Intercultural Competence/Performance, Mindfulness and Breathing in Intercultural Communication

A weeklong workshop combining four Holotropic Breathwork sessions, daily Vipassana meditation, and formal teachings was associated with a significant reduction in the Global Severity Index and significant increases in meaning in life and self-directedness two weeks after the workshop. The study used a repeated-measure, pre-post test design with a four-month follow-up. Holotropic Breathwork was found to produce mystical-type experiences.

Study at a glance

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to explore the effects of Holotropic Breathwork in the context of a weeklong workshop called “Insight and Opening”. This workshop combines four Holotropic Breathwork sessions, daily Vipassana meditation, and formal teachings. A repeated-measure, Pre-Post test design with a 4 month follow-up time point was used. The questionnaires used were Derogati’s Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), the Purpose in Life Test (PIL), Cloninger’s Temperament and Character Inventory-140 (TCI-140) and the Dead Anxiety Scale (DAS). A measure of the breathwork experience also was taken using the Peak Experience Profile (PEP). A significant reduction of the Global Severity Index and a significant increase of in the meaning in life and self directedness were found two weeks after the workshop. The results of the present study showed that the Holotropic Breathwork can produce mystical type experiences