Medical and Psychiatric Contradictions
If you have any pre-existing conditions, if any of the following conditions listed below applies, please first consult with your primary health care provider or physician before attending a session.
Medical contradictions
Aneurysm: while emotional material is being released, placing the brain's arteries under strain, if you have already had an aneurysm, this type of experience may put you at increased risk of having another.
Asthma: If you have asthma, you are welcome to breathe, but you must have your inhaler available during breathwork. In cases of a psychosomatic illness such as asthma, your psyche may intensify the symptoms trying to alleviate the condition.
Cardiovascular disease: and or irregularities including prior heart attack.
Strong emotional release and/or physical movement can overstress the cardio system.
Detached Retina: breathing faster and deeper reduces intraocular pressure. This increases the risk of permanent vision damage for a person with a detached retina.
Epilepsy: There is a slightly increased chance of seizures due to faster, deeper breathing during breathwork.
Glaucoma: Sometimes, during an intense process, the breather may stress and strain internally, which could temporarily increase intraocular pressure, which would make the symptoms of glaucoma worse. In addition, if, after a session, you have blurred vision, it could be a symptom of an undiagnosed case of glaucoma, and you should get your eyes examined before continuing breathwork.
High Blood pressure: which is controlled with medication, strong emotional release and/or intense physical movement, can exacerbate high blood pressure, raising it even higher than it is.
History of strokes or seizures: strong emotional release and/or intense physical movement can exacerbate high blood pressure, which can further trigger seizures.
Osteoporosis: that is serious enough whereby moving around actively could cause physical damage to your body.
Pregnancy: In a breathwork session, deeper breathing creates specific physiological changes in your body, including making your blood more alkaline. This is the same blood that goes through the fetus. Since there have not been any extensive studies conducted on the impact of breathwork on the fetus's health, we highly recommend you consult with your primary health care provider before participating in a session.
Psychiatric Contradictions
Bipolar disorder or schizophrenia: If you have bipolar disorder, breath control excercises could trigger a manic episode. In extreme hospitalization cases for any psychiatric condition or emotional crisis in the past five years, such as attempted suicide or a nervous breakdown, we ask that you contact us before breathing and get written approval from a psychiatrist, psychologist, or primary health care provider. We want to make sure that you are grounded enough to handle any of the intense emotional or physical releases that may occur during your breathwork session.
PTSD Many participants have had profound healing experiences regarding PTSD. However, if you have a severe case and are under a therapist's care, we ask that you get their approval to participate. Hence, we are sure that you are grounded enough to handle what might come up during the session, including possibly reliving the experience which caused the PTSD to release it out of your system.
Please let us know if any other medical, psychiatric, or physical conditions impair or affect the ability to engage in activities involving intense physical and/or emotional release. One possible example might be a neurological issue or disease.
