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Breath holding success

Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2016 10:10 pm
by bhoskins
Just wanted to post that for a bit over a month now I have been having success with the breath holding technique. I had been practicing it off and on for sometime and had basically given up on it until I attended the Sydney workshop this year and learned that JohnW, who was leading the workshop, had used breath holding to help him recover. Being able to rely on this has certainly eased my anxiety and my life has much improved. I'm much more confident now that I can and will completely recover in time.

I practiced breath holding at home. I think it's important to be in a place where you're comfortable and relaxed, in a place where you don't really need it. The first time it worked I wasn't sure it really happened. I kept practicing and realised it was working. I count on it now and don't worry when going out. Not ready for the MCG yet but I think one day I will be and I would not have said that before.

Breath holding combined with the gradual exposure is the way to go. Thanks to John for hosting the workshop. I recommend it for anyone with this problem.

Re: Breath holding success

Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2016 6:48 am
by JohnW
Thanks for the post.
I have edited it slightly, removing my surname to maintain a certain amount of Forum anonymity.
One matter - breath-holding in my case did not form part of my recovery process. I had recovered well many years before hearing of it. Although some people say that it doesn't work for them, it certainly does for me, and I have never known it to fail. It does not form part of my everyday living, but I will occasionally use it in the real world if the situation looks extremely challenging.

JohnW

Re: Breath holding success

Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2016 8:23 am
by bhoskins
Hi John, Though I was making progress with the gradual exposure it was slow and not reliable for me. Now in situations where I may have had problems before I may not need breath holding but can use it when needed. I can also push my self more confidently to move to the next level. I had thought that breath holding would not work for me but kept trying, finally it did. It's also works for me every time. Though I still have moments of self doubt it lessens each time this works.