Dr. Sinead Lynch

So when I meet a patient, it is inviting them to say, look, you've taken this step.

to either come to see me or one of the other team members on the psycho-oncology team.

And it's to address what you're stuck with.

You know, it's an acute service.

It's not just to go along and to maybe just air a few worries.

It's to really get stuck into what is it that you need help and support with.

Exactly.

Like we used a nose low and slow mantra, which is actually taken from Buteyko method, which is a breath work that kind of uses breath holes.

We didn't use breath holes.

What we did was we breathed it in through the nose, low into the diaphragm and then a nice slow exhale through the nose.

And if people were to even try it now, it's just slowly in.

and slowly out.

And it's like a wave coming in and out of the shore and it's relaxing, but it also means that your brain is concentrating on breathing.

And so it's not running off with itself.

So a lot of the time when we talk about compassion or breathwork, people think it's fuddy-duddy, but it isn't because it takes a lot of concentration.

It's a simple thing to do, as you said, it's unconscious, but we don't focus on it.

And so when we bring our attention to it, and as Anne said, everything feels out of our control, but actually I can control this breath.

I can regulate my nervous system.

And that's exactly it.

The nervous system, after a shock, after being frightened, needs to be calmed.