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Have you ever heard of voo breathing? Neither had I. I’m a huge fan of Peter Levine’s work and eventually stumbled across his “voo breathing” exercise in one of his audiobooks. It’s pretty fascinating. The idea is that we do some deep belly breathing, we focus our attention on the our breath and in a […]
Neither had I. I’m a huge fan of Peter Levine’s work and eventually stumbled across his “voo breathing” exercise in one of his audiobooks. It’s pretty fascinating. The idea is that we do some deep belly breathing, we focus our attention on the our breath and in a deep fog horn voice exhale with the word, “voooooo”. It feels slightly strange at first but I promise it is an effective way to induce feelings of calm. This can be extremely helpful for trauma survivors who have a hard time feeling relaxed and calm; especially after triggers or reminders of their trauma. So why does this “voo breathing” work? Let me explain the science behind it all!… My favorite part 
Breathing is one of the most fascinating trauma recovery resources we have at the tip of our tongue… literally! When we take a slow breath in through our nose and exhale out through our mouths we are stimulating both the sympathetic (fight and flight) and parasympathetic (rest and digest) nervous systems. This is important for trauma survivors because they can frequently feel “on edge” or in a constant state of sympathetic hyperarousal (expecting something bad to happen). So breathing can give your brain and body a much needed break.
Well, Peter Levine was gracious enough to think of a way to stimulate our “rest and digest”, parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), even further! He shares quiet eloquently about the PNS being stimulated by activating the vagal nerve in his book “In and Unspoken Voice” that deals with trauma being stuck in the body. Long story short stimulating the vagus nerve is another amazing way to induce feelings of calm & really activate the PNS. So boom! Breathing in and out while stimulating the vagus nerve creates a beautiful recipe for feelings of calm.
Let’s go through how to mix breathing while stimulating the vagus nerve step by step…
Get seated.
Find a place to sit where you can rest. Place your feet on the floor and rest comfortably in your chair. Close your eyes if you feel safe, or if you choose to keep your eyes open, keep a low fixed gaze.
Notice your breath.
Begin to settle into your breath. Just notice each breath cycle as it comes in and out. Just notice. Don’t change anything.
Take a deep breath IN.
Now, begin to allow yourself to take a deep slow breath in through your nose and fill your belly with air. Side note: Be sure you are truly breathing into your belly and not your chest. You will know you are belly breathing if you breathe in and your shoulders don’t keep moving up and down while you breathe.
Breath out with “VOO.”
On the out breath, allow yourself to make a deep fog horn sound with the word “voo”, for three counts (or as long as you can comfortably exhale, the longer the better). Allow the sound to vibrate and resonate in your chest, arms, and even legs. Feel and enjoy the deep vibrations the “voo” sound provides.
Repeat the breath cycles.
Continue cycles for 3-5 minutes or as long as you are enjoying the breath cycles. We know that 3-5 minutes of breathing can actually change your oxygen levels in your blood and begin to stimulate positive changes in your neurochemistry!
Bring your focus back to the room.
Begin to bring awareness to your body, maybe twisting your wrists or ankles. When you are ready open your eyes and return to the room.
How do you feel now? Good stuff, right? I always tell clients to make sure they are learning a new coping skill before they really need them. Just like we learn to swim when we are calm and not drowning, it is important to learn new coping skills while you are calm and not panicking.
Well, that’s all I have for now. If you would like to scheduled a session to learn additional trauma coping skills, feel free to contact Flourish Counseling Co. at 407-630-7529 or schedule immediately with us online at www.flourishcounseling.co.
About the Author
Cristina Ally, LMHC, is the owner of Flourish Counseling Co. in Winter Park, Florida. She specializes in women’s issues, sexual abuse recovery and diabetic lifestyle adjustment. She has helped countless individuals and families reach optimal mental and emotional health by providing counseling and trauma resolution in the Orlando area since 2015. She is currently the President of the Mental Health Counselors of Central Florida and is a passionate advocate for mental health.
One in three girls… and one in six boys… will be sexually abused before they are eighteen. I live in a well- established Orlando neighborhood; 717 registered sex offenders – many of them predators – live within five miles from my home. I scrolled through page after page of the 717 offenders, looking at the faces and asking myself “would I […]
One in three girls… and one in six boys… will be sexually abused before they are eighteen. I live in a well- established Orlando neighborhood; 717 registered sex offenders – many of them predators – live within five miles from my home. I scrolled through page after page of the 717 offenders, looking at the faces and asking myself “would I have thought that person was a sexual offender?” Of course, some of the faces looked like someone I would be leery of, but many of them would have fooled me based on looks alone. Some of the faces looked like nice young guys, some looked like businessmen and a few looked like the women I have spoken to in line at a grocery store. The point is, you can’t tell who is out to sexually abuse the children in your church just by looking at them or talking to them. The sexual abuser may look like a nicely wrapped gift from God to help in your children or youth ministry…but in reality, he is a Trojan horse sent from the enemy. The good news is churches and other youth organizations can do something to protect the children in their care! A 5 Step Screening Program can help protect your organization.
1. Six Month Rule
Require all employees and volunteers to attend regularly for at least six months in order to apply for positions that have access to minors. A predator will not want to stick around a church for an extended period of time waiting to get access to children, especially when he can go elsewhere and have almost immediate access. Do not give volunteers who are new and unknown immediate access to children.
2. Written Application
Requiring a written application for church volunteers serves the same role as it does for paid employees. The goal is to document the selection process and to be able to demonstrate that the church met the test of reasonable care. A church can be just as liable for the negligent selection of a volunteer as it can be for a paid employee.
3. Background Check
A criminal records check and Florida Department of Law. Enforcement Sexual Predator check should be REQUIRED for all volunteers who will have access to minors. Obtain a signed Consent to Background Check from the applicant first. Background checks should also be obtained for individuals who have unsupervised access to children and youth.
4. Reference Check
The volunteer should list two or more other church members as references, plus any other references that may be available from other forms of service. It is not sufficient to list only parents of children with whom the prospective volunteer may work. Predators may work at grooming the parents of potential victims. The reference list should also include other adults. These people should be contacted for input concerning the volunteer’s qualifications for working with children or youth.
5. Personal Interview
This is the last opportunity for you to find the wolf in sheep’s clothing! Only 15% of sexual offenders are arrested so the other 85% won’t have a criminal record. Dig deep to find out the person’s real motivation to work with children and as much as you can about their background.
Start protecting the children, the workers and your ministry today by implementing a 5 Step Screening Process. Closson Insurance Agency, has over sixty years experience insuring churches and schools. We’ve developed a complete program to help you protect the children in your care – a procedure manual, a training workbook, a training workshop and announcement flyers.
About the Author
Lenise Zika is the owner of Closson Insurance Agency and has over 30 years experience as a property and casualty insurance agent. The wealth of knowledge of the agency staff lead to the agency brand: Knowledge and Experience – It Matters. Recognizing the increase of sexual abuse of children within churches and schools, Closson Insurance Agency wrote a comprehensive, step-by-step Child Protection Procedure Manual and training program for churches. The agency team is passionate about protecting kids from sexual abuse. They give back to the community by conducting CHILD PROTECTION WORKSHOPS to teach churches, schools and youth organizations how to protect kids.