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Cited by 94Psychosomatic Disorders and Their TreatmentsAnxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive ProcessesNeuroscience of respiration and sleep

THE BREATHING CONUNDRUM-INTEROCEPTIVE SENSITIVITY AND ANXIETY: Review: The Breathing Conundrum

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Paulus, Martin P.·2013·Depression and Anxiety
DOI 10.1002/da.22076PMC PMC3805119
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Abstract

Cognitive and affective processing has been the central focus of brain-related functions in psychology and psychiatry for many years. Much less attention has been paid to what could be considered the primary function of the brain, to regulate the function of the body. Recent developments, which include the conceptualization of interoception as a process consisting of integrating the information coming from the inside of the body in the central nervous system and the appreciation that complex emotional processes are fundamentally affected by the processing and regulation of somatic states, have profoundly changed the view of the function and dysfunction of the brain. This review focuses on the relationship between breathing and anxiety. Several anxiety disorders have been associated with altered breathing, perception of breathing, and response to manipulations of breathing. Both clinical and experimental research studies are reviewed that relate breathing dysfunctions to anxiety. Altered breathing may be useful as a physiological marker of anxiety as well as a treatment target using interoceptive interventions.

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  • Respiratory dysregulation and high chronic stress accompanying anxiety disorders may augment sensitivity to breath practice interventions.

    “The respiratory dysregulation and high chronic stress accompanying anxiety disorders may augment sensitivity to breath practice interventions [53].”

    From Breathing Practices for Stress and Anxiety Reduction: Conceptual Framework of Implementation Guidelines Based on a Systematic Review of the Published Literature (2023) · cites this paper as [53]

    In “Anxiety and Breathing – The Interoceptive Connection” (page unavailable), the paper reports altered breathing characteristics in people with anxiety disorders. In “Resistive Loads – An Experimental Approach to Measure Breathing Changes in Anxiety” (page unavailable), it describes breathing modulation as a therapeutic intervention but says little is known about its effects. It does not establish that chronic stress or respiratory dysregulation increases sensitivity to breath-practice interventions. (LLM, conf=0.82)

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References 60 · Cited by 94

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Authors
Paulus, M. P.
Affiliations
University of California San Diego (US)
Corresponding author
Paulus, Martin P.
ORCID
Paulus, Martin P.
Venue
Depression and Anxiety
Publisher
Hindawi Limited
Published
2013-03-06
Volume
30
Issue
4
Pages
315-320
ISSN
1091-4269 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1002/da.22076
PMC
PMC3805119
OpenAlex
W2095696374
Cited by
94
References
60
Citations by year
2026: 12 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 4 · 2013: 1
FWCI
0.23
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
doi.wiley.com/10.1002/tdm_license_1.1 (tdm, 909 d)
Locations
  • Depression and Anxiety (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
National Institute on Drug Abuse (P20DA027843, R01DA027797)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Neuroscience of respiration and sleep
Keywords
interoception, interoceptive sensitivity, anxiety, breathing, respiration, somatic status, anxiety disorders
MeSH terms
Anxiety, Brain, Humans, Proprioception, Respiration, Sensation, Somatosensory Disorders

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