Buteyko Breathing for Anxiety

Buteyko Breathing for anxiety




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By Buteyko Clinic

the world's leading authority on the Buteyko breathing method

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What can you learn at Buteykohead?

Pure Buteyko

Under our one on one guidance you can retrain your breathing using a method that is clinically proven to be physiologically calming and effective as a way of managing your asthma, allergies or stress disorders.

Integrated Buteyko

Along with the Buteyko breathing method you can  learn cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). Considered to be the gold standard of self-help in achieving and maintaining well-being, think of both of these techniques as working together to relax the body and mind.

What is the Buteyko breathing method?

The Buteyko breathing method is a series of exercises and guidelines that prevents hyperventilation by retraining your breath so that your breathing is continuously:

Driven by your diaphragm.

Slow, quiet and gentle.

In and out through your nose.

Happening with your mouth closed.

With a pause after each exhalation.

What is cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)?

CBT is a short term, hands on approach to improving and maintaining mental health.

CBT Maintenance Mental Health

Its aim is to change the thinking patterns which trigger the emotions that can consume our day or hold us back.

CBT New Patterns

Why do we teach these methods together?

The Buteyko breathing method works to reduce and prevent the felt symptoms of asthma, rhinosinusitis and stress. While CBT works to change the thinking patterns that come with emotional distress. Each helps the other achieve its aim. With both methods, you start off by practising exercises. This builds neuroplasticity and in time lets you feel better and sleep better naturally.

What do our students say about our Buteyko training?

“Your approach made a significant difference to my breathing during sports performance and throughout my daily life. It is simple, makes sense and should be taught to all.”
Frankie SheahanMunster and Ireland Rugby Union footballer
“Before, I missed football, parties and swimming. Now I am able to do everything I couldn’t do.”
Ten-year-old LorcanSpeaking on RTE 1’s Open House programme
"The Oxygen Advantage has helped my Olympians become more aware of their breathing. We practice nasal breathing during foam rolling, warm ups, cool downs and during certain prescribed exercise."
Andrew KacsorOlyympic Committee Strength & Conditioning Coach
"I can say that the vast majority of all of my patients have received great benefit with their nasal symptoms following instruction at the workshops."
Professor John FentonENT Consultant, Limerick Regional Hospital, Ireland.
“This is one of the best courses I have attended, and offered so much more beyond the book in terms of information and practical application. Patrick breaks down the physiology of breathing, and how it affects performance, health, and physical well being.”
Jen Li Sheng4 times Singapore Strongest Man. Sydney 2017
“I didn’t realise the detrimental effect of breathing through the mouth during rest and the importance of nasal breathing. Implementing the exercises resulted in improved health and in turn better sports performance.”
Laura ReynoldsIrish Olympic Athlete
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We can help you to have:

Less Worry
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Less Anxiety
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Better Moods
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Less Procrastination
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Better Sleep
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 Mental Health FAQ

What are healthy and unhealthy negative emotions?
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The difference between healthy negative emotions and unhealthy negative emotions lie in how we think, feel and act. Unhealthy emotions feel overwhelming and are accompanied by incessant repetitive negative thoughts that don’t help us to resolve or cope with the situation, instead, we can avoid taking action or engage...Read More
What is healthy and unhealthy anxiety?
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Healthy anxiety is the feeling of fear that we have when there is an actual threat to us. Our fight freeze or flight system is activated in response allowing us to react rapidly. Unhealthy or disordered anxiety is when there is no real threat to our survival but we feel as though there is. If you are continuously feeling fear...Read More
What is the fight, freeze or flight state?
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The fight freeze or flight response is a physical reaction that occurs in response to what we perceive to be a harmful event or threat to our survival. It is thought that this state prepares us for these events by triggering our sympathetic nervous system which takes rapid charge of many of our bodily functions for either running from the danger, going...Read More
What is generalised anxiety disorder?
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Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is a chronic anxiety disorder that is not triggered by anything specifically. Like the name suggests it can be brought on by many different things. Sufferers may be overly concerned with money, health, family, work, or other issues. Frequent, seemingly uncontrollable worry...Read More
What is hyperventilation?
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Hyperventilation is simply over-breathing. This over-breathing can be fast – taking in many breaths or it can be deep – taking in large breaths.. Hyperventilation is part of the panic or anxiety cycle. This means that hyperventilation is both a symptom of anxiety and a cause of it. Hyperventilation can be acute/ short term or chronic/ long term...Read More
What is post-traumatic stress disorder?
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People suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) usually develop it after experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened. Examples of these events could be violent or sexual assaults, natural or human-caused disasters, military action, and serious accidents...Read More
What is social phobia or social anxiety?
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Social phobia or social anxiety is experienced by having extreme fear and hypersensitivity towards everyday social events. It can be limited to only one type of event - such as a fear of speaking in formal or casual situations, or eating or drinking in front of others. In its most severe form, it may be so overwhelming that a person experiences symptoms almost anytime...Read More
What is panic disorder?
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Panic Disorder is when there are unexpected and repeated episodes (panic attacks) of extreme fear/panic. This feeling can be accompanied by hyperventilation, chest pain, nausea, dizziness and abdominal pain. These episodes are usually triggered by irrational catastrophic thoughts that surround a situation and make the sufferer feel like they are in immediate danger...Read More
What is obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)?
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Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a condition that causes people to have unwanted thoughts, and fears that are called obsessions. Examples of such obsessions include: that they or someone else will get sick, hurt, or die. They could also believe that that their environment is hazardous to their health, or that they are going to lose control...Read More
What can you do to stop anxiety?
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Anxiety that serves a purpose like alerting and preparing us for real dangers should not be considered as something that needs to be stopped. Anxiety that is triggered by everyday harmless events serves no purpose. This anxiety can stop us from leading an enjoyable happy life. We can reduce this disordered anxiety by doing 2 things...Read More
How can we bring on the parasympathetic nervous system/rest and digestion state?
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Although the parasympathetic state occurs automatically we can induce it through Buteyko slow breathing exercises and managing our unhelpful thought patterns.
Why do I feel anxious but not know why?
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Many of the things that we feel anxious about may be outside of our awareness. Here are some of them:

• Your work - anxiety is a feeling we get when there is a threat to our survival, for some people they consider their work as part of their survival and can engage in catastrophic thinking about minor occurrences that happened to them while on the job...Read More

What is the parasympathetic nervous system/rest and digestion state?
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The parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for bringing the body to a state of calm allowing it to relax, recover, and repair. When the parasympathetic system is activated, digestive enzymes are released, your heart rate lowers, breath rate decreases, your muscles relax, your pupils constrict. It is the bodies way of preparing for resting.
What is the difference between sadness and depression?
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Sadness is a healthy response to a disappointment, rejection, a loss, or other difficult situation that we find ourselves experiencing in life. Being sad like this from time to time and getting over it is a part of existence. However, if you find yourself becoming down when there is no supposed reason and staying that way for...Read More
How can depression be treated?
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Depression much like anxiety can be treated by dealing with the thinking patterns and behaviours that trigger these spells. Better sleep, more helpful self-beliefs and planned behavioural changes work to stop and prevent depression.
How are depression, anxiety, poor sleep and irritability connected?
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Many people experience bouts of anxiety and depression together. The symptoms of anxiety and depression can be similar in that they both cause us to become irritable, sleep poorly, have decreased concentration, poor appetites and feel hopeless. Often the triggering or bringing on of anxiety and depression can be the same...Read More
How do periods of depression and anxiety usually start?
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For many people, depression and anxiety are brought on slowly by incessant repetitive negative thinking about themselves and others. It is at this stage that sleep will become poor and that people will lose interest in doing things that they previously enjoyed. They may also feel irritable and act out in...Read More
What is self-esteem?
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Many people confuse confidence with self-esteem however self-esteem is much more important than that. Self-esteem is having an internal sense of self-worth, it is considering yourself to be just as good as other people. When you have self-esteem the triggering thoughts that can cause anxiety and depression don’t stick. Improving mental health is about growing self-esteem...Read More
Why procrastination could be an early warning sign?
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Procrastination precedes depression and anxiety for many people. If you learn to recognise when you are procrastinating and work through the reasons why very often you will find underlying anxiety about how the completed task will be perceived by others. Left unchecked you will avoid doing the task...Read More
What are safety behaviours?
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Safety behaviours are things we do to feel relief from anxiety. Think of them as providing short term comfort but in the long run, they contribute to a loss of control over our feelings. They may prevent us from ever addressing our fears and living a full life. Some examples of safety behaviours are: Avoiding any task that is harmless but might make us feel anxious...Read More
Why does positive thinking not work for most people?
Read More
For most people, negative emotions both healthy and unhealthy cannot be changed by trying to become positive. This is especially true of intensely felt anxiety. To change or lessen our felt negative emotions it is better to investigate our triggers and the self-talk behind them. Looking at our physiology and actions when we feel on edge or down is also beneficial to us in the long term.
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Our Training Objectives:

Thoughts

Repetitive, Intrusive,

Racing, Unhelpful,

Fixed

Quieter, Balanced,

Flexible, Supportive,

Lighter

Feelings

Intense, Overwhelming,

Fearful, Down,

Irritable

Calmer, Empowering,

Confident, At Ease,

Contented

Actions

Hurtful, Avoiding,

Disadvantageous,

Hindering

Beneficial, Resilient,

Willing,

Trying

anxiety and Buteyko breathing

Studies Showing the Association Between Hyperventilation and Stress Disorders

Indiana University School Of Medicine, St Vincent Hospital, Indianapolis, United States

“Panic initiates hyperventilation, and symptoms from the latter then trigger more panic”

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Heli Ristiniemi, RPT (Researcher), Aleksander Perski, PhD (Associate Professor),2 Eugene Lyskov, PhD, MD (Associate Professor), Margareta Emtner, PhD (Professor)

“The severity of their hyperventilation syndrome was highly correlated with levels of exhaustion, depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances and quality of life.”

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Int J Psychophysiol

“Rapid respiration rates, frequent sighing, and predominately thoracic rather than abdominal breathing. Additionally, these patients were often described as feeling anxious and depressed”

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Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry

“By chronically hyperventilating, panic patients may likewise be at risk of exposure to prolonged periods of cerebral hypoxia which, in turn, may contribute to the chronicity of their panic and anxiety symptoms”

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The experience and expression of anger and anxiety in bronchial asthma patients

Anuario de Psicología Facultat de Psicologia Universitat de Barcelona

“The fear experienced during a panic attack may be directly responsible for dyspnea-induced hyperventilation, with cognitive factors playing an important role in the origin of dyspnea”

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Frontiers in Human Neuroscience

“Slow breathing…increased comfort, relaxation, pleasantness, vigor and alertness, and reduced symptoms of arousal, anxiety, depression, anger, and confusion”

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Studies Showing the Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Mindfulness-Based Initiatives

Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience

“Based on thirteen studies, the authors concluded that using a CBT approach, was more effective than treatment as usual for anxiety disorders”

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Oxford Academic Family Practice, Volume 32, Issue 1, February 2015, Pages 3–15,

“CBT is effective for anxiety and depression symptoms in primary care”

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Behaviour Research and Therapy, Volume 51, Issue 2, February 2013, Pages 82-86

“Posttreatment success was significantly maintained at one-year follow-up”

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BMJ Journals Evidence Based Mental Health Volume 1, Issue 4

“the average patient who received CBT fared better than 76% of patients who did not receive CBT”

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British Journal of clinical Psychology

”MABIs are associated with robust and substantial reductions in symptoms of anxiety and comorbid depressive symptoms”

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Clinical Psychology Review

“testing the effects of Mindful based initiatives (MBIs) on mental health outcomes. It found strong, consistent evidence for cognitive and emotional reactivity”

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