Holotropic breathing
Holotropic breathing (or: holotropic breathing work , from the Greek holos "whole" and trepein "straighten up" or "move on", "focused on wholeness") is a breathing technique developed by Stanislav Grof , through which, according to its users, one can move into areas of experience can occur that are generally inaccessible to consciousness ( nonordinary states of consciousness ). The aim of this technique is the processing and integration of so far insufficiently integrated personality parts and a "movement towards wholeness", which is to be expressed by the term holotropic . Holotropic breathing is classified by its users as part of transpersonal psychology .
method
The technique of holotropic breath work consists of several elements:
- accelerated and deepened breathing (intentional hyperventilation )
- evoking music (e.g. instrumental or special film music)
- Body work (e.g. pressure massage)
in connection:
- non-verbal reflection on what has been experienced, for example through creative expression, e.g. B. about painting or drawing
- so-called sharing ( self-awareness , exchange of experiences in the group)
The process, which takes between 1.5 and 3 hours, is supported by suitably selected music. It has phases, reaches a climax, and then subsides again. The clients lie on a mattress with their eyes closed (possibly supported by a blindfold) and are accompanied by a therapist . In the course of the process there can be strong emotional outbursts ( catharsis ), which the therapist accompanies in a supportive manner (e.g. through body work).
Holotropic breathing is often done in groups. The clients form groups of two and support each other under the guidance of the therapist - one “works” and another accompanies.
There are similarities to the bioenergetics methods by Alexander Lowen , rebirthing and the Wim Hof method .
Historical development
Stanislav Grof experimented with LSD in psychotherapy for many years (see Psycholytic Psychotherapy ). In doing so, he made the experience that his clients came into contact with “regions of consciousness” which he believed were useful for therapy, but which normally remain hidden. These included the so-called transpersonal states of consciousness and perinatal experiences around childbirth. In the context of his thousands of patient data, Grof developed a "cartography of the psyche" a. relates to the process of being born.
Since LSD therapy lost its legal approval in many countries as a result of the war on drugs , he researched other ways to achieve these conditions. He discovered that through faster and deeper breathing ( hyperventilation ), supported by special instrumental music, altered states of consciousness can be reached, which he believed would be similar to the effects of LSD in a certain way, and thus integrated various, also already existing techniques and body-oriented procedures to an overall composition.
effect
The personal experiences were categorized by users as follows:
| experience | Associated Discipline |
|---|---|
| Sensory barrier: visual perceptions of shapes and colors | physiology |
| Reinforcement of psychosomatic affects | Psychosomatics |
| Reliving biographical sequences | Psychoanalysis |
| Perinatal (birth trauma) patterns ( perinatal matrices ) | Body-oriented psychotherapy |
| Transpersonal experiences | Transpersonal Psychology |
Holotropic breathing has a strong "opening" and cathartic effect. It is therefore also used as a supplement to classic psychotherapy procedures to overcome “blockages”. It is also used by its users as a forced entry into the spiritual dimension in psychotherapy and generally in transpersonal therapy.
Biological explanation
The increased ventilation of the lungs during hyperventilation leads to increased exhalation of the carbon dioxide produced in the body . This results in a shift in the balance between carbonic acid (the dissolved form of carbon dioxide) and calcium in the blood. The resulting relative calcium (ion) deficiency can lead to tingling, especially around the mouth, and cramps, e.g. B. in the hands (typical "paw position"). In addition, the acid-base balance of the person concerned shifts towards basic ( respiratory alkalosis ), the pH value of the blood increases. However, there is hardly any increased uptake of oxygen in the body, since the blood's capacity for oxygen is usually fully covered even with normal breathing.
However, the carbon dioxide level in the blood is also responsible for regulating the blood flow in parts of the body; less carbon dioxide reduces blood flow, including in the brain. According to Thorsten Passie, the blood flow in the cerebrum is reduced (in the case of hyperventilation caused by sexual arousal) , while the limbic system is less affected, which increases its influence on the experience. This certainly also applies to deliberately induced hyperventilation. An explanatory model for such altered states of consciousness (such as those caused by holotropic breathing) is the change in the so-called cortico-striato-thalamicocortical control loop (FX Vollenweider; numerous publications on this). In connection with reduced cerebral activity, this could mean that the “ thalamic filter” controlled by the cerebrum , the “gateway to consciousness”, opens further.
Callaway also hypothesized that hyperventilation could increase the levels of the body's own substance dimethyltryptamine (DMT, a potent hallucinogen). This is based on the fact that the lungs of mammals contain large amounts of the enzyme N-methyl transferase, which, if released, can produce dimethyltryptamine from the endogenous tryptamine . A summary of these (and other) possible mechanisms of action can be found in F. Danner.
Risks and unwanted effects
Holotropic breathing in the clinical setting requires careful pre-selection of the participants according to the indication.
- Because of the intense and ecstatic quality, the method is only recommended for people with normal physical and mental resilience; in epilepsy, severe asthma, severe cardiovascular disease, glaucoma, after surgery and severe bone and joint problems, or severe infections, complications could occur due to the stress.
- Hyperventilation can occur unintentionally outside of holotropic breathing in the context of anxiety disorders and panic attacks and can then be accompanied by strong cardiovegetative anxiety symptoms. However, panic attacks can also be triggered conversely by hyperventilation. Shallow panting, which can accompany panic attacks, is considered problematic. Instead, holotropic breathing emphasizes deep breathing. From the point of view of the users of holotropic breathing, any panic symptoms that may occur during breathing work can be viewed as "accompanying circumstances of the transformation process".
- There is an absolute contraindication for epileptic seizure disorders and acute psychoses from the schizophrenic group. Holotropic breathing is also not indicated during pregnancy.
- As with all cathartic methods, especially with holotropic breathing, the risk must be weighed up by the psychotherapist in the case of dissociative disorders, emotionally unstable personality disorders, complex or early traumas and severe structural deficits in the sense of OPD-II, and if in doubt, participation should be rejected. The holotropic breathing work with these disorders should only be carried out by experienced psychotherapists in the context of a strong clinical group setting.
distribution
More than 500 Certified Holotropic Breathwork Practitioners are trained worldwide. In German-speaking countries, Sylvester Walch was particularly involved in the spread of holotropic breathing. There are now individual psychosomatic clinics in Germany that use holotropic breathing as part of inpatient psychotherapy alongside other methods.
See also
- Respiratory therapy
- Body therapy
- Body-oriented psychotherapy
- Transpersonal Psychology
- Reincarnation therapy
literature
- Stanislav Grof : Birth, Death and Transcendence - New Dimensions in Psychology , Kösel Verlag (cf. holonomic integration, e.g. BS 40)
- Karl Scherer: Breath as a gate , Freiamt 1992, Arbor-Verlag, ISBN 3-924195-14-5
- Ingo B. Jahrsetz: Holotropic Breathing - Psychotherapy and Spirituality , Stuttgart 1999 (Klett-Cotta).
- Sylvester Walch : Dimensions of the Human Soul. Transpersonal Psychology and Holotropic Breathing , 452 pages, Patmos 2009 ISBN 978-3-491-42139-4
- Sylvester Walch: From Ego to Self: Basics of a Spiritual Image of Man , 336 pages, OW Barth 2011 ISBN 978-3-426-29192-4
- Fritz Danner: "From the end of fighting The search for the core - experiences from inner journeys" Projekt-Verlag 2008, ISBN 978-3-86634-486-0
swell
- ^ Stanislav Grof: The adventure of self-discovery; Kösel Verlag; see glossary, tab: holotropic breathing
- ↑ Jörg Fuhrmann: From Rank's "Trauma of Birth" to Grof's perinatal matrices. Retrieved July 17, 2016 .
- ^ T. Passie et al .: On the Function of Groaning and Hyperventilation during Sexual Intercourse: Intensification of Sexual Experience by Altering Brain Metabolism through Hypocapnia . In: Medical Hypothesis 60 (2003): 1-4
- ↑ JC Callaway: DMT in the Human Brain . In: Yearbook for Ethnomedicine and Consciousness Research , 1995, Volume 4, VWB-Verlag Berlin, pp. 45–54
- ^ F. Danner: From the end of fighting . Projekt-Verlag, Halle 2008
- ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original from June 20, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. - and related sites
