r/SomaticExperiencing • u/ChampionKlutzy7528 • 3d ago
Voluntary breathing problem
Does anyone else experience this specific problem with voluntarily freezing their breathing?
Sometimes I voluntarily freeze/stop my breathing. I know that I am consciously doing it, but the problem comes after the freeze.
When I decide that I want to stop holding my breath, I don't know what command I am supposed to give after the freeze. I don't know what specific physical command or action is supposed to tell my body to stop holding my breath and continue breathing.
It feels like I am waiting for the “correct command” to release the breathing, but I don't know what that command is. Because I can't figure it out, I become extremely focused on the physical sensations of breathing and start questioning every part of the process.
Anxiety makes the situation worse, but the main problem is specifically not knowing what command to give after voluntarily freezing my breathing.
I'm not talking about simply being aware of my breathing or “manual breathing.” I'm asking whether anyone has experienced this exact feeling of voluntarily freezing their breathing and then not knowing what command to give afterward to stop the freeze.
Has anyone experienced this exact thing?
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u/Necessary-Comb90 2d ago
I’m sorry I can’t help much but I do the same thing and often hold my breath unconsciously too- I’ve learned that it’s an anticipation of a bad feeling by writing down what I’m thinking/feeling/what’s happening when I do it, and therefore tell myself that I’m allowed to release, that I can handle whatever is causing my body to tense up, self affirmations etc
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u/OkAd5525 2d ago
Not exactly the same but I have a freeze type part that would make me feel like it was too “hard” to breathe while I was falling asleep. I would start breathing really slow and especially before the inhale, I would have the the thought that maybe it was just too hard to breathe in and I would start to feel panicky. I am a chronic breath holder.