What to expect in your sophrology session?

Written by Laura CLEKA

• What is sophrology?

Sophrology is a mind and body therapy that belongs to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), such as acupuncture, naturopathy, reflexology, and so on.

In France, the practice of sophrology is unregulated. Each training centre develops its own teaching methods and admission criteria. However, it is recommended to attend at least 300 hours of training online or in-person.

• What happens during a sophrology session?

The first sophrology session lasts 90 minutes and allows us to explore your situation, habits, needs, and goals through a one-hour questionnaire. The last 30 minutes allow you to ask questions and try your first sophrology exercises. Then, I will design a customised therapy plan, which we will review together.

The following sessions last one hour and aim to strengthen your practice and develop the internal resources necessary to reach your goal. Each session begins with a brief interview about your feelings (fatigue or pain level, mood, etc.), followed by 2 to 4 physical exercises (breathing, movement, posture, sensory stimulation, etc.). Then, I will guide you through a 15–30 minute meditation on topics related to your goals (compassion, negative thoughts, sleep, etc.). To finish the session, a discussion allows you to share your impressions of the exercises.

• What to talk about with a sophrologist?

The exchanges focus on the sensations you feel in your body:

- What do you feel right now?

- Which emotion comes to you first?

- Did you feel any tension or warmth in your body?

During the first consultation, you need to talk about the reason for your stress, insomnia, or lack of confidence. This information is crucial to adapt the exercises to your therapeutic needs, but it doesn’t require a full story of what happened.

For example, I need to know that you have experienced panic attacks since a car accident last year during a family vacation in Miami. This information prevents me from including any triggering elements in my guidelines or meditations. You can share a more detailed story if it is relevant to your practice in sophrology.

• What do you experience during the practice of sophrology?

Sophrology is a practice well known for its relaxing effects on the mind and body. Sessions create conditions to release tension, slow down thoughts, promote rest, and spark joy. In fact, it is possible to experience discomfort or difficulties during the exercises. These sensations don’t alter the benefits of the method and are part of the process. The primary goal of this practice is to reconnect with your sensations, whether they are positive or negative.

Sophrology is a gentle approach that isn’t designed to arouse intense reactions or a loss of control, such as crying, tremors, hyperventilation, falling asleep, or trauma reactivation. When these phenomena occur during a session, the sophrologist helps the client to manage their reaction safely. However, this type of situation is not part of the sophrology practice.

• How many sophrology sessions are required?

There is no specific number of sessions in sophrology. The number of sessions depends on multiple factors:

- the symptoms (mild stress or mild depression),

- the practitioner,

- the goals and the needs of the client (returning to work in 2 or 6 months),

- the practice level of the client, and so on.

I offer my clients a therapy plan of between 4 and 8 sessions (including the first 90-minute session). For fewer than 4 sessions, I propose introductory or maintenance sessions of sophrology, relaxation, or mindfulness. For more than 8 sessions, I propose to my clients to set a new therapy plan on a different issue or to have a maintenance session. Naturally, this framework can change if necessary.

• Can I decide to stop my therapy?

Yes, you can decide to stop your sophrology therapy whenever you want. You just have to inform me as soon as possible that you don’t want to follow up with another session, a maximum of 48 hours prior to your next appointment. You can also decide to stop in the middle of a session if you want. Depending on the case, it will be possible to reschedule a meeting later.

In exceptional cases, I can also decide to stop therapy with a client. I will inform you as soon as possible of the reasons behind my decision.

It is a pleasure for me to answer any of your questions before, during, or after the therapy.

Citation

Laura Cleka. “What to Expect in Your Sophrology Session?” Aramante, 21 June 2026, www.aramante.com/en/post/what-to-expect-in-your-sophrology-session.