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A Simple Exercise to Help Reduce Overwhelming Feelings of Despair with Peter Levine, PhD

46 Comments

As the pandemic continues, it’s not uncommon for clients (and sometimes practitioners) to become overwhelmed by feelings of despair.

And those feelings may grow even stronger this holiday season as many people won’t be able to share it with their loved ones.

So in the video below, Peter Levine, PhD, shares a quick, simple exercise that your client can use if they begin to feel overwhelmed by despair.

Have a listen.

 

 

Do you have clients who could benefit from this exercise? What approaches have you used with clients who are feeling despair as the pandemic continues? Please leave a comment below and let us know.

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Related Posts: COVID-19, Trauma, Trauma Therapy

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46 Comments

  1. holly cromwell, Medicine, Jamestown, RI, USA says

    nice

    Reply
  2. Joyce Weaver, Other, Lancaster, PA, USA says

    Thank you! Simple. Brief. Focus on breath. Effective! Wow!

    Reply
  3. Anonymous says

    Cats comfort themselves by purring like this!

    Reply
    • Sandra Ainsley, Counseling, CA says

      Ha! I love your cat wise
      comment, it’s so true!

      Reply
  4. Ashwini Mehta, Other, IN says

    I’ve always found this very helpful

    Reply
  5. Helen Lomas, Psychotherapy, GB says

    Thank you Peter 🙏🏽

    Reply
  6. Nereida Serrano, Psychology, PR says

    Excellent. Thank you 🙏🏽

    Reply
  7. Kalma White, Philadelphia, PA, USA says

    Thank you Peter Levine. Thank you Ruth Buczynski. So many things pile on each other as this pandemic and crazy political/world events unfold without let-up plus whatever is going on in our individual lives — Even if you and yours are spared the worst. I will use and share this exercise.

    Reply
  8. Bobbie Wells, Coach, Boston, MA, USA says

    In my experience, if I do these exercises by myself they only lead to more separation. If I do them with someone who can meet and hold my experience, I feel met and so does the trauma. So, is it really the exercise or is it the appropriate person who can hold what is going on for me and attune to that?

    Reply
  9. Denise Joan Thompson, Nursing, GB says

    Thank you for that. I like very much the way Peter Levine communicates with his listeners. Of all the presenters at the last course “How to work with clients who are stuck” I was very taken with the way he spoke (and of course the content!)

    I’ve found in the past that slow breathing has helped me enormously in times of stress, but adding the sound while breathing out improves the experience.

    Following my husband’s suicide , with four small children and few resources, at that time, I had many periods of l….let’s call it sheer terror as to how Id cope, and deep slow breathing did help .

    (Fortunately I had robust physical health and a stubborn nature , and huge love for my children ,which pulled us all through, but
    it gave me first hand experience and understanding of PTSD, Depression etc, to apply to starting a care home for psychiatric clients , from which I retired after 30years.) How I wish in retrospect at my most vulnerable that I had available the help of someone like Dr Levine !! Thanks so much .Happy Christmas to you .

    Reply
    • Marti Howard, Another Field, Auburn, ME, USA says

      What a beautiful story of post traumatic growth, Denise. Wow, thank you for your wonderful work and for sharing this story!

      Reply
  10. Marianne Walsh, Pleasantville, NY, USA says

    Eyes open or closed?

    Reply
  11. Judy Cantwell, Counseling, Atlanta, GA, USA says

    Thank you Peter — the technique of the sound vibrating in the belly is wonderful — I am going to teach it (Among others, I work with front line medical workers).

    Reply
  12. Nancy Gutfreund, Marriage/Family Therapy, Santa Barbara, CA, USA says

    Will use with myself and as needed with clients. I have been in intermittent despair.
    Thank you.

    Reply
  13. Raquel Habib, TR says

    loved it – so so useful many thanks

    Reply
  14. Brooke Dearman, Counseling, Northumberland, PA, USA says

    I can’t make my stomach feel any kind of vibration. My vibration sensation is trapped in my throat. What am I doing wrong?

    Reply
    • Jessica A, Another Field, Anchorage, AK, USA says

      Try to really focus on your stomach and on really pushing the sound and breath down there – I’m feeling it very lightly in my stomach- mostly in my throat – so really bring your awareness down to your stomach as best possible may help

      Reply
  15. Linda Ch says

    A wonderful source of assistance that validates and enhances other information about the power of breathing

    Reply
  16. Charlie Stevens, Psychotherapy, IE says

    I do have to smile sometimes when I see science catching up with yoga as in this sounding and breathing exercise. I’m also aware of yoga catching up with science. Charlie Stevens, Cork Ireland

    Reply
    • Tatiana Sibilia, Counseling, ES says

      Hi Charlie! So incredible seeing your name here as I scroll down! Hope you are doing well…love, Tatiana, once from west cork, now in Barcelona.

      Reply
  17. Nancy Graham-Cork, Teacher, CA says

    Thank you Peter…lovely feeling after the large breath and vuuuuuu…

    Reply
  18. Anonymous says

    Thank you. I’d like to know more about what’s behind why this seems to work. What’s the origin of this ‘vuuuuu’ and why does that sound resonate and seem to help.

    Reply
  19. Mary vB, Other, VT, USA says

    Thank you, Peter! I am going to work with this.

    Reply
  20. Anonymous says

    Thank you Peter for all you have given to us!!!!

    Reply
  21. Anonymous says

    Thank you Peter, I am a Early childhood educator (4_5 years old) and I practice yoga and also teach to these children. You are absolutely right! Breathing exercises are one of the best techniques to help to calm body and mind. Thank you very much:)

    Reply
  22. Johanna Ortiz, Psychology, PR says

    Excelente, muchisimas gracias!!!!

    Reply
  23. Alice, 28803, NC, USA says

    Thank you – I work in health care as a mental health provider I will spread this gift to us.

    Reply
  24. Anonymous, Another Field says

    This really is powerful! Thank you, Peter <3

    Reply
  25. Flow Fenton, Other, GB says

    This is a great exercise, I’m going to try it myself and also give it to people who might benefit. Thank you Peter.

    Reply
  26. Ulrike Senicourt, Psychotherapy, FR says

    I do that a lotttttttt with my patients, since i follow Peter . and it is very powerful and easy . . we do other breathing exercises like breath in along the “more comfortable side” of the body and breath gently out all along the uncomfortable side breathing infrom feet to head and out from head to feet etcetc ;

    Reply
  27. Barbara Dan, Psychotherapy, DE says

    Thank you, Peter, for bringing this up in these days. Almost no SE session in my practice without this wonderful and gentle exercise. It perfectly works for Mums and Babies as well. Babies immediately notice the shift of their Mums – helps both to get into contact again when things are overwhelming. Great regulation tool.

    Barbara, HP Psych, SEP, SSP Provider, Germany

    Reply
  28. Rachel Buchholz, Clergy, IT says

    Thank you so much!! This was very helpful for me!!

    Reply
  29. Elisa Inchisciano, Coach, IT says

    Peter Lavine’s kind spirit, knowledge, and experience are such a gift to humanity.. Thank you for this simple and yet very efficient exercise.

    Reply
  30. Megan Gray Paterson-Brown, Counseling, CH says

    Rather he didn’t start talking about the overwhelm of the nurse as that’s more anxiety inducing to begin with please repost just starting with technique ?!

    Reply
  31. Lesley Vlietstra, Social Work, NZ says

    What a kind man Peter Levine is. It’s obvious he truly cares for those who come to him for help. He has a profound understanding of the human emotional makeup.

    Reply
  32. Brenda Sedgwick, Psychotherapy, CA says

    I’ve been using Marty Seligman’s “3 Good Things” and I have one client who let me know “On the days when I don’t use it, things aren’t as well for me”. And, she’s using it twice daily – as I tasked – once each morning and again each evening. I augment the task just a bit by asking clients to also pair the exercise with Peter Levine’s “Felt Sense” exercise. So that is for each “good thing” to “feel it” in the “felt sense way”, as they reflect on it.

    Reply
    • Elisa Inchisciano, Coach, IT says

      Amazing Brenda, thank you for sharing!

      Reply
  33. Adriana DiGioia, Another Field, NY, USA says

    Thank you. A little trouble doing this since I am congested ( cold weather has this effect ). I do practice “ha breath “. This is similar.

    Reply
  34. W Hall, Teacher, NC, USA says

    This is very similar to yoga breaths, and/or what I’ve always practiced of breathing in ‘blue’ and breathing out ‘black’ …. thank you for this.

    Reply
    • Elisa Inchisciano, Coach, IT says

      Hi W.! It’s very interesting what you wrote about the breathing exercise. I’m curious, could you explain more on what breathing in “blue” and breathing out “black” means? Thank you

      Reply
  35. Larry Potalivo, Student, PA says

    It combines pursed-lip breathing with a vibratory chant or sound

    Used for thousands of years to slow down incessant thinking. Hijacked by religions… but effective none the less 🙂

    Reply
    • Allison Cassidy, Psychotherapy, CA says

      YES – so interesting as it also is a way of massaging the vagus nerve system. Wonderful for people to get such a simple and effective ‘tool’ for grounding and keeping our bodies in a parasympathetic state. I appreciate Peter’s work so much for it’s breadth, if that makes sense?

      Reply
  36. Astrid Hoang-Brown, GB says

    Thank you so much Peter ,for all these things ideas thoughts ,feelings ,reflections lessons….. which you share with ongoing compassion and generosity.
    Thank you.
    Astrid Hoang-Brown, Psychotherapist
    London

    Reply
  37. Mary Reher, Another Field, CA says

    Thank you, Peter.
    Interesting….I just did this yesterday as the breathing warm-up with my small community singing group (which has had to move online). I chose it specifically because of the darkness of the days right now and the heavy continuous rain, as backdrop to the confusion and stress struggling to conceptualise and deal with Christmas – a time that has always been about families coming together. These people are not on the front lines as your example, but probably suffering in their own way, as many are.

    Reply
  38. Toinette Keeling, Stress Management, AU says

    Thank you Peter Levine, from Australia. This exercise is great. Much appreciated. Wishiny you all Happy Hannukah or Happy Christmas. Dec 2020

    Reply
  39. Carol Kalvelage, Rochester Hills, MI, USA says

    Excellent advice and wisdom shared here. I did the exercise and yes, felt the difference. Thank you for this information.

    Reply

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