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 REBIRTHING

What is it?
DEFINITION AND EXPLANATION OF REBIRTHING
Rebirthing emphasizes conscious connected breathing and facilitation by a practitioner trained in techniques developed by Leonard Orr. It is based on the premise that reviewing or revisiting the event of one's birth can have extensive therapeutic benefits.

What is it used for?
CONDITIONS REBIRTHING MAY BE HELPFUL FOR

- Arthritis
- Asthma
- Bulimia
- Hypertension
- Obesity
- Stress
- Mental blocks
- Creative blocks
- Lack of awareness of inner guidance
- Inability to move forward

Where did it come from?
HISTORY OF REBIRTHING
Rebirthing is a modality that grew out of the work of Leonard Orr.  Orr attended seminary with plans of becoming a preacher. However, while in school, he felt a calling to minister to those who did not belong to an organized church. Shortly thereafter Orr immersed himself in the New Thought philosophy, which was based on the effects of positive visualizations and creative thinking.

In a 2000 interview from "Threshold Quarterly," Orr described his experiences that led to the creation of Rebirthing Breathwork:

"My first rebirthing experience happened in 1962.  I got in the bathtub in the morning before going to work.  I was living at a rooming house at the time.  I lost all my power and strength and couldn’t get out.  I’d developed an ability to relax in strange situations before that time, so I just kind of surrendered to the experience.  I don’t know how long I was there because it was my first experience of that kind.  It was probably a couple of hours.  As a result when my strength came back just as mysteriously as it left, I was able to get out of the tub, get dressed and go to work.  It was kind of a mysterious experience. In 1962, [descriptions of the experience] weren’t present in any of the literature so I began spending a lot of time in my bathtub.  When I had my own apartment, I used to spend hours in the bathtub.  I noticed every time I spent a lot of time in the bathtub, I would just get fantastic realizations about myself and they were so valuable and liberating. I didn’t notice it at the time, but when I look back at it, after I developed rebirthing, every time I got a realization, or anybody gets a realization, they spontaneously take a deep breath, it frees up the breath.  I had hundreds or even thousands of those experiences between 1962 and 1974, when the rebirthing movement started."

While developing the rebirthing system, Orr found that changes in breathing resulted in improved physical, mental, and emotional health. The grounding provided allowed him to recall memories of his own birth, which he regards as one of the most traumatic and frightening experiences in most people's lives.

In 1974, he began to offer to help others experience the "rebirth" process as he had. Orr's early rebirthing sessions had the client relax facedown in a hot tub, supported by several attendants, and breathing through a snorkel.  He noticed that a certain breathing rhythm would always occur, and from this realization, he was able to offer rebirthing technique out of water (or "dry rebirthing"), making the technique more accessible to the public at large.

Over time Orr and his associates adapted his process to be used in a series of multiple therapeutic sessions.

What is it based on?
THEORY OF REBIRTHING
Rebirthing practitioners regard the breathing of adults as almost universally inadequate. Their work presumes that virtually all people are suppressing some physical and mental tensions, requiring relatively high levels of CO₂ in their blood in order to keep these tensions suppressed. Orr and rebirth practitioners trace the cause of virtually all human illness to accumulated tensions. The practice of specific rebirthing breathing techniques is designed to detoxify the system and release these tensions. Clients are said to experience such substantive physical change that avoidance or complete and spontaneous cure of illness can be experienced.

Arising from the practices of conscious continuous breathing, rebirthing encourages continuous intake and expulsion of breath without pause.  Orr believes that this method of breathing increases oxygen in the body and encourages prana or “life energy” to manifest in the blood. Rebirthing is a low intervention approach, offering breathing guidance but no encouragement for movement or externalizing emotion.

How is it done?
WHAT A SESSION OF REBIRTHING IS LIKE
Currently, most rebirthing sessions are done one on one with a practitioner. Sessions are done with the client lying down, fully clothed on a massage table or other comfortable surface.  Some practitioners still perform sessions in a pool or hot tub with the client unclothed to their level of comfort.  Sessions generally last between one and two hours.

The practitioner guides the recipient's breathing into a connected rhythm where inhale and exhale are merged. As this rhythm continues the body enjoys access to more oxygen than it typically receives, causing previously trapped toxins to be released and exhaled.  This process of cleansing and releasing the physical body facilitates the freeing and expulsion of similar emotional and mental negativity that has been experienced and suppressed within the body. 

Only a few minutes of this breathing process can be necessary before the freeing and releasing of the physical and mental toxins begins.  Clients have reported to feel such sensations as hot or cold, tightness, tingling, cramping, perspiration, emotional release of sadness or fear, and recall of early memories of birth or even pre-birth. The physical sensations they may experience are not caused by the breathing rhythm or the influx of life energy, but by the pain and tension being released.  As these are cleared, the client may begin to experience deep relaxation and sense of bliss, experience of meditation, and understanding. The desired result of a completed session or energy cycle is deep peace and total relaxation.

The goal of the process is for the client to become more aware of thoughts, behaviors, and emotional patterns that are holding them back from living their lives the way they want.

Who does it?
REBIRTHING PRACTITIONERS
There are currently no formal regulations or educational requirements for rebirthing practitioners in the U.S.  Rebirthing may also be practiced in conjunction with various other forms of touch therapy, energy therapy or healthcare that may require licensure.