BBTRS -

Biodynamic Breathwork Trauma Release System

Limited time special Offer:

25% Discount on a 10 session series of in-person breathwork sessions

$1200 instead of $1550

Please call/text or message through contact form to schedule

Breathing is our first act and our last.

Our very life depends on it.

- Joseph Pilates

Trauma gets stored in our bodies and our nervous systems. One of the most powerful ways to influence our (autonomic) nervous system is through conscious breathing.

Through conscious breathing we can calm our bodies or we can bring up charge in our bodies and then help it to discharge. Conscious breathing can bring buried traumatic material to the surface and help it to discharge, as well as release deeply held tension from the body.

BBTRS is a unique form of breathwork that is specifically geared toward working with trauma. Breathwork is incredibly powerful and there are numerous forms of breathwork. Many forms of breathwork tend to be quite intense, using fast and deep breathing, which can create a lot of intensity, sometimes even leading to altered states.

That can be an amazing experience and yet it can also be overwhelming for your nervous system, especially if you have stored trauma.

The latest trauma research shows that we need to go slow and work carefully when dealing with trauma, because if our system gets overwhelmed the trauma does not get processed and we can re-traumatize ourselves.

That is why BBTRS incorporates principles from Somatic Experiencing - one of the the most well known systems to work with trauma, developed by Peter Levine. Using the principles of resourcing, titration and pendulation ensures that we can stay present with our experience in the body without going into overwhelm and allow the trauma to process and be released.

BBTRS helps the nervous system to regulate, tension to release from the body and emotions to surface and be released.

Read more about the importance of nervous system regulation here.

Possible Benefits of BBTRS:

  • releasing traumatic charge from the body ( charge meaning the energy held from fight & flight and freeze states) which allows the nervous system to regulate

  • releasing deeply held tension from the body, that is hard to get to with bodywork or other modalities

  • bringing deeply held emotions to the surface and releasing them

  • connecting more deeply to and bringing more presence into your body

  • creating more access to your aliveness

  • finding more openness in your body and emotions

  • accessing deep states of relaxation

What does a BBTRS session look like?

BBTRS is generally done sitting up rather than lying down, which makes it easier to stay present and allows the body to move in order to help discharge what arises during the session. I will guide you very closely throughout the session so that you will be held in safety and presence.

BBTRS sessions incorporate six main elements:

  • Breath

  • Movement

  • Sound

  • Touch

  • Emotional Expression

  • Meditation ( Awareness)

We use a style of breathing called connected breathing. That means that there is no pause between the inhale and the exhale. In most breathwork systems connected breathing is used in a deep and fast way. In BBTRS we differ from that in that we modulate the intensity of the breath depending on what is needed for each client.

The intention is to bring up some charge in the body through the breath. This charge will often activate held fight or flight energy or freeze energy from past trauma. The breath might also bring held or repressed emotions more to the surface. We want to bring it up just enough so that then we can work with it and help it to discharge. We do not want to bring up so much that it overwhelms your system. The right amount is different for each person. It may be quite intense for some people and very gentle for others, depending on what their system can handle.

Once some of this charge is activated we will then help it to move and discharge from the body by being present with the sensations in the body, bringing movement to the body or using sound if appropriate and allowing emotions to move and express.

In BBTRS we look at 7 main areas of tension in the body:

  • Ocular belt - The top part of the head and eyes

  • Oral belt - The lower part of the head, including the mouth, jaw and ears

  • Cervical belt - The throat and neck

  • Thoracic belt - The chest, heart area, shoulders and arms

  • Diaphragmatic belt - The lower ribcage and diaphragm

  • Abdominal belt - The upper and lower abdomen

  • Pelvic belt - The pelvis and psoas muscle and legs

    One very effective way to do BBTRS sessions is to sequentially move through these areas in a 10 session series, focusing on one specific area at a time, to uncover tension held in each area. Or we can do more “open” sessions, working with whatever arises during each session.

    I facilitate the session by:

    • providing a safe container for anything that might arise during the session, including traumatic charge or emotional processing

    • tracking the process throughout the session and guiding you to deepen when indicated or creating safety if it gets too intense

    • observing your body and breathing patterns to provide specialized support for where your body and breath are holding tension

    • suggesting various ways for you to work with what arises, such as expression, soun d

    • providing hands-on bodywork if desired to support opening and release

I offer BBTRS as a 10 session series as well as single sessions in person and online.

Contra-indications for Breathwork

There are some health conditions that can impact the safety of breathwork. If you have any of these, please consult with me before scheduling breathwork sessions:

  • severe heart issues

  • uncontrolled high blood pressure

  • being at risk for an aneurism

  • glaucoma or retinal detachment

  • recent surgery or injury

  • pregnancy

  • history of seizures

  • active addiction

  • severe psychiatric symptoms, such as psychosis or paranoia or schizophrenia