Breathing Biofeedback in York

Optimal mental and emotional functioning goes hand in hand with optimal breathing. We can learn to breathe optimally as a means of changing how we think and feel. The breath is a useful focus for biofeedback as it's both ever-present and ever-changing, and we can easily perceive the connection to our mental state.

The breath changes in response to emotions, thoughts, our general state of arousal, even the way we pay attention. Typically the breath is slow, regular and abdominal when we are calm, open and present. It usually speeds up when we need to pay focused attention, but it can easily become dysregulated if we become agitated or fatigued or if our emotions run out of control.

The most common form of dysregulated breathing is over-breathing or hyperventilation -  an almost instinctive response to stress and anxiety. In the extreme it can lead to gasping for breath and panic, but it's a matter of degree. Most people don't know when they're mildly over-breathing. In my clinical experience, a large majority of people suffering wtih stress and anxiety have non-optimal breathing, at least in some contexts. Read more about hyperventilation and why it matters.

Breathing Biofeedback

Breathing is commonly taught as a relaxation technique, but without objective measurement it's difficult to know if you're getting it right.

The simplest form of breathing biofeedback works with breathing rate. This is useful, especially when used in conjunction with muscle tension biofeedback or heart rate coherence biofeedback. The equipment that I have available for hire allows you to do this.

An even more powerful form is capnometry biofeedback. In capnometry biofeedback we can precisely measure the degree of hyperventilation.