Daily life experiences are likely to be taken for granted, except when a dire event disrupts predictable daily routines. This article reflects an unassuming perspective on my part of the wisdom, the intelligence of all creation, and its complexity. Breathing, when perceived as an inherent function of the body, fits into that category. Breathing is a not merely an inherent function, instead it is a crucial biological process; our lives depend on our capacity to inhale and exhale. Breathing involves the full respiratory system.

According to “John Hopkins,” the average human respiratory rate is 12 to 16 breaths per minute. This converts to an average of 840 breaths per hour, 14, 1120 breaths per week, and 7,363,289 breaths per year.” 2This data is a compelling incentive to delve into the significance of breathing and its implications for our wellbeing.

Furthermore, breathing is not an isolated physiological process, “Breathing is the bridge between mind and body, the connection between consciousness and unconsciousness, the movement of spirit in matter. Breathe is the key to health and wellness, a function we can learn to regulate and develop in order to improve our physical, mental and spiritual well-being.”3 Some other circumstances and concerns must be taken into account when probing into the phenomenon of breathing.

I will be referring to the biopsychosocial model 4 in this article as a framework to develop my reflections on the theme. I have chosen the interdisciplinary model developed by Gorge L Engel in 1977. It encompasses three educational specialties in the understanding the human being in its entirety and complexity. These are the biological, psychological, and social elements comprised in the model. Eventually, the model was expanded by adding “spirituality” as a fourth component. Professionals in the field of medicine, social work, psychology, and religion delved into their fields of study and research and agreed on the significance of spirituality in the life of individuals and communities thus incorporating spirituality as the fourth factor in Engle’s Model.

At the present, the issue of the importance of including spirituality in the model is such that it is included in the curricula of Medical Schools and Journals (i.e. JAMA); Social Work Schools (i.e. Journal of Social Work Education) Psychotherapy and Counseling in its different modalities, (Individual, Family and Group therapy), the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy along with others.

In reviewing the literature focusing on breathing, I came across an article written on the symposium presented by the Centre for Medical Humanities and Anthropology Department at Durham University which sponsored an interdisciplinary symposium as part of the Life of Breath Project. The participants represented a broad spectrum of interdisciplinary specialists from classical philosophy to modern-day cinema and from medical doctors to holistic breathe practitioners. Their focus was on breathing and how it is understood from different contexts and disciplines. The following quote indicates their interest in studying and expanding their insight into breathing.

“Breathing a physiological universal occurrence, is distinctively both an automatic and controllable process at different times; it is also a subjective experience, an elaborated technique, and a fundamental part of knowledge systems and world views, breathing is interactive and offers a mode of relating to the world, engaging with others, objects, environments and technologies. Crucially, the significance and meaning of breath is seldom considered in anthropological or cross culturally research, despite the implications this could have in comprehending just what it means to live and breathe.”5

This all-inclusive model seeks to embrace the totality and complexity of the human being. I eagerly adopted this new paradigm as a template to take into consideration when addressing complex issues affecting human beings in their environments. All too often we have become complacent with superficial or simplistic responses to serious matters by omitting one or more important dimensions that the interdisciplinary model incorporates.

In a succinct manner, I want to reflect on breathing based upon the abovementioned interdisciplinary model. I will start noting some thoughts on the importance of Spirituality and Religion. “Spirituality has been defined as ‘the way in which people understand and live their lives in view of their ultimate meaning and value.”6 Dan Brulé reminds us that “breathing is the language of the soul.” 7Religion, on the other hand, reminds us of the importance of creeds, traditions, sacred texts teachings and doctrines. In Genesis 2:7, we read: “then the Lord God formed the human being from the topsoil of the fertile land and blew life’s breath into his nostrils. The human came to life.”8 Our first breath gives us life and we begin our lifespan journey. At death, breathing ceases and life is brought to a close.  

Breathing is not an insulated physiological activity. The objective of this article as stated in the introductory paragraphs was to demonstrate the importance of how everything in life is interconnected. No subject matter emerges or is developed in a vacuum; therefore at this juncture, I want to challenge all of you who read this article to consider with me briefly how the interdisciplinary model has an effect on breathing. At this juncture, I would like to incorporate and lift up for consideration the vast information available in the biopsychosocial and spiritual literature.

Besides the biological factors contributing to breathing, we need to realize that there exist in the air hazardous particles that are absorbed constantly by our bodies; a few of the many examples of these are social issues, such as racial and economic disparities, which increase the potential of damage for children and poor citizens. In a keynote presentation, Jim Garbarino from Loyola University in Chicago, quotes in his lecture on The Challenge of Parenting in a Socially Toxic Environment, that “According to the American Lung Association’s 2016 State of the Air Report, Los Angeles ranks among the worst offenders for air pollution. The report shows that 166 million people, equating to slightly more than half the national population, live in areas that have harmful concentrations of ozone airborne particulates.”9 Writers in the field of environmental toxicity, as Cheryl Katz, and other researchers from Yale University, “have substantiated through their investigations that tiny particles of air pollution contain more hazardous ingredients in non-white and low-income communities than in affluent white ones, a new study shows. Others, it “points to economic issues in non-white and low-economic communities breathe more hazardous particles than in affluent white ones.”10 Now we are talking about economic issues as a cause for breathing problems in society. There are other works and research in progress in the medical, psychological, social and economic disciplines that will continue to reiterate the importance of linking breathing to an interdisciplinary model necessary to enhance the quality of life.

Lastly, I would like to say a brief word in reference to the psychological implications related to breathing, such as the environmental toxicity, social/economic conditions affecting the persons suffering conditions directly associated with their breathing. Unfortunately, given the length of the article and the extensive literature on the subject, I will enumerate some of the syndromes related with breathing problems, such as asthma, COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), neurological effects, behavioral disruption of children, such as aggression, early signs of ADHP (Attention Disorder Hyperactive), anxiety disorders, and others. A list of resources has been included in the References for further reading.

The theme of this article is “Breathing.” My purpose in writing the article is to expand my thinking and that of the reader to allow us to better understand the complexity of the human life by seeking in the biopsychosocial/spiritual/religious model new perspectives related to the intricacy of human life. The goal of the article is to expand our vision to the point that we realize that nothing in our daily life, even when it is as simplistic and routine as “breathing,” can be taken for granted.

References

Neuropsychiatric Function in Chronic Lung Disease: the Role of Pulmonary Rehabilitation Charles F Emery PhD, Marquisha R Green MA, and Sooyeon Suh MA

NIMH- National Institute of Mental Health

NAMI- National Alliance on Mental Illness

Notes

1. Carew Papritz. The Legacy Letters: his Wife, his Children, his Final Gift. King Northern Publishing. January 2014 www.thelegacyletters.com

2 www.hopkinsmedicine.org

3. Weil, Andrew, MD. www.drweil.com/health-wellness/body-mind-spirit/stress-anxiety/breathing-an-introduction/

4. Engle, GL: The need for a new medical model: a challenge for biomedicine. Science 1977; 196: 129-136.

5. Breathing in context: historical and cross-cultural perspectives on breath (Symposium, Durham University, 8-9 March 2016)

6. Muldoon, M. and King, N. (1995) Spirituality, health care, and bioethics. J. Relig. Health 34(4), 329–349.

7. Brulé, Dan. A Primer in ten Art and Science of Conscious Breathing (p.3) Manuscript www.breathmastery.com

8. Common English Bible

9. www.epa.gov/ozone-pollution

10. Cheryl Katz, Environmental Health News on November, 1 2012

About the author

Rebeca Radillo wrote 3 articles for this publication.

The Rev. Dr. Rebeca M. Radillo is originally from Cuba and came to the United States in 1961. Dr. Radillo is a United Methodist Pastor and just concluded her tenure as Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling and Director of the Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling Program. She is Professor Emerita at The New York Theological Seminary. A graduate of Candler School of Theology at Emory University, New York Theological University and the Blanton Peale Graduate Institute in Pastoral Psychotherapy, she is a Licensed New York State Mental Health Counselor. She has been an adjunct professor at Drew Theological School, General Theological Seminary, and Perkins School of Theology in Dallas, Texas. She is the author of two books, Cuidado Pastoral Contextual e Integral and Cuidado Pastoral con Immigrantes.

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