Breathing and grief

http://www.drdooleynoted.com/anatomy-angel-grief-and-breathing/
http://www.drdooleynoted.com/anatomy-angel-grief-and-breathing/

This got me thinking of the anatomy of grief and breathing.
 
Our limbic system is part of the central nervous system that controls Homeostasis, Olfaction, Memory, and Emotion. 

 
Therefore, I like to say the limbic system takes us “HOME.”
 
Homeostasis involves several higher functioning systems for systemic balance, such as pH balance, blood pressure, heart rate, and other autonomic events, such as breathing.
Olfaction is the only special sense to be able to bypass the relay center. I liken it to a VIP member in the club, that can go right past the bouncer. 

 
The limbic system is also in charge of short-term memory and its integration into long-term memory. This part of the cerebrum is in very close contact with the centers for olfaction, which is why you smell something and remember where you were when you smelled it.

 
Emotions are regulated by the limbic system, also.
 
Therefore, the smell of a former love’s cologne can give you the memory of a former love. The memory can then initiate grief that changes the way that you breathe.
 
Welcome to the limbic system.
 
When you experience grief, it can actually change posturing. Then, you start to protract and elevate the shoulders, thus rounding them and decreasing the ability to build intra-abdominal pressure (IAP). That alters the homeostasis of breathing, perpetuating the cycle of grief.
 
This double-edged sword makes the grief cycle change breathing to make grief worse.
 
But if you know your anatomy and know how to properly breathe to build IAP, you can actually help manage your grief. This can help you with homeostasis, too.
 
If it’s a vicious cycle, the cycle can swing the other way.
 
When a memory triggers grief, interrupt the grief with proper IAP breathing.
 
These steps can help.
 
1. Breathe in deeply and slowly through the nose, with the body of the tongue on the roof of your mouth. Let the tongue tip hit the back of the upper teeth.
 
2. Look straight ahead, laser-focused on a target. Don’t let the eyes dart. Focus on an inanimate object.
 
3. Don’t raise the shoulders when inhaling. Fill the belly full with air on the inhale. Don’t suck in your gut on the inhale.
 
4. Let the chest rise naturally as air rushes in. Let the sternum move forward and slightly upward.
 
5. Let the sides and back of the ribs push out and back on the inhale, respectively.
 
6. Strengthen the abdomen and deliver more oxygen by prolonging the exhale. Oxygen is delivered to the system on the exhale for gas exchange. Get more bang for your inhale by prolonging the exhale.
 
7. Avoid teeth clenching and shoulder rounding at all times during the breath. Breathe more from the gut and less form the shoulders and neck.
 
8. This is not to discount therapeutic techniques, like talk therapy and emotional freedom technique. In fact, breathing can be used in conjunction with all things. After all you breathe to survive but also to thrive.
 
9. Use a new smell to help the limbic system program a new process. I like peppermint – as long as it is not associated with your grief.
 
Consider that your abdominal muscles are built for thousands of daily repetitions.

  
 They are a source of mental and physical strength.
 
Use your breath to process and overcome your grief.
 
Use the anatomy and physiology of the limbic system to help reverse your vicious grief cycle.
 
As always, it’s your call.
 
– Dr. Kathy Dooley