Breathwork (New Age)
This article is part of a series on |
Alternative medicine |
---|
Breathwork is a term[1][2] for various breathing practices in which the conscious control of breathing is said to influence a person's mental, emotional, or physical state, with a therapeutic effect.[3]
Background and rationale
Edzard Ernst writes that breathwork (or 'rebirthing') is a form of alternative medicine first devised by Leonard Orr in the 1970s.[4][inconsistent]
Breathwork is the use of breathing techniques in order to achieve altered states of consciousness and to have a variety of effects on physical and mental well-being.[3] Breathwork has been seen as derived from multiple spiritual and pre-scientific traditions from around the world.[3] According to Jack Raso, breathwork is described by proponents as a multiform "healing modality" characterized by stylized breathing. Its purported design is to effect physical, emotional, and spiritual change. Such a process can allegedly "dissolve limiting programs" that are "stored" in the mind and body, and increases one's ability to handle more "energy".[5][full citation needed] Breathwork practitioners believe that an individual's particular pattern of passive breathing can lead to insights about their unconscious mind.[3]
Practice
During a breathwork session, individuals will typically lie down and be instructed to breathe using particular methods, depending on the sub-type of breathwork.[6] Most breathwork sessions last around an hour.[6] Alternatively breathwork is advocated to be done by individuals alone, for shorter periods.[7]
Sub-types
Holotropic Breathwork
A practice that uses rapid breathing and other elements such as music to put individuals in altered states of consciousness. It was developed by
Rebirthing
A process described as releasing suppressed traumatic childhood memories, especially those related to one's own birth.[10] Orr proposed that correct breathing can cure disease and relieve pain.[11] Orr devised rebirthing therapy in the 1970s after he supposedly re-lived his own birth while in the bath.[10] He believed that breathing techniques could be used to purge traumatic childhood memories that had been repressed.[10][12] There is no evidence that individuals can remember their births.[13] Memories of one's birth that appear to resurface during a rebirthing-breathwork practice are believed to be the result of false memories.[14] Rebirthing-breathwork is one of the practices critiqued by anti-cult experts Margaret Singer and Janja Lalich in the book Crazy Therapies: What Are They? Do They Work?[11] Singer and Lalich write that proponents of such "bizarre" practices are proud of their non-scientific approach, and that this finds favor with an irrational clientele.[11] In 2006, a panel that consisted of over one hundred experts participated in a survey of psychological treatments; they considered rebirthing therapy to be discredited.[15]
Sitters
In addition to a practitioner, breathwork sessions will often have "sitters" present. Sitters are individuals who provide emotional or physical support to those practicing breathwork.[3]
Side effects
Some common side effects include "sleepiness; tingling in the hands, feet, or face; and a sense of altered consciousness that can be distressing to some."[6] Breathwork is generally considered safe if done with a skilled practitioner, but there are contraindications such as cardiovascular disease, glaucoma, high blood pressure, mental illness, severe asthma, or seizure disorders, among others.[3][6]
Efficacy
Limited research data
A 2018 review found that research to date had been limited, and that studies showed "limited evidence of a relationship between physiological parameters and psychological/behavioral outcomes in healthy subjects undergoing slow breathing techniques."[16] A 2023 review said that results showed that breathwork may be effective for improving stress and mental health, but urged caution until more research has been done.[17]
Possible areas of efficacy
Breathwork may be helpful for relaxation and stress in a similar way to meditation.[6][18] Anxiety may be helped by breathwork.[19]
See also
- Anapanasati – Mindfulness of breathing, a form of Buddhist meditation
- Buteyko method – Alternative physical therapy for asthma
- Conscious breathing – Breathing exercises
- Hypoventilation – Insufficient breathing
- Pranayama – Practice of breath control in Yoga
- Primal therapy – Psychotherapy of Arthur Janov
- Reverse breathing – Breathing technique
References
- ISBN 978-1839761928.
- ^ "Can You Really Use Your Breath To Reduce Anxiety?". British Vogue. 9 April 2020. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
- ^ .
- S2CID 34148480.
- ^ Jack Raso M.S., R.D.: Quackwatch March 25, 2007
- ^ ISBN 9780944235713.
- ^ "Relaxation techniques: Breath control helps quell errant stress response". Harvard Health. January 26, 2015.
- ISBN 978-0791434666.
- OCLC 1203447030.
- ^ a b c Radford B (2000). "New Age 'Rebirthing' Treatment Kills Girl". Skeptical Inquirer. 24 (5): 6.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-118-04563-3.
- ^ Turner, S (30 May 1988). "Echoes of the age of Aquarius; Festival of Mind-Body-Spirit". The Times.
- ^ "Can a Person Remember Being Born?". HowStuffWorks. 2008-05-06. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
- ^ Gardner, Martin (May–June 2001). "Primal Scream: A Persistent New Age Therapy" (PDF). Skeptical Inquirer. pp. 17–19. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
- . Retrieved 2021-12-24.
- PMID 30245619.
- PMID 36624160.
- ^ Dolan, Eric W. (2023-02-06). "Breathwork shows promise in reducing stress, anxiety and depression, according to a new meta-analysis". PsyPost. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
- PMID 33540222.
Further reading
- ISBN 978-0-948139-00-0.
- Bray, P. (2018). "CHAPTER 10: Holotropic Breathwork as a Therapeutic Intervention for Survivors of Trauma: An Autoethnographic Case Study". At the Interface / Probing the Boundaries. Vol. 113. Brill / Rodopi. pp. 187–218. .
- Brewerton, T. D.; Eyerman, J. E.; Cappetta, P. (2012). "Long-Term Abstinence Following Holotropic Breathwork as Adjunctive Treatment of Substance Use Disorders and Related Psychiatric Comorbidity". International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction. 10 (3): 453–459. S2CID 32003053.
- Farhi, D. (1996). The Breathing Book: Good Health and Vitality Through Essential Breath Work. Henry Holt and Company. ISBN 978-0805042979.
- Johnson, W. (2019). Breathing as Spiritual Practice: Experiencing the Presence of God. Inner Traditions/Bear. ISBN 978-1-62055-687-0.
- Minett, G. (1994). Breath & Spirit: Rebirthing as a Healing Technique. Thorsons. ISBN 978-1-85538-353-1.
- ISBN 978-0-7352-1363-0.
- Rock, A. J.; et al. (2015). "Exploring Holotropic Breathwork: An Empirical Evaluation of Altered States of Awareness and Patterns of Phenomenological Subsystems with Reference to Transliminality". Journal of Transpersonal Psychology. 47 (1): 3–24.
- Smart, A. (2020). Breathwork: How to Use Your Breath to Change Your Life. Chronicle Books. ISBN 978-1-4521-8162-2.
- Willis, D. (2021). Rebirthing: A Personal Empowerment Revolution. Australia: Green Hill Publishing. ISBN 978-1-922527-73-8.
- Zaccaro, Andrea; et al. (2018). "How Breath-Control Can Change Your Life: A Systematic Review on Psycho-Physiological Correlates of Slow Breathing". Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. 12: 353. PMID 30245619.