Why Do We Breathe?

By Mia Curcuruto

We breathe in order to maintain our life, by keeping oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in balance. The goal of cranial therapy is to help guide the individual back into a spontaneously feeling state. We concentrate first, on the Reichian breathing, and then on the cerebral spinal fluid flow by way of the cranial bones, constructing a balanced system that is able to accept the intensely powerful emotions that exist in our lives.

Dr. Wilhelm Reich defined emotional "armor" as a barrier against true expression. As children, we responded to our world via the language of the body. This language is the involuntary response to stimuli, or in other words, feelings. As we grew we learned that this exquisite language was inappropriate and we were forced to override our responses by creating a wall against it, armor.

We have learned to feel by thinking as opposed to responding. Our reactions to the world around and inside of us is now viewed and synthesized through our intellect. Pleasure, one of the most important healing mechanisms we have, is now quickly measured, and often subdued, by our intellectual constraints.

We filter and dilute, until our senses match our images. Our constant internal chatter has now clouded the spontaneity of an involuntary pleasurable experience. We spend too much time weighing if it is right or wrong. We have become governed not by the language of our bodies, but by our intellectual processes.

When we breathe and then balance via the cranial movements, many different responses may occur. As the muscles relax, years of holding begin to abate, releasing what has been stored within. Our intellectual mind is overridden by our feelings being spontaneously and involuntarily expressed. The experiences vary depending on what emotions the individual has repressed throughout his/her life. Tears, joy, anger, and/or sensuality may stream through the body's system. The liberating effect of once again listening and responding to the inherent language of the body is exceptionally empowering. As a result, the soft suppleness returns to our musculature and our dispassionate lethargy subsides.

How long will it take before the armor is discharged? This depends on the severity of the armoring, the age of the person, and their commitment to the process.

Over time the intellectual mechanism of controlling what you feel will be overcome by the body's natural spontaneous way of emotion. The barrier to your personal fulfillment is obliterated as the body receives uninhibited oxygen. With the liberation of more feeling and sensation comes a deep penetrating satisfaction with yourself and your life.