Holotropic Breathing for LDs

Okay, here’s what I did… I was lying down with my eyes closed and my arms at my sides (I don’t think position is so important - just that you’re comfortable.) I didn’t have any blankets on me (again, may not be important). Breaths were a little more rapid than normal - between 1 and 2 seconds on inhale, same on exhale. The exhale isn’t forced, you just let your breath come out on its own. I think the key is that as soon as the exhale is finished, you inhale. There is no pause. It’s a circular breathing pattern, inhale and exhale are about the same length and as soon as one is done, you start the other. I’ll be interested to hear other people’s results. Good luck! :wink:

The question remains if the effect of circular/deep breathing is the result of a higher level of oxygen saturation or of a change in the balance of the brain stem breathing centres. Or maby it’s a combination of both becouse one usually gets a high feeling with a higher oxygen intake. I dont’t know if the effects of a NDE are similar to that of CBreatihng.

Is it just me, or is there acually less oxygen intake, meaning less oxygen getting to the brain, which isnt a really good thing. I dont know, I just didnt really feeling like i was getting more air than normal. I got really dizzy and disoriented

Here one can not rule out oxygen deprivation as a contributing factor. SaO2 reflects oxygen bound to hemoglobin. Hemoglobin will hang on to oxygen in alkalotic states. When oxygen remains bound to hemoglobin, the cells in the body and brain are still deprived of oxygen even if SaO2 levels are high or within normal range. The breathing may have affected the alkalinity of the brain or blood and thereby deprived the brain of oxygen. Without a pH test, it is impossible to know. Actually it could be anything from the interaction of breathin stimulation with the basic rest-activity cycle or with “higher-order” memory or attentional processes.
:eh:

So…anyone try?

???

I can’t recall… did the author have an adress to write to in the back of The Holographic Universe? Its been a few months since I read it. Perhaps you could contact him and find out more information about Holotropic Breathing

Dug around for some info on it but found most of it was for workshops where you learn to do it. Why can’t people help people out without the almighty dollar… anyway:

pub92.ezboard.com/fmovingintosti … D=18.topic

e-england.co.uk/holotropic/

7thheavenyoga.com/deepening_practice.htm

Just a few…

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH SOMEBODY POST AN EXPERIENCE!!! I COMMAND YE TO DO SO!!!

From what i have read, you are supposed to breath as fast and deep as you can. Short and fast breathing is not supposed to be very healthy.

There seems to be a greater emphasis on selling Holotropic workshops than on describing how to do it. I did find the following:

[b]Description of Process

The evocative music begins at this point and lasts for approximately 2 hours. The breather begins breathing faster and deeper as instructed by the facilitator. Some breathwork facilitators suggest usings a “circular breath” (meaning no pauses between the in- and out-breaths) in addition to the deeper and more rapid breathing. The breathing process is up to the breather. Some people ask their sitters to remind them to breath faster and deeper (often by a light touch of the shoulder) if they begin to fall asleep early on in the process. If pain or tension appears in the body during the process and is not resolved by the breath, focused bodywork is offered by the facilitator.[/b]
(Full text: https://www.holisticmed.com/inner/breath/holotropic.html)

I think this description along with the idea of “forcing” the inhale and relaxing on the exhale should cover how to do it.

Now maybe ben7 can give it a try and tell us what happened??? :cool_laugh:

I tried it the other night. I only did it for a few minutes I think… I didn’t time it. My only physical response was that my face began to tingle all over which happens in hyperventilation. However, I wasn’t breathing very deeply. I started to become paranoid and creeped out because I was in my dark room and I suddenly recalled someone seeing the faces of the dead while doing it so I stopped. :sad:

I don’t need THAT right before bed.

I will try again sometime though.

Hmm… There was this guy in my class in Junior High, and we were doing something really boring in English… books on tape, or something… so he had this bright idea, he had his hands over his chest and he made himself breathe really rapidly until he almost passed out. Is it kind of like that? :stuck_out_tongue:

Uh, No? There is a yogic breathing called the Breath of Fire that is like that but this one is deeper and slower.

I tried it briefly while sitting at the 'puter and got the hyperventilating tingly feeling. Then last night I did it for about 10 minutes in bed before I went to sleep, and didn’t feel hyperventilated. I woke up at 4:30 and did it for another minute or so. In the morning I had not had any LDs but I did notice an increase in my dream recall. It was encouraging enough that I will be using this technique again

I tried for maybe like 1-5 mins, it was hard to tell, and all i got was a little dizzy, and this is the weird part, i felt vibrations a little in my extremities, but most of all in my TEETH [%
was very odd…
OH YEAH! and you find alot more info on the net if u say holotropic breathWORK rather than breathing. :grin:

Same here: I did it for 4min and got really dizzy and disorientated (with a light feeling inside my head), but no real hypnagogic hallucinations (except for a few faint flashes of light).

I looked up the section in Holographic Universe where this was mentioned and the doctor who was using the technique in his experiments (in the stead of LSD) is Stanislav Grof. You can find several of his books on Amazon. The one where he talks about Holotropic Breathwork is called, “The Adventure of Self-Discovery,” I believe. I think he gives a full account of the technique in there.

The practice is akin to hyperventilation but somewhat different as the breaths are deep and quick instead of the shallow, rapid breathing or hyperventilation.

I just cant imagine breathing deepand fast without making it rapidly hyperventylating.That actually bugs me for a while now.I tried it few times 10,20 and 25 mins but didnt get any interesting results except strong vibrations.
I would sure go for a course if we had one in Poland

I have NEVER felt vibrations… I don’t think. :sad:

Last weeks, my dream recall was pretty low (1-2 dreams a night), so yesterday I tried the holotropic breathing just before going to bed (for about 5min).
I woke up 4 times during the night and remembered 6 dreams. I don’t know if it has anything to do with the breathing, but it’s strange nevertheless. I studied alot yesterday and it’s known that if you concentrate very much during the day or do much memory work, this reflects in a natural increase in dream recall and dream vividness.
I’m going to try this the following nights to see if it really helps.

Ok I did the holotropic breathing technique for about 5min before going to sleep. I began with the technique on June 18. Here are my results (the number of dreams I remembered):

14/6: 2
15/6: 1
16/6: 2
17/6: 3
18/6: 6
19/6: 3
20/6: 6
21/6: 4

I don’t know how to interprete this. It doesn’t matter if it’s placebo. It’s fine by me as long as it works :smile: