Chronic Illness Q&A with Dr. B.

Dr. Larry Berkelhammer

The purpose of this blog and the entire website is to provide evidence-based information on how to live a vibrant, meaningful life while living with chronic health challenges or other life challenges.

Every Tuesday I post a new, very brief video from my presentations or interviews. Every Friday this Q&A column appears.
Here is this week’s question:

THIS WEEK’S QUESTION: Continuation of answer to question on value of healthy breathing

ANSWER: Research psychologists Joanna Arch and Michelle Craske at UCLA demonstrated that fifteen minutes of conscious attention to breathing allowed the study participants to tune in to their emotional state and to be present with it, even in the midst of aversive stimuli. Neuroscience researcher Britta Holzel and her team found that the reason for this is that conscious breathing practices serve to activate the anterior cingulate cortex, which regulates numerous autonomic as well as cognitive and emotional functions. Neuroscience researcher John Allman and his team describe that this part of the brain has been associated with resolution of conflict and adaptive responses to changing conditions. This new research validates the attention that has been given to breathing methods in the wide variety of yoga, martial arts, and meditation for thousands of years.

This website is offered as a free public service, supplying information that has been found helpful to certain people living with chronic health challenges or issues related to wellbeing. No treatment is offered on this website. The advice is general, and may or may not apply to your individual situation, and is not a substitute for psychotherapy or medical treatment.

What questions do you have about living a life of mindfulness-based mastery or about the relationship between the mind and health or wellbeing?
Just scroll down and type your question in the comment box below. An answer to your specific question may not appear in this column. The reason for that is I wait until I get a certain number of related questions, then I pick one that covers them all and I answer that one. People attending my presentations asked most of the questions appearing in this column, and I repeat them here so you may benefit.