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.

Signs You Need Therapy After Trauma

Have you ever been through an experience that was life-threatening, unsafe, shocking, or dangerous? If so, you may find that life never really gets back to normal after this event.

In some cases, it’s going to be necessary to seek therapy for the situation and to help you overcome the trauma you experienced. The question is, when is this necessary?

Some of the signs it may be a good idea for you to seek professional therapy and help are found here.

Risky Behavior

If you are involved in a traumatic event, you probably didn’t have too much control over the situation that was going on. If you feel confident and like you are in control of your circumstances and life, you feel better.

Sometimes, if you have been involved in this type of situation you try to engage in risky behaviors to recreate that circumstance, or experiences and feelings that recreate the originally trauma. The goal is to recreate that original traumatic situation to gain a better sense of control over the situation, with the hope that the outcome is going to be different than what happened originally.

For many people, this isn’t a conscious decision. Some of the most common examples of this risky behavior include walking or driving alone in dangerous areas, starting arguments, and more.

Avoidance

It’s common to try and avoid anything that may trigger the ongoing feelings and thoughts related to the traumatic experience you had. If you are in this situation, you may begin to avoid the places, objects, or even people who caused the pain or fear. It’s a completely normal and expected reaction to this abnormal event – especially when you are in “survival mode.” No one wants to continue experiencing the pain the trauma caused, which is why avoidance is so common.

Re-Experiencing

According to information provided by the National Institute of Mental Health, the concept of re-experiencing is very common in individuals who have suffered from PTSD. Some of the symptoms of this include things like:

·  Frightening thoughts

·  Having recurring bad dreams

·  Reliving the trauma again and again

Usually, the symptoms begin from a person’s thoughts and feelings. Situations, objects, and words that remind you of the event may also begin to trigger these re-experiencing symptoms.

Intrusion

Intrusion occurs if you are having persistent and often intrusive feelings and thoughts about the traumatic event. Sometimes they may be unrelated but are typically always disturbing. The more you experience this; you’ll find you are becoming more and more distressed because you have to continue reliving the trauma that you experienced. The issue is that you can’t find a way to turn these thoughts off, even though they make you feel so bad.

Seeking Therapy Can Help You Overcome Trauma

While it may seem as if there is no cure for the trauma or the ongoing issues you have, there is. With trauma therapy you can learn how to cope with these issues and turn things around for yourself.

How Common is Trauma in Modern Society?

There’s a growing understanding among health professionals and the general public that our mental health has a substantial effect on our physical health. Issues like anxiety, depression, and insomnia can damage your heart, leave you feeling lethargic, and make it harder to concentrate on a task. However, issues like anxiety and depression are often the result of traumatic experiences. Getting help from a trauma therapist like Joe Langheim can help people overcome the issues that are the root cause of other problems. Many individuals can benefit from this treatment because trauma is more common in modern society than people realize.

Everyone experiences traumatic events at some point in their life, and everyone develops different strategies for dealing with the trauma. In many situations, we’re able to handle the trauma on our own and grow as a result. But depending on the person or the severity of the trauma, traumatic experiences can leave lasting emotional scars that affect the individual’s physical and mental health.

Traumatic experiences are more common than people realize because they only think about the extreme examples. However, traumatic experiences are any incident that causes physical, emotional, spiritual, or psychological harm. The event leaves the person feeling threatened, anxious, or frightened as a result. Many victims may be in denial about the effect the traumatic event has had on them.

This definition covers many scenarios that people may not consider traumatic. Most people would recognize events such as surviving war, famine, natural disaster, or terrorism as being a traumatic experience. These events are relatively uncommon in modern industrial countries. On the other hand, events such as the death of a loved one, a divorce, sustaining a severe injury, enduring sexual or physical abuse, and other adverse life events can also produce trauma. When all of the possible sources for trauma are considered, it's clear that most people have dealt with at least one of these events in their lives.

After people get past the initial shock, they can respond to traumatic events in many ways that adversely affect their physical and mental health. Some signs may indicate when a person needs trauma therapy. Emotional symptoms include increased irritability, sudden or dramatic mood changes, anxiety and nervousness, anger, denial, and depression. Other signs include difficulty concentrating, altered sleeping or insomnia, changes in appetite, as well as a withdrawal and isolation from day-to-day activities. If you know someone who's experienced a traumatic event, and they have these symptoms, talk to them about seeking trauma therapy treatment.

For an individual recovering from trauma, it can be difficult to notice the emotional symptoms. What an outside observer sees as irritability, the trauma victim sees as people being unusually annoying. However, there are other symptoms that only the victim would know. For example, they may continue to have flashbacks or repeated memories of the event, and an intense fear that the traumatic event will recur, such as when the anniversary of the event approaches or they are near the scene of the original incident. They may also experience the physical symptoms of stress, such as headaches and nausea, and the worsening of an existing medical condition.

If you or someone you know is having trouble overcoming a traumatic event, licensed therapists like Joe Langheim can help. There are many treatment options for dealing with trauma. Joe Langheim has a dynamic and extensive background as a Licensed Professional Counselor, Certified Trauma Therapist, Certified Breathworker, and Reiki Master with over 11 years of experience in the field of mental health. Send a message online to get a free 15-minute consultation with Joe Langheim.