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The first Breath4Life™ Practitioner Course, which started in April 2005, was an exciting development in the Acorn to Oak Training Programme. One of the great innovations of this training course was the requirement for each student to undertake a research project, taking Breath4Life™ into an area of the community where it had not been previously used. As Breath4Life™ Practitioner Students, we were confident that the therapy would benefit people in whichever community situation we chose – for us the challenge was breaking into uncharted territory with such a cutting edge therapy. The areas which we have worked in are: Rape Crisis – women who have suffered trauma and physical or sexual abuse/rape; People suffering from mental distress/mental health problems; and a Hospice Day Centre supporting people living with HIV/AIDS. Rape Crisis Project
In preparation for this project, Julie-Anne did some training with Breaking Free Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre, Morden. Having completed this training she began working as a voluntary helpline assistant with Breaking Free. This offered her the opportunity to make contacts with other Centres.
Many Rape/Sexual Abuse Centres nationwide were contacted with an offer to go into the centre and give a talk on Breath4Life™ and a breathwork session. It also became clear that it was appropriate to offer these sessions initially to support staff, counsellors and psychotherapists, many of whom had been abused themselves. Many centres around the South London area, as well as outside of London took up the offer of an introductory Breath4Life™ session.
The sessions were very powerful, with many of the women reporting that they had gained quite profound healing during their processes. Routine follow-up checks on the groups a few weeks later showed many of the women reporting truly sustainable changes in their everyday lives. As a result of these initial sessions many of the women went on to attend the Low Cost Breath4Life™ clinic that was run as part of the Practitioner Training. Some have also gone on to do the Acorn to Oak Breath4Life™ Foundation Course and one-to-one breathwork sessions. What has worked particularly well for this group of clients is that Breath4Life™ is not a talking therapy, which means the women don’t have to talk about their personal story or about what happened to them. This adds to its safety and allows the women to use Breath4Life™ to let go of the past trauma and often debilitating emotional issues attached to their abuse. As a result of these experiences, and acknowledging that there are many women who would benefit from this amazing therapy, the Women’s Breath4Life™ Group was set up. This is a low cost, closed group offered to women who have suffered abuse or trauma in their lives. The Women’s Group is held once a month. The day includes theory, life-skills, written processes and a breathwork session. Following the success of the initial sessions in the Rape Crisis Centres, Acorn to Oak has been asked to do further work with some of the centres. Breaking Free has expressed an interest in running further Breath4Life™ training for them, as well as a Women’s Group at the centre later this year. The St John’s Hospice Project
The ethos of St John’ Hospice is very much one of empowering clients, enabling them to make choices about their lives. Decisions about how the Centre is run are made at regular Business Meetings involving the Day Centre Staff and the clients. They are already well-supported with a small range of complementary therapies – Reiki, Acupuncture, Reflexology & Massage. After an initial meeting with the Manager of the Day Centre, explaining Breath4Life™ she was very keen to offer Breath4Life™ to the clients, and so took some information to their next Business Meeting. There was a good amount of interest and introductory talks were given to the two groups of clients (they use the Centre on Mondays or Wednesdays). There was a fairly mixed reaction – it seems they are well used to people touting their “cure-all” therapies in one way and another! However, some of the more challenging questions gave an opportunity to really explain Breath4Life™ in some detail. There was sufficient interest following the talks to set up some introductory group sessions. Space and time are fairly limited in the Hospice, so the groups have been 3 people maximum and the sessions are just one hour long. With clients whose health is fairly compromised, they do not have the stamina to do a long breathwork session.
The Project has been running for three months now and there have been some interesting and positive reactions to the sessions. One of the most poignant results from a session was when one woman was clearly very moved and crying towards the end of her session. It wasn’t grief she was experiencing, however. What she described was her realisation that when she had been diagnosed with HIV she literally felt like she “was a dead person”, but that while she had been lying there and breathing during her session, she realised that she really was there, feeling the floor beneath her, hearing the music and that she really was alive. This is proof of the real results in the real world that Breath4Life™ cn bring to people. The Mental Health Projects
Again, the two Mental Health Projects have been differently set up. The two projects are based firstly in London and Essex; and secondly in Somerset. The approach in London/Essex has been much more on an individual basis, identifying clients mainly through word of mouth. Again, with large institutions – particularly within the NHS-based Breath4Life™ Project in Somerset, it is quite difficult to gain access to groups of clients. Their approach is to start with individual clients who they have selected and to see how they benefit. Also because of the level of mental distress that people may be suffering, it may be generally more appropriate to work with them on a one-to-one basis. At present, therefore, this work is very much at the breakthrough stage. Reports show, however, distinct improvements in clients’ well-being. One client had been suffering from severe, debilitating clinical depression for around 6 years following a mental breakdown when he lost everything, including his home. He has made significant progress following his Breath4Life™ sessions and he has now found a new flat, has found renewed hope for the future and is making plans.
Future Projects
A new group of Breath4Life™ Practitioner Students will be starting this September and they will be undertaking research projects of their own. Some of them may gain opportunities from the present Projects. For example, in the Hospice there is another main group of clients who are cancer sufferers and they are very interested in trying Breath4Life™ having heard that the HIV clients are doing so well. There is a lot of scope following on the heels of the Rape Crisis Project – taking it directly to the clients, widening the field to other areas and even taking it into Victim Support Centres. At Acorn to Oak we are really excited and heartened to see how Breath4Life™ is already benefiting so many people and are looking forward to seeing it go further.
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