monomer/program_peace · Datasets at Hugging Face

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ft
Stomach Y stomach L Jf
Pulled In
Expands
IMlustration A Belly breather ensuring that the stomach rises and falls B Motion of the diaphragm
during breathing
Chapter Breathe Deeply Smoothly Slowly and on Long Intervals
The motion of ones stomach is the telltale sign of diaphragmatic breathing and this
method works for many people However most instructions for diaphragmatic breathing
end here This was discouraging for me because felt there should be a more substantial
protocol Moreover realized my stomach was rising and falling only because was using my
abdominal muscles rather than my diaphragm to suck it in and push it out No matter how
tried to vary my approach to each breath my stomach would not move unless used my
abdominals to move it My diaphragm was so tense that monitoring the motion of my stomach
did nothing for me wonder how many other people following these guidelines simply use
their abdominal muscles to mimic the movement without breathing diaphragmatically
After years of exhaustively reading the medical literature on anxiety became convinced
that my problem lay with my dysfunctional breathing style was determined to correct it but
couldnt find anything that explained how would lay on the ground for hours trying to
perceive the movement of my diaphragm to no avail The diaphragm has relatively few
proprioceptive nerve endings meaning that it is difficult to tell how much it is contracting and
where it is in space That makes it very difficult to perceive consciously which makes the
problem all the worse
Why did natural selection hide our diaphragm from us Perhaps as with the heart our
genes dont trust us to know how to control the diaphragm consciously Grievously the body
has a vested interest in keeping us from interfering with traumas adaptive manifestations If
our environment is seemingly drastic our genes want us to treat it as such One of the few
times we notice our diaphragms is when we have hiccups With this in mind try using the
following activity as an alternative route to getting a feel for your diaphragm
Breathing Activity Simulating Hiccups
Fake a hiccup ten times A genuine hiccup utilizes the diaphragm to generate force
Pay special attention to how it feels to move the diaphragm in the form of a hiccup As you
feel the muscle contract remind yourself that this is the muscle you want to use to power
your breath
A hiccup is initiated by a reflex arc that produces a spasm of the diaphragm myoclonic
jerk Hiccupping involves rapid abrupt diaphragmatic contractions Of course this is the
opposite of how you want to breatheie slowly and smoothly However hiccupping helps
you become acquainted with your diaphragm Fake a few hiccups and you will localize your
diaphragm in space and sensorium Another way to sense your diaphragm is to hold your
breath for to seconds You will feel a muscle between your stomach and chest pulsate
This is the diaphragm trying to jumpstart your breathing pattern
The key to sensing and recruiting the diaphragm is teaching yourself to breathe at a
smooth continuous and constant rate This automatically mobilizes the diaphragm because it
is what the diaphragm is specialized for and designed to do Shallow breathing stifles
diaphragmatic movement When the diaphragm is stifled we use other less efficient muscles
for breathing
PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body
Illustration A Diaphragm lungs and respiratory airways B Diaphragm shown within and outside the rib cage
C The phrenic nerves send motor commands to the diaphragm and receive sensory information from it
Distressed Breathing Utilizes the Thorax and Clavicles
During distressed breathing the stomach doesnt move but the chest does It involves pivoting
the ribs around the joints where they attach to the vertebrae The thoracic or intercostal
muscles of the thorax perform this function The thoracic muscles form the meat in between
the bones of barbecued ribs The external intercostals swing the ribs upward and forward
powering inhalation The internal intercostals pull the ribs inward and downward powering
exhalation In a nutshell diaphragmatic breathing presses the floor of the lungs up and down
whereas thoracic breathing expands the walls of the chest inward and outward One effect of
this difference is that thoracic breathing does not fill the lower portions of the lungs with air
while diaphragmatic breathing does Thoracic breathing is inherently shallow It is also less
efficient because it requires more workand more breathsto transport the same amount of
oxygen into your blood
Clavicular breathing is another form of distressed breathing that involves a shrugging of the
clavicles and shoulders It is even shallower and less efficient than thoracic breathing It is also
called upper thoracic breathing as it only pulls air into the top third of the lungs Clavicular
breathing is a serious problem as it can nearly eliminate the function of the diaphragm
leading to even weaker less effective breaths
A respiratory physiologist can measure the extent of clavicular and thoracic breathing using
electromyography by placing electrodes on the muscles surrounding the clavicles and upper
thorax The electrode readout indicates how active these muscles are and thus how defensive
the persons breathing is You can observe this yourself by paying careful attention to the
movement of your shoulders during breathing If they move up with the inbreath you are
breathing with your clavicles Clavicular breathing becomes especially pronounced during
exercise In general you should never breathe with your shoulders As Chapter will explain
it is preferable to keep the shoulders still and pressed toward the floor
During ideal diaphragmatic breathing the thoracic muscles and the diaphragm work
together with every breath The diaphragm should lead the thoracic muscles setting the pace
and making each breath long and smooth As in the synergy seen between sympathetic and
parasympathetic branches of the nervous system the diaphragm is supposed to work in unison
with the thoracic musculature This synergy falls apart during anxiety when the thoracic
Chapter Breathe Deeply Smoothly Slowly and on Long Intervals
musculature and the sympathetic system take over We have so far encountered two major
antagonists in our story about chronic stress First we have the overactive sympathetic nervous
system Second we have overactive thoracic breathing It should come as no surprise that the
two problems collaborate exacerbating the detrimental effects The resulting distressed
breathing drains our energy ties knots in our muscles ages us prematurely and turns us into
nervous wrecks
The critical link between emotion and stress is the breath The fear and grief circuitry of the
brain activates thoracic breathing and inhibits diaphragmatic breathing Habitual thoracic or
clavicular breathing chronically overstimulates the sympathetic nervous system keeping heart
rate and blood pressure elevated while loading the diaphragm with muscular tension This
causes sympathetic overload On the other hand the neural circuitry for selfsoothing mood
stabilization and the calming branch parasympathetic of the nervous system is linked to the
diaphragm
There is a simple explanation for this The diaphragm is structured and situated to contract
slowly and steadily to take in just the right amount of air to oxygenate the body at peace
It moves at the optimal rate to procure the proper amount of oxygen needed in a tranquil
environment However its leisurely pace would be a hindrance to wild animals in a hostile
environment
Thoracic musculature is optimized to produce accelerated breathing during a crisis
Thoracic breathing allows mammals to actively modulate their breaths in response to

ft

Stomach Y stomach L Jf

Pulled In

Expands

IMlustration A Belly breather ensuring that the stomach rises and falls B Motion of the diaphragm

during breathing

Chapter Breathe Deeply Smoothly Slowly and on Long Intervals

The motion of ones stomach is the telltale sign of diaphragmatic breathing and this

method works for many people However most instructions for diaphragmatic breathing

end here This was discouraging for me because felt there should be a more substantial

protocol Moreover realized my stomach was rising and falling only because was using my

abdominal muscles rather than my diaphragm to suck it in and push it out No matter how

tried to vary my approach to each breath my stomach would not move unless used my

abdominals to move it My diaphragm was so tense that monitoring the motion of my stomach

did nothing for me wonder how many other people following these guidelines simply use

their abdominal muscles to mimic the movement without breathing diaphragmatically

After years of exhaustively reading the medical literature on anxiety became convinced

that my problem lay with my dysfunctional breathing style was determined to correct it but

couldnt find anything that explained how would lay on the ground for hours trying to

perceive the movement of my diaphragm to no avail The diaphragm has relatively few

proprioceptive nerve endings meaning that it is difficult to tell how much it is contracting and

where it is in space That makes it very difficult to perceive consciously which makes the

problem all the worse

Why did natural selection hide our diaphragm from us Perhaps as with the heart our

genes dont trust us to know how to control the diaphragm consciously Grievously the body

has a vested interest in keeping us from interfering with traumas adaptive manifestations If

our environment is seemingly drastic our genes want us to treat it as such One of the few

times we notice our diaphragms is when we have hiccups With this in mind try using the

following activity as an alternative route to getting a feel for your diaphragm

Breathing Activity Simulating Hiccups

Fake a hiccup ten times A genuine hiccup utilizes the diaphragm to generate force

Pay special attention to how it feels to move the diaphragm in the form of a hiccup As you

feel the muscle contract remind yourself that this is the muscle you want to use to power

your breath

A hiccup is initiated by a reflex arc that produces a spasm of the diaphragm myoclonic

jerk Hiccupping involves rapid abrupt diaphragmatic contractions Of course this is the

opposite of how you want to breatheie slowly and smoothly However hiccupping helps

you become acquainted with your diaphragm Fake a few hiccups and you will localize your

diaphragm in space and sensorium Another way to sense your diaphragm is to hold your

breath for to seconds You will feel a muscle between your stomach and chest pulsate

This is the diaphragm trying to jumpstart your breathing pattern

The key to sensing and recruiting the diaphragm is teaching yourself to breathe at a

smooth continuous and constant rate This automatically mobilizes the diaphragm because it

is what the diaphragm is specialized for and designed to do Shallow breathing stifles

diaphragmatic movement When the diaphragm is stifled we use other less efficient muscles

for breathing

PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body

Illustration A Diaphragm lungs and respiratory airways B Diaphragm shown within and outside the rib cage

C The phrenic nerves send motor commands to the diaphragm and receive sensory information from it

Distressed Breathing Utilizes the Thorax and Clavicles

During distressed breathing the stomach doesnt move but the chest does It involves pivoting

the ribs around the joints where they attach to the vertebrae The thoracic or intercostal

muscles of the thorax perform this function The thoracic muscles form the meat in between

the bones of barbecued ribs The external intercostals swing the ribs upward and forward

powering inhalation The internal intercostals pull the ribs inward and downward powering

exhalation In a nutshell diaphragmatic breathing presses the floor of the lungs up and down

whereas thoracic breathing expands the walls of the chest inward and outward One effect of

this difference is that thoracic breathing does not fill the lower portions of the lungs with air

while diaphragmatic breathing does Thoracic breathing is inherently shallow It is also less

efficient because it requires more workand more breathsto transport the same amount of

oxygen into your blood

Clavicular breathing is another form of distressed breathing that involves a shrugging of the

clavicles and shoulders It is even shallower and less efficient than thoracic breathing It is also

called upper thoracic breathing as it only pulls air into the top third of the lungs Clavicular

breathing is a serious problem as it can nearly eliminate the function of the diaphragm

leading to even weaker less effective breaths

A respiratory physiologist can measure the extent of clavicular and thoracic breathing using

electromyography by placing electrodes on the muscles surrounding the clavicles and upper

thorax The electrode readout indicates how active these muscles are and thus how defensive

the persons breathing is You can observe this yourself by paying careful attention to the

movement of your shoulders during breathing If they move up with the inbreath you are

breathing with your clavicles Clavicular breathing becomes especially pronounced during

exercise In general you should never breathe with your shoulders As Chapter will explain

it is preferable to keep the shoulders still and pressed toward the floor

During ideal diaphragmatic breathing the thoracic muscles and the diaphragm work

together with every breath The diaphragm should lead the thoracic muscles setting the pace

and making each breath long and smooth As in the synergy seen between sympathetic and

parasympathetic branches of the nervous system the diaphragm is supposed to work in unison

with the thoracic musculature This synergy falls apart during anxiety when the thoracic

Chapter Breathe Deeply Smoothly Slowly and on Long Intervals

musculature and the sympathetic system take over We have so far encountered two major

antagonists in our story about chronic stress First we have the overactive sympathetic nervous

system Second we have overactive thoracic breathing It should come as no surprise that the

two problems collaborate exacerbating the detrimental effects The resulting distressed

breathing drains our energy ties knots in our muscles ages us prematurely and turns us into

nervous wrecks

The critical link between emotion and stress is the breath The fear and grief circuitry of the

brain activates thoracic breathing and inhibits diaphragmatic breathing Habitual thoracic or

clavicular breathing chronically overstimulates the sympathetic nervous system keeping heart

rate and blood pressure elevated while loading the diaphragm with muscular tension This

causes sympathetic overload On the other hand the neural circuitry for selfsoothing mood

stabilization and the calming branch parasympathetic of the nervous system is linked to the

diaphragm

There is a simple explanation for this The diaphragm is structured and situated to contract

slowly and steadily to take in just the right amount of air to oxygenate the body at peace

It moves at the optimal rate to procure the proper amount of oxygen needed in a tranquil

environment However its leisurely pace would be a hindrance to wild animals in a hostile

environment

Thoracic musculature is optimized to produce accelerated breathing during a crisis

Thoracic breathing allows mammals to actively modulate their breaths in response to