Meaning & use
sophrology
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Meaning
noununcountable
A relaxation and self-awareness method that combines breathing, mental imagery and gentle body work to reduce stress.
Grammar: Uncountable: talk about sophrology in general, not 'a sophrology' or 'sophrologies'.
Patterns
- practise sophrology
- a sophrology session
- use sophrology for something
She practises sophrology for twenty minutes each morning to calm her nerves.
The clinic offers sophrology to patients who struggle with anxiety.
He learned sophrology in France, where the technique is widely taught.
Common combinations
- practise sophrology
- Many office workers practise sophrology to cope with pressure at work.
- a sophrology session
- My first sophrology session lasted about an hour.
- sophrology exercises
- The book includes simple sophrology exercises for beginners.
- train in sophrology
- She trained in sophrology after leaving her job in banking.
Synonyms and how they differ
- relaxation
- A general word for calming the body and mind; sophrology is a specific structured method, so it is narrower.
- mindfulness
- Mindfulness focuses on noticing the present moment, while sophrology adds breathing and physical movement.
- meditation
- Meditation is often silent and still; sophrology usually involves guided movement and imagery.
Word family
- sophrologist noun
- A person trained to teach or practise sophrology.
- sophrological adjective
- Relating to sophrology or its techniques.
Commonly confused: sophrology or phrenology?
sophrology vs phrenology
Phrenology was a discredited nineteenth-century theory about skull shape; it sounds similar but is completely unrelated.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'sophrology' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Sophrology' is an uncountable noun for a method, so it has no plural and is not used as a verb; only 'practises sophrology' fits.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sophrology”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.