ИСТИНА

Background and aims: The Cultural-Historical Approach and the Clinical Psychology of Corporeality (Thostov, 2002) suggest viewing the body not exclusively as a ‘natural’ biological function, but also as a culturally mediated and regulated process similar to the higher mental functions. The regulation of breathing is both an autonomous and a voluntary function. The research investigates the continuum between the dysfunction and the hyperfunction of breath regulation and presents psychological factors that disrupt or support the regulation. Materials and methods: The capability to voluntary respiration regulation was examined through breath holding involving “easy-going” and “struggling” phases. The psychological mediation was assessed through: a) the respiratory experience interviews, b) the anxiety level, c) psychosemantic and projection techniques. The study involved 20 patients with hyperventilation syndrome, 20 freedivers, and 20 healthy participants. Results: The study revealed that freedivers have a longer total breath holding and also “struggling” phase, which is perceived by other participants as "agonizing". Moreover, freedivers have a lower level of anxiety and a more positive breath vocabulary, which consists of popular and emotional-somatic words. The patients, on the contrary, are unable to hold breath. Their short breath holding is correlated with a higher anxiety level, a larger vocabulary of negative breathing experience and the fixation on present unpleasant sensations, described by emotional, but not bodily words. Discussion: Therefore, freedivers have bigger volume of positive breathing vocabulary and can withstand longer the conflict between the physiological need to inhale and the voluntary motivation to hold their breath. While the connection of breathing with negative sensations at patients, who have HVS, leads to less breathing control. Conclusion: The results of the study raise the question to further researches about the relationship between the breathing regulation and the psychological mediation of breath.