Breathwork for trauma integration
How Breathwork can contribute to trauma integration
Breathing techniques have been a proven tool for healing the body, mind, and soul for centuries. Through conscious and connected breathing, we can deal with traumatic experiences and promote healing on many levels.
Here you can find more about trauma and the different types of trauma.
What is Breathwork?
Breathwork, also known as "conscious connected breathing" or "transformational breathing", is a powerful method that can lead you to new and unexplored areas of your inner world. Breathwork focuses on consciously connecting with your breath and using it for healing purposes. It usually involves breathing through the mouth and omitting the natural pauses between inhalation and exhalation. This strengthens the connection to your body. Your body is like a hard drive and stores all experiences - both good and bad - in the fascia and muscles. Breathwork can therefore serve as a catalyst for emotional, mental and spiritual transformations.
You can find out more about Breathwork here.
Breathwork and trauma
If you feel safe enough during Breathwork (professional and empathetic guidance is essential), repressed memories, emotions and traumas can come to the surface through the increased connection to your body. If these experiences are experienced and felt in safety and with good guidance, they can be integrated step by step in the long term (trauma integration).
Trauma affects the way you regulate your emotions and can cause feelings like fear, grief, anger, shame, and distance from yourself and others.
Through conscious, connected breathing, you can recognize patterns and triggers related to your past experiences. This awareness is a crucial factor in dealing with your traumas, as it allows you to develop coping mechanisms and seek appropriate support.
PTSD or mental illnesses
Breathwork group sessions are not suitable for PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) or severe symptoms of mental illness, as they can trigger intense emotional reactions that require close supervision and undivided attention. In such cases, I highly recommend 1:1 support (e.g. trauma therapy) to ensure safer and individualized support. This way, your needs are specifically addressed and you are guided through the process.
Please also note the contraindications
The experience of a Breathwork session does not end when the session is over.
To get the most out of your breathwork experience, take time and create space to integrate your inner journey. This process, known as "integration," involves processing and embedding what you learned about yourself during the breathwork session. Even if you don't think you've felt a deep emotional release, your system will still process the session - sometimes unconsciously. Integrating your experience is just as important as the breathwork session itself. You shouldn't think of breathwork as a magic pill - your ability to integrate your experience into your life is crucial to its effect.
If you do not learn how to regulate yourself in your daily life, the effects will usually not last too long. To be successful, it is necessary to restructure your nervous system, which requires support outside of the Breathwork group sessions. Healing comes through building sustainable skills and knowledge that enable us to better connect with ourselves.
Conclusion
I recommend combining Breathwork sessions with 1:1 support, regular regulating breathwork and other practices to regulate the nervous system. In my breath coaching sessions, I help you to understand yourself and your nervous system and to find the right tools for you.
