Trauma Care: Voo Breathing

Have you ever heard of voo breathing? Neither had I. I’m a huge fan of Peter Levine’s work and eventually stumbled across his “voo breathing” exercise in one of his audiobooks. It’s pretty fascinating.

The idea is that we do some deep belly breathing, we focus our attention on the breath and, in a deep fog horn voice, exhale with the word “voooooo”. It feels slightly strange at first but I promise it is an effective way to induce feelings of calm. This can be extremely helpful for trauma survivors who have a hard time feeling relaxed and calm, especially after triggers or reminders of their trauma.

So why does this “voo breathing” work? Let me explain the science behind it all. My favorite part.

The science behind it

Breathing is one of the most fascinating trauma recovery resources we have at the tip of our tongue… literally! When we take a slow breath in through our nose and exhale out through our mouths we are stimulating both the sympathetic (fight and flight) and parasympathetic (rest and digest) nervous systems. This is important for trauma survivors because they can frequently feel “on edge” or in a constant state of sympathetic hyperarousal, expecting something bad to happen. So breathing can give your brain and body a much needed break.

Well, Peter Levine was gracious enough to think of a way to stimulate our “rest and digest” parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) even further. He speaks quite eloquently about the PNS being stimulated by activating the vagal nerve in his book In an Unspoken Voice, which deals with trauma being stuck in the body. Long story short, stimulating the vagus nerve is another amazing way to induce feelings of calm and really activate the PNS.

So boom! Breathing in and out while stimulating the vagus nerve creates a beautiful recipe for feelings of calm. Let’s go through how to mix breathing with stimulating the vagus nerve, step by step.

Instructions for voo breathing

1. Get seated. Find a place to sit where you can rest. Place your feet on the floor and rest comfortably in your chair. Close your eyes if you feel safe, or if you choose to keep your eyes open, keep a low fixed gaze.
2. Notice your breath. Begin to settle into your breath. Just notice each breath cycle as it comes in and out. Just notice. Don’t change anything.
3. Take a deep breath in. Now, begin to allow yourself to take a deep slow breath in through your nose and fill your belly with air.
4. Breathe out with “voo.” On the out breath, allow yourself to make a deep fog horn sound with the word “voo”, for three counts, or as long as you can comfortably exhale. The longer the better. Allow the sound to vibrate and resonate in your chest, arms, and even legs. Feel and enjoy the deep vibrations the “voo” sound provides.
5. Repeat the breath cycles. Continue cycles for 3 to 5 minutes, or as long as you are enjoying the breath cycles. We know that 3 to 5 minutes of breathing can actually change the oxygen levels in your blood and begin to stimulate positive changes in your neurochemistry.
6. Bring your focus back to the room. Begin to bring awareness to your body, maybe twisting your wrists or ankles. When you are ready, open your eyes and return to the room.

How do you feel now?

Good stuff, right? I always tell clients to make sure they are learning a new coping skill before they really need it. Just like we learn to swim when we are calm and not drowning, it is important to learn new coping skills while you are calm and not panicking.

If you would like to learn additional trauma coping skills, you can read more about trauma recovery and EMDR, or request an appointment through the client portal. You are also welcome to call 407-630-7529.