Tuesday, 1 September 2015

Breathwork Therapy, The Whole Body Perspective

By Nancy Gardner


For many years, the world of allopathic medicine has ignored the holistic approach outright. However, as more people have sought a more balanced and affordable way of dealing with disease, the world of science demonized those treatments as dangerous or irrelevant. In recent years the scientific community has been forced to study alternative treatments, such as breathwork therapy.

In order to utilize this therapeutic approach, both the doctor and the patient must be willing to acknowledge that there is a connection between the mind and the body. The ancient healers held that the thoughts of the mind could impact the health of the body, and this notion is being renewed. This is not an easy perspective for a very linear-thinking individual to embrace.

Those who follow esoteric practices hold fast to this notion of mind and body connection, stating that one must heal the mind as well as the body in order for health to occur. While negative thinking is a normal part of life and must be acknowledged, when allowed to rule our thoughts it can result in terrible depression. Doctors have long seen that depressed patients do not respond as well to therapy as those who seek to hold to a shinier disposition.

Deeper breathing helps to calm the mind. Psychologists have begun to utilize these methods to treat a host of psychological issues, and they have found great success in treating those who suffer panic attacks. Because a panic attack can cause one to hyperventilate, a patient who is able to control their breath can actually help themselves through these moments of anxiety.

Anyone who has cared for or just been around an adult with Asperger Syndrome knows what a panic attack meltdown looks like, and how stressful it can be for everyone involved. Many people with Asperger Syndrome have been taught to control their breathing with these methods. Being able to maintain control of themselves in a moment of anxiety can be a great accomplishment.

Diseases such as COPD and asthma deal very directly with breathing, and this fast-shallow-to-deep-slow breathing exercise can help increase their lung capacity. Any time a COPD patient sees their doctor, they will be checked for their oxygen saturation levels. If there is a low level of oxygen in their blood, they run the risk of being hospitalized right away.

The average person, when breathing, only fills their lungs with normal aspiration. However, there are times when the body needs more O2, and will force us to inhale all the way through the diaphragm in what we call yawning. The body demands this of us whenever our oxygen saturation is low because there are more shallow blood vessels in the diaphragm.

For anyone facing serious illness, seeking the advice of your doctor about any additional treatments is highly recommended. It is important that the patient has a physician who appreciates their desire for the whole-body approach to wellness. Anyone who has fought such battles already knows, we must all play an active role in our own struggle to regain health and vitality.




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