Beat PTSD Symptoms with Slow Deep Breathing Program
For over ten years, I suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. This happened as a result of battling my chronic illness for over a decade. I tried EVERYTHING to beat these PTSD symptoms. These were things like dietary changes, EMDR therapy, anti-depressants, counseling, drugs, supplements, etc. Though some could provide temporary relief, NOTHING worked like slow deep breathing.
In this article, I will go over the latest studies on what causes PTSD. I will also show you how slow deep breathing can reduce symptom severity and frequency. In addition, I will cover tips to help improve the quality of life of those battling PTSD.
PTSD Symptoms Caused by Neuroinflammation
The latest studies show that neurological inflammation is directly correlated with PTSD symptom severity. What is neurological inflammation? Well, it is literally brain swelling. When the brain is swollen, the inflammation causes it to malfunction. When this happens, neurotransmitter levels become imbalanced. This increases susceptibility to various triggers that may not affect the normal individual. Though this all sounds very complicated, there is some good news. If you make the right decisions, you can gradually improve day by day.
As we said, there can be a good end to your PTSD story. Fortunately, if you identify the things that are triggering the neurological inflammation, you can reduce the likelihood of PTSD episodes. Though this may seem complicated, typically, you need to look no further than three areas to determine what is triggering someone. These are: what someone is putting in their mouth, what they are inhaling, and what stressors are in their life. In the next section, we will discuss the effects of stress on the body and uncover a secret tool for you to use on your healing journey.
Stress Resistance Low in PTSD
People who have PTSD have incredibly low-stress resistance. This is because their brain is constantly inflamed, making the immune system more easily threatened by external stimuli. To improve stress resistance, you must calm down the immune system in the brain. Though there are a few ways to do this, my favorite of all is slow deep breathing. As I will discuss below, it gradually resets the autonomic nervous system, reconditioning your brain so that it responds normally to stressors. Interested in learning more? Then, let’s move on to the next section.
Improving Stress Resistance with Slow Deep Breathing
When I say “slow deep breath”, I don’t mean something that takes five seconds. When you’re doing it right, this breath can take as long as 30 seconds. Just imagine how calm your body could become if it only took one breath every 30 seconds, for 30 minutes straight. As you continue to practice it more often, your body begins to believe that everything is OK. After being severely traumatized, the inflammatory memory is there, and unless you give the body a reason to believe everything is OK, it will remain in the state of fight or flight.
To explain further, by taking a slow deep breath, you improve oxygen flow to the brain, reducing inflammation. In addition, by performing this breathing technique, you can recondition the mast cells in the brain so they get used to secreting anti-inflammatory compounds rather than inflammatory ones. Eventually, if you perform the technique daily, the neurological inflammation will be reduced further and further. Over time, the PTSD symptoms will dwindle unless something triggers the inflammation to arise. If symptoms do flare-up, it time to play detective to see what you did different. Once you figure it out, just make the changes you can.
My Experiences Using Slow Deep Breathing for PTSD
When I first tried implementing a slow deep breathing program, I was at my breaking point. My daughter was extremely sick, I had just realized we were living in a moldy house, and my life had been flipped upside down. The trauma was so great that anytime I saw my daughter have problems, I would be sent into a PTSD episode that would paralyze me. At the time, I really did not believe that slow deep breathing could help, but thankfully, I was wrong.
I was always the type of person who would do something either 0% or 100%. So, with the deep breathing, I figured, why not try to go 100% with it and see what happens? I started with 40 minutes twice daily and worked my way up to two hours per day total.
Within less than 30 days, I was a completely different person. I could experience things that would usually trigger me, and now they felt like they would roll off my shoulder. I was 100% sure these changes were because of the deep breathing. That was the one thing that I had done recently, and I felt great after each session.
Within a few months, not only did my personality change, but my preferences did as well. This was the most important change of all. It allowed me to start seeking things that would keep me calm and relaxed. In the past, I would seek out things that would provide stimulation, which would put me even further into the fight-or-flight response. This would increase the possibility of having my PTSD symptoms triggered.
How to Perform Slow Deep Breath Properly
So, how do you perform this life-changing breathwork exercise? It’s simple. Close your eyes, and breathe in through your nose as slowly as you can until ZERO air is left. This can take anywhere from 8-20 seconds. You then hold your breath for 2-5 seconds, (while holding breath focus on the center of your forehead and search for the pulse), and then slowly release the air through your nose. As you release out, you can envision stress leaving your body through your legs, one side of your body at a time. You can picture this stress as smoke or vapor and imagine it leaving your body as you exhale. The inhale and exhale should take somewhere between 15-30 seconds total.
Once you are done with the breath, repeat it continuously for 25-30 minutes. This should be done twice daily, ideally first thing in the morning and last thing at night. If you have severe PTSD, you may need as long as 40 minutes twice daily to gain full control of your symptoms. Regardless, it’s a small price to pay for PTSD symptoms to disappear.
Also, if you find yourself to be stressed during the day, you can use the slow deep breath. You can use it when you are driving, at work, having conversations, watching TV or doing nearly anything. This is why it is so valuable. The key is just reminding yourself to BE AWARE of the pace of your breath as often as possible.
If you need some audio to stay focused, you can use binaural beats. These frequencies have been shown to have a positive effect on the brain. In my experience, combining these frequencies with a slow deep breathing practice can be immensely powerful. Refer below for one of my favorite healing frequencies:
Steps to Beating PTSD Symptoms
Identifying and Eliminating Dietary Triggers
Many people who have PTSD also have compromised digestive function. The chronic stress from PTSD leads them to make poor dietary choices, and the stress depletes them of essential nutrients that support the growth of beneficial bacteria. Because of this, people with PTSD must be very cautious with how they eat. They must make sure they are not eating foods that could cause immune sensitivities. In the majority of cases, people with PTSD are eating things that are contributing to their symptoms.
If they want to discover which foods are causing them to feel this way, implementing a plant-based elimination diet is the best choice. Doing so will allow them to notice the shifts in symptoms that occur when they eat foods their body does not agree with. This could be an absolute game changer since these undigested proteins from these foods leak into the blood and trigger neurological inflammation, which is the leading cause of PTSD symptoms. Learn more about the process of implementing the elimination diet in the link provided.
Make Changes to Improve Indoor Air Quality
Anything that can trigger neurological inflammation should be considered a risk for someone with PTSD. One of the most common things is mold/mycotoxins. When I was living in a moldy house, my PTSD was worse than ever. At the time, I could not understand why things were so much worse than in recent years.
Trust me, you cannot underestimate the importance of air quality when you have PTSD. The cleaner the air, the less neurological inflammation will be present. This then translates into improved stress resistance and less chance of a PTSD episode. You don’t have to avoid stressful situations to live a life with PTSD, you need to identify the hidden triggers that are aggravating your immune system. These things make you susceptible to stress when you encounter it in your environment.
Identifying Stress Triggers and Making Changes
Many types of things stress the body. This can be as simple as a poor night’s sleep, eating too much, having an extra beer at the ball game, or even drinking too much coffee in the morning. There are various opportunities in our day for our body to become triggered by something stressful. These triggers can then cause neuroinflammation, which makes PTSD symptoms worse. Though you may not see the effect of each of these decisions independently, together they add up!
To overcome PTSD, you must be hyper-aware of your body’s response to different stressors. If you notice a worsening of symptoms after being exposed to the stressor, you must make changes. Be confident that your body is telling you “something is wrong with what you are doing”. From someone who has overcome PTSD, this is the MOST important part to being successful. You must always examine the shifts in your well-being and connect the dots to determine what happened. From there, you can learn from your mistakes and consistently make the decisions that will heal you from PTSD.
Frequently Asked Questions – Beating PTSD Naturally
Can you really overcome PTSD through this approach?
Yes, I did. At one point in my life, I was paralyzed by images that would slide in and out of my vision. They would replace what I was supposed to be seeing right in front of me. Sometimes, this would last for several minutes at a time, leaving an aftershock that would make me feel numb for hours. After implementing slow deep breathing, this does not happen. I truly believe that slow deep breathing reprogrammed my brain. Now, I respond differently to stress than I did prior. In addition, I don’t have the desire to seek out stimulation as often, which reduces my risk of stress.
Can slow deep breathing reprogram my brain?
Anytime something goes wrong, your breathing pattern changes. This change in your breathing pattern alerts your brain that something is wrong. It then sends out messages throughout the body that there is a problem. If you perform a slow deep breath for an extended period, you’re telling your body everything is completely fine. You are in essence saying: there is no reason to worry, there are no threats, now is the time to relax and calm down. By doing this frequently enough, your body starts to be conditioned to expect this. This encourages the immune system to secrete anti-inflammatory compounds, which keep you healthy and symptom-free.
What benefits did you experience from slow deep breathing?
I experienced many benefits from slow deep breathing. Within the first couple of months of implementing the program, I noticed deeper sleep, a reduction in appetite, less desire for external stimulation, an increased ability to be in the present moment, improved mood, better bowel movements, and fewer emotional breakdowns. It was finally clear to me that stress and limbic dysfunction had been affecting me a lot more than I thought. At one point, I was shedding tears daily. Now, it had not happened for months.
How can the foods you eat make PTSD symptoms worse?
Some foods contain proteins that are tough to break down if your gut is compromised. When these proteins are not broken down, they leak into the blood, causing an immune reaction. This immune reaction then triggers neurological inflammation, which makes PTSD symptoms worse. The key is to remove the foods which you are having the sensitivities to, so you can reduce your inflammatory burden. To learn more about the most immune-friendly foods, read the hypoallergenic food list. This will give you somewhere to start if you are eager for relief.
How could air quality make PTSD symptoms worse?
If your mast cells are already overreactive in your brain, you don’t want to be inhaling irritants. Though common allergens like dust mites do not help your cause, the biggest problem is mold. The reason is, mycotoxins cause your body to attack itself. The inflammatory reactions are far more severe from mold exposure than they are to nearly anything else. If you are inhaling mycotoxins, you can cause yourself a significant exacerbation of PTSD symptoms. Trust me, I went through it, as I mentioned earlier in the article.
How are mast cells implicated in PTSD symptom generation?
Mast cells are the immune cells in your brain that cause most inflammation. They do so by releasing various inflammatory chemicals, like histamine. This inflammation is responsible for the PTSD symptoms, and the mast cells are the therapeutic target. If you can calm them down, you can slow the momentum of the inflammation. If they are acting crazy, then PTSD symptoms will be tough to control.
Does neurological inflammation make you more susceptible to flashbacks?
Yes, studies have shown that PTSD episodes are more likely when the brain is inflamed. The more inflamed the brain is, the more likely that external stimuli will trigger symptoms. The key to controlling PTSD symptoms is reducing the inflammatory burden in the brain. This can be done by becoming hyper-aware of what triggers you in your food, environment, and daily life. If you need more help with this, contact me. It can be a lot to try to accomplish on your own.
Healing PTSD Requires a Multifaceted Approach
To be able to overcome PTSD, you must look at it as an immune condition. The reality is, your own immune system is creating the inflammation which is causing your PTSD symptoms. If you pay close enough attention to the signs it gives you when it becomes irritated, you can stop the momentum before your symptoms become present. Over time, you can become more aware of shifts you experience to the things you consume, the places you visit, and the situations you encounter.
Now that you have this slow deep breathing tool to use, you can insulate yourself from stressful situations and prevent PTSD episodes before it is too late. If you aren’t convinced yet, trust me, the slow deep breathing program is worth a try. It truly changed my life in ways that nothing else could. Yes, it takes time and effort, BUT the reward is priceless.
If you are having trouble implementing a slow deep breathing practice, I’m here to help. Just reach out to me, and we can set up a time to discuss your questions.
Happy healing everyone!
Matt Nedin, B.S.
Certified Holistic Nutritionist
EndSickness, Founder
Phone: (734) 846-8619
WhatsApp: +17348468619
Email: endsickness@gmail.com
