What if I told you you could get rid of stress and heal yourself in 6 minutes? While it may sound a little too good to be true, and I’m the last person to advocate quick-fixes in therapy, that’s what James Gordon is offering as an effective solution for stress-reduction in his latest interview for Psychotherapy Networker.  Gordon, who is the founder and director of the Center for Mind-Body Medicine,  is also a leading authority on mind-body approaches to treating depression and says that with this 6 minute “soft belly” breathing technique, you can experience immediate relief from stress.

Soft belly breathing exercises are traditionally adopted as part of a yoga and meditation practice but are now becoming increasingly more common in mindfulness-based approaches in therapy. As an antidote to whatever stress you’re experiencing, cultivating and being present with this type of breathing for 5 or 6 minutes has been proven to calm both the body and the mind , creating an almost immediate shift in over 90 percent of people (Gordan, 2014). It works by taking you out of fight-or flight mode (what happens when you experience stress or a perceived threat) and sending the brain messages through skin receptors and the breath that you are safe in this moment. In this manner, it activates the relaxation response in the body and what you will experience is a complete shift in your emotional state as a result. Soft belly breathing has also been shown to lower heart rate and blood pressure, stimulate the lymphatic system, strengthen the functioning of major organs , detoxify the body and relieve pain (Key, 2013).

According to Gordan, 99 percent of his clients experience both a physiological and psychological shift as a result of using this simple technique and, even more importantly,  feel empowered to practice it outside the therapy room. I too, work with clients in order to give them tools they can easily apply outside of sessions – ultimately placing the power to heal in their hands. Soft belly breathing is one of the simplest yet most effective strategies for diffusing stress and increasing wellness that you can make a part of your tool kit today. To learn more about how to use this technique to eliminate stress , you can contact Anoushka as anoushka@abehpsych.com.

References

http://daily.psychotherapynetworker.org/daily/mind-body/a-breathing-antidote-for-stress-responses/, An Interview by Rich Simon with James Gordon for Psychotherapy Networker, Oct 2014.

http://www.robinskey.com/10-benefits-of-deep-breathing/, 10 Benefits of Deep Breathing and How to Breathe Correctly by Robins Key , Jan 2013.