Since 1991, thousands of people have experienced the joy and health benefits of Full Wave Breathing. Here is one person's story of how Full Wave Breathing changed their life.

CASE IN POINT:
Jake's Voice

Jake was a ten-year-old stutterer referred for his anxiety about stuttering. In speaking with Jake and his family, the breath coach discovered a child sensitive to emotional criticisms and very timid in new situations. Jake lived with his grandparents and interacted primarily with his grandmother. The grandfather was a considerably older man who didn't participate much in Jake's life except for his opinions about the way his grandson did things. There was no other family history explained except that Jake began stuttering around age six when he entered school.

The breath coach observed that Jake's stuttering patterns happened mostly at home in the presence of his grandfather. Jake's physical and emotional reaction to his grandfather was to freeze and not be able to respond. The breath coach couldn't determine what it was about the grandfather-tone of voice, gruffness, stern face, curt attitude-that became a stressor for Jake. What the breath coach did observe was that Jake caught his breath and clammed up, then became anxious.

Jake had very little trouble learning Full Wave Breathing. He saw that he could immediately use it in school when he felt anxious about something, and begin to do so on his own. The next step, applying it to his stuttering, became the real challenge.

The breath coach asked Jake what he loved the most, and he responded, "The ocean."

One Saturday, Jake and his breath coach drove several hours to the beach to practice Full Wave Breathing. Jake learned to inhale on the full wave breath, pause, and then speak what he wanted to say. The coach took Jake to the beach where he would feel free and uninhibited, and then slowly prompted him to combine his method of relaxation with speaking.

With practice, he became fairly proficient (75% success rate) in speaking to strangers while using Full Wave Breathing to think about what he wanted to say and then say it. The breath coach was enthusiastic and Jake caught that attitude.

The breath coach worked with Jake for a full year on a bimonthly basis. They would breathe together, and Jake gained a friend he could speak to about his anxiety. During that year, the breath coach visited Jake in his home; they breathed together there until Jake could apply his technique to anchor fluid speech with his grandfather. It did work with time and patience.

And the breath tool, self esteem, and successful feelings will last all of Jake's life.