This material is for informational and educational purposes only and is not medical, psychological, or psychotherapeutic advice. If you are experiencing an acute psychological condition or need professional support, please contact a doctor, psychologist, psychotherapist, or crisis service.
Convenient anesthesia
At the moment of acute experience - for example, horror or despair - we weaken our breathing, refusing to take a deep breath, and create muscle blocks, in particular, in the area of the diaphragm (heart) and abdominal cavity (sexual organs). This reflex mechanism is used when it is necessary to cut off unpleasant sensations in the vital organs and systems of the body.
Everything starts from childhood
The connection between breathing and sensations is clearly visible already in babies. Children learn to hold their breath by pulling in their stomachs to stop unpleasant sensations. They lie very quietly, trying to avoid fear and symbolically "die" with their bodies so as not to feel pain. With age, our brain only learns to do such tricks more imperceptibly for us.
Insight
At a psychological consultation, the crying that is released from his "frozen" body during work with deep breathing techniques sometimes turns out to be a surprise for the client. This happens especially vividly with clients who came with a complaint of apathy, anxiety, a feeling of inner emptiness, and depressive states. The very first attempts to learn to breathe correctly lead to the understanding that the body was as if frozen in an effort to subordinate it to the aggressively creative goals of self-realization and the fulfillment of accepted social roles, as a result - the oppressed body is finally rejected and forgotten as unnecessary, and emotions are signals - Beyond the limit of awareness .
Scientific approach
Many experiments show that a fairly noticeable weakening of the interaction between the body and the environment leads to a loss of sensations, including a sense of the reality of what is happening to us. A person, temporarily deprived of all sensory stimuli, begins to hallucinate. The same happens with a strong limitation of motor activity (movements of our body caused by muscle contractions). The weakening of the body due to the lack of both external stimuli (such as food, information, other people and interaction with them, and more...) and internal activity (anything related to the mechanics of movement) limits the body's sensitivity.
By losing contact with one's own body, a person loses contact with reality.
Rivers of psychological problems, primarily those listed above, begin here.
Simple truth
Finally, the maxim "Movement is life" makes sense. The main valid rule that should be learned now is as follows. The more movements, the more breaths.
A healthy, active body is always characterized by spontaneity and full, easy, deep breathing, which, accelerating the metabolism, leads to body tone and gives the very feeling of being full of life and energy due to the included sensations. Therefore, an evening walk, a light morning run, or skillful meditation can restore internal balance and concentrate the flow of vital forces more effectively than lying exhausted in front of the screen in an attempt to recharge, rest, especially to start life with a clean slate or a new useful morning.
Breathing and Energy: Benefits and Limits of Breathwork
Slower breathing may reduce activation, while frequent deep breaths can worsen dizziness and tingling. Stop if symptoms worsen, and seek medical assessment for new or marked shortness of breath.
A practical MriyaRun tool
Body Journal: Conversation with Yourself can help structure observations around this topic. It is a self-reflection tool, not a replacement for psychological or medical care.