Do I remember my birth in a breath session?

Its called “Rebirthing” – why

 

Leonard Orr was a leader in personal development workshops late 1960s when he had a regression to his birth during a prolonged bath in a hot tub. He had been investigating the “thought creates reality” concepts – the subconscious mind and its affect in our life. For some time he thought it was the water that brought on the regression – not only for him, but for others who asked him to be with them during a prolonged hot tub. The water was approximately womb temperature and it was recommended not to stay in the Japanese hot tub for more than 20 minutes.

 

After sometime Leonard came to realise that it was the conscious breathing that people had started when they got in the tub that bought on the release of body memory – mostly birth or a part of the birth where there was difficulty. The personal development movement was ramping up in California in the late 60s and early 70s and many people were beginning to feel and realise that they were not experiencing personal freedom in their lives. Collectively many people were coming to the conclusion that they had blocks and the subconscious thoughts were creating patterns and limits to their expression. This movement spread as the many who started to participate in conscious breathing experienced the affect of having regressed to their birth or an early event, and the results in their lives of more freedom and choice. Leonard became busy and there was a lot of interest. He wanted to call the movement “Conscious Breathing”. But because of the phenomena of many clients regressing to birth – or early infancy – it became known as “Rebirthing”

 

In these days, clients participating in the Rebirthing Breathwork Mastery technique of full, conscious, connected breathing, sometimes experience regression. It can be to any point in their past, including in-utero recall or seemingly past life experiences – which are used symbolically. The main value of regressing is to discharge the infant or foetal response to early events, including at the time of birth.

 

If you were having a session and went back to re-experience a significant early painful or traumatic event, it is for you discover how and when and why you created limiting beliefs in the past and review if the beliefs have to be true now. It is usually clear they don’t and they can be cleared partially or totally. There are different ways. One is releasing the emotional charge from the past limiting beliefs and patterns that are still affecting or limiting you in your life now (emotional release). Another is purely energetic release, from the realisations. Others release or resolve through body sensation changes alone, or in combination with the other two levels.

 

A valuable aspect in using this process is to recover sub/unconscious information from past events. Once we get an overview of the past situations or see them from the adult perspective, then we can partially or totally, resolve the incomplete event or decision in the Rebirthing Breathwork Mastery sessions.

 

On a all levels, there is enormous value in being present to what we could not be present to in the past. During events that are traumatic in the past there is a contraction to the event and a freezing or leaving the body. Recovering vital energy that has been locked into fear patterns from moments of intense stress or subtle impression is beneficial. Retrieving powers and abilities that died off early is also possible. This process ultimately leads towards the resolution of exactly the issues produced by those traumatic or subtle events.

 

The creation of new conscious patterns and beliefs about life and people takes birth in breathwork sessions. This also gives rise to the suitability of the name Rebirthing. It is like giving birth to yourself as who you say you are – not as who you are from your circumstances and inherited beliefs. You are reborn with reclaimed energy and understanding. Not everyone will automatically, always regress to a birth memory in a session. However there will always be a level of renewal. Sessions are most likely to include birth memories when you are in transition in your life, or changing a relationship, or some similar major change is currently  happening. I have found that no one can make a body memory of birth occur in a breathwork session. It comes up spontaneously as part of the process. It is not a common experience in these years, as a body memory. However, many clients do give birth to who they say they are through breathwork. Although this would validate keeping the name “Rebirthing” it does not communicate well. So breathwork has become a global term for the process that has morphed from Rebirthing.

 

© Alakh Analda, 2015