HOLOTROPIC BREATHWORK - AN EXPERIENTIAL APPROACH TO PSYCHOTHERAPY

The study investigated the relationship between the use of Holotropic Breathwork and therapeutic changes in levels of distress associated wi th self-identified problems, death anxiety, self-esteem, and sense of affiliation with others. Two groups of 24 subjects were compared using a repeated measures design. One group participated in a combination o f experientially oriented psychotherapy plus six monthly sessions of H olotropic Breathwork (Breathwork Group); the second group participated only in experientially oriented psychotherapy (Therapy Group). Depend ent measures were Templer's Death Anxiety Scale, the Abasement and Aff iliation subscales of the Personality Research Form-E, and a questionn aire regarding self-identified problems. The Breathwork Group showed s ignificant reductions in death anxiety and increases in self-esteem co mpared to the Therapy Group. No significant differences were observed between groups on affiliation or self-identified problems. Results sug gest that experiential approaches to psychotherapy may be useful in am eliorating some types of psychological problems.