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Breath psychotherapy

Edwards Sd

Inkanyiso September 13, 2011 DOI: 10.4314/ijhss.v3i1.69499 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Review Peer reviewed
Topics Buddhism Meditation
Keywords Psychotherapist Taoism Spirituality Spiritual practice Consciousness Karma Theology
Key findings Breath psychotherapy is rooted in a perennial psychology that unifies diverse spiritual and healing traditions, using breath as a vital link between body and mind for holistic healing.

Abstract

Breath psychotherapy is an approach that makes direct use of the breath in healing. There are many forms of breathbased healing: basic breathing and relaxation methods, with or without the practice of psychological skills such as imagery, centring and concentration; expressive physical and emotional techniques; advanced meditation, prayer and other spiritual exercises. Such an approach has been extolled for millennia in the form of various spiritual, wisdom and healing traditions, including ancestor reverence, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity, and Islam which have holistically equated breath, consciousness, energy and spirit, as well as viewing breath as the vital link between body and mind. This approach distils into a perennial psychology, which recognizes a pre-reflective unity underlying and interlinking the various traditions and forms of breath-based healing and therapy. Accordingly, breath psychotherapy is based on an understanding and healing of the total psyche in the original, holistic meaning of this term. The present article is an appreciative inquiry into more recent forms of breath psychotherapy as promoted and used by modern authors and practitioners. Key Words: Breath-based, psychotherapy, breath therapy, consciousness, spirituality, healing.

Comparable studies

Other narrative reviews on buddhism, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, and Zen Meditation for Depression, Anxiety, Pain, and Psychological Distress 2012 Review
Measuring mindfulness 2011 Review
The Influence of Buddhist Meditation Traditions on the Autonomic System and Attention 2015 Review
Seeking the Sacred with Psychoactive Substances 2014 Review
Positive Psychology and Buddhism 2023 Review

Citations in the library

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Buddhism Meditation Breathwork