Description
Overview
Patrick McKeown is a leading international expert on breathing and sleep, and author of bestselling books including The Oxygen Advantage. He is the creator, CEO and Director of Education and Training at Oxygen Advantage® and Director of Education and Training at Buteyko Clinic International.
Patrick will join us for a three-hour online learning event, focusing on the multidimensional nature of breathing and its interrelationship with anxiety disorders. Patrick will explore maladaptive breathing patterns in detail, from three key dimensions: biochemical, biomechanical and psychophysiological. Drawing on theory and practical demonstrations, Patrick will teach you to apply highly effective and easily performed Oxygen Advantage™ breathing practices in psychotherapy.
It is likely you have encountered clients with unusual breathing traits. Common maladaptive breathing patterns include faster respiratory rate, upper chest breathing, irregular breathing patterns and feeling of air hunger. Chronic hyperventilation is a classic example of maladaptive breathing in the biochemical dimension. In chronic hyperventilation, a person breathes inappropriately and in excess of their metabolic needs, causing depletion of CO2. They tend to breathe this way during rest and sleep as well as during physical activity. Hyperventilation disorders are thought to affect about 10% of otherwise healthy individuals, 30% of asthmatic and up to 75% of anxiety sufferers.
Learning objectives:
► the multidimensional perspectives of breathing as they relate to anxiety and sleep disorders.
► the importance of switching to nasal breathing.
► how to assess clients for maladaptive breathing patterns.
► how to address chronic hyperventilation using light, slow, deep breathing to decrease nervous system arousal.
► how to desensitise the clients’ reaction to air hunger.
► protocols to proceed gently and exercises for those who find it difficult to place attention to their breath.
► effective breathing exercises to down-regulate the nervous system and de-stress.
► a toolkit of breathing exercises to help clients deal with panic attacks.
► strategies to implement functional breathing in clients’ everyday life.
Target Audience
This course is suitable for counsellors, psychotherapists, psychologists, social workers, family therapists, students, those interested/working in attachment, trauma, addiction, neuroscience as well as anyone interested in their own mental health/personal development
Speaker Biography
Patrick McKeown was educated at Trinity College Dublin, completing his clinical training in Russia. For the last 21 years, he has taught functional breathing to help children and adults with respiratory, sleep and mental health disorders. The author of nine books published in 16 languages. Patrick has trained over 3,000 healthcare instructors across 50 countries. The Breathing Cure (2021), Patrick’s newest book, is a deep dive into the science of breathing. It explores functional breathing for a wide range of health conditions, and breathing exercises suitable for adults, children and teens. Patrick’s article, Breathing Re-Education and Phenotypes of Sleep Apnea: A Review (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33530621/), co-authored with Drs. Carlos O’Connor-Reina and Guillermo Plaza, is published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine.
