The Presence Process is a 10-week, self-guided programme from Michael Brown's 2005 book of the same name. Each day you do two 15-minute sessions of connected breathing without pauses, repeat a short weekly phrase and read set chapters. The aim is to feel and "integrate" emotional charge left over from childhood. Start with our complete guide.
1 guide
The Presence Process is a 10-week, self-guided programme from Michael Brown's 2005 book of the same name. Each day you do two 15-minute sessions of connected breathing without pauses, repeat a short weekly phrase and read set chapters. The aim is to feel and "integrate" emotional charge left over from childhood.
This hub is the home on Self Help Supermarket for Presence Process. Our complete guide explains the method, the evidence and its limits. As we check them, videos, podcasts, courses, books and practitioner directories for Presence Process are added to this page.
This hub is for general information and self-education. It is not a replacement for medical or psychological care.
New to Presence Process? Our complete guide covers the core ideas, how the ten weeks work, how to do a connected-breathing session, how it compares with other approaches, the honest evidence and safety.
The Presence Process is a 10-week, self-guided programme from Michael Brown’s 2005 book of the same name. Each day you do two 15-minute sessions of connected breathing without…
There's no direct evidence. No published trials have tested the Presence Process. Studies of breathwork in general show small benefits for stress, anxiety and low mood, but most are small (Fincham et al., 2023a).
You will find the full evidence, with sources, in the complete guide.
Read our complete guide first. It explains Presence Process step by step and says plainly what the evidence does and does not show.
Michael Brown, a South African author and former music journalist. He developed it after years of looking for relief from a severe pain condition, and first published it in 2005. A revised edition followed in 2010 from Namaste Publishing, which also publishes Eckhart Tolle.
The breathing is similar to conscious connected breathing used in rebirthing, but the sessions are much shorter and gentler. You do it alone with a book rather than with a facilitator. Brown says his process isn't aligned with those methods.
They're the people and situations that upset you. In Brown's view, they're bringing a "message": an unresolved feeling from your past. The process asks you to stop blaming the messenger and to feel the old feeling instead.
There's no research on the process itself, so no one can say how well it works. Breathwork in general has small benefits for stress, anxiety and mood in studies, though many are low quality. Many readers say it helped them react less and feel more present, while others found it hard going or noticed little change.
Yes, at least for a while. Brown expects discomfort, and readers report tiredness, strong emotions, poor sleep and physical symptoms. Feeling hopeless or unsafe is not a sign of progress. Stop and get support if that happens.
No. It's designed to be done alone, and Brown discourages support groups and says there is no accreditation for teachers. Some people still find a friend or online community encouraging.
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