To minimize risk of exposure to and spread of the COVID-19 virus and COVID-19 variants, I am continuing to suspend in-person hypnotherapy sessions with me in my office. Meanwhile, phone, and Zoom consultations ARE and WILL REMAIN AVAILABLE!
(This blog was
originally posted on August 30, 2016)
Photo by Rick Hustead
Breathing—especially diaphragmatic
breathing—is one of the most natural and basic things that you can do to relax
and calm down during a stressful situation. Power breathing is an effective technique
to release/force out negative emotions you associate with that situation, event
or even a person.
These techniques are similar in that both entail taking deep breaths of
air through the nose and holding the air in the lungs for a few seconds before
releasing it through the mouth. In power breathing, however, the air is
released more forcefully, often with a “whoosh” sound, as if you are blowing
out a very large candle. I find that imagery of Old Faithful’s steamy eruption
or the sound and sight of the mist produced when whales or dolphins breathe on
the surface of the ocean are useful for this exercise. Other good metaphors
include a tornado, the power of a wind tunnel or even a volcano; it is
completely up to you which imagery—if any—to use when you practice this
technique.
The important and therapeutic aspect of this technique is that you
associate the forceful release of your breath with symbolically, forcefully
releasing those negative emotions or events, etc., you associate with holding
back or impeding your personal growth. It doesn’t matter if you identify
specific stressors to release (Physical
Sexual/Physical
Suggestible) or simply recognize them as a generic category of “everything
that bothers me.” (An Emotional
Sexual/Emotional
Suggestible individual is more likely to do this.) The important thing is
that you are allowing yourself to release—even force out—those negative
associations this way. The force with which you let go of these things
physically strengthens this intention in the conscious mind. The fact that
these negative associations are being released on the exhale—a natural process
of every breath we take—reinforces this intention in the subconscious mind.
It is a great breathing technique to help release stress and tension
when you are stuck in rush-hour traffic, too!
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Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht. is a certified hypnotherapist based in
Southern California. She graduated with honors from the Hypnosis Motivation
Institute in 2005. Sara has been voted the Best
Hypnotherapist in Santa Clarita, California, three years in a row (July 2019,
September 2020, July 2021). For more information about Calminsense
Hypnotherapy® and to set up an appointment, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/
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