Addiction may occur in relation to past experiences. These memories make for uncomfortable situations that you may only find immediate relief from through using substances. While addiction can be challenging to overcome, breathwork can completely transform your life. Breathwork uses different breathing patterns to regulate thoughts and feelings connected to these impulses you feel from substance and mental health disorders. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, studies conducted on breathwork to treat mental health disorders and substance use disorder have shown to help those struggling make life-changing breakthroughs.
Helps the Brain Relax
Breathwork helps to distract the brain long enough for individuals to relax – perhaps for the first time in years. It helps quiet negative thoughts and releases blocked feelings and emotions.
Breathwork Treats a Variety of Ailments
Breathwork is a guided therapy technique that seeks to explore and treat areas of past trauma, feelings of worthlessness, and self-esteem issues that may have been affecting you throughout life. In turn, this helps reduce anxiety, stress, repressed emotions, feelings of anger, depression, and it helps to boost your immune system.
Backed by Science
When you become tense, your breathing becomes shallower – you might even hold your breath. Inconsistent breathing patterns impact the functioning of the brain. Breathwork regulates the flow of oxygen to the brain, prompting a parasympathetic response, which leads to a more relaxed feeling and clear thinking patterns. In contrast, rapid breathing elicits a sympathetic response, which is what your body associates with stress.
How to Practice Breathwork
There are three commonly known techniques to help you practice breathwork. First is the 4-7-8 method. Empty your lungs of air, breathe in through your nose for four seconds, hold your breath for seven seconds, exhale out of the mouth for eight seconds, then repeat four times.
You can also try Box Breathing, also known as Square Breathing, or 4-4-4-4 breath. To practice this technique, release air from your chest, hold your breath for four seconds, breathe through the nose for four seconds, hold your breath for four seconds, then exhale out of the nose for four seconds. For the best results, this technique should be repeated for five minutes.
Lastly, you can try Coherent Breathing or the 5-5 breath. Focus on the natural rhythm of your breath to obtain a baseline length of each inhale and exhale. Breathe in for four seconds, and exhale for four seconds and repeat this for an entire minute. Then continue to increase your inhales and exhales to five seconds, then six, all the way up to ten seconds.
Breathwork can be a great therapy to help you heal past trauma and bring to light repressed experiences. If you have not pursued treatment to address your thoughts and addiction, now is the time to get help. At Guest House, we offer various therapies to treat trauma and trauma-related addiction disorders – including guided therapy sessions that utilize breathwork. We believe in working with each individual to ensure that they are getting the right treatment. We also believe in instilling each individual that seeks us with tools to help them sustain lasting recovery – because, after all, recovery is a life-long process. To learn more, call us today at (855) 483-7800.