Deep Breathing
Many patients are interested in changing behaviors to treat their depression, but they do not have the time, interest, or resources to engage in professional psychotherapy. Relaxation training, also known as parasympathetic activation, can be a simple, effective way for patients to influence their mood. Click on the links to learn about some methods of inducing relaxation.
Now that you have learned about various relaxation techniques, move on to the last section of this unit to learn about light therapy treatment.
In the rush of daily living, most people tend to breathe at a relatively shallow level. Therefore, deep breathing is not only among the simplest forms of parasympathetic activation, it is also extremely effective. There are literally dozens of techniques that patients can use. The greatest challenge is remembering to take time for deep breathing in the midst of a busy day. The technique can be easily taught in less than three minutes during an office visit, and practitioners can breathe along with their patients for a quick stress relief of their own.
As noted above, techniques for deep breathing are limited only by the imagination. See this document for a handout that describes about a dozen techniques, including square breathing – a simple introductory approach that is well liked and tolerated by most patients.
Occasionally patients will experience some dizziness when first learning the technique due to increased oxygen consumption. Remember to warn patients about this when recommending the exercises.
(lululemon athletica, Eyes Closed, flickr. CC: BY 2.0. Obtained on June 22, 2009.)