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| CHAPTER TWO THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN REBIRTHING AND HYPERVENTILATION Many people, hearing that Rebirthing is a breathing technique, incorrectly assume that it is a revival of the practice of hyperventilation which enjoyed a brief vogue many years ago in psychotherapeutic circles. So, I want to draw attention to the significant differences between Rebirthing and hyperventilating and to set at rest any apprehensions about Rebirthing which may result from confusing it with hyperventilation. Remember-as described in Chapter One-Rebirthing is a breathing exercise which keeps the inhale and exhale connected, without any pauses or holdings. I ask my Rebirthee to "pull on the inhale and let go with a sigh." The inhale is to be as full and deep and high in the chest and as gentle as possible, with continuing consciousness of taking it in. And the exhale is to be simply the short burst of released breath which results as the intercostal muscles that raised the rib cage are relaxed and the diaphragm is allowed to snap back up, pushing the short exhale out. Essentially, no matter how long and full and deep the inhale is, the exhale is almost always a very short, unforced, uncontrolled release of just enough air so that the next inhale can be pulled in. After breathing in this connected manner for approximately an hour, the typical new Rebirthee finds his consciousness leaving the focus of his breathing pattern to move instead to reviewing-almost re-experiencing-former events in his individual past-often ones which involved negative thoughts and feelings. I encourage my Rebirthee to continue the good Rebirthing breathing pattern, not to push on the exhale. As the Rebirthee complies, he experiences having the old negatives dissolve and disappear, just as the exhale does. He also finds his mind open to new conclusions about the same old events, so that he takes in new, good ideas, just as he takes in the inhale. He finds life more satisfying as he takes fuller inhales, too. Thousands of perfect Rebirths have been conducted without the Rebirthee's getting into hyperventilation, which is the consequence of an entirely different breathing pattern. Hyperventilation occurs when the person chronically forces his exhale, so that he blows off excessive amounts of carbon dioxide. People who might be afraid of their old feelings and thoughts often seek to push on the exhale, as if they were ridding themselves of something bad. This alters the acid-base balance in the blood stream. In turn, the acid-base balance in the blood stream adjusts by changing the concentration of calcium ion in the blood. If the person continues to force the exhale, a condition known as alkalosis develops, characterized by muscular tremor. Eventually, the biochemical adjustments create spasm, called tetany, which often progresses to the point of producing intense pain in the strained joints and muscles. Tetany also produces intense panic because the person feels breathless. And, indeed he is breathless, for the forced exhales have lowered the concentration of carbon dioxide in the blood reaching the special center in the brain stem which is known as the inspiration center. This center only triggers off the next inspiration automatically when the partial pressure of carbon dioxide in the blood (the pCO2) goes above the threshold for stimulation. It takes even more time than usual for CO2 to accumulate to threshold levels if the person has previously been blowing off excessive amounts of CO2. If, during the breathless time, the person reacts to his panic by straining to inhale, he experiences it as short and unsatisfying, for, of course, his body doesn't yet "think" it really "needs" that next inhale. And that's likely to compound his panic, for he now concludes that he can't breathe! Often, a person in such difficulties is rushed to a hospital where he is usually treated by being taught to breathe into a closed container, for example, a paper bag or his cupped hands. As he breathes stale air that already has a high partial pressure of CO2, his respiratory center becomes properly stimulated, he stops being breathless, his panic passes, and he's over the "attack"-until the next time he re-creates the same situation by his habitual forcible exhales. In the Rebirthing session, a Rebirthee who responds to old negative feelings and thoughts by putting additional emphasis on his exhales is reminded by me to resume the Rebirthing breathing pattern in which the exhale is not forced. (Specific techniques for changing the exhale are described in detail in Chapter Seventeen.) Sometimes the Rebirthee doesn't respond to my urging, so he produces the hyperventilation syndrome in the midst of his Rebirth session. When that happens, he is not treated by being told to breathe stale air or to hold his breath. Instead, he is encouraged to trust his breath, to surrender to his knowledge that breathing is safe. And as he does so, he finds the old fears and tensions leaving and the painful, frightening spasms relax completely. In effect, Rebirthers have discovered an entirely new treatment for the hyperventilation syndrome: Breathing! The previously anxious individual who customarily reacted to increased anxiety by pushing on the exhale until he caused the appearance of the hyperventilation syndrome now, after Rebirthing, breathes deeply on the inhales, especially when he's stressed, and lets the exhales go without any effort. Rebirthing eliminates the breathing pattern that produced hyperventilation. It's true that Rebirthing does involve breathing more than was customary before Rebirthing, simply because the Rebirthing individual is actually breathing either in or out all the time. That usually isn't true for someone who hasn't learned the Rebirthing pattern of breathing. Instead, the average un-Rebirthed person spends less time breathing (total time for the inhale plus total time for the exhale) than he does holding at the end of the inhale plus pausing again at the end of the exhale. Most people breathe in by gasping and breathe out by pushing the exhale, after which there's another long pause. So, Rebirthing is a way of breathing that produces ventilation all the time. It's "super" ventilation-not to be confused with hyperventilation. By pointing out these differences, I have reduced doubt and reluctance to experience Rebirthing. It is safe and is usually painless and enjoyable. It doesn't necessarily involve hyperventilation at all. Moreover, it's a remarkably effective technique for letting go all sorts of old negatives, including the ones from our births that have, themselves, been distorting the natural healing rhythm of the breath. I believe that breathing is living and that the more fully and freely I breathe, the more fully and freely I live. I wholeheartedly recommend Rebirthing because it teaches us how to breathe truly fully and freely. As we let go all the old negatives, we exist more fully and freely in the Here and Now, living Truth, Peace, Simplicity, and Love.
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The Logic of Magical Thought and The Dance of the Breath CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER
THREE CHAPTER
FOUR CHAPTER
FIVE CHAPTER
SIX CHAPTER
SEVEN CHAPTER
EIGHT CHAPTER
NINE CHAPTER
11 CHAPTER
12 CHAPTER
13 CHAPTER
14 CHAPTER
15 CHAPTER
16 CHAPTER
18 CHAPTER
19 CHAPTER
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