TY - JOUR
T1 - Self-Regulation of Breathing as a Primary Treatment for Anxiety
AU - Jerath, Ravinder
AU - Crawford, Molly W.
AU - Barnes, Vernon A.
AU - Harden, Kyler
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2015, Springer Science+Business Media New York.
PY - 2015/6/18
Y1 - 2015/6/18
N2 - Understanding the autonomic nervous system and homeostatic changes associated with emotions remains a major challenge for neuroscientists and a fundamental prerequisite to treat anxiety, stress, and emotional disorders. Based on recent publications, the inter-relationship between respiration and emotions and the influence of respiration on autonomic changes, and subsequent widespread membrane potential changes resulting from changes in homeostasis are discussed. We hypothesize that reversing homeostatic alterations with meditation and breathing techniques rather than targeting neurotransmitters with medication may be a superior method to address the whole body changes that occur in stress, anxiety, and depression. Detrimental effects of stress, negative emotions, and sympathetic dominance of the autonomic nervous system have been shown to be counteracted by different forms of meditation, relaxation, and breathing techniques. We propose that these breathing techniques could be used as first-line and supplemental treatments for stress, anxiety, depression, and some emotional disorders.
AB - Understanding the autonomic nervous system and homeostatic changes associated with emotions remains a major challenge for neuroscientists and a fundamental prerequisite to treat anxiety, stress, and emotional disorders. Based on recent publications, the inter-relationship between respiration and emotions and the influence of respiration on autonomic changes, and subsequent widespread membrane potential changes resulting from changes in homeostasis are discussed. We hypothesize that reversing homeostatic alterations with meditation and breathing techniques rather than targeting neurotransmitters with medication may be a superior method to address the whole body changes that occur in stress, anxiety, and depression. Detrimental effects of stress, negative emotions, and sympathetic dominance of the autonomic nervous system have been shown to be counteracted by different forms of meditation, relaxation, and breathing techniques. We propose that these breathing techniques could be used as first-line and supplemental treatments for stress, anxiety, depression, and some emotional disorders.
KW - Anxiety
KW - Autonomic nervous system
KW - Membrane potential
KW - Slow deep breathing
KW - Stress
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U2 - 10.1007/s10484-015-9279-8
DO - 10.1007/s10484-015-9279-8
M3 - Review article
C2 - 25869930
AN - SCOPUS:84929311057
SN - 1090-0586
VL - 40
SP - 107
EP - 115
JO - Applied Psychophysiology Biofeedback
JF - Applied Psychophysiology Biofeedback
IS - 2
ER -