Initiatives Frontpage 1

CONSCIOUS BREATHING FOR TRAUMA RECOVERY (CBTR)

Free online conscious breathing education that is both simple and effective

The CBTR training has been created by Brigitte Martin Powell and Judee Gee, breath specialists and breathwork trainers based in the UK and in France. Judee and Brigitte are former Presidents of the IBF. At the time of developing this programme they were sitting on the IBF-UN working group committee which develops Conscious Breathing projects in alignment with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Brigitte Martin Powell: www.brigittemartinpowell.com

The CBTR programme was originally designed for refugees, migrants and victims of natural disasters as well as health care workers, staff and volunteers of relief organisations.

It has been now extended to include anyone suffering from trauma, anxiety, burnout and depression.

The goal of the CBTR programme is to provide free online conscious breathing education that is both simple and effective through:

Giving practical instructions for developing an awareness of current breathing habits
Teaching specific breathing exercises to recalibrate the autonomic nervous system

What is coherent breathing

Coherent Breathing and the Autonomic Nervous System

A major component of the stress response system is the autonomic nervous system, which manages the automatic functions of the body, including the cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, hormonal, glandular and immune systems. The autonomic nervous system has two main branches: the sympathetic nervous system – the fight or flight system – and the parasympathetic nervous system – the rest and digest or feed and breed– system.

Ideally, both systems are required to intervene for specific actions through our daily life, but in the long run a balance between the two is necessary. A body that is constantly under mental, physical or emotional stress (sympathetic system) without time to rest, integrate and replenish (parasympathetic system), will not be able to function optimally and will suffer the consequences.

There is one automatic function of the body that can be voluntarily controlled through our breath and that is the respiratory system! Conscious breathing techniques provide easy access to the autonomic communication network and by changing our breathing patterns, we send specific messages to the brain that have powerful effects on our thoughts, emotions and behaviours. For example, when we feel anxious, just a few minutes of Coherent Breathing can calm our worried mind and foster more rational – rather than impulsive – decision-making.

Coherent Breathing Practice: Breathing at the rhythm of 5 breaths per minutes is the optimal breathing rhythm for rebalancing the body and accessing an inner state of relaxation that is both peaceful and restful. Five breaths per minute corresponds to breathing in for 6 seconds and out for 6 seconds, linking the in-breath and out-breath in a relaxed way.

How to practice: Start progressively, breathing consciously and in a relaxed way for 3 seconds in and 3 seconds out, until it feels comfortable. Then move on to breathing for 4 seconds in and 4 seconds out and progress at your own rhythm up to 6 seconds in and 6 seconds out. Taller people might want to breathe more slowly.

Where to practice: Start by finding a quiet spot where you can be undisturbed for several minutes. Soft light conditions or darkness will help you to relax. Have a light blanket on hand to be sure you stay warm. Sit or lie down in a comfortable position and start your practice. Once you feel comfortable with the practice you can apply it in a wide range of situations (sitting, walking…).

When to practice: Three times a day for five minutes (365) is a great beginning, and if you can apply the practice daily for a few weeks, you will reap the most benefits. Even one minute of coherent breathing will help rebalance your nervous system. Stephen Elliot suggests 20 min per day for a period of 21 days in order to recalibrate the nervous system and install the coherent breathing reflex as a default practice.

Coherent Breathing and further reading: The New Science of Breath, by Stephen Elliott

The Healing Power of the Breath, by Dr R. Brown and Dr P. Gerbarg

Coherent Breathing, by Dr W. Ehrmann

CBTR VIDEOS

Watch the trailer:

Watch the Presentation:

Watch the Demonstration:

Credits

Many thanks to Rossana Salso, Fred and Malou for their participation in the production of the CBTR video series, and to Hridaya France for their permission to film on-site at the Chateau de Longeval: www.hridaya-yoga.com.

Thanks to the IBF Development Fund for funding the development of the CBTR training programme in Athens, Greece.

THE CBTR MANUALS

(PDF) CLICK HERE TO VIEW OR DOWNLOAD THE ENGLISH CBTR MANUAL

(PDF) CLICK HERE TO VIEW OR DOWNLOAD THE GERMAN CBTR MANUAL

(PDF) CLICK HERE TO VIEW OR DOWNLOAD THE SPANISH CBTR MANUAL

(PDF) CLICK HERE TO VIEW OR DOWNLOAD THE DUTCH CBTR MANUAL

(PDF) CLICK HERE TO VIEW OR DOWNLOAD THE UKRAINIAN CBTR MANUAL

(PDF) CLICK HERE TO VIEW OR DOWNLOAD THE ARABIC CBTR MANUAL

(PDF) CLICK HERE TO VIEW OR DOWNLOAD THE FRENCH CBTR MANUAL

THE IBF BREATHING APP

This free app is the perfect tool to practice the CBTR Program – and much more.

It is now available for free for iPhones on the Apple Store and for Androids on the Google Play Store. The name of the app is IBF Breathing App.

If you want to get more detailed information about the IBF Breathing app, click here:

IBF Breathing app, click here

For more information about Coherent Breathing

The New Science of Breath, by Stephen Elliott

Conscious Breathing in Everyday Life, by Joy Manné, Ph.D

Coherent Breathing, by Dr W. Ehrmann:

Burnout to Breathing, by Dr Ela Manga:

The Complete Breath, by Jim Morningstar, Ph.D., Editor

The Healing Power of the Breath, by Dr Richard Brown and Dr Patricia Gerbarg:

Keywords for Internet search

Conscious Breathing

Breathwork

Coherent Breathing

Stephen Elliott

Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Nervous System

Heart Rate Variability (HRV)

Disclaimer

This presentation is designed to provide helpful guidance for recovering from trauma and reinforcing natural resiliency, but should not be used to diagnose or treat any health or medical conditions requiring medical supervision.

The publisher and authors are not liable for any consequences from the application by any person using the information provided in the presentation. Even though conscious breathing is simple and safe, some may find this method challenging, and are encouraged to consult a conscious breathing specialist in order to progress in the practice.

Professionalism Workgroup

Introduction

A new Professionalism Workgroup was formed in 2023 to help IBF develop and strengthen professionalism, training standards, and ethical conduct in breathwork. Working alongside the IBF Integrity Committee, this group of IBF professionals aims to promote professional standards and support IBF members in improving their practice.

Background

Following significant breaches of ethics by Breathwork professionals (IBF Members and non-members) over the recent years, the IBF community went through a crucial period of reflection. A new forum for discussion and advocacy of professionalism was needed. This group was created to address professional misconduct issues and strengthen and develop professionalism in our practice.

This working group is not an ethics committee:

The group will not handle complaints or incidents; this is the role of the Integrity Committee.
Instead, the group acts as a resource to the IBF, helping to plan and create policies, liaising with the GPBA, and generating meaningful actions and responses to issues raised by significant events.

Community Consensus:

We support a zero-tolerance approach to sexual misconduct in our work.
We recognise that other breaches of professionalism must also be addressed.
We desire that breathwork schools and associations align with international standards of training and conduct for professional breathwork practitioners.
IBF aligns with the Global Professional Breathwork Alliance (GPBA) Training and Ethical Standards and requires all members to agree to these guidelines.
We encourage professional members to apply for certification with GPBA or their national breathwork association or accrediting body.

The IBF Professionalism team

• Pippa Wheble, IBF Professionalism Workgroup Leader
• Liisa Halme, Constellation Leader Internal Communications
• Griet Verstrate, Constellation Leader Ethical Procedures
• Matoula Piscopani, Constellation Co-Leader Training Standards
• Indalecia Rohita Ziritt, Constellation Co-Leader Training Standards
• Kateryna Kotenko, Constellation Leader Ukraine Project
• Jim Morningstar, GPBA Liaison
• Tilke Plateer-Deur, IBF Elder
• John Stamoulos, IBF Integrity Committee
• Adela Barcia, IBF Integrity Committee
• Alakh Analda, IBF Elder
• Lauren Chelec Cafritz, IBF Executive Support Team
• Vanessa Dietzel, IBF Executive Team
• Nilgül Tavsel, IBF Executive Team
• Mario Domig, IBF Executive Team
• Steph Magenta, IBF Professional Member
• Ana Berengeur, IBF Ambassador

Aims

1. Our Workgroup’s primary Mission is as follows:
Promote ethical, professional, and training standards and raise awareness of their importance.

2. Support IBF in reflection on conscious or unconscious breaches of these standards, as well as learning and evolving in response to them, to improve the professionalism and safety of our practice.

3. Help establish breathwork as a widely respected, legitimate, safe healing modality.

Agenda

• IBF aligns with the GPBA’s Training and Ethical Standards (currently stated in our bylaws) and requires all members to agree to these guidelines.

Read more

• IBF encourages professional members to apply for certification with GPBA or their national breathwork association/accrediting body.
• The GPBA is updating its training and ethical standards to align with international standards. These will be presented to the IBF community at the AGM for a vote before inclusion in the IBF bylaws.
• Champion ethical practice and uphold the training standards set by the GPBA by:
• Ensuring that our ethical & training standards are visible on our website.
• Creating IBF statements and guidelines on essential topics.
• Offering training and workshops about ethics and training standards for IBF members.
• Educating the public about breathwork ethics and training standards through our website, social media, and the press.
• Raising public awareness of the dangers of unaccredited schools and inadequately trained practitioners.
• Offering guidance on assessing suitability for professional training.
• Support the alignment of international breathwork schools and associations on ethics and training standards by:
• Building partnerships and collaboration with relevant associations.
• Promoting accreditation of breathwork schools and IBF professional members with relevant associations.

Professionalism

Raise the public consciousness of professionalism in breathwork by:

Read more

• Creating information about professionalism for the IBF website
• Championing professionalism through social media, newsletters & press releases
• Study and gain a more profound understanding of professionalism by:
• Reflecting and learning from breaches of standards.
• Fostering conversation about professionalism in breathwork
future breaches, for example:
• Create guidelines and educational opportunities to prevent future breaches, for example:
• Choosing a breathwork practitioner or modality,
• Client and Practitioner responsibility before, during and after a breathing session.
• Intimacy and Relationships with clients and students
• Consent and power dynamics
• Trauma-informed breathwork
• Promote professionalism in the IBF by:
• Reviewing the IBF Professional Membership process and privileges
• Promoting that professionalism requires deeply knowing oneself, one’s inner strengths and weaknesses, and an absolute willingness to be supervised
• Creating a process for the provision of peer support within & between IBF members.

IBF Ethical Procedures

• Clarify IBF procedures and actions that can be taken in response to conscious or unconscious breaches of ethical and training standards by its members as well as non-members.

Read more

• Clarify IBF procedures for information sharing with accrediting organizations regarding breaches of ethical and training standards.
• Clarify IBF policy and procedures to address unaccredited schools or breathwork professionals.
• Clarify procedures and create resources for individuals affected by misconduct in breathwork.
• Promote the duty of IBF members to report and address misconduct in breathwork.
• Communicate IBF complaints procedures on the IBF website.

UN Group Member Requirements:

1. Be a professional member of the IBF

2. Hold a current Breathwork Practitioner, Group Facilitator or Breathwork Trainer certification.
3. Hold a commitment to engage with monthly meetings online.

Contact

Please contact the Workgroup Leader to express your interest or raise a topic for discussion in the workgroup.

Other Ways to Contribute

Support IBF initiatives by donating to the IBF Breathwork Development Fund
Become an IBF member and join our team of volunteers
Follow us on our IBF Facebook page
Register to receive our newsletter

IBF VIDEOS

All IBF videos are available on the IBF Youtube channel.

To see these videos please click here

IBF BREATHING ARTS GROUP

A workgroup to promote all forms of artistic expression in the breathwork community and to encourage artists to get involved in IBF events and projects.

Our Purpose

To bring peace, healing, transformation, joy and inspiration to the world through conscious breathing and creative expression.

Our Mission

Using conscious breathing as a gateway to connect with our inner creative self to manifest our full potential and bring more passion in our art
Exploring and experiencing the many varied pathways of different artforms using imagination, creativity, movement and emotional expressio

Creating community bringing people together to experience the unifying power of art
Creating a safe container for healing, rediscovering a sense of playfulness, joy and passion
Empowering artists to be true to their authentic selves through breathwork

IBF Breathing Arts Group

ibfbreathingarts

Donate

Website

www.breathing-arts.com

Email

ibfbreathingarts@gmail.com

art@ibfbreathwork.org

We are excited to offer short online monthly workshops and forums featuring well-known presenters from the world of conscious breathing and creative expression.

Our community creates a safe and supportive space for healing, rediscovering playfulness, joy, and passion. We encourage artists to be true to their authentic selves through breathwork, movement, and emotional expression.

Our upcoming workshop for April 2024.

Our events are free online events lasting two hours usually on the third Saturday of the month; however, you need to register for these events using the links below.

Further Information and Registration here

Music, whether it be through singing or listening has a unique power that transcends language barriers. Music truly is a universal language of healing that transcends all boundaries.Music has the power to heal. This is something that’s been known for centuries and continues to be true today. The sound and rhythm of music promotes good physical, mental, and emotional health.This workshop will explore the ways in which music can deepen and enhance our breathwork practice.

You don’t need to be an “artist” to contribute to this Work Group – there are many tasks we need to do to make our events a success, such as social media/promotion, graphic design, and supporting each other.

Please contact us at art@ibfbreathwork.org if you feel called to join our team.

SCIENCE AND RESEARCH ADVISORY GROUP

The Science and Research Advisory Group is a special task force workgroup of the International Breathwork Foundation formed with the specific aim of supporting the IBF community and general public with a deeper understanding of the science of breathwork based on research and a body of evidence.

This forms part of the broader aim of the IBF to be a credible source of information and support for the community of breathwork practitioners and the general public.

The group is comprised of a dynamic group of medical doctors, scientists, psychotherapists and members of the community who are passionate about understanding, researching and sharing the science of breathwork.

Aims:

1. Understanding and describing the physiology involved during Breathwork.

2. Creating a categorisation of the range of Breathwork techniques.

3. Collating existing research already published on the benefits of Breathwork.

4. Communicating this information to IBF members, the broader breathwork community and the general public.

5. Supporting novel research by IBF workgroups, project groups and members.

6. Recommending safety guidelines and adaptations for certain medical conditions and working with groups.

7. Serving as the birthplace for novel concepts, projects and ideas.

Previous Initiatives:

1. Published ‘Breathing – Aligning Mechanics with Chemistry’ by Dr Peter Litchfield (in June 2017 IBF Newsletter). 1_Breathing, aligning mechanics with chemistry 2017

2. Undertook research entitled ‘The Scope of Breathwork’ at GIC 2017.

3. Conducted a pilot ‘Breathing Physiology’ study at GIC 2017.

4. Designed research protocols to collect meaningful IMPACT data from “Conscious Breathing in the Classroom”.

Current Initiatives:

1. Developing an accessible database of Existing Breathwork Research.

2. Creating a Classification of Breathwork Techniques entitled “The ART of Breathwork”.

3. Production and/or dissemination of peer reviewed articles and educational materials aimed at the IBF community.

4. Serving the community with a dynamic communication strategy.

Contact Us

SciReg welcomes questions in relation to the science of breathwork to be sent to the following address: science@ibfbreathwork.org

Current Members:

Claire Haug, Workgroup Leader

Dr. Philippa Wheble

Dr. Ela Manga

Dr. Peter M. Litchfield

Dr. Wolfgang Fellner

Dr Nadja Benschop

Heinz Gerd Lange

Dr. Wilfried Ehrmann

Dr. Alicja Heyda

Workgroup Meetings

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