Whole-Body Breathing

The author introduces his approach for breath training and relaxation therapy. He describes a process model of relaxation practice, which individualizes interventions according to each patient’s experience of relaxation. The training is supported by seven outcome categories of training and 50 standardized instructions for the relaxation process. The author advocates a systems view of breathing and emphasizes the patient’s personal awareness of tensions and respiration. Finally, the article advocates a respect for the difference between the patient’s experiential reality and the observer’s third-person perspective, both of which are critical in effective relaxation therapy. A second article in a later issue of Biofeedback will describe an approach to the self-regulation of tension and provide case histories illustrating the approach.