Expert: John R. Cross - 9/20/2010

Question
Hello John,

Many thanks for taking my question.

I experience tension, and it seems to be in two places at once; the forehead and the pelvic floor.

I'm often only aware of a constant, dull, ache in my head, but when I sit and relax, breathe and invesitivate as best I can, I find that it appears to originate in the pelvic floor.

It almost feels like a tiny 'fright' reaction, that's constantly ON. It gives me terrible headaches.
I've been to get my eyes tested and they're 100% ok.

It feels like I'm not breathing right. I've now spent about a year on and off, paying attention to my breath and I hope this makes some sense :

I feel like there's a constant, almost perceivable urge to gasp. Although gasping only releases the tension in my head for a second, like scattering a flock of birds that all return within seconds.
The feeling might be akin to that of being under water and realising that you need air - that tension.

It feels like my diaphragm will not properly lower and give me a nice, deep breath (shallow breathing all the time) - and this causes a tension in my forehead.

I only recently found a way to fix it but I do not know what I am doing and would greatly appreciate any advice in how I can make this solution endure in my daily life :


When I sit, very still, and breath through my nose, after some time (10 minutes maybe), and if I am relaxed enough, it feels like my nostrils are opening up inside, around the point between the eyes.
This is similar to sucking a strong mint that 'clears' the airways.

The air feels much cooler but it's travels way up into my head, the tension vanishes and it actually feels better than having a cool orange-juice on a hot day. I feel Quenched, like I am drinking this air and it is quenching some thirst.
This sounds silly, but i'm just describing it in a way that makes sense to me :
I also feel like time is fuller. I am simply more 'aware' or 'awake' - it's like being 1000 times more awake, and yet 1000 times more relaxed. It feels like the state I should be in all the time.

Also, I've notcied that if I press the sides of my nose, just slightly, where I feel a tiny pulse, if I put pressure on this, it seems to help clear this tension a little, although nothing close to what I describe above; but it seems relevant as it's clearly something that's not just in my head (as it can be impacted by pinching nose) -

The effects are brief and as soon as I focus on anything that is not 'outside' my body (ie, if any thought crosses my mind or even if I reflect on this amazing feeling) it vanishes.

When I breath this breath, as well as the in-breath feeling very cool (just like after a mint) the out-breath feels heavy and hot, like I am expelling waste.

I know that this is the correct way to breath and I feel I'm in a constant foggy state because I can not do it all the time.

Please, does any of this mean anything to you? - If so, is there somebody I could see who might be able to help me find a fix?

Again, thanks for taking my question, I hope you'll be better help than the optician.


Regards,
Jamie  

Answer
Hello Jamie,
Sorry you are suffering. Headaches that you are describing may be caused by problems with the lower back or pelvis, especially if you are having tension in the pelvic floor - so one condition could be causing both symptoms. Have you had any injuries to your lower back? I would highly recommend that you see a therapist who specializes in either cranio-sacral therapy or gentle osteopathy/physiotherapy to analyse and treat the problem. Word of mouth is often the best way to choose a practitioner but if you would tell me where you live, I may be able to recommend someone. Best wishes, John