Breathwork & Counselling connections
Let’s all breath together
Life can be hellish and painful at times for us humans. In my 34-year career as a
counsellor I have become increasingly aware that talking about distress cannot
always sooth our agitation/ADHD, nightmare brain, our fear and anxiety or the ‘score’
that out body holds of past trauma. I am also become aware that we might have
developed exponentially in science tech etc, emotionally we are back with the sabar
toothed tiger and our instinctive reptilian brain’s reaction to perceived threat. Triggers
are everywhere and they continue to haunt, deplete, depress and confuse us often
leaving us in survival mode, spilling all kinds of fight flight induced chemicals into our
bodies while we analyse and paralyse with our head. I found that meditation and
various body therapies can help to ‘fill in the gaps’ not always reached by talking,
however I experienced a profound shift inside when I took part in a Conscious
Connected Breathe which made me feel so powerfully at one with myself that I
immediately took the decision to train as a facilitator of breathwork, to use alongside
my counselling.
Through my breathwork training I have come to understand more deeply our body
and brain’s response to trauma, and I think we are all traumatised to various
degrees. When life feels out of control and we are unable to cope our brain thinks
survival depends on escaping. We achieve this ‘escape’ through suppression of the
event and the related emotions and the energy we use to keep trauma supressed is
then no longer available to us and we pay a heavy price in our human capacities and
remain to various extents in survival mode, suffering the agonies of fight, flight,
stress, anxiety, fear and anger or depressed and fatigued freeze flop, people
pleasing appeasement or illness. When we practice conscious connected breathing,
our normal breath habit is overridden, allowing what is suppressed to emerge and be
integrated during breath-work, with the presence and support of the facilitator. Our
breathing enables understanding and integration and thus an ability to accept and
heal.
As a counsellor I can you help to explore the trials and tribulations that we encounter
in our humanity, and the ways we make that complex and difficult as we try to protect
from pain. It seems particularly hard to let ourselves be, in this world full of
uncertainty and perfectionism, where we are battered with the ramifications of our
humanity and we get afraid and angry. I have found working with the breath a
simple sustainable way to keep relaxed and peaceful in the present while providing
an increasing ability to reduce stress and trauma and build inner strength and
balance. Always portable, and a safe place within, our breath is a language that
communicates how we are and what we are feeling, putting us in intimate contact
with our selves. The less triggered we are the more we are able to observe our
thoughts and behaviour patterns and understand the connections between past and
present that counselling can enable. Combined with breathwork these insights can
bring clarity and calm to the body and mind and set us free. I feel it is a spiritual
process.
And when the world breaths in deeply, fuller than normal and then connects the in
breath to the out breath with no pause, the chemistry allows a different path into the
body and what is pushed down can flow out and find connection within and beyond,
to the spirits and kindness of others, with a guide helping this wonderful process,
enabling us to unwind the labyrinthine, enmeshing ways we keep things coiled and
muddy while we try and protect, storing up blotches of hardened anger to fire then
back or poison our bodies, a connected breath moves us closer to forgiveness.
As a trained facilitator my fee for counselling combined with breathwork is:
£60 for 60 minutes
£70 for £70 minute etc
If you would like to know more about this opportunity, please text or email me. There
are a few contra indications to breathwork that can be explored and discussed in a
pre-session call.
(Currently in Breathwork Facilitator Training until the end of the April 2024 and all
student placements are taken)
About Breathwork
Can we reach the troubled teen who shoots or has a knife, can we reach the terrors
of the middle east the state of the States. Can we connect with the animals whose
land we take, the beauty of Scotland and the mountains and trees everywhere? The
roote reaching down to touch, suppressed trauma shocked into the body, holding its
breath. This becomes the normal way to breath and keep it all inside.
Breathwork offers a wide variety of benefits to our daily life: lowered blood pressure,
improved lung capacity and function, improved circulation, reduced muscle tension,
and more. By consciously connecting to the breath, you can even boost your energy
level, improve your immune system, and increase your overall physical health. Lets
all take a deep breath into our belly and then breath in again before that inbreath is
complete and then relax the exhale and continue the circle. I can help you with this
healing breath.
Breath-work enables the breather to access material that has been suppressed
following a traumatic, painful, stressful event when the breather moved into survival
mode which resulted in breath suppression and the symptoms of physical and
emotional illness which the breather is looking for help with..
Breathwork has many benefits: it regulates the nervous system, gently unwinds and
releases stress, trauma, difficult emotions and memories, providing you with a tool to
navigate challenging times. Breathing in a connected way can enable you to relax
and manage stress, giving clarity, self-acceptance and space to be. It grounds you
and puts you in your body and out of your head, increasing physical health by
retraining you to breathe more effectively. It can help you to relax so you can sleep
better, feel calmer and more at peace, helping you to say yes to whatever life brings
and this allows the intelligence of life to flow to you and through you, guiding you
towards a deeper sense of fulfilment, and empowering you with greater possibilities.
Breathwork can help you to relax and increase your ability to reduce or better manage
stress. It can build inner strength, bringing balance and inner peace, as well as being
a grounding practice. It can bring clarity and have a calming effect on the body and
mind. It seems to help regulate the nervous system and allow a letting go of tension,
trauma and emotions. Some common outcomes from breathwork would include
breathing fully, feeling relaxed and connected to self, which can lead to better sleep
and a healthy approach to life and challenges. It can also help people process
emotions and work through difficult emotions and trauma.
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By using the breath as a tool for self-exploration and healing, you can find a
deeper sense of inner peace, improve your relationships, and improve your
daily life.
It is important to set a clear intension for your counselling/breathwork
Here are a few useful questions
What do I want from life?
What do you want your life to be like a year from now
What is not happening in your life that you want to be happening now
Or what is happening in your life that you do not want to be happening, then what do you
want instead?
By breathing consciously and deeply, people can gain access
to their body’s natural healing abilities, which can help to reduce
anxiety, depression, and tension.
Breathwork is an effective tool for connecting with the self, but it is also a powerful
tool for connecting with others. By learning to synchronise their breath in a conscious
and connected manner, people can foster a deeper connection with others, creating
a stronger bond that can enhance all forms of relationships. Even practising
breathwork alone can increase your feeling of connection to others, to the world, and
to yourself… When you connect to your spiritual source, and change on the inside,
the world outside begins to shift as well.
Using breathwork to reconnect can be a powerful way to enhance your
relationships with the world, your partner, and with yourself, deepening your
intimacy and connection.
Breathwork as a tool to enable spiritual growth seems to have been born through a
salesman called Leonard Orr who began to read spiritual books maybe to widen the breadth
of his experience. As a result, he became a much better sales guy and began to share
seminars on spiritual development. He also spent a lot of time in the bath. I mean a lot.
When he felt the urgency to get out, he stayed in the bath in quite an extreme way
eventually feeling himself going through his own birth process. Others joined him in hot
tubs with snorkels and Orr noticed they breathed in a ccb way. Leonard Orr wanted to reach
lots of people which seems like a really positive mission, reminds me of 12 step program
that I know so well. What a great character dedicated to reaching out and sharing
something he really valued.
The important principals of breathwork are that we become conscious of our breathing
which is normally achieved outside of awareness, that the power of the mind is harnessed
during this experience to add power to the process of cleansing
Too much emotion negative or positive impedes the flow of energy and diminishes our inner
and outer space (Dennis Lewis) can Conscious Connected Breathing enable a sense of
balance and clarity. It is not a magic cure, but we do not need curing, we maybe need to be
deeply in touch with the light, and the dark whose tendency to brittle and crack lets the
light through? Form Leonard Cohen
When we connect inhale to exhale to inhale, we change the PH of our breath and this in
turn overrides the survival mode breath suppression, and this can enable.
Breathwork Session Medical Waiver
Breathwork is a powerful healing modality and although usually a deeply relaxing
and enjoyable process, it can result in certain specific physiological changes in the
body.
As a precaution, the following conditions are contraindicated and it is crucial that you
inform your breathwork practitioner before the session if any of the following
conditions are relevant to you.
* Pregnancy first trimester
* Detached Retina or Glaucoma
* High Blood Pressure (not controlled with medication)
* Cardiovascular disease including angina, previous heart attack or stroke.
* Diagnosis of aneurysm in the brain or abdomen
* Uncontrolled thyroid conditions and diabetes
* Asthma – you may wish to bring your inhaler to the session.
* Epilepsy
* Prior diagnosis of bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or previous psychiatric condition.
* Hospitalisation for any psychiatric condition or emotional crisis within the last 10
years.
* Any other medical, psychiatric or physical conditions which would impair or affect
ability to engage in any activities that involve intense physical and/or emotional
release.
By undertaking one-one sessions with Pam Helme Counselling & Breathwork that
you accept the following waver:
I, hereby acknowledge that I am voluntarily participating in a conscious
connected breathwork session facilitated by Pam Helme. I understand that
conscious connected breathwork involves deep breathing exercises and may have
physical, emotional, and psychological effects.
Medical History:
1. I confirm that I have disclosed all relevant medical information, including any
pre-existing medical conditions, medications, or supplements I am currently
taking.
2. I understand that it is my responsibility to inform the facilitator of any changes
to my health or medical status.
Assumption of Risk:
1. I am aware that conscious connected breathwork may lead to intense physical
sensations, emotions, and altered states of consciousness.
2. I acknowledge that there are inherent risks associated with breathwork, and I
voluntarily assume these risks.
Release of Liability:
1. I release Pam Helme from any liability, claims, demands, actions, and causes
of action whatsoever arising out of or related to any loss, damage, or injury,
including death, that may be sustained by me during or after the breathwork
session.
Emergency Medical Treatment:
1. In the event of a medical emergency, I authorise Pam Helme to seek and
consent to emergency medical treatment on my behalf.
2. I understand that the facilitator will make every effort to contact the
emergency contact person listed in the questionnaire.
Agreement: I have read and understood the terms of this medical waiver. I confirm
that I am participating in the breathwork session voluntarily and with full knowledge
of the potential risks.