Integrative Breathwork

Integrative Breathwork – music meditation – is a powerful, experiential method of self-exploration through experiencing non-ordinary states of consciousness. In the work, a combination of accelerated breathing, evocative music, and bodywork, facilitate the release of unresolved memories and emotions. The aim of this method is to bypass the intellect and to open the psyche into expanded states of consciousness, with the possibility of bringing the participants into balance, healing and insight.

The sessions are optimally conducted in group settings. Participants work in pairs and alternate in their roles as breathers and sitters. The process is supervised by trained facilitators who assist participants whenever special intervention is necessary.

After the breathing sessions, participants express their personal experiences by creating symbolic artwork that summarizes their meditative journey. Following the music mediation, the artwork and experiences from their musical journey is shared in small groups, as much or as little as the breathwork participant chooses. Follow-up interviews, individual psychotherapy sessions and various other complementary methods are suggested – if necessary – to facilitate the completion and integration of the breathwork experience.

If the participant fully gives themselves to the process, the breathwork experience can clear out blockages of unprocessed and unwanted memories that have collected throughout their life. Our conscious mind often represses or suppresses traumatic events that are too painful to effectively deal with at the time of injury. Psychological defense mechanisms are created by the thinking mind to protect our psyche from a perceived traumatic event or set of events. Through time, those defense mechanisms can become ingrained and reinforced, thus paralyzing our ability to resolve deep-seeded issues – usually unresolvable through traditional talk therapy.

Because in the process of Integrative Breathwork we use a combination of accelerated breathing techniques, carefully selected non-verbal stimulating music, and releasing bodywork, some of these defense mechanisms can be bypassed and the participant is able to have an emotional catharsis. The word catharsis was coined by the Greek philosopher Aristotle to mean “purification” or “cleansing” through a deep emotional release. This experience then needs to be brought to completion and integration through a conscious understanding, facilitated by group sharing and follow-up individual psychotherapy sessions.

It is important to mention that the participant during breathwork is always in control. Our psyche will not permit anything to happen that we are not able to handle at that specific time.

The facilitators have vast experience through participation in their own inner work, which includes numerous Integrative Breathwork sessions as well as individual psychotherapy. They also hold professional degrees in the fields of psychology and counseling, and are certified to practice Integrative Breathwork by the Eupsychia Institute. The founder of the Eupsychia Institute and creator of Integrative Breathwork is Jaqueline Small LMSW, a seasoned psychotherapist and famed author of multiple books pertaining to psychological and spiritual healing and transcendence. She pioneered this work with Stanislav Grof M.D. in the 1980s. Dr. Grof has also published a variety of books and articles after researching the practice of Psychedelic-assisted Psychotherapy, Transpersonal Psychology, and Holotropic Breathwork.

Our interest in Integrative Breathwork comes from the impact that this modality has had on our own lives, and the strong belief that the body, mind and soul can heal themselves. The western medical model often bypasses involvement of the patient in his or her own healing process, disempowering the patient’s belief in his or her own capacities for co-creative effects of self-restoration and overall wellness.

Research in the field of psychophysiology has demonstrated the effects of music and meditation on the human nervous system. Specifically as it relates to the function of the sympathetic and parasympathetic functions. Clinical findings suggest that experiential methods – such as Integrative Breathwork – have the capacity to reduce pain and inflammation, lower blood pressure and blood sugar levels, decrease heart rate and stress hormone levels such as cortisol and adrenaline, ease muscle tension, enhance the immune system and reverse symptoms of depression and anxiety.