Using Breath Work in Recovery and Beyond with Erin Reiland
You know me. I'm the first person to roll my eyes at the idea of breathwork therapy. And mindfulness. I'm so quick to laugh at the seemingly preposterous idea that using our breath can really help in recovery. Or maybe I should say, used to be that person.
Talking to Erin kind of changed that. She is a Certified Eating Disorder/Anxiety/Breathwork, NLP Practitioner, and Trauma Coach. She also is the kind of person who totally rolled her eyes at the idea of breathwork. But then she tried it.
She will introduce the unbelievable benefits of breathwork therapy, how it can help individuals with eating disorders, and how she came across such a unique modality. We also talk about how tricky this gets when someone who is experiencing poor body image or has a history of trauma would want to be the furthest place from their body and brining awareness to it. Tune in and don't forget to join in the discussion by signing up for my weekly newsletter.
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Show Notes
[0:01-04:00] Introductions
Introducing our guest speaker
[04:01-07:53] How Her Childhood Trauma led her to the Discovery of Breathwork Therapy
The story of her eating disorder
How did she use food to alleviate pain and anger?
The tragic effect of her relapse from treatment and how it continued to spiral out of control.
[07:54-13:01] Going into Treatment for the Sake of Others - How Did It Affect Her?
She narrates the devastating feeling she experienced when her son witnessed her battle against an eating disorder.
Erin stresses the importance of treatment in a heart-wrenching and mother-son-centric analogy.
Putting herself first and valuing herself first to be a fitting mother to her son.
[13:02-24:08] The Voluntary Decision of Inserting a Nasal Tube to Gain Weight
Erin discusses how this last-ditch effort brought her body to a place of basic functionality - and save her life.
The essence of following through for long-term recovery with the step-down treatment despite it being uncomfortable.
Erin emphasized the importance of understanding your whys and a reliable support system for a continuous inner struggle with eating disorders.
Listen to Erin's testimony of recovery as she recalls how she progressed, how she stumbled, and how she regained herself.
[24:09-40:46] Debunking the Eyeroll Topic of Breathwork Therapy
What is breathwork?
The differences between short and long breathwork.
Breaking down the "journey" - guided and meditative breathwork.
What are the possible bodily effects of being immersed in guided breathwork?
How does breathwork affect people with eating disorders?
In the midst of the life-threatening events and the relief brought by breathwork, where is Erin now?
[40:47-36:54] Outro
Where to find Erin Reiland?
Resources:
Tweetable Quotes
"I need to do this for me. I need to be okay with me." - Erin Reiland
"Recovery from an eating disorder is not a linear process and that's okay." - Erin Reiland
"Triggers are teachers." - Erin Reiland
More From Rachelle
Hey there! I’m Rachelle, the host of the Understanding Disordered Eating Podcast. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, I work with clients to make sense of life’s messy emotional experiences.
I believe in the power of deep work and its positive impact on your life in the long term. Learn more about how we can work together here.
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