 one-hour group sessions over four weeks. That's an intensive pace, designed for a study, and not the one I suggest to most of the people I see.

What sophrology can do, and what it can't

I'd rather be clear about this, because my line of work also attracts promises that have no place in it.

What I see in sessions, and what people tell me, is mainly this: they notice sooner when the pressure is building, they have something concrete to do to bring it down, they fall asleep more easily, and they approach a deadline with less apprehension. That's already a lot.

Researchers are paying it more and more attention. The Barcelona trial mentioned above measured a clear drop in anxiety levels among people seen in general practice, compared with a group who followed a programme of physical and mental health recommendations. This result needs to be read with caution: the study involved 70 people, and several of the authors are linked to a sophrology school.

The university hospital in Clermont-Ferrand has also launched a trial on the wellbeing of hospital staff, with 6 to 8 sophrology sessions combined with neuro-linguistic programming. So far only the trial protocol has been published, and its results are not yet known. These are serious leads, then, but not yet solid evidence.

What sophrology doesn't do: it doesn't replace medical advice, and it doesn't replace your doctor. If you've been sleeping badly for weeks, if you're losing your appetite, if you're having dark thoughts, see your doctor first. Sophrology can complement their care, never take its place. When a situation goes beyond what I do, I say so and refer you to the right health professional.

At the practice or by video call: what's the difference?

I see people at my practice, 102 rue Ducau in Bordeaux, and I also offer sessions by video call. The session runs the same way. I guide you with my voice, you practise from home, and we talk things through in the same way.

The practice has one advantage: it's a place apart, where you have nothing else to do but look after yourself. Some people need that to switch off. Video calls have their own: no travel, and you learn the exercises in the setting where you'll repeat them afterwards. It's also the only realistic option for people who live far away or have impossible schedules.

For a remote session, you'll need a quiet room where nobody will disturb you for an hour, a stable chair, comfortable clothes and a decent connection. I explain everything else at the start of the session. If this option interests you, I've described how online sophrology works.

How to choose a sophrologist

The title of sophrologist isn't protected. The France compétences listing points out that the profession isn't regulated, even though sophrologists are bound by professional confidentiality. So anyone can call themselves a sophrologist, whether they trained for three years or three weekends.

The Miviludes, the French government body that monitors cult-related abuses, estimates in its guide on health and cult-related abuses that 4 in 10 French people use unconventional practices, and it points out that many methods and training courses have never been independently assessed. That's no reason to distrust everyone, but it is a reason to ask a few questions before you start:

• Where did the sophrologist train, and for how long?
• Are they a member of a federation or union that requires a code of ethics?
• Are their prices clearly displayed, per session?
• Do they talk to you about your goals, or promise you a result?
• Do they encourage you to keep up your medical care?

As for me, I trained at the CEAS in Paris and at the Sophrology Academy, and I'm a member of the FEPS (the French federation of professional sophrology schools) and the Syndicat des Sophrologues Professionnels (the French union of professional sophrologists). You'll find my full background on the about page, and my prices are set out clearly. Be wary of anyone who promises to make a health problem disappear, or asks you to stop a treatment.

Preparing for your first session

You really don't need to prepare anything. Come in clothes you feel comfortable in and, if you can, with an idea of what's bothering you most at the moment. You don't need the right words: we'll find them together.

If you're having treatment or seeing a doctor for something, let me know. It doesn't change the session, but it helps me adjust the exercises.

After the appointment, just jot down one thing you noticed, however small. And repeat the exercise I gave you once a day until next time. It's that regularity, far more than the session itself, that makes the difference.

If you'd like to give it a try, you can book a sophrology session for adults at the practice or by video call. I'll be glad to see you.