Breathwork Can Heal Trauma and Relieve Stress

Life is a journey that is not without peril.  Finding proactive methods to alleviate the stress and trauma that can be caused by our negative experiences is key to living a long, healthy, and rewarding life.  More often than not, people are unaware of the various techniques that they can use to calm their minds, bodies, and spirits, during times of stress or pain.

A timeless technique practiced by many different cultures is that of controlling the body’s breath in an effort to create positive responses to stress and anxiety.  Breathwork, the generalized term for this practice, describes any type of therapy or meditation that utilizes breathing exercises to improve physical, mental, and spiritual health. 

Many modern forms of therapy today are incorporating breathwork methods into treatment modalities that incorporate all aspects of a person’s healing.  Drawing from Eastern practices such as yoga and Tai Chi, today’s therapy sessions can combine breathwork and Western psychotherapy techniques to achieve results in unique ways.

Breathwork can be used in a myriad of forms to reduce stress and anxiety, control physical tension and pain, and release negative effects of trauma.  Creating self awareness, focus, and release, breathwork can be facilitated by a certified professional or practiced on one’s own.

Of the various types of breathwork techniques that can be practiced, Holotropic Breathwork is perhaps the most commonly used.  The goal of Holotropic Breathwork is to achieve wholeness of mind, body, and spirit. Sessions in this type of breathing exercises are typically facilitated by certified practitioners who guide patients or clients through the process.

This type of breathwork is effective for accessing and releasing sources of pain caused by trauma as it is meant to induce altered states of consciousness. Trauma can be stored through emotional patterns, blocked energy, and chronic stress.  Sessions in breathwork for trauma release include in-depth counseling about present concerns and past experiences, in addition to the practice of specific breathing techniques.

The goal of any type of breathwork therapy is to offer support in achieving greater self-awareness and self healing techniques that people can apply to their daily lives in order to decrease the negative effects of trauma and stress. Therapists such as Joe Langheim LMHC, LPC, CTT offer breathwork techniques as integral parts of a well balanced treatment approach to mental health therapy.  Providing people with the self healing tools of breathwork can give them the ability to take control of their emotional journey in a positive and proactive way.