The 2024 results of the American Psychiatric Association’s annual mental health poll are in. And they show that we are suffering, throughout our county and beyond. U.S. adults state they are feeling increasingly anxious. 43% said they feel more anxious than they did last year, up from 37% in 2023 and 32% in 2022. Current events, the economy, the U.S. election and gun violence were cited as the most common drivers of stress and anxiety among those surveyed.
If you happen to be one of the 43% who feel increasingly stressed or anxious, you may not have thought of your local library as a source of relief. But in addition to books about mental health, Peekskill’s Field Library offers a special free program that offers members of the community proven tools and techniques for combatting anxiety and stress.
BreathBodyMind ™ (BBM) is an easy-to-learn program of breathing, movement, and relaxation practices. Grounded in current neuroscience, these practices work to signal the brain that you are not under threat. When that happens your stress response system eases. With practice that ease allows a cascade of positive shifts in the body. Everything works better and the body begins to heal.
Peekskill residents who are currently enrolled in the BBM program have already noticed benefits:
“This really helps when I wake up worried at 3 a.m. I begin the coherent breathing and can fall back to sleep.”
“I had to be in an MRI; it always takes so long. Being able to do these breathing practices made all the difference.”
“I feel so relaxed after this. It really is about calming the breath to calm the mind!”
Elena Falcone, formerly outreach director for the Westchester Library System (WLS), helped bring BBM to Westchester in 2018 through a program called Westchester Breathes. What really won her over was the amazing science underpinning these practices, which can be summed up with one simple, yet powerful, statement: The brain listens to the lungs.
“Breathing is the part of the autonomic nervous system, (the involuntary part of our nervous system). It’s the only part that we can actually influence and control,” said Falcone, a Cortlandt Manor resident. “When we can slow the breath, we signal to the brain that all is well. Then, without our doing anything else, the good stuff begins to happen.”
“I became a BBM instructor as a result of work I had done with the Westchester Resilience Coalition to educate the public about trauma and its impact on youth and adult health,” she continued. During these sessions, it was clear that meaningful solutions required time to implement. But the urgent question, the one we were asked every time, was about how individuals could better respond to the intolerable stress they were experiencing in their lives…right now.”
BBM offers a solution to that need. Not only is it based on strong clinical evidence, but it’s simple to learn. Program participants report quick results after learning the techniques. Plus, in Westchester County, BBM is available at no cost to all abilities and ages with no health insurance or prescription drug expenses.
Currently, most people look to pharmaceutical solutions for help with stress and anxiety. But that approach typically focuses on the sympathetic nervous system, the fight-flight-or freeze part of the brain.
Research done by the BBM founders showed results improved when participants used breathing techniques combined with physical movements to influence the parasympathetic nervous system as well. This part of the brain aids the body’s recovery after a stress episode. This approach allows the heart rate to shift, muscles to relax and brain fog to clear. Importantly, it opens the possibility for connection. “When we are able to feel connected, healing really happens,” said Falcone.
BBM is a replicable, low-cost approach to what is frankly a global, and under recognized, need to support mental health around the world. BBM founders have brought the technique to sites of mass disasters, refugee camps, prisons, inner city schools and neonatal units, across the US and other countries.
Falcone has focused her work on Westchester County, offering programming to support staff wellness events for county agencies and nonprofits, as well as for the general public. Participants have included social workers and librarians, school teachers, probation officers, and substance abuse counselors. “We are all on the front lines, supporting people through challenging times,” she added.
BBM was founded in 2001 by Drs. Patricia L. Gerbarg and Richard P. Brown, both clinical psychiatrists. They have had several studies published in the medical literature. In 2012, they published a book, The Healing Power of the Breath. Since the book’s publication, the doctors have accumulated yet more evidence demonstrating the value of BBM in helping people manage reactions to stress in real time.
More than 500 teachers around the world are trained to teach BBM techniques The BBM Foundation was started in 2020 specifically to advance global humanitarian work. In 2023, the foundation received a multi-year grant from the NYS Office of Mental Health to teach BBM to first responders throughout New York state.
Working with the Westchester Library System, the Field Library offers Westchester Breathes at no cost to Peekskill residents both in person and via zoom. Access is also available through all Westchester public libraries.
In Peekskill, community members can learn BBM techniques in person at the Drum Hill Senior Living Community. Classes are free and take place at 10:15 a.m. on Mondays. On Zoom, Falcone’s class starts on Mondays at 8:30 a.m. Both classes run through October 28. Register by emailing your name to [email protected].
Borrow The Healing Power of the Breath from the Field Library where you will also find BBM flyers in the kiosk near the library entrance and info on their website. Register and learn more about BBM at conversations.westchesterlibraries.org/breathe.
