Influencing the breathing, and teaching self-regulation

Christopher Gilbert, Dinah Bradley

This chapter focuses on interventions with a psychological component, including emotional factors, the breaking of habits, details and implications of self-regulation, psychotherapeutic
techniques, and aspects of dealing with panic. As long as the mind and the intent are engaged, learning to breathe differently is a psychological process. This is especially true when disorders of
the breathing pattern are based in disordered thinking and feeling.

Changing such patterns is a bigger order than bringing about steadier breathing, and is not always necessary. Proceeding as if the breathing is simply excessive and trying to make it slower and less deep may be all that is needed. Because of the bidirectional relationship of body and mind, strictly physical or behavioral changes generally also have an impact on the emotional state. Theoretically, one person can come for improvement in the breathing pattern and end up feeling more psychologically stable, while another comes in for psychotherapy and ends up having more stable breathing.